#i have muses I don't use or mention nearly as often as others BUT GOD PLS BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY I LOVE THEM SO

[queers-gambit]

Aces

prompt: ( requested ) during a terrible storm, you're invited to stay at your boss' house. years of tip-toeing around one another comes to an end when emotions are finally laid on the table.

pairing: Tommy Shelby x female!reader

fandom masterlist: Peaky Blinders

word count: 3.5k+

warning: honestly, it's pretty tame. some cursing, kinda-sorta one bed, most def OC Tommy, fluff, author is def on the Grace Hating Train but it's mild.

With a grunt, you threw the file of paperwork from your hands across the empty room; scattering across the floor. You were agitated, grouchy, beyond exhausted, and yet, there was no use in trying to leave when the worst storm to ransack England was being unleashed from the seediest parts of hell.

All you wanted was to go to bed for about 16 hours, but as midnight ticked closer and closer, that dream was dwindling. You'd be lucky to get a few hours at this point since your job was demanding enough to warrant early mornings and late nights. But this night was later than ever before.

You often wondered if your employer's antics brought this hell-storm upon you all, but figured, God didn't care that much about Small Heath. He most certainly didn't care for the Devil running it.

"Woah!" A voice laughed when the file went flying. "Gott'an arm on yah, love! Nearly took me fuckin' eye out!"

"Ha-ha," you mocked John Shelby, your employer's younger brother. "What're you still doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same," he smirked, squatting so he was in front of you with an exaggerated pout. "Why're you still here, love? Tommy's still gotcha workin'?"

"No, it's my own vocation."

"Tommy don't pay overtime, sweetheart."

"No shit," your eyes rolled. "In case I'm the only one capable of seeing it, there's an outlandish storm outside that prevents me from getting home." You gestured around where you sat on the floor, surrounded by files and other paperwork, "So, what else was I gonna do to pass the time?"

"It's not that bad," he waved you off. "C'mon, I'm off t'the Garrison, come with me, love. We can drink 'til the storm passes, huh?"

"John, seriously, I'm warning you," you deadpanned, watching him adjust his flatcap.

"C'mon, sweet cheeks, we can endure it," he laughed, opening the door and literally being shoved back by the force of the wind. You didn't make a sound, just reaching to hold down the papers around you as he grunted and groaned, trying to shut the flailing door; only able to once he threw his entire weight into it.

"Told you," you mused, his face and coat dripping wet from the short time the door was open.

"So, you're staying here, then?" He asked, panting, trying to play off the entire ordeal.

"I figured I'd get some more work done, it's not like Tommy gives any days off," you shrugged.

"He'd give you whatever you asked for," John smirked, taking his coat off.

"No, he needs me to do shit on the daily, there aren't days off, John Boy," you rolled your eyes playfully. "But I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to work for you idiots."

"Hey," he pouted.

"Oh, honey, if it helps any, you're my favorite idiot!"

"Good," he pointed at you with a small laugh. "But seriously, love, if you need the day off, Tommy would do it."

"No, there's so much to do here," you frowned. "We're on track to reopen in a few weeks, and if I take a day off, we'll fall behind, and you know Tommy doesn't do delays."

The gambling den the Shelby's operated was getting a make over now that The Shelby Company Limited was soon to be up and running. Hence why you were there in an empty room with only files around you and a dimly lit lap, you were trying to get shit organized before furniture could be moved back in.

You would have to restock Polly's office, Tommy's, Arthur's, and John's - all of who were Company members and would need their space to work. Not to mention the completely different office Tommy was currently eyeing to use as his base of operation, something you, as his personal assistant, was expected to help with every step of the way. Honestly, it was a miracle Tommy was ever able to get shit done before you - an organizational Goddess.

"Well," John sighed, looking around for a moment before shrugging and placing his hands on his hips, "want some help?"

You chuckled, "No, it's all right, John, you go on. Surely the lads will be home soon - "

Speak of the Devil! And He will appear!

The door burst open, sending your files every which way from the gust of wind; several bodies shoving their way inside before the lone, single body of Tommy Shelby stalked in last. He shut the door without issue, being a force of nature himself; a professionally observant, silent, lone menace that commanded the attention of any room he walked into. People on the street parted for him like the Red Sea, flocked to the darkened parts of the streets just to get a glimpse of the gangster in motion.

For as long as you can remember, you've harbored overwhelming affection for your boss, but never once vocalized it out of sheer fear of rejection.

He was Thomas Shelby. He was an enigma; a mysterious, stoic man that instilled a sense of fear and respect from those around him. You included, but yet never dare let your admiration for your employer be known in public. You loved him from a distance; admiring him and feeling yourself fall further into your unrequited love due to the intimate proximity you shared. He's always treated you as exactly what you were - a valuable member of the Company and his personal assistant. You worked intimately together on a daily basis, and each night you went home, you would scream into a pillow out of sheer frustration.

