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ready-to-obeyme · 4 years

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[OM!] Domestic Ship Meme: Lucifer/MC

[Domestic Ship Meme]

Notes: GN! ‘you’, fluff!!!! Lucifer really b living in my head rent free

who reaches out to new neighbors

Between the two of you, it’s gonna have to be you. Unless Lucifer somehow has something to gain from being friendly with the neighbors, he’s not that motivated to make an impression. And if you aren’t really up for it, he doesn’t mind either. The two of you can be content with just an occasional wave and small talk with the neighbor when you chance upon meeting them. If you’re really eager to reach out to the neighbors… cool. He’ll come with and greet them if you want him to.

who remembers to buy healthy food

Lucifer cares a lot about the fact you get your proper nutrients, especially when you don’t.

“MC, you can’t persist on cup noodles every night when I come home late.” Insists on buying vegetables so you can at least put them in your ramen to get vitamins to live if you don’t want to cook. He makes it a habit to have a balanced meal every time.

If you’re as health conscious as he is, you make sure to pack lunch for the both of you before you go about your day. :)

who remembers to buy junk food

YOU DO, BABY!

Every time you go shopping for groceries with him, you both pick out produce and everything you need for meal preps, but you always backtrack to grab bags of chips or candy that catches your attention. He watches you with mild exasperation as you scrutinize whether to grab the salsa or the guacamole for the chips and end up just getting both.

He grumbles a little less if you slip in a bag of his favorite snack though. (A bag of licorice mayhaps?)

who fixes the oven when it breaks

Both of you are capable of learning how to fix the oven when it breaks. It probably does end up being a joint effort regardless. As to whoever BROKE the oven, it’s probably Lucifer. Baking is his weakness; he doesn’t understand why.

who waters the plants/feeds their pet(s)

You water the plants and Lucifer feeds the pet(s). You will always have Cerberus-- always. Whether you have more is really up to your and his discretion, but he’s pretty on top of making sure Cerberus has his food every morning before he leaves. He could water the plants too, if you wanted him to, but he thinks it’s cute to come home to you watering the hydrangeas at the front door or the succulents at the windowsill. It gives you a very nurturing vibe, even if you don’t mean to, and it makes him feel a little soft every time.

who wakes up earlier

Lucifer does. This really depends on what job/occupation you currently have, but for the most part, he wakes up at the crack of dawn naturally anyways. Doesn’t matter when he sleeps, his internal clock is set for ‘when the sun rises’ (which is funny, considering how the Devildom doesn’t have a sun).

You think it’s horrible until you realize he can choose to sleep in when he wants to, but Lucifer honestly doesn’t mind. He likes waking up early so he can press kisses onto your forehead, careful not to wake you up but laughing under his breath if you stir and mumble in your sleep. He’s absolutely besotted with you, and it really shows in the way he holds you in the moments before he starts the day.

who makes the bed

You do, mostly because you wake up later than he does… and because he doesn’t like it when the bed isn’t made.

“Why make the bed when we’re going to end up sleeping in it anyways?”

“Yes, why wash Cerberus if he’s going to get dirty again.”

“3:”

Just make the bed. He’s ridiculously pleased when he comes back home to a neat bed, especially if you were not in the habit to do so before. If you weren’t really happy to do it before, he says “please~?” in a way you swear you fucking see sparkles in the background and you give up. (you are weak for the man)

who makes the coffee

(flashback to Hell’s Coffee chat)

Lucifer lives off of coffee, so more often than not, he ends up making the coffee. He also tends to wake up a LOT earlier than you, so the duty usually falls to him anyhow. If you drink coffee, always makes a cup for you before he leaves with the right amount of sugar and cream.

On the day you’re both off, you tend to both sleep in, and therein the coffee making responsibility goes to you, because Lucifer certainly isn’t going to get out of bed any time soon. You tried making coffee for him on a work day, which basically meant you tried to wake up EARLIER than him. Not the best idea you had, but when he found you asleep on the dining table with the coffee made hot, best believe he pressed a kiss onto your forehead and said ‘thank you’ before sending you back to bed.

who burns breakfast

Assuming both of you are decent at cooking, you’re more likely to burn the breakfast mainly because Lucifer doesn’t eat breakfast to begin with.

“What happened to three balanced meals a day?”

“I never said ‘three,’ I just said they had to be balanced.”

“>:(“

It’s his fault though. Every time you make breakfast, he distracts you by coming into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around you and pressing a kiss on the back of your neck. Or, if it’s on a weekend, he tugs you back into bed and you forget about the bacon on the stove until it’s basically charcoal.

how do they let each other know they’re leaving the house

Lucifer tries not to wake you up before you need to, so he’s usually silent when leaving the house. When you do stir awake and sleepily ask him if he’s heading off to work, he never fails to press a kiss to your cheek and say, “I’ll see you soon.” He’s always the most tender with you in the early light of the day, willing to indulge you a little if you tug him back into bed for a snuggle or press kisses onto your lips until you’re satiated.

If the both of you are awake, he’ll say something along the lines of “I’m heading out to do something. I’ll be back in an hour,” and if you’re not busy, kisses you and leaves.

how do they greet each other when one of them gets home

“I’m home,” Lucifer says quietly, just in case you’re already asleep-- but you never are. He finds the kitchen light on with you sitting at the dining table with a book in hand, and you smile up at him when he walks through the door and places down his keys.

“Welcome back,” you tell him, like every night. You tug off his jacket and press a kiss onto his lips as he tiredly gives you a smile.

Rarely, you come home later than he does, but it happens.

“Did you eat dinner yet?” Lucifer asks, once you set down the keys and shrug off your coat. “Or would you prefer a bath first?”

“Did you learn that phrase from Levi?” You tease, watching him roll his eyes good naturedly as he stands from his chair and makes his way to you. “I don’t know,” you respond, as he snakes his hands around your waist. “Maybe a bath if you want to join me.”

His hands dip further down. “If you insist,” he says, dropping his head until he trails his lips along your neck.

The both of you pause at the sound of your stomach growling.

You look sheepishly at him as he gives you an amused quip of his lips. “Maybe…” You suggest hopefully, “Dinner in the bath?”

Lucifer throws his head back and laughs.

who brings home little gifts like flowers/chocolates more often

With Lucifer, romance is never dead. If something catches his eye on the way back from work, he has no problems taking a quick stop and buying a bouquet from the florist so you can decorate the house with it or add another succulent to your collection. His gifts always mean he thought of you-- would you like this necklace? Didn’t you say you needed another pen the other day? How much chocolate is too much for a gift? (it’s never too much luci)

However, you refuse to be beat. You throw him a reverse uno card and buy him small gifts or trinkets that catch your eye and think he’d enjoy it. There’s not a lot he actually wants, so your gifts are more fun, something to make him laugh throughout the day or remind him of you. He brings a lot of the trinkets to work with him and look at them

who picks the movie for movie night

Both of you switch off on choosing a movie. He’s not that picky with movies. If it’s horror movies you want to watch, he’ll be there for you to hide behind. If it’s a rom-com you want to watch, expect a few chuckles from him.

their favorite kind of movie to watch

Lucifer likes watching the classics and prefers new movies that are thought-provoking. Thrillers or psychological movies like Black Mirror or Annihilation are very fascinating to him. He’s impartial to most genres, though, unless it’s completely and utterly inane. He prefers movies with some thought or some emotion-evoking aspect to it-- SUBSTANCE.

who first suggests a pillow fort + who builds the pillow fort

You suggest it and drag Lucifer into building the pillow fort with you. He thinks he enables you too much; you agree with him.

“Who did you get this idea from? Mammon?”

“No, of course not! I got it from my six-year old niece.”

“...”

Still, you end up in the pillow fort, covering it with a blanket and end up eating snacks and napping together in it.

You don’t see him complaining about it afterwards.

who tries to distract the other during the move

Lucifer allllll the way. The man loves to tease you whenever he has the chance, so if he’s in the mood, would definitely try to distract you by placing his hand on your thigh and just subtly tracing his hands over them. Acts innocent when you scold him, but continues to do lingering touches on your thighs, waist, neck until you either give in and be completely distracted by him. He knows when to stop though, like if you’re actually very interested in the movie or aren’t in the mood.

who falls asleep first

Lucifer does if the both of you go to bed at the same time. Tired during the day, he knocks out pretty much immediately if he lets himself relax in your arms and in your presence. Which is fine by you. If Lucifer had a ritual to take a moment to cherish you in the early hours of the day, you take the time in the moments before you sleep to kiss his brow and sweep his hair from his eyes, whispering ‘I love you’s’ against his temple in the quiet hours of the night.

who is big spoon/little spoon

Lucifer likes being a big spoon, of course, but you ALSO like being HIS big spoon, so it’s a trade-off. You enjoy being in his arms and being the little spoon: you feel protected, his arms around you, his head either on top of your or his nose buried in your hair. Being a big spoon lets YOU do that to him!

Usually, you sleep on his shoulder, or you sleep facing each other. You really let the night decide whether you end up big or small spoon, but you tend to end up small spoon naturally. Sometimes, when you wake up in the middle of night, you turn to make him big spoon, and he gets a little embarrassed when he wakes up like this (but again, no complaints here! <3).

#obey me lucifer #obey me headcanons #obey me #domestic ship meme #fluff #lucifer/mc #i never run out of idea for this man my favoritism is showing ;(#did NOT realize how long this was until I posted it haha my b read more is there now

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glowyjellyfish · 3 years

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Year 1, Summer/Fall Beaufort

Still have not gotten the hang of sharing Sims content, but I figured I would rather persevere.

I played the first round for Cinderella and Charming Beaufort a few nights ago, and… yeah, I’m still working out the kinks. Might have been sensible for me to actually play one real BaCC before trying to make up my own fancy themed rules, but where’s the fun in that?

Firstly, I decided that my current rules were making things a little too easy and career-centered for a BaCC, and so I changed it so that a guild hall is required to unlock each career (except Politics); previously, if you recall, I was allowing up to three sims to join a career before the guild hall was constructed, and then sims in the career who met the requirements qualified to build the guild hall and found the career. Now, a sim must meet the requirements and have enough money to construct a guild hall on a minimum 3x3 lot, and nobody can join the career until a guild hall is constructed and the guild founded (again, except for Politics). The guild hall does not have to be in its final state, but it does have to be a completed and furnished building.

Secondly, although I am now satisfied that my rules are appropriate for a BaCC, I have noticed that I am bad at playing a BaCC.

Cinderella and Prince Charming Beaufort make out in front of their big, sparsely decorated manor. Unlike the White family, these two are already married. I have no idea why I set it up with that disparity over a year ago, but that means the Beauforts can get right down to business.

...they did not waste any time.

Meanwhile, Cinderella got to work starting a garden so they’d have food during winter, and Charming was drawn to the easel just like Florian was. Honestly, maybe if the Disney Princes were allowed to express themselves artistically they wouldn’t be so obsessed with young women they find singing in the woods or whatever.

Charming got his crappy, crappy level 1 Politics job; every royal family is required to have one member in that career, but no one can be the same or higher level than Snow White, as the ruler. And she only made it to level 2. Sighhhhhhh. It kept them afloat, I’ll give it that.

Cinderella experiences an important life-changing revelation while attempting to garden in her nightie.

She’s pregnant! This happened almost immediately, so technically she beat Snow White to first pregnancy.

Yes, Snow, I see you, but you are in your third trimester on the first of Winter, technically; Cinderella’s in her first on the first of Fall I believe.

Cinderella couldn’t take a job because of the updated rules, and would have been on maternity leave anyway, and spent a lot of time making friends with the two Good sims she knows, Snow White and the Fairy Godmother. Also, I just liked this picture; Cinderella looks pretty, and it also illustrates just how sparse their big empty kitchen is. (although I believe the picture is from a little later)

The couple struggled to keep their little garden going, always getting distracted by Politics, romance, and making friends. And the needs of pregnancy.

...leading to Cinderella giving birth alone in the garden, next to one of the few plants left alive, while Charming was at work.

...he got home before she was done.

Meet Princess Danielle Beaufort, firstborn daughter of Cinderella, and firstborn child of the neighborhood, born Year 1, Fall, Day 3 I think! She is a baby with no personality yet! I think the traits mod is going to automatically have her inherit some traits from her parents, but I will have to wait and see.

Oh, and I forgot to introduce traits for each of the characters here!

Cinderella is a Popularity sim who wants to Have 20 Best Friends; her traits are Good, Neat, Virtuoso, Nurturing, and Hopeless Romantic; and her hobby is Cuisine. If they can ever afford it, I want to have her open a tailor shop business. (Can’t be a home business, as they are royalty!)