Being his personal assistant meant you were constantly in close proximity, and no matter how hard you tried to fight your feelings, it was impossible. He was Thomas bloody Shelby - insanely suave, charismatic, a deep nut to crack, but once he opened up, he was insanely loyal, caring, even decently amusing. He was all you wanted, but never felt secure enough to admit your feelings for him.

You were greeted happily by the men, all piling into the Shelby home to take refuge from the storm. You were left to silently rock to your feet and start gathering the papers that had gone flying in their entrance, glancing up when a hand offered help in rounding up your supplies. "Thank you, Mr. Shelby, but I got it," you insisted quietly, accepting the pages he handed you.

Tommy always had a soft spot for you.

He was silent for a moment, then asked, "What're you still doin' here?"

"Storm makes it impossible to get home," you shrugged. "I was waiting until it lessened, but it doesn't seem to," you glanced out the window, still shuffling files and papers together.

"You've worked all day," he sighed, "c'mon."

"Uh... Where?"

"Think you've earned a drink," he eased, already striding out of the room. You quickly finished gathering your papers, stacking them all together, but was pleasantly shocked when Tommy returned to the empty room with two glasses and a bottle of whiskey.

"Mr. Shelby, don't - "

But he was already sat on the ground, back against a wall, watching you with amusement. "Think a man's too good to sit on the floor?" He asked, uncorking the bottle.

"When their suit is so expensive that I have to take it to a specific cleaners, perhaps, then yes," you answered truthfully.

"I've money to spare, I can send this suit to be cleaned by another errand boy, you won't have to any longer," he poured two glasses of whiskey, "but tonight's company is too good to pass up."

You laughed, "Oh, no, what did you do?"

"Hmm?"

"You're kissing my arse a little, what've you done? What mess do I have to clean tomorrow?"

He smirked as you finally sat beside him, a bit stiffly, but accepted the drink he served. "Nothing, love, this storm's put a halt on everything," he gestured to the window, unaware that your heart stalled in your chest when you heard him call you 'love'. "What is it you were working on?" He asked, fingering the few files stacked between you. "Ah," he mused, reading the titles of the packets, "trying to get a jump on tomorrow, huh?"

"Not very much else to do," you shrugged. "I... I got a little frustrated. I think I'll need Polly to go over a few things with me."

"I'm sure you've got it," he spoke quietly. "I wouldn't have hired you if incapable."

You nodded, "Right, of course, sir."

Mr. Shelby offered you a look, taking a swig of whiskey. "You know, after hours, you don't have to be so professional."

"You didn't hire me to be unprofessional, though."

"No, I didn't, but this isn't a work meeting," he offered his glass. "We can still be friendly, can we not?"

You clinked his glass with yours, "Sure, of course we can..." How the hell could you be 'friendly' to the man you've pined after for the past two years? "So, I heard Grace skipped town," you started, instantly wincing when you realized what you said. "I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Shelby, I didn't mean to - "

But he chuckled, "You heard correct." He waited a long moment, then offered, "She's gone - for good."

You tested the waters, "Is... That a good thing?"

"It is."

"I thought you liked the barmaid?"

"I thought I did, too, but I've been wrong before."

"I doubt that."

"No, truly," he smirked, "I've made my fair share of mistakes."

"That you'd be willing to admit to?"

"Well, that's a different story," he mused, downing the last of his glass. "C'mon," he decided, sitting up, "the others are in the den, if you'd like to join?"

"Oh, no, I don't wish to intrude."

"Where were you going to sleep, then? If this storm doesn't die off in the next hour?" You gestured to where your coat and belongings were bunched up beside you, shrugging lightly. "No, absolutely not," he glared when he took in your makeshift bed, "you're coming in, you'll stay the night here."

"No, you lot are having family time - "

"And why do you assume you aren't family yet?" He asked sharply, making you reel back a little. "Three years, you've worked with my family, a portion of that before any of us came home. C'mon, love, you're more family than others wish to pretend to be."

"You mean that?" You worried softly.

He offered a look of mild offense, "I don't speak to hear the sound of my own voice. I would not say it if I did not mean it."

The whiskey in your system encouraged you to offer a sharp look, snipping, "It would not kill you to just say, 'Yes, I mean it.'"

Tommy smirked lightly, nodding, "Yes, I mean it. Come, you'll stay here tonight."

You couldn't fight off the smile even if you tried. With your coat and purse in one hand, Tommy took the other to help you off the floor. Like a gentleman, he took your belongings before leading you further into the Shelby home; leaving the empty gambling den to find the others all stuffed around a table with a card game loudly being played; fireplace stoked to life.

Polly greeted you happily, not knowing you were still here. Tommy set your things to the side as Arthur wrangled you into the seat beside him - insisting you had to be on his team! A quick sniff of his tea mug assured he was waist deep in the whiskey.

"Okay! New player at the table!" John announced, yanking all the cards back to hand over to Polly. They were all smoking, minus you and Finn. "You all know the rules - hey, hey, hey, no! Tommy's not on her team!" He pointed at you and his brother, who had sat beside you to sandwich you between Shelby's.

"Why not?" Tom asked, accepting the tea from Polly as Finn handed you your own.

"Thank you, little love," you whispered, pecking his cheek as he giggled.

"Becuase you two can communicate without words - it's fucking weird!" John insisted. "All right! Polly, you're with Tommy - the fucker likes to cheat."

"Being better than you isn't cheating, John Boy."

"Is when there's money on the line!" John laughed, Arthur leaning over to explain to you the game. He was actually a very good teacher, and even for a few rounds, you weren't a "viable player" just to let you watch and get the gist of things.

However, when you joined the game, it was far more intense than you had given credit for. But the Shelby's were competitive lads, Polly just happy to laugh and remind the boys of the rules; letting them dominate the table as you were content to just watch, laugh, and sip your tea. After a few rounds, Finn came over and hopped up on your lap, declaring you two a team now, and believe it or not, you won the next three hands!

"CHEATERS! AYE!?" John yelled, laughing right after as a boom of thunder rattled the home.

"No, call that beginners luck!" Arthur tried to defend, Tommy lighting a new cigarette.

"Or maybe John's just not accustomed to losing?" You grinned. "Especially from a lady?"

"I lost to a lady? Where? Where is she?" John looked around comically, earning a swift kick under the table that rattled the tea cups.

"All right, all right, next hand, we play for money, come on, come on, bets in the center," Polly instructed. "Finn, don't," she warned and you reached up to push the lad's hand down as he was ready to toss in a few pounds.

"Here, I'll cover us," you told the little lad, both grinning when you offered money to the center. Unknown to you, Tommy was keeping mental track of however much you were betting - intent to pay you back. Yet he didn't say anything, content to watch you and Finn have fun together.

Arthur and John were the most vocal of the group, arguing about scores and tallies and who won which round. You chuckled as Finn leaned into your chest, everyone waiting for the two to finish arguing; Polly looking over with a broad smirk before dropping her gaze. Tommy had seemingly naturally moved closer to you, one arm extended behind your chair to keep you close to his warmth.

Neither seemed to notice.

Not even when you would turn to crack a joke directly in Tommy's ear, his lips spreading in an easy smile that made Polly fight off her own grin. Grace was something special to Tommy, sure, this was true, but after the time together, she could tell that the two of you had become something more - without even verbalizing it.

Never realizing.

Hours passed, the storm still raged, two cartons of cigarettes was smoked between the lot of them, and there was no clear winner in sight. Finn had fully deflated into your embrace, asleep despite the loud thunder and blinding flashes of lightning. Your head had lulled onto Tommy's shoulder, sleep clawing at your eyelids as you listened to a drunken John and Arthur still argue about the card game. Polly eventually called it quits and bid everyone a goodnight, smiling softly when she noted the cozy seating between you and Tommy.

The longer you sat there, you more exhausted you became.

"C'mon, love," Tommy whispered softly, rousing you from your half-sleep, "let's get you to bed. C'mon, up you get," he smirked, aiding you from your chair as you kept a firm hold on his little brother. "We'll see you lot in the morning," he told his brothers.

"Night," John and Arthur waved, still deep into their argument, but smirking to one another when Tommy lead you up the stairs. When you were gone from sight, John leaned in and asked his eldest brother, "Think Tommy'll make a move tonight?"

Arthur glanced up the stairs, musing, "If he doesn't, he might be stupider then we thought."

John agreed.

Upstairs, Tommy opened the bedroom door and let you lay Finn softly on his bed, pausing to tug his shoes off and cover him with his blanket; moving his stuffed teddy bear closer and watching his sleeping hand naturally curl around it. You snuck out of the door, Tommy shutting the door, and tangled your hand with his.

Silently, he lead you to his bedroom.

It was small, ridiculously small, but it was enough for his single person. Tommy shut the door after you, moving around, muttering, "You can sleep in this," as he handed you one of his shirts, "and I'll be in the drawing room if you need me - "

"Tommy, I'm not kicking you out of your room," you sighed. "I can sleep on the sofa for the night, it's not - "

"I'm not letting you do that," he refused sharply.

"Then we seem to be at an impasse," you decided with perked brows. "Either we're both sleeping on the sofa or we both crash your bed. You choose."