Charming is a Family sim who wants to Have 6 Grandchildren (good start on that!); his traits are Good, Charismatic, Adventurous, Equestrian, and Loner; and I have not identified his hobby yet. His best bet for one day founding a Guild is Adventurer, since his traits and interests match, but it’ll be a long time before they can build up that kind of cash--between paying taxes and buying a crib, their funds went up very little this round. I am considering whether it makes more sense for all future rounds’ taxes to be Income Tax, rather than the “percentage of family funds” tax I started with.

...anyway, all their crops died, and I am worried about how they will get through the winter, especially if nobody manages to open a grocery store or something. We’ll see; Gepetto is sitting on a pile of extra cash, and Snow should make a fair amount from taxes this round. The sensible way to play this would be to have Gepetto open a grocery store and Snow use the tax money to build a Town Hall (the Politics Guild Hall, which allows her to advance past level 5, unlocks the guild for qualifying sims to join and thus join the career, and is a step in unlocking subhoods).

So, aside from the little princess, it certainly feels like the Beauforts were a struggle, thus suggesting that I am simply not particularly good at BaCCs. The rules I have on Royalty certainly do strangle them a bit early on. I’m curious whether other households will fare better with this ruleset. Oh, and I’m very excited that this setup, with some couples and some sims who will have to find a partner, is effectively going to stagger pregnancies and births much much better than if I had started any hood with just a bunch of married couples. I think the other pre-married couple is Pecos Bill and Slue Foot Sue; everyone else is likely to take a round or two to get settled, which is fun.

0 CAS points down, 7 to go...

#the sims 2 #simblr #sims 2 bacc #sims 2 disney bacc #lake buena vista hood

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fandom-space-princess · 3 years

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Make This House a Habit

Rating: Teen

[3.5k words, domestic polycule fluff]

The Solstice is a time to celebrate connection - to celebrate all that you have.

And what Sam, Rowena, Eileen, and Gabriel have is... each other.

read below the cut, or on AO3

Sunday:

The sheer absurdity of the size of his bed is never so apparent as when Sam wakes up in it alone.

He must have shifted in his sleep, sprawling out across the vast expanse of rumpled, empty sheets in search of bodies no longer there. Waking from his daylong nap without the now-familiar tangle of limbs is disorienting, but voices drift through the open door and chase the last blur of sleep from his head. An indistinct rumble from somewhere deeper in the house that can only be Gabriel. Soft tinkling laughter like silver bells—Rowena.

Sam stretches, and rolls out of bed to find his family.

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Thursday:

"I've don't think I've ever seen you covered in so much dirt."

The sometimes-queen-of-Hell glanced over her shoulder. One delicate brow arched in his direction, amused, before refocusing on her task. Sam sank to his knees in the soft earth, gaze fixed on the movements of her hands. She had the most beautiful hands of anyone he'd ever met. Small. Nimble. Belying their strength—much like the woman to whom they belonged. He watched her gather bundles of lavender between her long fingers, separating the stalks with deft strokes of a rune-inscribed blade.

She'd been at this for almost a week. Strings of herbs festooned the walls and countertops of their home, flowers and roots drying in the open air. They lent a green, earthy fragrance to the house that Sam had begun to associate in equal measure with mealtimes and with spellwork.

"Good witchcraft is often a dirty endeavor, Samuel." A length of twine curled around her wrist, and she unspooled it slowly as she worked, tying the bundles and depositing them in a neat pile at her side. Sweat beaded on her forehead in the summer heat, and the hand she scrubbed across her face succeeded only in smudging a long streak of dirt across her nose and cheek. "You should know that by now."

"I'll take your word for it," he laughed, and reached out to rub the dirt off the tip of her nose with his thumb.

She caught his hand in her own, turned her head to press her cheek against his palm. "We'll make a real witch out of you yet." Her smile curved sweet and warm against his skin, and her eyes sparkled with humor. "For now, be a dear and fetch a pail, if you don't mind."

He stood. The small garden behind their home was her domain—at her insistence, the others left the beds of herbs and wild tangles of greenery to the designs of her care and her magic—but he knew where she kept her tools: a small ramshackle shed near the back fence. Inside, a shaft of sunlight through the sole dirty window caught drifting motes of dust. Tin buckets towered in a haphazard stack opposite the door, and he selected the cleanest from the top of the pile.

When he emerged, she had relocated to the other side of the garden, shaded by the young maple trees bordering the southern fence. The nettles at her feet seemed to lean up into her touch, and she cut the soft green leaves without apparent fear of their sting. Sunlight dappled over her face, her copper hair. Where it touched her, she glowed.

He drew up behind her, entranced. This wild, powerful, brazen creature—and here she was, nurturing a garden. Putting down roots.

The pail dropped near their feet, forgotten. Instead he drew her back against him, winding arms around her waist and setting his chin atop the crown of her head.

"What are you making, anyway?"

She pressed back against him, tossing the nettle leaves toward the pail. Then she turned in his arms, and tipped her head up to smile at him, something soft and secret behind her eyes.

"You'll see," she said, "when it's ready."

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Friday:

Gabriel's preparations were a matter of days, not weeks. Then again, it was difficult to distinguish his normal claim over the kitchen as his sole domain from this pointed, industrious spate of round-the-clock baking. As Sam had the library, tucked away in the spare room on the second floor, as Rowena had the garden, and as Eileen had the converted workroom, so Gabriel made himself most at home in their bright, airy kitchen. While the others were not unwelcome (despite his affectionate grumbling about their notable lack of culinary skill), as he was not unwelcome in their own private spaces, it was clear enough to all of them that the room and its trappings were Gabriel's. His presence and energy expanded to fill it; in turn, it responded to him as though he belonged there.

Odd, Sam thought, the shape their home together had taken. And yet... comfortable, and comforting. Humanity and divinity, the mundane and the arcane. The four of them, with such disparate personalities and desires and needs, carving out a place to coexist.

"You're still at this? We must have enough food by now." Sam leaned one hip on the counter, avoiding a large pot of something that smelled tantalizingly of ginger and cumin.

"Aw, Sammich, it's like you've never been to a harvest celebration before. Absurd, gratuitous piles of food and drink are the whole point. Trust me on this." Gabriel knelt to pull yet another tray of shortbread rounds, heady and fragrant with sugar and starch and some unidentifiable blend of garden herbs, from the oven. Turning to the cooling racks that lined the countertop, he removed each one carefully from the tray. The last he broke between his fingers, smaller crumbling pieces that he popped into his mouth with a contemplative expression. A satisfied grin crossed his face. He held half the cookie out to Sam, the tips of his fingers grazing across Sam's wrist as he accepted.

"Nothing like celebrating the Solstice with a witch in the family. Red's been nice enough to share the fruits of her labors with us, how am I supposed to turn that down? That'd just be rude. Besides, if there's any holiday to throw together a feast for, it's this one." His smile turned wolfish. "You should've seen some of the midsummer festivals the pagans and their followers put on. Those people knew how to throw a party. You know I had my first hangover at one of those? Drank three casks of mead, woke up naked and using a sheep as a blanket while Sigyn braided a flower crown into my hair."

He shook his head, chuckling. As he made to move away Sam caught at his arm, tugged him forward to crush into an embrace against his chest. Gabriel, surprised, stumbled into him, ungraceful but happy. He looked up at Sam through his eyelashes. "What was that for?"

Sam huffed out a quiet laugh. "Just wondering how many people you're planning on inviting to this thing." He paused, as though in thought. Then, teasing: "And whether I should shore up the wards on the house."

Gabriel rolled his eyes in mock offense. "Aw, you're no fun." He extracted himself from Sam's arms, and moved to the stove, raising the lid on a steaming pan to poke at the contents with a wooden spoon. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on dragging the old crowd over for a drink or ten. This is all for us." His gaze was fixed on the pan in front of him, but Sam could see the warmth written in the crinkled corners of his eyes, the quirk of his lips. "Just us. Our family. Celebrating what we have."

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Saturday:

As it happened, Eileen's Solstice contribution had been in progress the longest. This was due less to any particular advance planning, and more to the length of time required for fermentation.

When they had first moved in, this space had been a garage, a late addition grafted onto the side of the house and barely spacious enough to fit a compact automobile. As none of them had any interest in it for its original purpose, however, it sat unused and gradually accumulated dust for months.

Eileen had changed that. Of the four of them she was most given to tinkering, to building and crafting with patient hands. They'd woken one morning to find her outfitted in coveralls and a layer of grime and sawdust, the garage having been transformed into the beginnings of a proper workshop. Since then, she'd outfitted it to her needs. Power tools and woodcarving chisels shared space with more esoteric hunting equipment, a small furnace, even a place for metalworking. Her life had always been one of self-sufficiency, and settling into domesticity hadn't shaken the habit.

Far and away, though, what covered the shelves she'd built into the walls in greatest abundance were jars.

Some of these were spells, potions on which she'd collaborated with Rowena, Sam, or Gabriel. Most of them weren't. Instead, their contents were more conventionally edible: preserved fruit, jams and jellies of all kinds, liquors mixed with rich aromatic spices. Bottles, too, of mead and wine and beer. The hobby had surprised Sam, when he first learned of it. "I like making them myself," she'd explained, smiling at his bemusement. "If I make them, I know what's in them. I know where they came from. And I know that I'll like them."

He couldn't argue with that.

"Help me move these?" she'd asked that night. She hefted two large, dust-covered crates of bottles in her arms. Pointed with her chin to the half dozen that remained, stacked near the shelves. Sam picked two boxes off the top of the stack, and turned to face her again.

"Where are we taking them?"

"Out to the garden," she replied. "Rowena wants to do something with them before tomorrow."

She turned away, and he followed, out the exterior door and around the side of the house toward the back yard. Rowena was nowhere to be found, but they deposited the crates at the shaded base of the fence in an area that appeared to have been cleared for the purpose. Eileen rose, scrubbing her hands on her jeans in an effort to scrape away the dust.

"What does she want them for, anyway?" Sam asked. "Are we going to be drinking enchanted mead, or does she just want to hide the good stuff for herself before Gabriel gets to it?"

Eileen laughed. Sam slid his hand into hers as they walked, tracing his thumb idly across her knuckles.

"Dunno. Maybe she just wants to get us all drunk before the Solstice orgy." She raised her eyebrows, flirtatious. "I'm told those are her kind of thing."

It was Sam's turn to splutter laughter, sudden and unexpected. Eileen grinned, smug and self-satisfied, and squeezed his hand. They let themselves back into the garage, and the transition to the dim, cool space after the brightness and warmth outside was jarring. As Sam's eyes adjusted, he reached out to Eileen. Leaned down to brush a kiss across her mouth, meeting smile with smile.

"What would I do without you?" he asked, pulling back to meet her eyes.

She squinted, wrinkled her nose, then chuckled. "Be a lot more bored, probably. Guess it's a good thing I'm here." Raising up on tiptoe, she took his face in her hands. The kiss she gave was slower than the last, deeper; as though she were staking territory. It filled him with tingling warmth, affection he could sense along his skin down to the tips of his fingers.

"I guess it is," he replied, and kissed her again.

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Sunday afternoon:

Rounding the corner into the kitchen, he narrowly avoids collision with Gabriel, who lunges after Rowena with flour-covered hands.

"Don't you dare, you feathered menace!" The words are scolding, but she giggles as she dances out of reach. She ducks behind Sam, peering out around him. "Keep testing me and see what it earns you. Archangel or not I will turn you into a frog, Gabriel."

The archangel in question smirks, and advances on Sam. "Then you'd have to kiss me to turn me back. Doesn't sound that bad to me. I'll take my chances."

His advance is effectively halted by Sam's hands on his shoulders; for all that he is stronger and quicker, Sam's reach is undeniably greater, and he holds Gabriel at arm's length. Gabriel repays him for his trouble by reaching upward to grip his forearms, dusty white handprints left in the wake of his touch like ghostly afterimages.

"Hey!" Sam says, eyeing the flour. "She's right, you're a menace. And a mess. You know you're supposed to bake with that, not wear it, right?"

"You try to make food for the people you love, and this is the thanks you get." Gabriel sighs dramatically. Then he lets out a sudden, surprised oof; Eileen wraps arms around his waist from behind and picks him up, leaning her back into it as he flails.

The grin she flashes from behind his back at Sam and Rowena is victorious. "You want me to put him outside? I can put him outside."

Sam shakes his head. "Nah, let him go. Otherwise he might make us start cooking for ourselves again."

Eileen winces at the prospect. "Good point." She releases Gabriel, who promptly turns and pulls her into a hug—pointedly burying his hands in her hair, streaking it with white. Rowena, still unmarked, slides behind him and reaches for the bag of flour. With a sly smile, she dips one hand into the bag.

A moment later, the back of Gabriel's neck is covered in flour. Sam doubles over laughing, tears beading at the corners of his eyes.

Gabriel is momentarily stunned. Then with a whoop of joy, he buries his hands in powder and dashes across the kitchen after Rowena. Sam and Eileen recover themselves enough to follow suit, and within minutes they've managed to coat every available surface—but especially each other—with a thin dusty veneer.