He chuckled dryly, "And here I thought the whiskey would make you less stubborn."

"Wishful thinking."

He nodded, letting you have the room to change and get under the covers. It was decently cold in his room, more so without pants; the storm doing nothing to remedy that, and when Tommy returned, everything felt different.

A good different, but still different.

Neither of you made eye contact, him joining you in the absurdly small bed after blowing the candles out. You settled on your side, facing the wall, and after a few moments of adjusting, Tommy was settling down - but hesitating to deflate in comfort.

"Is it all right if I, uh... If I...?"

"Yeah, 's all right, Tommy," you whispered, reaching for the hand that hovered over your waist and pulling it so he was curled around you. It was all he needed to readjust, sigh to himself, and deflate against your back. You shivered slightly when his warm breath fanned over your neck and shoulder; his hand splaying over your belly and rubbing his thumb mindlessly. "Thank you for letting me stay the night," you whispered.

"Wasn't gonna send you home in this weather," he answered, voice vibrating the shell of your ear. "Besides," he whispered in a sigh, "this is where I wanted you, and where I wanted to be."

You chuckled, "Oh, yeah? So cold in here you need a warm body in bed with you?"

"No," he whispered, "but I've been in love with you for months now that I didn't want you far from me. Doesn't feel right, seeing you go home without me - everyday. I was overjoyed to come back and see you still here."

"What?" He didn't let you turn around, just kept you both there; locked in your spoon. "Tommy, what're you saying?"

He took a sobering breath, "That this is what I want, this is where I want us to be."

"That's the whiskey talking."

"No, love, it's you," his lips danced across your ear, making you shiver. "It's always been you, but I wasn't in my right mind to do anything about it."

"And now you are?"

"I might be, I couldn't go another minute with you thinking I don't want you - that I don't value you in my life. The fact that you were ready to sleep downstairs hurt me more than I'm willing to admit," he sighed, "and I knew, I needed to confess a few things so you know, you're welcome in this family. You won't ever sleep downstairs, love, you're meant to be here... With me... If you want to be."

You had to slap his hand to get him to loosen his grip and let you turn around to face him; but his hand remained on your, moving up to grip your ribs. In a whisper, you asked, "You're being honest? Genuine?"

"I can't lie to you, you can always tell. So, am I lying?"

"I don't think so," you whispered with skepticism, eyes narrowed. Neither of your voices rose above a whisper, "Why say any of this, Tommy?"

"Because the idea of going another day without at least trying to tell you how I feel was beginning to feel suffocating."

"What about Grace?"

"It's taken me a bit, but I know now that I was infatuated with her simply because I had already decided you were out of my league."

"Do you hear yourself?" You grinned, caressing his cheek. "You're everything I've wished for, Tommy, but know I can't have. You're the one in a league of your own, I'm the one unable to touch you."

His head shook, "You're all I've wanted and more. I wasn't sure you'd think it appropriate - my affection for you - given you work for me."

"The same reason I feared voicing my affection for you, too."

"Now that it's in the open," he whispered, "how do you want to proceed?"

"We can figure logistics out later," you smiled, tracing your fingertips over his face, "but for now, I just want to enjoy this. I never thought you'd look at me the same way, and now that you do, I don't want to look away."

"You won't have to," he whispered. "I'm in this for us, my sweet, if you are."

"Nowhere I'd rather be," you whispered, cuddled close, and simply breathing the same air. For a single moment, Tommy felt unparalleled peace; the shovels quiet, heart content, and body warm.

requesting rules and masterlist

Peaky Blinders masterlist

[mythvoiced]

-. The Tanuki

Fujiwara Yoshino | 21 | She/her

BABY! But don’t treat her like one or she’ll bite you~! A middle child amongst a bunch of children, Yoshino is a free-spirit seemingly intent on re-inventing that descriptive and making it her own, she will literally jump out the window and disappear in tanuki-form in the forest surrounding her house to not be forced to learn about the intricacies of her family’s role in the supernatural community of this particular area of the Tokyo prefecture because she argues life is simply about much more than meetings and dishonest get-togethers. Frankly, might just be an excuse, because she simply cannot stay inside for long or she’ll lose her mind. How she managed to stick to her job is beyond me, but she was bound to eventually settle down somehow in some capacity or the other.

TW: n/a Tags below ♥

[ladylynse]

Hi again, "dead Bird" anon again! I was actually hoping for a musing (mostly 'cause I still don't really know where the idea was going in my head), but thank you very much for the 3 sentence! Love it lots :D

re this ask - thanks, Anon!

What would Ladybug feel/do when one day Cat Noir brings her a "dead" (or nearly dead) bird, except that bird is one comatose/sick wielder of the Peacock & he's distraught? What would he ask her to do?

if Adrien is bringing someone to Ladybug, he’s planning on asking for help. He might not have a better idea of what they need, so I can’t see him asking for anything terribly specific.

Marinette would have so many questions--what happened? What’s wrong? What is Chat Noir thinking, bringing Mayura to her instead of to a hospital? (We’ll go with Nathalie for this over Emilie this time; that’s a different can of worms that’s definitely associated with a reveal, if you ever want that one explored, too.)--but she would shelve the more irrelevant ones to deal with the most immediate problem.

If Chat Noir doesn’t know what happened, or doesn’t know the details, then she’ll focus on what he can tell her. And if that’s nothing, well, then she’s left with what anyone else is left with when faced with something like this: first aid and whatever useful background knowledge she might’ve gleaned over the years. Given that Marinette babysits Manon regularly, it’s likely she’d have some sort of knowledge on that front, even if she never specifically took a first aid course or a babysitter’s course.

The complicating factor is, of course, the Miraculous. With magic in the mix, some logic goes out the window, and I don’t think Marinette knows that the Peacock Miraculous is damaged. I think Tikki and Plagg and Master Fu would know, but not Marinette or Adrien. However, as they know from first hand experience how much the magic protects them, and what they’ve survived without slowing down, they’ll know that whatever this is, it’s not a small, easily fixed thing.

That’ll be why Adrien decided to call Ladybug in the first place. You can bet that he would have had all sorts of training, first aid included, but how good is a normal hospital from what might very well be a magical malady? Whatever this is, it wasn’t reversed by the Miraculous Ladybug spell. Treating the symptoms and not the cause will only get you so far, and he needs to make a gamble on whether it’s better to take the time to try to explain to someone in an emergency room what’s going on--even if he’s not exactly candid on Mayura’s identity, since she’s not really in the public eye and therefore might not be branded a supervillain on sight--in the hopes that they can do enough for her to get her through till more help comes, or whether he goes the slightly longer route of going to (or potentially through) Ladybug. And if they were coming back from a fight with Hawk Moth and he saw an ailing--a failing--Mayura, saw her collapse, he’s not going to hang around to see if Hawk Moth turns up to help. He’s not that kind of person. She’s in trouble. She needs help. And Ladybug can help him get that help.

Adrien might not know that Ladybug first found out about Master Fu because her kwami was sick, but he does know she’s got connections on that front. Even once he does find out about Master Fu, he’s not the one to decide they need additional help, at least not alone; it’s still usually Ladybug who has the final call on that, and she’s the one to go to Master Fu for it. And once he’s no longer the guardian, well, it only makes sense for Adrien to go to Ladybug. Even if she doesn’t know what to do, Wayzz probably does.

But you wanted to know what I thought Marinette’s reaction to all this might be, so I’ll get back to that. Chat Noir is asking her to help, and she doesn’t know how to help. Not really. She’ll just have to try her best.

If Mayura is out in a fight, and most likely brought down from the toll of being in that fight, she probably used her power. Given the logic in the show, she wouldn’t simply transform back when she ran out of time, but this Miraculous is damaged. It wouldn’t necessarily hold forever once she’s unconscious. There’s also the very real possibility that it got jostled while Chat Noir was bringing her to Ladybug, so I think a reveal of Mayura being Nathalie Sancoeur is a very real possibility here.

Marinette won’t have time to deal with the Mayura is Nathalie Sancoeur??? thoughts flooding her mind, nor what was definitely a squeak of recognition from Chat Noir. That might not mean anything, anyway; Gabriel’s brand is very well known in Paris, and for all that Nathalie tends to hide behind a tablet, it’s not unlikely that Chat Noir would recognize her. But if she’s recognizable to them, she’s recognizable to others, and Hawk Moth, wherever he is, could very well have realized that she’s missing by now and be looking for her. They need to get inside, set up shop somewhere close and somewhere semi-private, as much to protect them as to protect Nathalie. Marinette would get Chat Noir to find them a good spot while she checks Nathalie over, to give him something to focus on instead of panic, and she needs figure out what she can before to she consults anyone. That moving instead of freezing, acting and assessing instead of panicking, will help stave off the shock of Mayura’s identity and, at least for the time being, the worry over what that might mean.

At a point where Master Fu is around, Marinette would go to fetch him. She’d defer to his knowledge and experience before trying to guess at what’s going on herself. If he’s not, if it’s just her and Chat Noir, then she’d talk to Wayzz and pick his brain, or she’d find a spot to duck behind and release her own transformation so she could talk to Tikki. Marinette knows enough to know that this is bad, and she wouldn’t risk acting on what she knows is deficient knowledge. The kwami might not know what’s in the book, but they probably know something about the Peacock Miraculous.