Sam sinks to the kitchen floor, struggling to catch his breath. He pulls Gabriel down onto his lap, a broad grin plastered across his face, and Rowena and Eileen collapse next to them, arms around waists and heads on shoulders.

"That was ridiculous," Sam mutters, and Gabriel's shoulders shake with laughter. "But I've woken up to worse."

"How long do we have to get ready?" Eileen asks. "I could use a shower."

Rowena cranes her neck, peers up at the sky outside the window above the sink. "A few hours, yet. Time enough to get clean and get packed."

Gabriel springs to his feet, all catlike grace and fluid movement, and pulls Sam up after him. "I think we could all use that shower," he says, shaking his hair out of his face and raising a faint cloud of powder around him. "Dibs on sharing with Samsquatch."

"Like hell," Eileen replies jovially, and rises to her feet. "We're going to hose you down out in the yard."

"You have to catch me first!" Gabriel cackles, and dashes off into the house. Grinning and tripping over each other, the others follow after.

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Sunday night:

The sun is just beginning to sink below the western horizon as they set out from the house, crimson and gold fading into the cloudless vault of starry indigo overhead. Eileen and Rowena lead them along the path, through an overgrown field and ascending the slope of the low hill across the way. It's a short walk from the house; the hill represents the highest point for miles, a slightly larger-than-usual elevation gain amidst the gentle rolling countryside.

Gabriel and Sam hang back a few paces. They all have full arms, laden with the baskets of food and drink, firewood, a pile of blankets: all that they need for the night.

They walk in silence, but Sam can feel them, each of them, their nearness a warm weight at the edge of his mind. He thinks he could probably find them anywhere, in darkness or silence. Not even by magic—although between the tracking spells Rowena keeps on them all (she thinks they don't know), the tracery of runes hidden like a promise along their ribs (Sam had rolled his eyes and made comments about being a canvas for angelic graffiti; Gabriel, all snark, had replied that if Sam wanted something more visible he would be happy to tattoo "property of the Archangel Gabriel" along his lower back), and the perpetually suspicion-inducing hacked state of every GPS-capable device they own (he'll never underestimate Eileen's technological aptitude), he thinks it might actually be impossible for them to lose each other ever again.

The thought makes him smile.

The top of the hill is a clearing, a large flat expanse of grass surrounding a rock-lined fire pit. Sam sets to work building a fire, stacking wood he'd chopped days ago and let dry in the summer sun into a tower around kindling and dry grass. Rowena kneels beside him. From the bag at her hip, she extracts smaller bundles of cloth-wrapped herbs. Her face a mask of concentration, she whispers words in a language that slips past the edge of Sam's understanding like oil over water. Then she nestles them securely near the base of the pyre.

"For us," she says quietly, not quite meeting Sam's gaze. "Old spells, and strong. Protection for the coming year. Health and good fortune through the lean months." She looks up then, and the last rays of sunlight glint in her eyes. "We should light them together. All four of us."

His hand finds hers, twists fingers together. "We will."

He turns to glance over his shoulder, finds Gabriel and Eileen already there. Presses matches into each of their hands. Side by side, they stand at the edge of the firepit.

"On three?"

Rowena nods.

One. Two. Three.

Matches strike, and are dropped. The kindling catches and blazes, crackling sparks.

Sam moves to tend to the rest of their supplies, and finds the others have beaten him to it. Eileen has created a nest of blankets several paces back from the fire, and the food they brought has been laid out nearby, a banquet under the night sky. He selects a bottle of something deep crimson and richly-scented, and settles himself back onto the blanket.

Eileen curls next to him, leaning into his side. "Cherry wine," she says. "Plus whatever Rowena did to it."

"Blessed cherry wine now, my loves," the older woman replies, and seats herself near Sam's feet. "Spirits for the good of the spirit." Her soft tinkling laughter drifts through the darkness, and Sam smiles in turn.

"Only one thing left to do, then we can eat." Gabriel circles the fire. He draws a small cloth-wrapped loaf of bread, no bigger than a fist, from the depths of one of the baskets. Snags a bottle of Eileen's wine as well, and uncorks it, advancing on the fire.

The firelight flickers, and casts deep shadows across his face. Power tingles in the air. For just a moment, it's easy for Sam to remember what lives behind that face.

"In thanks for all we've been given," he mutters, crumbling the bread between his hands into the base of the fire, "the first and best of the harvest, and our gratitude." He pours a measure of the wine across the rocks, and it hisses where it makes contact with the flames. His voice is odd, solemn, echoing up a hollow chasm of meaning that takes Sam by surprise. Then the moment passes, and Gabriel grins, his usual cheer restored. He drops himself across the blanket, sprawling over Sam's legs and taking up more space than his small frame would seem to allow.

"All right! I can't wait to drink whatever this is, El, it smells delicious. Red, grab whatever's closest to you and pass it this way, would you? I'm starving."

Sam chuckles down at him. "Harvest offerings, huh? Thought you'd given up on the paganism."

Gabriel shrugs. "Eh, old habits. You know how it goes."

"Sure you don't miss it?" He traces a hand slowly down Gabriel's spine, then back up again. Beside him, Eileen silently buries a hand in the angel's hair, gently scratching at his scalp.

Gabriel closes his eyes, and a smile plays at his lips. "Nah. That life... it was what I was then. It'll always be a fond memory, but..." He cracks open one eye. When he continues his voice is soft, almost too quiet to hear. "This, now? I wouldn't trade it. It feels like... something worth protecting."

Sam gazes down at him, then looks around. Eileen rests her head on his shoulder, warm and contented at his side. Rowena curls next to Gabriel, setting out plates of steaming food, her presence a reassuring spark against the darkness.

"I know what you mean," Sam says.

Together, they wait for the sun to rise.

#happy solstice all <3 #these people are cute and i love them #domestic polycule fluff #sam winchester #rowena macleod #gabriel spn #eileen leahy #gabriel/eileen/rowena/sam #sabreilena?#we really need a better tag for this ship #spn #fanfic #sabrileena

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honeylemondrop · 3 years

Photo

Took those sticks and stones, showed 'em I could build a house They tell me that I'm crazy, but I'll never let 'em change me 'Til they cover me in daisies, daisies, daisies

BASIC QUESTIONS

First name? Haven

Surname? Lemos

Middle names? Benita

Nicknames? Havey, Honey (only Beck)

Date of birth? October 8

Age? 28

PHYSICAL / APPEARANCE

Height? 5’8

Weight? 145

Build? slim

Hair colour? Light brown

Hair style? Loose and straight

Eye colour? green

Eye Shape? almond

Glasses or contact lenses? glasses

Distinguishing facial features? Eyes

Which facial feature is most prominent? lips

Which bodily feature is most prominent? skin

Other distinguishing features?

Skin? tan

Hands? petite

Make up? always

Scars? On her hands from failed experiments

Birthmarks? A brown patch shaped like a butterfly

Tattoos? no

Physical handicaps? no

Type of clothes? The latest fashions

How do they wear their clothes? Usually tight and out of the way

What are their feet like? Average

Race / Ethnicity? Cuban/Spanish

Mannerisms? She talks with her hands and get louder the more excited or angry she is

Are they in good health? yes

Do they have any disabilities? no

PERSONALITY

What words or phrases do they overuse? Carajo, dammit,

Do they have a catchphrase? no

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic? realistic

Are they introverted or extroverted? introverted

What bad habits do they have? Forgetting to eat and not sleeping enough

What makes them laugh out loud? The silliest things

How do they display affection? A gentle touch and kind words

Mental handicaps? No

How do they want to be seen by others? innovative

How do they see themselves? Trying her best

How are they seen by others? Kind, intelligent and motivated

Strongest character trait? determined

Weakest character trait? self-critical

How competitive are they? Not really

Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider? Time to consider

How do they react to praise? well

How do they react to criticism? She takes it in because she wants to do better

What is their greatest fear? To never accomplish her goal

What are their biggest secrets? She’s terrified most of the time that something will fail and there will be no coming back from it

What is their philosophy of life? Enjoy it while it’s here

When was the last time they cried? Last tuesday because of an animal documentary

What haunts them? ...Tadashi’s death

What are their political views? none

What will they stand up for? The people who can’t stand up for themselves

Who do they quote? Einstein, Tesla,

Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy? indoorsy

What is their sinful little habit? Uh, hmm, men? And chocolate.

What sense do they most rely on? Smell, usually the experiment smells before it blows up

How do they treat people better than them? The same

How do they treat people worse than them? The same

What quality do they most value in a friend? Honesty.

What do they consider an overrated virtue? Courage. Bravery leads to stupid mistakes.

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be? She wouldn’t change anything

What is their obsession? chemistry

What are their pet peeves? When people don’t listen to other and act like they’re better

FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of? Big, parents and siblings and family in Cuba

What is their perception of family? She loves her family. She thinks family is the love no one else can give you.

Do they have siblings? Older or younger? She’s the eldest, a younger brother and sister

Describe their best friend. Fred Fredrickson. He’s an outgoing, creative guy who is always there for her.

Ideal best friend? Someone who balances her out.

Do they have any pets? No

Who are their natural allies? Fred, Reagan, Emily, Penny

Who are their surprising allies? Beckham Teague

PAST AND FUTURE

What was your character like as a baby? As a child? She was a bright bubbly baby that learned to walk and talk quickly. An inquisitive child that drove her parents crazy with a million questions.

Did they grow up rich or poor? Poor

Did they grow up nurtured or neglected? nurtured

What is their greatest achievement? Getting into college without debt but her PH.D is killing her financially

What was their first kiss like? A mess, she had braces, he was chewing gum.

What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved? Not tell them she loved them.

What are their ambitions? To change the world and be able to make it a better place through science

What advice would they give their younger self? To take more risks.

What smells remind them of their childhood? Roses because her mother would grow them in their garden.

What was their childhood ambition? To be a scientist

What is their best childhood memory? Cooking with her mom and siblings

What is their worst childhood memory? Being made fun of because she was taller than everyone else.

Did they have an imaginary childhood friend? no

LOVE

Do they believe in love at first sight? nope.

Are they in a relationship? …..nope.

How do they behave in a relationship? She’s completely loving and attentive. She cooks for them and spends time with them.

When did you character last have sex? Ask Beck.

What sort of sex do they have? The sexy kind?

Has your character ever been in love? yes

Have they ever had their heart broken? yes

CONFLICT

How do they respond to a threat? She’s very logical

Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue? Tongue, she’ll tear you to shreds with her words.

What is your character’s kryptonite? Someone who needs to be saved

If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be? Her journal with her notes

How do they perceive strangers? She’s very trusting but not naive.

What do they love to hate? Bad fashion

What are their phobias? She’s afraid of chickens because she got chased by one when she was a kid

What is their choice of weapon? Science

What living person do they most despise?

Have they ever been bullied or teased? She was constantly teased for her height.

Where do they go when they’re angry? She yells. A lot. Sometimes in Spanish and sometimes she just screams.

Who are their enemies and why? None…yet!

WORK, EDUCATION AND HOBBIES

What is their current job? She’s an underpaid intern at PymLabs

What do they think about their current job? It’s fascinating.

What are some of their past jobs? Waitress, daycare teacher

What are their hobbies? Reading, singing and cooking

Educational background? Currently working on her PH. D

Intelligence level? Genius

Do they have any specialist training? She’s trained in handling lab safety and CPR/First Aid certified.

Do they have a natural talent for something? She’s a good singer

Do they play a sport? Are they any good? She played basketball but hated it.

What is their socioeconomic status?

FAVORITES

What is their favorite animal? Tiger

Which animal do they dislike the most? Snakes

What place would they most like to visit? Japan

What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen? Sunset in Cuba

What is their favorite song? No te pido flores by Fanny Lu

Music, art, reading preferred? Reading

What is their favorite color? Yellow

Favorite food: rice

What is their favorite work of art? Irises by Van Gogh

Who is their favorite artist? Banksy

What is their favorite day of the week? Tuesday

POSSESSIONS

What is in their fridge? Fresh vegetables, juice, milk and someone else’s beer

What is on their bedside table? Book, post it notes and pens

What is in their car? Doesn’t have one

What is in their bin? Trash? Probably lots of paper

What is in their purse or wallet? Lipsticks, bandaids, hair ties, candy

What is in their pockets? Paper clips, hair clips

What is their most treasured possession? Her teddy bear that her grandma made her, Raul.

SPIRITUALITY

Who or what is your character’s guardian angel?

Do they believe in the afterlife? That there will be something

What are their religious views? She believes in God but no religion

What do they think heaven is? A place where one feels loved

What do they think hell is?

Are they superstitious? Nope.

What would they like to be reincarnated as? Bird.

How would they like to die? In her sleep at old age

What is your character’s spirit animal?

What is their zodiac sign? Libra

VALUES

What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person? Other than being unsliced, lied to.

What is their view of ‘freedom’? It’s not easy

When did they last lie?

What’s their view of lying? She hates it.

When did they last make a promise? She promised Hiro she wouldn’t cry

Did they keep or break their last promise? She broke it.

DAILY LIFE

What are their eating habits? She either eats really healthy or not at all because she forgets

Do they have any allergies? She’s allergic to shellfish

Describe their home. Neat and tidy for the most part, utter chaos if she loses something

Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder? Minimalist

What do they do first thing on a weekday morning? Yoga, because she’s better than me

What do they do on a Sunday afternoon? Enjoy reading a book with some cafe con leche because that’s what I do.

What do they do on a Friday night? Usually hang out with someone

What is the soft drink of choice? Sprite

What is their alcoholic drink of choice? Wine

MISCELLANEOUS

What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween? She’d dress up as sailor moon

Are they comfortable with technology? Extremely

If they could save one person, who would it be? She couldn’t choose

If they could call one person for help, who would it be? Beckham

What is their greatest extravagance? Her louboutins

What is their greatest regret? Not telling Tadashi she loved him

What is their perception of redemption? Understanding what was wrong and making amends

What would they do if they won the lottery? Buy her family a house and pay for her PH.D and open her own lab

What is their favourite fairytale? Doesn’t have one

What fairytale do they hate? Hansel and Gretel

Do they believe in happy endings? Yes, but you have to make them happen.

What is their idea of perfect happiness? Having accomplished all her goals alongside her family, the one she has and one she would make.

What would they ask a fortune teller? Nothing

If your character could travel through time, where would they go? She’d stop Tadashi.

What sport do they excel at? None

What sport do they suck at? All of them

If they could have a superpower, what would they choose? She’d choose magic but she’d never admit it.

#watask #[ gotta stay positive even if that did just explode: aesthetic ]#100 years later here we are

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redfire-blackash-whitegold · 4 years

Text

Blessed are the Vagrant

It’s not unheard of, someone getting lost on a heist. It doesn’t even necessarily denote a heist gone wrong, though it is usually one that’s gone somewhat sideways. Someone gets injured, or separated, or temporarily caught by some non-police entity, or else they just miss their transport and have to take the long way around the cops in order to get home.

In this case it was an injury, though only a light concussion and minor head blood. Ryan woke up in a vineyard, though how he got there, he couldn’t remember. He could remember everything else, his name, his crew, he even remembered the better part of the heist. They were targeting a rich estate out just northwest of Vinewood Hills, small crew, low cops, mostly just personal security to watch out for. He remembered all that fine, just not how he ended up with a head wound out in the grapes.

Ryan took off his jacket and mask and threw them over the fence where they wouldn’t be found immediately by seasonal workers checking on the vines. It was still spring and the vines had been recently pruned, though the leaves were starting to bud and spread out again. The farmhouse was close, on the bottom of the hill separate from the winery that looked down on it from above. Ryan brushed off the dirt on his jeans, but there was no way to really get clean under the circumstances. His head hurt, and his eyes felt blurry like he wasn’t wearing his contacts, though he knew he must be based on how dry his eyes were after having slept with them in.

It was maybe six in the morning, from what Ryan could tell. The sun had just come up and the sky was a pale, cool blue. It was slightly chilly with the morning but it was clearly on track to becoming a nice day. He knocked on the door of the farmhouse. The sound of metal clanging and the slight smell of natural gas suggested that someone was cooking inside. The noise stopped for a second and the front door opened, revealing an old woman, slightly hunched over, wearing a hand-knit sweater and a long skirt. She moved slowly but was alert, and she took in the sight in front of her quickly.

“I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am, but I can’t seem to get any service around here, and was wondering if I could use your phone,” Ryan said.

“Oh my goodness!” The woman replied. “You’re bleeding! Come in, come in, we should get that looked at right away.”

She motioned him in, and walked urgently as she could to a cupboard to retrieve a bin full of bandaids and creams. Ryan stepped in very slightly before taking a quick look around, looking for people, danger, weapons. The farmhouse was small, and ancient. It opened into the kitchen, and had an awkward layout that had a single wall separate the kitchen from the living room that was complete with the kind of old easy-chairs that you might expect to see in an older home. There didn’t seem to be any indication of anyone else living there, and no immediate danger, so he walked in to the landing and kicked off his shoes.

“You must have had quite the night,” the woman said. Ryan cringed slightly and started to speak, before she cut him off. “Uh uh uh, I don’t want to hear it. Whatever brought you here is none of my business. I’d rather not ask at all then hear some half-baked excuse.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Now now, none of that ‘ma’am’ business, I know I’m old. Call me Gran, it’s what the kids at the wineshop call me,” Said Gran. “Come, sit here, make yourself comfortable, let me take a look at your forehead.”

She tended to his wound and Ryan, somewhat out of it from the concussion, let her. She had been getting ready to cook pancakes on the stove when he arrived, and so and offered him some, which he hungrily accepted. Gran also offered him a shower, which Ryan was much more hesitant to accept.

“Oh, of course, that must be strange, taking a shower in some stranger’s home. You really should get cleaned up though, I’ll give you a washcloth and I’ll throw your clothes into the wash. You should fit into my husband’s old clothes, rest his soul, and then I can give you a drive back into the city when they’re ready.” Gran explained that she didn’t have a landline or a phone of her own, and the winery was closed and locked for the day. “I haven’t had a key to that place since that big corporation bought us out and did all these renovations a few years back. They kept me on as an official owner, but it’s just a figurehead position.”

“It must be tough to not have a part in it anymore,” Ryan said.

“It is, it is, but they are paying me well enough, so I can live out my retirement in comfort. It gives me more time for my hobbies.”

In exchange for the pancakes, Gran put Ryan to work around the house. She said that one of the neighbours liked to check in on her that normally helped out, but it had been a few days and some work needed to be done. She had Ryan doing some cleaning, mostly dusting the lights and ceiling fans as well as the baseboards, places up high and low that were difficult for her with her low mobility. She had him gardening as well, weeding her front garden bed, which was slightly overgrown but still well cared for, and chopping down a few branches off of trees that hung over her gravel driveway so that cars wouldn’t drive into them. The compost pile was out behind the house and a ways away, and along the way were a few grape vines growing wildly along a freestanding wire fence. These plants were further along than the ones in the vineyard; the vines that had been pruned away were almost completely grown back, and they hung down far enough that they almost touched the ground. There was a slight smell of rotting, and the ground was dark and soft from where fresh compost had recently been added on top of the roots.

Ryan spent a few minutes tucking the long vines into the fence so that they looked less wild. It was pretty different from the kind of work he was used to. Cleaning, sure, he had been cleaning things his entire life, from vacuuming the penthouse to cleaning up crime scenes, he was familiar with being thorough. But gardening, or farming, that was new. It was a nice feeling, nurturing something that was alive, being outside in the fresh air away from the city noise.

“You did a lovely job there, and I didn’t even ask you to do it,” Gran appeared behind him. “You didn’t rip a single leaf.”

“I don’t think it’s for me, in the long run.”

“No, I suppose not.” Gran said. “In any case, it’s time for lunch. I’ve made tea and sandwiches.”

Ryan sat down at the breakfast nook, and Gran put out a large serving plate with a number of sandwiches cut into neat triangles onto the table for them to take from, along with two mugs of black tea and some plates.

“This looks great thanks,” Ryan said and took a sip of his tea. “I’d be happy to clean the dishes afterwords.”

“Thank you dear, I think I’ll manage on my own. You worry about lunch.”

The two ate mostly in silence, far more interested in the food than the conversation. Ryan was normally a fast eater, but he started to slow down as time went on. His movements in general were slower and slower, and his eyes became less focused, far worse than what the concussion did to him. He tried to stand up, but ended up on the floor instead.

“Well, it’s about time now isn’t it?” Gran said. “Dreadfully sorry about this dear, but at my age, I just can’t afford to pick up someone from the city. At least I doubt anyone will miss you.”

“What did you do to me?”

“Just a little poison in the tea, not enough to kill you just yet. I just so rarely get to do this anymore, I’ve found myself spending more and more time with my guests lately.”

“You sound like you’re talking about bridge night, not serial murder,” Ryan said. He smiled, almost proud. “Forgive me if this sounds rude, but how are you moving the bodies around? You don’t seem like you could do it on your own.”

“My dear husband used to help me with these things, but he introduced me to a friend of his before he died that helps me from time to time.”

“Ah, I thought as much,” Ryan said, and neatly stood up. Gran gasped in surprise. “I should get going quickly then, before he gets here. I’m in no condition for a fight.”

“How is it not affecting you?” Gran moved her chair back from the table, but didn’t stand up.

“The poison wasn’t in the tea, it was in the sandwiches. You might have risked a nervous visitor like me not drinking strange liquids, but the sandwich pile would have been seen as safe to eat, since you were eating from the same pile,” Ryan said. “If you had only poisoned some, you would have risked me eating the wrong ones, as well as forgetting which were safe for yourself. The better bet is to just poison them all and take the antitoxin while I was still out in the yard. So I just took the antitoxin myself while I was dusting the bathroom.”

“How did you know?”

“Well I couldn’t find the antitoxin for the longest time, until I stumbled across your medicine cabinet,” Ryan said. “Pill bottles are a great way to hide something like that, and it would be easy for you to remember that way. Take this pill before bed, this pill before dinner, this pill before killing. I wasn’t completely sure which was the antitoxin, so I just took one of everything. I’m prooobably going to have an interesting night tonight. Oh, and then I switched around all the pill bottles so all your drugs are labeled wrong. In other words, chances are decent that you just took some kind of heart medication instead of the anti.” Sure enough, Gran was looking pale and was moving slow.

“Oh, sorry, did you mean how did I know that I was in danger?” Ryan continued, starting to enjoy it more. “You have spots of old blood inbetween your floorboards, you adapted way too quickly to a large man covered in blood at your door, and my cellphone had service not a ten minute walk from here last night. Probably the most damning, of course was your compost pile, though I wouldn’t have had enough time to notice before lunch if that’s all I was going off of. I know the smell of rotting human, and it’s different from the smell of rotting leaves. Dreadfully sorry Gran, but you made just one mistake. I’m not just some vagrant like the ones you and your husband used to pick up. You don’t have a TV or computer so you probably wouldn’t know.

“I’m THE vagrant. The Vagabond”

#fahc #fake ah crew #fahc ryan

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wocfics · 5 years

Text

Eyes Of An Angel

Jeon Jungkook Series

Part Of the Arranged Marriage Series

Arranged Marriage Series

Main Masterlist

JJK x Poc Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2k

Those big brown eyes stared at everyone in the room when he walked in, he was shy and caught off guard by your appearance. His long hair was pulled back behind his ears and his white t shirt clung to his body in sweat. You could see every detail of his body from where the material was sticking to. You were sure that you had to be the only Hispanic person in general to be here. Although you had a thick accent, your Korean was perfect. It was just hard for people to understand you sometimes which was understandable but you made it this far with living here for over two years already.

When you first moved here, it was to pursue a teaching career since you studied world cultures in college and fell in love with this culture, more interested than anything. Teaching didn’t work out too well the first few months because of the misunderstanding of weather they thought you were speaking Korean or just straight up Spanish. You didn’t want to leave just yet so you became a bartender at two different bars in Itaewon, Seoul. You got paid more than enough in tips alone and your other co workers were surprisingly very nice.

The dating life however, consisted of a few hookups and pointless dates. Although the bartending was nice, you ended up doing some photography as well for extra money. If there was anything you loved more, it was taking photos of anything, especially scenery. You always made a trip to the Han River to capture moments just before sunset or even of the night life when you went to buy street food. You had stopped dating after picking up so many photography gigs, having no time to waste time.

You were somewhat fit, if you had more time you would work out more than what you were already doing but you made sure to have somewhat of a healthy diet, dark hair that was straight most of the time or in a bun, full lips, big brown eyes, and an outgoing personality. You did have a big of a nurturing nature, which your few friends loved especially when you invited them over whenever you were in the mood to cook one of your traditional Mexican cuisines, which was often.

Today, you wore a long sleeve crop top, black leggings and black boots. You had your signature black winged liner and red lip, your hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. When Jungkook had walked in, you were already in the middle of signing papers and had a big black bag sitting on the side of you. He was nervously chewing on his lip as he sat down, listening to his manager and lawyer and Mr. Bang, nodding his head while looking over the paperwork.

If it wasn’t for your last photography job, you probably wouldn’t have even been here. You got a call, asking to photograph for PSY and his new line of artists that he signed to his label. He gave Bang PD a call, after hearing about what was going on and recommended you afterwards. You had never thought about arranged marriages, but then again the dating life wasn’t the best for you and you couldn’t think about wasting your time doing that again.