Now. You’ll probably have noticed that I haven’t mentioned Duusu yet. That would be another narrative choice, I think, as to whether or not Duusu is released from the Miraculous when Nathalie detransforms or if the Miraculous is rendered inactive. Duusu doesn’t seem to be with Nathalie all the time, so that Miraculous seems to be inactive more often than it is active, probably because they’re aware that it’s damaged and having it active is dangerous to the user--and, for all we know, to the kwami, god-like powers or not. If Duusu is there, they’d question Duusu. If not, I’m not convinced Marinette or Adrien would attempt to use the Miraculous, even if they would confiscate it so Nathalie isn’t able to transform back once she’s conscious--or Hawk Moth finds them. (Like I said before, even if they don’t know the Peacock Miraculous is damaged in so many words, they would have reason to question how Nathalie came to be in such a bad spot and would therefore have reason to be cautious.)

So, in short? I think Marinette would panic, wondering why Chat Noir is bringing this to her, and then she’d force herself to calm down and assess. She’d delegate tasks, making sure they’re all safe, not just Nathalie, and then get as much information as she can--from Chat Noir, from Master Fu, from Tikki, Wayzz, anyone she can think of. If this is a situation where Tikki agrees that Lucky Charm will help, she’d use that. If it doesn’t look like Nathalie is going to wake up, she’d probably take Nathalie to the hospital, just to try to buy herself a bit more time while trying to figure out what’s going on. When she has a moment to herself, she’ll be even more likely to break down and panic and worry and stress, but as long as she has something to focus on, she’ll latch onto that to give her grounding, and it’ll help get her through this.

(related)

[atiny-piratequeen]

Character Analysis: Park Seonghwa, the 'Frozen Prince'

Name: Park Seonghwa

Languages: Sabir, English, Portugese, French, Turkish, Greek, Arabic, Korean (Modern Day) Japanese (Modern Day), Mandarin (Modern Day), Thai (Modern Day), Italian (Modern Day)

Crew Position: First Mate, Tactician

Powers: Cryokinesis/Ice Powers (Inherited from Greco-Roman God, Boreas)

Compass Position + Arrowpoint Stone: Eastern Facing located on his right wrist , Blue Celestite 

Eye Color: Gray (Natural)/ Snow White (Demonic Form)

Hair Color: Blonde (Natural)/ Jet Black (Demonic Form)

Likes: Reading, Seafood, Making Flower Crowns (He’ll never admit it without a fight), Training, Horseback Riding

Dislikes: Lazy People, Cowardice, Fruitless Gossip

Prince Park Seonghwa. 

A man rumored amongst townsfolk to be blessed by the gods. Unusual blonde hair, stunning gray eyes, it has been a long time since the kingdom has seen such a capable leader. 

A foreigner, brought to the Mediterranean kingdom by marriage, he spent the entirety of his childhood learning to be the model prince. The prince’s posture is perfect, he never dodged his studies, he could tame the wildest mare, to everyone, he was the obvious choice for the kingdom’s king. 

Something...more than a few people are opposed to. 

First Mate Park Seonghwa

No longer a prince, but still just as elegant, Seonghwa has yet to lose any of his old habits during his time out at sea. Being the first person to join the crew once Hongjoong became captain and the first person to be turned immortal, Seonghwa worked hard to prove himself and continues to be one of the most reliable members of the crew. 

Seonghwa may be a little stiff when it comes to meeting new people, but being so close to a certain ‘Kind Pirate King’ has opened his mind-and heart-to meeting new people and the prospect of second chances. 

-Mythology-

As one of the four wind gods of the seasons in Greco-Roman mythology, Boreas is the purple-winged god of the North Winds and Winter alike. In some depictions, instead of his wings being purple, he has white wings with purple attire fluttering behind him. 

His parents are Astraeus and Eos. Astraeus is often said to be the father of two notable sets of sons; the Astra Planeta, five sons representing the stars. The other set of sons are the Anemoi, the four wind gods, with Boreas representing the frigid North Wind.

Boreas’ wife, Oreithyia, (the princess of Athens, as her father was King Erekhtheus) was swept away by him one day as she played in a riverside meadow, with companions (remember, folks. Don’t sweep away your crush and basically kidnap them. That’s not cool.)

Older tellings would depict Boreas residing in Thrace, an area described as the lands around the north of Thessaly. In those depictions, Boreas lived either in a mountain’s cave, or in a beautiful palace, with his home said to be upon the Balkan Mountains (or Haemus Mons).

Oreithyia would become the immortal wife of Boreas and bear him four children; Zetes and Calais (their sons), Chione and Cleopatra (their daughters). (Also, no, this Cleopatra isn’t that Cleopatra). All of their offspring have their own tales about them, and Chione is even regarded as the goddess of snow. 

Boreas’ tales are not as widely told, compared to other gods and goddesses, but he has been mentioned in some of Homer’s tales (specifically in Achilles’ tale), as well as being included in Aesop’s Fables, in a contest between himself and sun god Helios.

-Power Applications/Demon Transformation-

When Seonghwa completely reverts into his demon form, his hair will go from whatever color it currently is to an inky black color, with his gray eyes lightening to an almost pure white color. Elongated ruby-colored marks will appear over his eyes, with the one over his left eye being slightly longer than his right. The same elongated ruby-colored marking will stretch over his lips to form an elongated smile, though I assure you, if you make this form come out, the last thing he’ll be doing is smiling. 

Having been bestowed Boreas’ power, Seonghwa can create ice and snow at will and his prefered method of combat is to dual wield his falcatas, one being the rune-engraved one he took from his kingdom and the other being an ice one he forms at will. 

Seonghwa has mastered his power, using it in small applications here and there for domestic things aboard the ship such as keeping food items cold to prolong their life while out at sea and also using his powers to slow opponents in combat. Since his powers are a part of him, no amount of cold will affect him negatively. 

In fact, if he was in the tundra or somewhere equally as cold, his powers would only be heightened.

Despite his proficiency with his falcatas, as well as any other form of blade, Seonghwa is more than capable to fight hand and hand, and will use his ice powers to freeze body parts of opponents he touches. 

-Character Song Breakdown-

All of the main boys have a song assigned to them in the AtT playlist to go alongside their origin chapters. Seonghwa’s character song is Friction by Imagine Dragons.

I’ll only go through some verses and talk a bit about their connections I put to the chapter. If you haven’t read Chapter Two of Against the Tide, I suggest you do that first, as the song breakdown includes some major spoilers.

‘Get down with the victim

We both know you need them

You're stuck in the middle

Of all irrelevance

And your heart is beating

'Cause you know that you gotta

Get out of the middle

And rise to the top now’

Seonghwa’s accomplishments overshadow that of his older brother, Zafer’s. The bloodborne prince is lazy and very much inadequate, but believes it is his birthright to be crowned prince regardless. Feeling victimized and finally feeling the weight of his adequacy, Zafer decides to rise out of his mediocrity, unfortunately at the expense of everything. 

‘You can't fight the friction

So ease it off

Can't take the pressure

So ease it off

Don't tell me to be strong

Ease it off

You can't fight the friction

So ease it off’

Zafer runs from his problems and finds the easy way out of things, while Seonghwa tackles his problems, no matter how difficult, head on. Though these lyrics can be directed towards Zafer and his avoidance of responsibility and desire to ‘ease’ his responsibilities off onto someone else, the delivery in-song fits perfectly well with scenes where there is physical conflict. Whenever I envision this song, I definitely imagine Seonghwa fighting with his falcata in-hand. The power, the intensity, all of it kept in every graceful and deadly swing of his blade. 

‘Oh why can't you let go

Like a bird in the snow

This is no place to build your home’

In the middle of Seonghwa’s transformation, he reveals his true fears, how he doesn’t need to trust in anyone, how him opening up and trusting someone (his brother) got the closest person to him (Queen Dahlia, his mother) killed. 

The Boreas-infused version of Seonghwa nearly takes complete hold of him, had it not have been for Hongjoong breaking the ice-literally. 

Once he’s calmed down, defeated his demonic self and taken control, Seonghwa is much more open to trusting others, though he still often takes the longest to warm up (ha) to newer members of the crew. 

-Character Blurb-

Seonghwa gently wove various tropical flowers into one another, a small, peaceful look on his face as he held up the tiny ring, jolting when he looked past the hole to find Hongjoong staring curiously at him. He startled, all but throwing the ring of flowers behind him as he stared at Hongjoong with wide eyes. 

“P-Putois-”

“What was that?” 

Seonghwa’s eyes narrowed as he moved to hide the ring with his body as Hongjoong tried to peek onto the bed. 

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying.” 

Hongjoong dove onto the bed, laughing merrily as Seonghwa tried to scramble and snatch the ring out of view. The captain wrapped a shadow around his wrists, yanking them back before he grabbed the ring, blinking in wonder at the simple, elegant item. 

“It’s a ring of flowers. Why are you hiding this?” The smaller man mused, sitting half way in Seonghwa’s lap. Seonghwa went beet red, clearing his throat as he took the ring, hesitantly putting it around his wrist as he looked away, huffing. 

“Petite peste-” He muttered before he sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair. 

“It’s...embarrassing. It reminds me of my mother. We would make them together…” He trailed off, biting his lip.

Hongjoong looked at the flower before he smiled, wrapping his legs around Seonghwa’s waist, holding his hand out as an assortment of blossoms grew from his palm. Seonghwa’s lips parted in surprise as Hongjoong held his hand out. 