After finishing up with the paperwork, made your way to the apartment, which was amazing in itself. From the outside to the inside, it was quiet and secluded almost. Of course it was private, gated community. You left your shoes at the door, turning to Jungkook. “I got you something, just so nothing is awkward or anything and I know you like video games so..” You held up the black bag out to him and he smiled. “Thank you.” He nodded his head while taking it and carrying it over to the living room area and setting it on the table to see what was inside. It was the PS5 which wasn’t even released yet but with the strings you had to pull and the price of the damn thing, you were able to get it right before the meeting. There were a few games for it as well and Jungkook’s eyes went so wide you thought he was frozen with how still he was. “Wh- wow. What!” He was excited, taking it out of the bag and looking it over.

You smiled wide, seeing how happy he was and giggled a little. “You can set it up while I put my stuff away.” Moving towards the boxes, you picked up a few and carried them into the bedroom, pausing in the doorway when the smell of vanilla hit you. Everything smelled good and everything was pretty neat in here as well. It didn’t take you long to put your stuff away with the space he provided for you.

Walking back into the living room area, you saw him sitting on the floor in front of the t.v, finishing his set up of the console before he looked back towards you and stood up after putting the games and controllers away and grinned. “Thank you. Are you hungry?” He asked. You nodded and looked towards the kitchen. “I can cook and please, Jungkook, you don’t have to speak English for me. I can speak Korean too, it’s a little hard to understand but I’m very fluent.” He nodded.

Leaving him to finish up some laundry that he was supposed to do the night before, you made yourself busy in the kitchen, you had managed to go grocery shopping before hand and you had put the stuff on the counter. You wanted to make him something that you made often for you and your friends. Tamales and empanadas. Speaking Korean with Jungkook was a bit challenging because anytime you said anything in Korean he would tilt his head to the side until you said it in English to him and he did that ‘o’ face. You knew it would be a little difficult but hopefully you would get better in time.

By the time the food was done, you places everything on plates, along with the rice you made and placed them both on the table. Pouring two glasses of water, you set them next to the plates and waited for him to join you. Once he sat down, you explained the food to him and let him dig in. He hummed when the food was good and you took note of that. Once you saw how much he enjoyed the food you ate your own portion.

He showered after dinner, once he helped you clean the kitchen and put the leftovers away that he said he would take to the boys tomorrow to try. You were glad he loved your cooking. After taking the too tight ponytail out of your hair and removing your lipstick, you glanced up at the bathroom door when you heard it open and your eyes wouldn’t leave his upper body. The towel he had on his lower body didn’t do enough to hide the v cut he had. You could tell he hits the gym hard, his abs and pecs were so prominent that you just wanted to bite him, especially with the water dripping off of him. The veins down down his arms, sitting well with the ink on his left one while he dried his hair with another towel.

You blinked when he made eye contact with you. “Oh. Sorry.” He went into panic mode and quickly made his way around the room, grabbing a few things before walking out and into the spare bedroom. Taking a deep breath, you blinked a few more times, shaking your head and grabbed your towel to head into the bathroom.

After washing your hair as your last step, you stepped out of the shower, went into the room to change into an oversized shirt since you hated wearing pants to bed, and brushed out your hair while Jungkook made his way back into the room right after you climbed under the blankets. He moved so close to the edge of the bed, you thought he would fall off.

“I don’t bite you know. You can sleep normally, or I can sleep in the other room if you’re uncomfortable.” You shrugged. He shook his head. “No, no. It’s fine. Let’s just sleep.” He said, moving slightly closer to the middle. You shrugged, laying on your side, your back facing him and quickly fell asleep.

He woke before you, still on his side of the bed, with room still in between you two. Glancing over his shoulder at your still sleeping body, your hair a mess over your face as you sighed into the pillow. His fingers twitched as he reached over to move some of your hair out of your face to see you better. Feeling his fingers graze your face, you slightly stirred before your eyes fluttered open and your surroundings settled in before you realized where you were. Stretching your arms over your head, you turned over in bed and saw him sitting up.

You did the same and scratched your head, your cheeks puffy which they usually were in the morning. You rubbed your eyes and stood up, your hair sticking up and tangled in some areas as you walked into the bathroom and back out in a few minutes after you brushed your teeth. “Morning.” You spoke and yawned, walking over to the window as he made up the bed. “Good morning.” He said back, watching you stare out the window.

You put your hair up in a messy bun before heading into the kitchen and sat at the counter while he cooked you both breakfast and made coffee. You attempted to hold his hand but as soon as you reached for it, he moved it away, grabbing his mug instead and taking a sip of the hot liquid. He was still nervous. You didn’t know how long he would be but you hoped that he would at least hold your hand eventually. Instead of trying to decipher why he was still nervous, you ate your breakfast, washing it down with your coffee and cleaned up.

After you both got dressed, you in black sweats and a crop sweater and him in all grey sweats and sweater, you sat on the couch after you were finished untangling your hair and watched him sit down on the opposite end of you. “So, once we get our schedules figured out, I figured maybe we can set up a few dates so that we can get to know each other.” You spoke in Korean to which he nodded and fiddled with the strings on his sweatpants. “Jungkook.” You called and he looked up and over at you, raising his eyebrows. Smiling, you shook your head. “I want you to be comfortable around me, okay? I know this is..a lot, trust me, but I do want to at least try. I know you’re nervous and that’s not a bad thing but can you at least try with me, please?” You scooted closer to him until your legs were touching and he took a deep breath and nodded.

“I’m really nervous. I don’t want to push anything onto you and this lifestyle might get hard for you and I want to be there. I’m just not ready for certain things yet.” He said quietly and you were confused until you saw the pink spread across his cheeks and you nodded. “Oh, that. Listen we don’t have to do anything unless you’re comfortable. I’ll understand. Slow is always better.” You nodded. “I’ve been with girls before, you know.” He said matter of factly and you laughed. “I wouldn’t put it past you but I know this is new territory because we’re married now, to each other. So if you want to take this step by step then we can. I don’t have a problem doing that at all.” He nodded and smiled.

This was going to be one long adventure.

#jeon jungkook #poc bts #bts ot7 #ot7 #bts fanfic #bts imagine #jungkook imagine #jungkook fanfic #bts x poc reader #bts x poc #pocreader #pocimagine #kpop poc

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thesibyllinebooks · 4 years

Text

The New Yorkers (Part 21)

Frank gave Annabeth a gracious smile as he opened the door to let her in. “Good morning,” he said. Annabeth stepped in.

“Hey, Frank.”

Frank was the only person whose neatness could rival her own. The only decoration in the apartment save for a few metals and awards were photographs of himself and Hazel, and some old pictures of his mom and grandmother.

“Hazel’s finishing up in the kitchen,” Frank explained. Annabeth could smell food and she heard the faucet running. Hazel stood in the kitchen, finishing up the dishes. There were three places set at the table.

“Morning, Annabeth,” Hazel said, turning around. She wiped her wet hands on a towel hanging on the stove. “You’re just in time.”

“Oh, Hazel, you didn’t have to make me breakfast,” Annabeth said.

Hazel shrugged. “It was my turn to make breakfast anyway. What’s an extra plate? And besides, I thought pancakes could soften the blow of whatever’s stressing you out.”

Annabeth and Frank sat at the table. Hazel joined them with forks. For a long time, Annabeth sat and ate her pancakes. That was much better than rehashing the script she’d come up with in her head to ask- or beg, if she had to- Hazel for her help. She stared at the bowl of gleaming red pomegranates in the middle of the table.

Hazel caught her staring. “Nico brought those a couple days ago from Propserpina’s... um Persephone’s garden. Aren’t they beautiful?”

“And poisonous,” Frank added.

“To you. So,” Hazel started slowly. “What’s the matter? When you called you sounded stressed out.

Annabeth swallowed. She sipped her orange juice to help the fact that her throat suddenly went dry. “I, uh well... I got a visit from Athena yesterday,” Annabeth started slowly.

“How was that?” Frank asked.

“Well, not good, or else Annabeth wouldn’t have called me beside herself,” Hazel reminded her fiance. She turned back to Annabeth. “You can tell us.”

Annabeth knew there were few people on the planet she could trust more. After sailing to Europe with them to defeat Gaea, Annabeth realized the Roman demigods had unmatchable courage. Besides that, they were genuinely so calm and caring it made Annabeth thankful to have such good friends.

“Well, there’s a war starting... on Olympus,” Annabeth started. “A mutiny against Zeus.”

“Gods,” Hazel said. Her shoulders tensed. “That’s not good.”

Frank’s dark eyebrows knitted together. “That’s funny... because my dad said something about a war. Didn’t mention it was on Olympus. Why would the gods want to overthrow Jupiter?”

“I could think of a few reasons,” Annabeth said shortly. “Ares is one of them. And so is Hades. And Hephaestus and Hermes. It was Poseidon’s idea.” Annabeth thought about her mother’s visit. It almost brought tears to her eyes. She firmly reminded herself she’d fix everything with Percy. That was why she was here.

Hazel looked dumbfounded. “I wonder if Jason knows...”

“I doubt it. But you mean to say that your mom- that Minerva is going to defend Jupiter?” Frank asked slowly. Annabeth couldn’t read his expression.

Annabeth nodded. “She said she’s going to defend her father. And she’s not going to turn her back on thousands of years of tradition. But she said something else- she said that she knows Percy and Poseidon are close, and he’ll do anything to defend him.”

“It’s true,” Hazel nodded. “Neptune talks to Percy way more than our fathers talk to us.” Annabeth knew that her relationship with her father was strained. Ares wasn’t exactly the nurturing type either.

“It all makes sense,” Frank said suddenly.

“What does?” Hazel and Annabeth said in unison.

Frank took a deep breath. “A couple weeks ago, Percy came to talk to me. Poseidon had visited him and told him to stay away from you. Said Athena said the same thing to you,” Frank explains. “If they’re rivals, and now on opposite sides of this war, of course there’s no way they’d want you together.”

“That’s awful,” Hazel said sympathetically. “You can Percy were just starting to get along. You look so cute together.”

Annabeth looked at her friends. They were lucky at least that their parents were on the same side. So were Jason and Piper. She knew what she was about to say was going to sound absolutely insane.

“The thing is, we’ve been together,” Annabeth said. Speaking the words out loud hit her with a wave of emotion.

It was clear Hazel and Frank didn’t understand what she was saying. “Huh?” Frank asked.

Annabeth gripped her fork tightly. “Athena told me yesterday that I met Percy when I was twelve. We went to camp together, fought together, became friends, fell in love- he went on the quest with all of us. She used The Mist to get rid of my memory of him because she thought I’d help him and Poseidon fight against Zeus.” Annabeth took a shaky breath.

Hazel looked heartbroken. At least she didn’t think Annabeth was a nutjob. Frank looked like he was trying his hardest to be sympathetic, but was still very confused.

“So you and Percy were dating?” Frank asked. “This whole time?”

Annabeth shrugged lamely. “Apparently. I can’t remember.”

“And he was with us the entire quest?”

Annabeth nodded again. “And he was with me in Tartarus.” Annabeth felt tears at the backs of her eyes.

Frank still didn’t seem sold. “But how is it possible that we remember doing those things with you...but we also separately remember doing them with Percy?” He looked like his head was going to explode.

“Oh, stop interrogating her,” Hazel said. She reached across the table to squeeze Annabeth’s hand. “The Mist is powerful. It can create multiple versions of reality and have you thinking so many different things are true at the same time. I just can’t believe I didn’t realize or I didn’t sense anything- oh, Annabeth...”

Annabeth’s lip trembled. The look of realization on Hazel’s face almost broke her. She knew what she was asking seemed crazy, especially since she didn’t have any evidence herself.

“Hazel, I didn’t know who else to ask. You’re the only demigod I know who can control The Mist, and you have Hecate’s blessing, so maybe you’re stronger than my mother- and if I had someone else to ask I promise I would. The last thing I wanted to do was involve you...” Annabeth sniffled.

Hazel and Frank shared a grim look. Without hesitation, Hazel nodded. “I’ll do what I can,” she said. “I can’t promise you anything but of course, I’ll try. I’ll make an offering to Hecate this evening, and hopefully that’ll put me in her good graces.”

Annabeth wanted to cry out with relief. “Hazel, I can’t thank you enough.”

“You don’t have to,” Hazel assured her. “I’d do anything to help you Annabeth.”

“You said Athena wiped your memories in the first place because she was afraid of what you’d do for Percy. Do you think you’ll do anything rash?” Frank asked.

“I don’t know,” Annabeth admitted. “I don’t think so. But I don’t know how much I love him. I don’t know how much I used to love him. But if there’s a way to find out, I can’t not try.”

Frank nodded with understanding. “I mean, if my father and Hazel’s were going at it, I’d do whatever it took to keep Hazel safe, no questions asked. So it’s only fair Athena would assume the same,” Frank said. “But it’s your choice what you do for Percy, not hers.” Annabeth couldn’t agree more.

Hazel gave Frank a quick smile and turned back to Annabeth. “We’ll figure this out, I promise.”

***

Percy sat on the couch and tried to keep himself from cracking his laptop in half. He’d been staring at the tiny letters on the screen for a while now. His dyslexia wasn’t making filling out any of the perfunctory work forms any easier. It was starting to get late and Percy felt his eyes drooping shut. He’d had a long day at work. A good, productive day but a long one.

His dreams were odd. They were all about Annabeth. When they were in the back of a zoo truck as kids, swimming in the lake at camp together, kissing at the bottom of the lake in Camp Half-Blood... the dreams felt familiar to Percy, almost as if they were memories.

A hard, heavy beating on the door woke Percy up. He closed his laptop and set it next to him. He got up to answer the door. For some reason, he felt more alert, and different somehow.

As soon as the door opened, Percy was ambushed. Annabeth’s arms squeezed around him tightly. Her hug felt just as much like home as Paul and Sally’s place. Annabeth kicked the door shut. She squeezed Percy so tight he felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head. He didn’t care.

His senses were heightened. He noticed every little thing about Annabeth. Suddenly, he remembered smelling that linen-lemony smell all over her for years. He remembered years of battles with her, some he even wished he could forget. He remembered playing Capture the Flag alongside Annabeth, and her readjusting the straps on his armor whenever they were crooked. He remembered sailing to Greece with her and worst of all, he remember the long, hard fall into Tartarus. Thankfully, things had gotten better for them. Percy remembered graduating high school, ice skating in the wintertime, hanging out with Annabeth at his mom’s, and a lot of kissing.

He pulled back from Annabeth so that he could take a good look at her. Even though she looked the same as always, she looked different. He felt like he recognized her more. He could finally understand that calculating, challenging expression in her eyes. He’d been looking at it for years.

“I don’t... what... how?” Percy said dumbly, looking at his girlfriend. Was girlfriend even the right word? Annabeth was part of him, much more than someone he just hung out with and went on the occasional date with. He knew Annabeth just as well as he knew himself.

Before she answered him, Annabeth put her hands on Percy’s cheeks and kissed him. “I love you,” she said. Her eyes pooling with tears. “I love you so much, Percy. Athena came to me yesterday. She wiped our memories, she used The Mist-”

“I’m starting to wonder how many times a goddess can wipe my memory,” Percy said bitterly. “Why this time?”

Annabeth took Percy’s hand and guided him to his couch. She didn’t let him go. She didn’t want to. Never again. “Because she knows how much I love you and would do anything for you. And because... your father wants to overthrow Zeus.”

Percy stared at Annabeth blankly. He couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth, even though he knew she wasn’t a liar. He tried to focus on the feeling of her hand in his so that he didn’t have to think about her revelation. Percy knew his father and the King of the Gods didn’t get along, but he’d never think Poseidon would start a full-out mutiny. And why was it that Athena had told Annabeth, and Poseidon hadn’t told him? He knew he spoke to his father far more than Annabeth spoke to her mother.

Percy took a deep breath. He looked at Annabeth cuddled on the couch under him, looking up at him intently as if she planned to never look away from him. “I don’t- I don’t know anything about that. Let’s not worry about that right now. I mean, we just got our memories of each other back, that’s what I want to focus on.”

“You have Hazel to thank. She made an offering to Hecate, and I guess she helped her-”

“Well, it’s official then,” Percy said with a shrug. “We owe Hazel our firstborn child.”

Annabeth laughed. “I just can’t believe everything we’ve been through. Imagine, we go through hell and back- literally- all to never actually reunite because you decide to ruin my shirt with a taco. And not apologize for it.”

Percy laughed at the thought. He couldn’t believe he’d all but hated Annabeth at one point. Sure they bickered, but not as much as they had when they’d met again months ago. “I mean, if I can get over how annoying you are twice, then obviously it’s destiny.” Annabeth slapped his shoulder. He kissed her in return.

Annabeth bit her lip. Her stormy expression returned. “But what if that hadn’t happened? If we’d never run into each other again, if Piper and Jason hadn’t set us up, if you hadn’t exploded sewage all over me, we wouldn’t have gotten together. We wouldn’t have realized that we’ve already spent almost half our lives together,” she persisted.

Percy knew she was right, But still, he was just so happy to have Annabeth back he couldn’t bring himself to focus on what could have been. “It’s what The Fates wanted. And sometimes they have more power than the gods.”

“You’re right,” Annabeth sighed with resignation. She wrapped her arms around Percy.

“What? Me, right?” Percy asked in disbelief.

“For once, Seaweed Brain” Annabeth agreed, smirking.

“We should do something to celebrate,” Percy suggested.

“Celebrate?” Annabeth repeated.

“Yeah, it’s not every day I get my memory of you back. It’s been like, five years since that happened last. We should see a movie, or go take a walk-”

“Right here is fine, Percy,” Annabeth assured him.

Percy smiled down at Annabeth. He was fine with that. After all, if they’d spent a hundred nights cuddling together on the couch, what was one-hundred-and-one?

“Well, are you hungry? I could make some dinner,” Percy offered. Unfortunately, now Annabeth would remember he was a miserable cook.

Annabeth shook her head. She squeezed Percy tighter like she was hanging on for dear life. “My mom was right,” Annabeth whispered, even though she knew knew Percy didn’t want to talk about things. “If it comes down to it, I’ll fight with you. I’m not letting you go again. We promised each other that.”

Percy nodded slowly. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about his father’s actions. If it meant keeping Annabeth safe, he’d take a backseat.

“Annabeth, we don’t even know for sure what it’s going to come down to. And until we do, I don’t want to worry. I just want to keep feeling like we’ve made it and all this is behind us for a second, even if it isn’t.”

Annabeth nodded understandingly. “Okay, we can do that.” She kissed Percy again. He knew it would be a matter of time before his relationship with Annabeth went back to normal- all the bickering, the late nights falling asleep watching Annabeth study, her complaints on how dirty and disorganized his bedroom was. He was ready for all of it- scratch that, excited.

#percy jackson #annabeth chase #pjo #pjo fanfic #heroes of olympus #hazel levesque #percabeth #fanfiction #quarantine reads #the new yorkers #frank zhang #trials of apollo

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darkdevasofdestruction · 4 years

Text

OC asks - YuGiOh & Assassins Creed

OH YES, THIS IS GONNA BE FUN~!

--- YU-GI-OH

1. What is your OC’s favorite color?

She loves green! It’s a calming colour that highlight her eyes and gives her a more alluring look.

2. Does your OC collect anything? What do they collect?

Not sure if it counts, as she doesn’t collect physical things, but she loves to take pictures of everything that makes her happy and look at them from time to time.

3. What kind of things is your OC allergic to?

Idiocy.

4. What kind of clothing does your OC wear?

Black jeans, with a regular green top, a black vest-like trench coat and knee length black boots, so pretty basic.

5. What is your OC’s first memory?

Uhhhh......Like, as a child? I suppose it’d be when her mother smiled at her and gave her the family heirloom, the Millennium Medallion.

6. What’s your OC’s favorite animal? Least favorite?

She loves all animals, but at first, she loved Wolves the most, since she thought it would suit her loner personality. Her least favourite animal were, ironically, foxes, because her father blamed every mistake on her and her ironic name. That is, until she meets Seto and Mokie, and becomes friends with Yugi’s group, who taught her that instead of listening to the bad stuff, she should make her own name meaning, and since then, she wore her name and spirit animal proudly.

7. What element would your OC be?

BYFIREBEPURGED

Well, if we go by elements meaning, I think either Earth, because she is a nurturing and healing person who helps others without realising. Either that, or water, because she is calm and relaxes people, but she can also become an outright tsunami.

8. What is your OC’s theme song?

I think “Too Late” by Dead by Sunrise, since it shows how desperate she was to find an escape from the darkness she succumbed to once her mother and younger sister were killed in a car accident and she was left under the strict hand of her father who had inhumane expectations of her and wanted only perfection and for her to follow the path he dictates.

9. Do you have a faceclaim / voiceclaim for your OC?

I never thought of that, to be fair? For voiceclaims no, but I imagine her to have a pretty versatile voice, feminine and casual most of the time, but can go low enough to either sound alluring or have a hint of poison darkness.

As for face claims, while creating my Game of Thrones OC, I stumbled upon this picture and she’s been my “faceclaim” if I can’t do a drawing of her, or if the fandom doesn’t have anime/cartoon characters, but real people.

10. What deadly sin would best represent your OC?

For a long time, I’m pretty sure it would be Envy, because she’s see happy people with no family issues, and envies them so much, having dark thoughts about them.

11. What are your OC’s hobbies?

Games of all kinds, travelling, staying in the nature, relaxing outside.

12. How patient is your OC? How hot-headed are they?

She’s incredibly patient with everyone and everything, in most situation, but can’t handle bad behaviour and dumb questions, especially if repeated, and especially if she’s tired, concentrating or the repetition of the conditions is a much too high number.

13. What is your OC’s gender / sexuality / race / species / etc.?

Kitsune is a human girl, but I haven’t thought of her sexuality or romantic orientation before, since she’s only ever attracted to Seto.

14. What foods does your OC like to eat? What are their least favorite foods?

She loves any kind of home-made food, but can’t stand some sea-food dishes.

15. If your OC could have any pet, what would they choose? Why?

Do foxes count? If not, dogs and snakes would be her first options.

16. What does your OC smell like?

Okay, so, there’s this perfume and shower gel that I love so much and they smell SO good, like chocolate...So yes, that exactly.

17. How do they make a living? What kind of job do they want / not want? What is their dream job? What do they think of their current job?

She’s a student, so she has no actual job, but her dream job revolves around technology - Either a programmer or a game developer, both options, later, allowing her to work together with Seto.

18. What are your OC’s greatest fears? Weaknesses? Strengths?

She’s afraid of being manipulated and controlled again, insects and loneliness. Her biggest weakness is her kindness and the fact that she has a hard time denying anyone’s requests, so she can very often be walked all over, if someone doesn’t interfere. Her strengths are her perseverance and ambition that keep her going on and not giving up.

19. What kind of music do they listen to? Do they have a favorite song?

She loves rock, trap and indie songs mostly, and has a hard time choosing only one song, but one of them would be Scorpions - “Still Loving You”.

20. If they came from their world to ours (if not already in our’s) how would they react? What would they do?

Honestly, the Yu-Gi-Oh world is pretty similar to ours, so I don’t think it would be a huge problem to adapt, and would try to make friends and pursue her dreams.

21. What personal problems/issues do they have? Pet peeves?

Apart from her family issues with her mother and younger sister dying and her father being a controlling jerk? She gets pretty restless when she feels something is wrong, and would go in an overly-protective mode and often get herself in trouble.

Her pet peeves are when people chew too loud, being too loud in general, people looking at her phone and people who aren’t punctual or go back on their promises.

22. What kind of student were they/would they be in high school?

“The Nerd” trope. Straight As, loner, shy, but that’s mostly because of her father and how he’d punish her if she didn’t do perfect, and would move her to other schools/cities each year, depending on where his business would lead him.

23. What is a random fact about your OC?

Her hair has more personality than she has. No matter how much she tries, she can’t get it nice and neat, so she stopped caring and leaves it as untameable as it wants it to be.

24. What is their outlook on life? What is their philosophy / what do they think in general about living?

She’s a realist that can often slide down to pessimism or fatalism, as she doesn’t actually have any experience in the real world and is afraid of failing and ruining everything around her.

25. What inspired you to create them / how did you create them? Were they originally a fan-character? What was their personality / design like when you first made them?

Honestly? She’s based on me and how I really am or I’d want to be, in a way. I love how I look with red hair, and I love foxes and their various portrayals and meanings, so I used them to create Kitsune, but instead of giving her black eyes, like I have, I gave her green eyes, like emeralds, to give her that touch of mysterious seductive aura around her.

26. Who is the most important person in their life? Why? Who is the least important to them (that still has an impact and why?

The most important person ALIVE in her life is Seto, because he was the one to take her away from her father and show her they are more than their bad parenting and tragic backstory. (Basically, after some exam results were showed, and she didn’t get the marks he expected, her father went to the principal’s office and realising the girl was using her mother’s old Duel Monsters, proceeding on lighting it on fire, making the girl freak out and put the slightly aflame deck in the principal’s aquarium, before having an outright breakdown, only for Seto to get mad and sass out the father, who was supposed to be a future business partner. When she left the school, she saw Seto and went to thank him, but he only asked if she wanted to babysit Mokuba for a short period of time when he’ll be in another country with business, and from then on, they bond.) On the other hand, the least important person, who still impacts her life, is her father, for the reasons stated before.

27. What kind of childhood did your character have?

Does it count as your usual sob story? Because until she was 13, her childhood was the dream childhood, but when her mother died, it all went down the drain.