“Show me how to make them, then. We can make them together.” He offered. Seonghwa blinked in surprise before he chuckled and nodded, kissing his head lightly. 

“Oui, mon putois. Pay attention, okay?” He moved Hongjoong out of his lap and showed him step by step, all with a small smile on his face. 

-M.List-

[evergloffpress]

Bottle of Blog: Comic Book Reality Vs. Probable Reality

The citizens of both the DC and Marvel Universes deal with a continuous flow of global ,galactic and Universal threats on a nearly daily basis.

Alien invasions. demon swarms, demented gods, supervillain armies, mythical monsters, mad scientist, mutant terrorists, and just about every malicious malcontent bent destroying mankind has been dreamt up and bestowed upon the comic book page. However, when the dust settles and our heroes have done away with the crisis du jour everything goes back to normal. No fall out what so ever. No new legislation or social upheaval. Things return to the status quo.

As of the human race was never enslaved by a time-traveling conqueror. As if the entire population of the planet was not granted superpowers to combat the living embodiment of Armageddon. As if the Earth was never attacked by Sinestror and the Yellow Lantern Corps. As if Atlantis never attacked the surface world. As if the Earth did not endure a rampage by a nearly unstoppable brute force of nature called Doomsday. As if the planet was not turned into a prison for intergalactic criminals. As if an evil version of Superboy did not try to alter history. The Red Skull, Despero,Magneto, the Green Goblin,Lex Luthor, the Legion of Doom, General Zod, The Joker, and so many others have laid siege on mankind one way or another and despite all their repeated efforts to so do nothing ever changes.

Which I find exceptionally improbable considering the delicate state that is human nature. I am very aware that the above scenarios are in themselves ridiculously implausible to begin with but bare with me here.

Events like the American Civil War, both World Wars and the often referenced 9-11 attacks have changed the world in profound ways.

Major incidents of that magnitude happen in the comic book world more often than not.

Billions of dollars in damages and significant body counts would arise causing entire countries and economies to collapse. If this would happen in our reality we would find ourselves living in a very different society than what we are accustomed to. Major cities such as New York City would see a mass exodus being that supervillains tend to congregate there. Civil discord would take root insisting that our leaders implement a plan of action to deal with these perils if they had not chosen to do so already. Countries would cut themselves off from one another declaring martial law or the world would unite against these threats placing us in a state of perpetual war being that the bad guys are always plotting and scheming. Supervillain execution would be the norm. The new repressive government in charge would not make the mistake that a city such as Gotham makes while dealing with the likes of the Joker and his fellow inmates at Arkham. It seems the asylum has a virtual revolving door policy allowing them to wreak havoc upon the city whenever they choose. The same can be said about any institution meant to incarcerate criminals in either of the comic book universes. New modern day Witch hunts would be invoked. Anyone exhibiting abilities beyond what is considered commonplace would be made into a pariah or taken into custody for ”observation” in interment camp-like conditions. Like the X-Men themselves, they would not be celebrated but feared no matter what their intentions may be. Welcome to the world of Alan Moore's Watchmen only with the volume dialed up to one hundred. Plummeting humanity into the refuge of a new dark age with a new set of religions to match the old.

For the record, I am NOT advocating a totalitarian regime on any level. I am merely musing on what could reasonably happen should our world be more like the DC or Marvel Universe. As history has witnessed many times before fear is a powerful motivator. The likelihood of giving up our personal freedoms for a safe and secure society is a foregone conclusion in the wake of repeated supercriminal attacks.

In all likelihood we would certainly perish should big bads like Galactus, Thanos, Darkseid, the Celestials,Brainiac, Dormammu, Ultron or the Anti-Monitor decide to target Earth. Considering we do not have the likes of the Avengers or the Justice League to save our bacon from the above mentioned cosmic calamities. Making the Orwellian nightmare sparked by the lesser funny book foes an exercise in futility. Talk about ending on a downer. Grim and gritty indeed.

Olivet Evergloff

April-16th-2019

Post credit script...

With all the brain power in the Marvel Universe, for example, why have they not cured cancer?

They have a list of megaminds a mile long.

Why haven't the likes of Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner , Hank McCoy and T’challa to name a few have not decided to tackle diabetes?

Here's an idea why not protect the Earth from the non-stop plethora of alien invasions by teleporting the entire solar system to another part of the galaxy whenever a threat comes near? Like that collection of caped eggheads could not slap together some doohickey that can make that happen and figure out a suitable power source in the process. Calculations could be made so that the system is not randomly teleported into the center of a giant star like a navigation computer figuring out light speed routes does. Now what to do in case of a large scale planetary magic attack?

Don't be silly that would never happen.😉