28. What kind of nervous habits do they have? Do they stim? Do they have any kinds of addictions?

She tends to wet and bite her bottom lip a lot, she always walks out with earphones and music at max volume to avoid anxiety, walks fast when alone, focuses on her phone to combat the same anxiety and awkwardness, and when impatient or focused, she plays with a strand of her hair, drums her fingers on the table (she likes it when she hears the tapping of her nails), or bounces her leg.

29. If they could choose their epitaph for their grave, what would they choose?

Game over. Respawn time : 3...2...1...

30. Do they want to get married? Why or why not? Would they ever want kids? Do they have kids? Why?

She can’t stand children, they annoy her very much and especially doesn’t want to go through the whole childbirth mess, or have her child hate her. As for marriage...She is afraid of marriages, of rather said, of the possible heartbreak of a divorce, but she wouldn’t actually mind having a dream/fairy tale like small wedding, to make everything beautiful and ethereal.

31. What is their most traumatic memory/experience? What is their favorite memory?

Her most traumatic experience is hearing that her mother and sister got in a car accident, and while her mother was killed on the spot, her sister died in the hospital, in front of her, not long after giving her her favourite Duel Monsters card : Madolche Cruffsant , just because it was hella cute.

Her favourite memory is either her mother teaching her Duel Monsters, or her reading her Disney Princess stories.

32. If they could have one thing in the world, what would it be?

Her mother and sister back to life.

33. Would they ever kill someone? What would someone have to do to push them to kill someone? If they would kill someone, why?

She’d only kill in self-defense or to save someone else, otherwise, the farthest she’d go, is a hell of a beating.

34. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually?

In a group of friends, she’s the moral and emotional support of the group, as well as the one to attempt to stop others from doing impulsive and reckless decisions.

In a game, she’d be the healer, priest, shaman or white mage.

35. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories?

Her imagination goes through the roof, as she always day-dreams about literally everything and anything and reads a lot. Yeah, she does worry a lot and lives in the past, but she’s trying to work on it.

36. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain?

She needs affections, validation and comfort. (Give her a hug pls) She’s used without it, so she wouldn’t do anything physically/aggressively to obtain it, but it’s eating her alive when she’s overthinking and doubting herself. Other than that, she knows she can obtain everything she wants by herself and just a bit of work.

37. What’s something that your character does, that other people don’t normally do?

I don’t think she does anything special that she does and others don’t... But she likes to carry Mokuba on her shoulders.

38. What would your character do with a million dollars?

Would make sure she doesn’t have to depend on anyone’s money, since she can’t stand being a burden to anyone, and would use the rest to make even more money, so one day, when she’ has a proper and constant living, she could help create animal shelters and donate to different charities.

39. What is in your characters refrigerator right now? On their bedroom floor? Nightstand? Garbage can?

Bubbly soda, water, chocolate and food in the fridge. A fluffy carpet on the floor and nothing else. Her laptop, a bottle of water and a bag of snacks. Fruit remains, empty snacks bags and other random useless things.

40. Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where are they going? What do they wear? Who will they be with?

She’s going on a calm walk on the shore, barefeet, with Seto, feet in water and letting the breeze mess up her hair even more. Kitsune’s wearing a soft coloured flowery patterned dress that’s above the knee, it’s flowy and somehow transparent with an underskirt, and the sleeves are long and loose, all the paired with a pair of sneakers that she can easily take off, knowing she’s going to the beach.

41. What does your character do when they’re angry? Why?

It takes a LOT to make her to visibly show her anger, but she’s going to become extremely verbally aggressive, insulting, sarcastic, barely able to keep herself from getting physical.

42. Does your character have any scars? Where did they get them from?

Nope, she’s clean.

43. What was the most offensive thing your character had ever said?

“If I wanted to kill myself, I’d climb your ego and jump down to your IQ, that’s lower than your shoe size. In fact, it’s non-existent, much like my respect for you. Get the hell out of my sight, can’t you see nobody wants you here? You’re going to be missed like the leprosy.”

44. How does your character react/ accept criticism?

If it’s not actually an insult or a rude remark, she’ll listen and see what she can do with the advice, more more often than not, she still does whatever she thinks it’s right.

45. If your character was given a slice of pineapple pizza and they HAD to eat it (or something bad would happen), how would they react? Do they even LIKE pineapple pizza?

She never tried pineapple pizza, so she’s not sure how she’d react, but it’s just 1 slice, so it won’t kill her. She’s not a huge pineapple fan though.

46. Your character is given a voodoo doll of themselves. What do they do with it? Do they see if it actually works? She takes a needle and gently pokes her hand, and if it’s actually true, she’s gonna keep that doll a secret for safe-keeping, so nobody will ever be able to use it.

47. Can your character draw? What do they like to draw? Do they doodle?

She’s not THE best artist in the world, but she draws cute things like flowers from time to time to relax. As well as that, she draws flowery borders on her notebook pages.

48. What were their parents like? How has that affected how they are as an adult?

I already talked too much about her father, but her mother was a sweet and kind soul, and incredibly ambitious and playful and competitive, which is why she won countless gaming competitions. Her mother’s angelic soul and kindness was the way she wanted to grow to be, and whenever she gets angry, she gets reminded of her father and hates herself for doing something he does that she hates so much.

49. Does your character like candy? Do they get sugar rushes? What are they like when they get a rush?

She loves sweets, but she doesn’t feel the need to eat too many, especially at the same time, so she doesn’t get sugar rushes, nor does she get hyper.

50. If your character was presented with imminent and unavoidable death/fatality, how would they react? Would they try to avoid death anyways? Would they try to make their last days count?

She would cry a lot and would try anything in her power to alter her fate, but if it isn’t possible, she’ll try to spend as much quality time with Seto, Mokie and Yugi’s gang as possible.

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ASSASSINS CREED

I haven’t gotten around to actually drawing anything for AC unfortunately, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get around to do it ^^”

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1. What is your OC’s favorite color?

She loves Green and Blue, but the longer she stays in Masyaf, the more she misses the beautiful shade range of purple and lavender.

2. Does your OC collect anything? What do they collect?

In her time, she didn’t collect anything, but when she traveled back in time to Masyaf’s 1191 timeline, she started picking different flowers, pressing them in an empty tome that Malik gifted to her, and together with him, she would draw the flower on the other page, and write information about the plant in cause, with the help of her beloved Malik, both in her language and in his.

3. What kind of things is your OC allergic to?

As to quote a line from the Secret Crusade novel...

“Stupid Altair. Arrogant Altair. He was in trouble.”

4. What kind of clothing does your OC wear?

During her time, in the Japanese Brotherhood, as she is the Master Assassin of the Stealth branch, she wears mostly black, light clothes that allow her to sneak around, spy, snipe and blend in.

In Masyaf time, she had to wear the usual male Assassin outfit that literally engulfs her, which is really annoying as she can’t play to her strengths, so she has to fight quite a lot to get some practical adjustments to the outfit, and ones that won’t attract civilian nor templar unwanted attention.

5. What is your OC’s first memory?

Her elder brother singing this song to her : LULLABY

6. What’s your OC’s favorite animal? Least favorite?

She loves foxes so much. She knows she looks like one, and she uses everything to her advantage, and since she doesn’t actually remember her real name, she chose “Kitsune” as her assassin name.

Also, keep spiders away from her, or she’ll feel her soul leave her body in a split second.

7. What element would your OC be?

Fire. Without a speck of doubt. She’s a little, smug firecracker.

8. What is your OC’s theme song?

I think “Demons” by Starset works pretty well, as whilst she’s a strong person, she still has moments of weakness and needs someone by her side, before she loses control of herself and become someone she’d hate.

9. Do you have a faceclaim / voiceclaim for your OC?

Same person as before. I don’t know who she is, but she’s my muse.

10. What deadly sin would best represent your OC?

I believe Pride is going to give her a looot of trouble.

11. What are your OC’s hobbies?

She loves ice skating, singing, dancing in the moonlight and chilling on the grassy ground, watching the clouds pass by.

12. How patient is your OC? How hot-headed are they?

This little firecracker is somewhere in the middle ground, because yes, she is definitely patient in a lot of circumstances, but Gods, when she gets angry or impatient, you can literally see fire around her.

13. What is your OC’s gender / sexuality / race / species / etc.?

Kitsune is a human girl who never thought of love, as she was married to her work as an assassin, but when she arrives in Masyaf, she falls in love with Malik Al’Sayf.

14. What foods does your OC like to eat? What are their least favorite foods?

Cherries! She loves fruits in general, but she LOVES to seductively eats strawberries or tie cherry steam knots! On the other hand, she won’t eat anything that looks weird or not aesthetic.

15. If your OC could have any pet, what would they choose? Why?

Give this girl a horse, she loves feeling the feeling of wind in her face as she feels the horse speeding up! It’s like she’s on a motorbike again, but a bit different!

16. What does your OC smell like?

Vanilla and Roses <3

17. How do they make a living? What kind of job do they want / not want? What is their dream job? What do they think of their current job?

Kitsune is the Master Assassin of the Japanese Brotherhood’s Stealth Branch, so it’s needless to say that she gets her pay from this.

18. What are your OC’s greatest fears? Weaknesses? Strengths?

She fears getting close to anyone, only to have them dying on her again, just like her parents and older brother. Her weaknesses are her physical strength, her fear of the unknown and the fear of failure. She is small, fast and agile, has an amazing sight and always does her job at perfection, thanks to her ruthlessness, and can easily seduce and manipulate people with words and a simple bat of her long lashes.

19. What kind of music do they listen to? Do they have a favorite song?

Give her the loudest rock music and the best trap and dubstep remixes, she loves the energy she gets from those kids of songs.

20. If they came from their world to ours (if not already in our’s) how would they react? What would they do?

She is from our world...Sort of, so she won’t have too much of a problem living her life at leisure.

21. What personal problems/issues do they have? Pet peeves?

She has a hard time straying from the rules or showing mercy because she’s been brought up by the Brotherhood since she was 7. Her parents died at such a young age (as they too were assassins) that she doesn’t remember them, and the man who took care of her, as per her parents’ death wish, died when she had to assist him on her first mission, at 12 years old, which was a chaos and he died saving her so she could make sure the mission was a success.

Her pet peeves are people getting too close to her when talking, breathing too loudly, children misbehaving and slow internet.

22. What kind of student were they/would they be in high school?

She didn’t actually go to a regular school, but was trained and taught by the brotherhood, where she was an incredibly perfectionist and diligent student.

23. What is a random fact about your OC?

She absolutely L O V E S to playfully flirt with people she likes, which makes Malik the one to endure all her flirting.

24. What is their outlook on life? What is their philosophy / what do they think in general about living?

She doesn’t care if she dies or not, as long as she’s happy. She’s an assassin, she’s been fearless for as long as she can remember.

25. What inspired you to create them / how did you create them? Were they originally a fan-character? What was their personality / design like when you first made them?

I love Malik, I want someone to flirt a lot with him, I flirt a lot with my friends, and hell, Kitsune, as I said, she basically myself with green eyes and maybe better make up skills.

26. Who is the most important person in their life? Why? Who is the least important to them that still has an impact and why?

The most important person in her life that is alive is Malik now, as her “Elder brother” died, and she never got personally close to anyone in the brotherhood, only professionally.

There’s nobody who really influences her negatively, apart from her own self and her perfectionism/over-thinking or the brotherhood creed.

You could say that, half-jokingly, her least favourite person is Altair because he’s a jerk who caused Malik to lose his arm and Kadar to die, but she forgives him when she sees true redemption in him.

27. What kind of childhood did your character have?

It was a pretty basic childhood, her elder brother taking care of her while studying and training for the brotherhood, and for her, that was normality so nothing was weird.

28. What kind of nervous habits do they have? Do they stim? Do they have any kinds of addictions?

She bites her lip very hard, until the point she draws blood, she cracks her knuckles a lot and she has a sort of internet addiction that went down the drain when she went back in time and realised her Brotherhood wouldn’t/couldn’t bring her back in her times.

29. If they could choose their epitaph for their grave, what would they choose?

I went down in the flames of success, so better throw my ashes in the Haunted Mansion from Disneyland Paris, or I’m gonna haunt everyone.

30. Do they want to get married? Why or why not? Would they ever want kids? Do they have kids? Why?

She’s an assassin, so she sees no reason to marry, or worse, have children, which she can’t stand. However, that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t want to to wear a pretty dress, have a nice hairstyle and make up and dance in the moonlight, alone, with Malik. It’s the closest she would get to a normal, domestic family.

31. What is their most traumatic memory/experience? What is their favorite memory?

Her brother dying in front of her, and him yelling for her to finish the mission and return to the Brotherhood, otherwise they’d kill her is a scene that still haunts her every nightmare.

On the other hand, her favourite memory is her brother singing to her that Lullaby, something which she took up and would sometimes sing to Malik, or would sneak out at night and sing while dancing by herself, trying to find a bit of freedom and sense of self.

32. If they could have one thing in the world, what would it be?

Her brother back...And maybe some fucking WiFi and electricity...And a bathtub...With bath bombs...And scented candles...

33. Would they ever kill someone? What would someone have to do to push them to kill someone? If they would kill someone, why?

She’s an assassin who struggles with showing mercy, need I say more?

34. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually?

She’s the one who flirts and jokes a lot, I guess you could say she’s the popular girl stereotype?

In an RPG, she’d be the assassin, rogue or even warlock or necromancer, without a doubt.

35. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories?

She doesn’t have too much time to day-dream, but now that she’s stuck in the past, she has more free time to do nothing but imagine random scenarios that would never happen.

Kitsune doesn’t live in the past or future, she lives in the moment...In a way that is borderline robotic and as if she tries to forget the fact that she’s human at all.

36. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain?

She wants to find a life that won’t bind her to the Brotherhood in a way that she’d have to sacrifice everything for it. She wants a normal life that still has some of the assassin thrill, but not the risks...Keep the adrenaline though, she hates getting bored.

She doesn’t know yet what or how to achieve this utopia, but perhaps the fact that she’s in the past, with a Brotherhood that she’s not officially part of, might prove enough for her.

37. What’s something that your character does, that other people don’t normally do?

Does anyone flirt in Assassins Creed 1? Because if they don’t, Kitsune does A LOT.

38. What would your character do with a million dollars?

She’d take Malik with her and travel the world, exploring every inch of it, away from everybody she knows, and going to all theme and amusement parks.

39. What is in your characters refrigerator right now? On their bedroom floor? Nightstand? Garbage can?

Her laptop, phone and tablet on the nightstand, along with a water bottle and food. She has notebooks and ink and feathers on the ground next to her bed, since she’s usually too lazy to go to the table. There’s...No fridge in Masyaf, unfortunatelly...No more chocolate or ice cream... Lots of sketches and messed up scrolls in the trash.

40. Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where are they going? What do they wear? Who will they be with?

She’s so used to wearing either assassin or sexy clothes, that she chooses to wear something so simple and casual, like a pair of sneakers and a simple sundress, taking Malik on a walk at night, as during the day she wouldn’t really be able to dress as revealing, in public.

41. What does your character do when they’re angry? Why?

She tries to calm herself, but when she can’t help herself, she’d either go physically or verbally violent and harsh, depending on the gravity of the situation.

It doesn’t take long to piss her off, but it takes a LOT to actually get her to lose her temper.

42. Does your character have any scars? Where did they get them from?

She has a scar on the left side of her face, going from the forehead, to her eye and down to the middle of her cheek, because of the accident in Solomon’s Temple when she sneaked to get the artifact.

43. What was the most offensive thing your character had ever said?

“Tell me… Is being stupid a profession or are you just gifted? Why Don’t You Slip Into Something More Comfortable. Like A Coma? Wait, don’t worry, I can help with that. Whatever permission you thought you had to speak to me, I hereby remove. Honestly, did I ask you anything? No? Good, because nobody asked for your opinion, you filthy little mudblood.”

44. How does your character react/ accept criticism?

Can’t take it, especially if it’s not sugar coated or said in a gentle way, so she could understand it’s not an insult or an attack, but a suggestion.

She’d do whatever she wants regardless.

45. If your character was given a slice of pineapple pizza and they HAD to eat it (or something bad would happen), how would they react? Do they even LIKE pineapple pizza?

Pick up the pineapple slices, throw them at Altair’s face, then eat the pizza slice with no problem.

46. Your character is given a voodoo doll of themselves. What do they do with it? Do they see if it actually works?

Would keep it safer than her own heart and would try to track down whoever did the doll, in order to kill them. She doesn’t need potential killers on her case.

47. Can your character draw? What do they like to draw? Do they doodle?

She’s not too bad, but she likes drawings plants, animals and landscapes, which is why she likes to draw every plant she collects. On the other hand, she can’t doodle when absent-minded, she only taps the front of the pen on the table or paper.

48. What were their parents like? How has that affected how they are as an adult?

She didn’t really know them, as they died when she was too young, so they didn’t exactly affect her in any way. They weren’t bad people, despite being assassins, but as far as she heard around the Brotherhood, they were diligent, intelligent and reliable, so she was proud to be their daughter.

49. Does your character like candy? Do they get sugar rushes? What are they like when they get a rush?

She doesn’t get sugar rushes, nor does she eat too many sweets at once, but if she’s in a playful mood, she can get a bit more energetic than usual.

50. If your character was presented with imminent and unavoidable death/fatality, how would they react? Would they try to avoid death anyways? Would they try to make their last days count?

She’d try to see if it can be avoided, but if not, not a big deal for her. She’d just do the weirdest things possible and spend quality time with Malik and Altair, maybe even trying to make the Masyaf Brotherhood a better place, teaching them new healing methods and whatever...If she was in a good mood, at least.

#assassins creed #assassing creed oc #malik al sayf #Altair Ibn La'Ahad #yugioh oc #yugioh #Kaiba Seto #Mokuba Kaiba #yugi mutou #kitsune shimada #oc #my oc #oc asks

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home-of-the-ascended · 6 years

Text

Returning

The sky was dyed in a beautiful hue of reddish pink once they decided it was best to move. Life was...good, the past few days. No problems ever arose save for the occasional nightmare that tormented Jenos in the dead of night. They didn’t run into anymore demonspawn, and none seemed to be nearby. The city was just as barren as a desert: lifeless. When Zhin was having difficulties finding enough food to sustain them both, he decided it was best to look for a new place to hunker down.

That’s when he remembered an old friend of his. They had to leave fairly early in the morning to get there in a timely manner, much to Jenos’s disdain. The demon had no intentions of waking up early, having grown used to the feeling of passing out until he naturally awoke the next day. Still, Zhin had managed to coax him into an agreement; he would be carried if he didn’t feel like walking the whole time. Jenos, in the end, walked alongside the slayer.

By noon, the duo could see their final destination in the distance. It was a large building, regal in appearance. If Jenos didn’t know any better, he’d say there was a large stone wall surrounding the property. The white haired male nodded in response, as if anticipating the other’s pondering. They continued onward after admiring the scenery for a while longer, making short stops to hunt down something to eat or to take a quick break and get off their feet. By the time they reached the wall themselves, the sun was beginning to set.

Travelling down a stone path, the two reached a large door with a large emblem carved into the wood. It appeared to be a phoenix. The wall towarded over them, casting a hefty shadow over them. The former demon stared up in awe while the demon slayer approached the door. He reached up and grabbed hold of one of the knockers, then slammed it down against the wood four times. He stopped, stepped back until he was beside Jenos, and waited patiently. Blue eyes observed him skeptically, how could anyone have heard that? Someone would literally have to be outside with them.

The blond ate his word as the doors slowly creaked open. A heavily armored figure was seen on the other side, pushing both doors open with ease. Their helmet casted a thick shadow over their face, completely hiding their facial features except for the eyes, which were beady and nearly white in color. It was still for a minute or two as the stranger stared them down. Zhin grabbed a hold of Jenos’s arm and held onto him, a silent reminder to stay calm. As much as a refresher Jenos was, he was hard to manage when stressed. The silence lingured on while both parties stood their ground, neither backing down. After some time, the metal clacked as the figure loosened up. They approached Zhin with a welcoming chuckle.

“Well well! Long time, no see Master Zhin! I can still call you that, correct? It’s been decades since your last visit.”

Zhin smiled. The man was quick to eye Jenos, the warmth in his voice not showing in his eyes as he did so. The blond shirked away, pressing up against the white haired man’s arm. Zhin cleared his throat, catching both of their attention.

“Jenos, you don’t need to worry about him. This is Khan, he’s the Primus of House Aico, although he’s more like butler than an army leader.” He heard Khan scoff at the remark, “Khan, this is Jenos. He’s a...” They met gazes for a brief second, “He’s a survivor of the slaughter I found on my travels. He’s with me.” Khan backed off, if only to think it over. Zhin rubbed the former demon’s forearm with his thumb, hoping to keep him relaxed. The man before them smiled, or so they assumed with their limited few of his face. He turned to head back towards the doors and walked ahead, stopping to face the duo when neither followed him.

“Well? No need to waste time standing there in the open. Come in, come in! I will alert milady of your presense as you two get comfortable. And I will see to it that your companion gets some proper clothing, those rags wouldn’t even pass for commoners’ cloth.”

As Zhin hid a grin behind his free hand, and Jenos hid his face behind his hands to cover his humiliation, the two walked into the courtyard together. Once they walked in far enough, the doors automatically began to shut behind them, closing completely with a hallow kerchunk. Zhin, having grown up coming to this place every so often in his youth, was familiar with the place. However, for Jenos, it was like walking into a santuary for harmony.

It was beautifully decorated with colorful flora, lively small woodland animals and song birds that sang in harmonious chords; unlike the barren surroundings beyond the walls. A small pond with a few lilypads was protected by the branches of a Southern Oak, despite the occasional moss piles that fall from those branches. Another section had a walk way that led to what he could assume was a bon fire pit. There were 3 handcrafted stone benches sitting in a neat fashion around a scorched dip in the ground, presumably where the firewood goes. A canopy roofing rested neatly overhead to block out any rain should the weather turn bad. All in all, everything was gorgeous.

“Jenos, Jenos hey, focus. You can space out once we get settled in, alright?”

Zhin’s voice pierced him like a dagger, frightening him. Jenos recooperated from the scare shortly before meeting the other’s gaze. He sounded concerned as his protectiveness was easy to see. It made the blond uneasy.

“Shouldn’t you feel at home here? It sounds like you’ve spent a good amount of time here for Kaine, or what’s his name to recognize you decades later.”

“That isn’t, gah, just listen. I may be safe here, I may be comfortable, but I am more concerned about you. If you get even the slightest feeling of dread, we will pack up what we can and go. You come first before them. There’s a reason I didn’t come here after the stunt you pulled all those years ago. Do you understand?”

Jenos swallowed, his uneasiness making him slightly nauseous. The former demon begrudgingly agreed to Zhin’s demands, despite the lack of why. He figured it’d have something to do with whoever Khan refered to as “milady.” Seeing the mortal’s body untense, the blond figured he was probably under a lot of pressure himself. The duo kept to themselves until Khan returned, cheerily they noted. The man was no longer in his hulking body armor, but wore a slimmed down version of said armor. Only the helmet remained.

“Alright Master Zhin, and guest, follow me. Milady will be with you both shortly, she had just finished washing up when you arrived. Please stay in the main lobby until her arrival, I wish not to hunt you down around the manor should you get lost. Zhin, I expect you still remember the layout? If not, you may tag along with your guest for a refresher.”

“Thank you, Khan, I appriciate this.”

“Y-Yes, thank you. You may call me Jenos, there’s no need for formalities, honest.”

Khan said nothing before facing the blond, his eyes still lacking the heartwarming tone he used when addressing Zhin. The former demon shuddered underneath the icy stare. “Are you of royalty?”

“Wh...what?”

“Are you the son of a lord? Or perhaps a lord yourself? Do you have any noble lineage in your blood?”

“Not that I know of, no–“

The demon slayer wedged himself in between Jenos and Khan, his hand and arm outstretched defensively over the other’s chest. He stared up at the Primus defiantly, warding him to back down. Khan clicked his tongue as he leaned away, stepping back to give them additional space. He watched with mild disgust as Zhin checked on Jenos and made sure he was fine; the blond was simply a commoner, unworthy of even stepping foot within the walls of House Aico. Yet the man he nurtured and trained was practically treating this lowly dirt peasant like a king. It was insulting to him and the family name he served.

Nevertheless, he wished not to get on Zhin’s bad side. He abided to the other’s request, for the time being. Clearing his throat and filing their little argument away for later, Khan led the duo into the manor. The lobby alone was massive, with a large stairwell the split into 2 seperate wings of the house and a giant family portrait hanging just above the crossroad. The flooring was of pristine marble that shimmered and reflected even the briefest of light that shone onto it, and on top of that, a ruby-colored carpet acted as a pathway from the enterence to the staircase and beyond. The walls were a light shade of pink and very easy on the eyes, especially during the early morning hours. A beautiful chandelier hung overhead, lit with magic flames that refused to go out. There were a multitude of doors and hallways as well, each leading to a seperate part of the building.

It was a tad overwhelming for them both, with Zhin getting over the sheer size at a faster rate than his demonic partner. Once he got used to how spoiled he really was back then, the demon slayer checked to make sure Jenos was still with him. Seeing the once powerful entity reduced to a dazed mock mortal was somewhat amusing. Sticking close to his side, in case the other toppled over for any reason, Zhin redirected his attention to the hulking figure.

“I forgot how huge this place was.”

“When one doesn’t return to a place after so many years, it becomes possible to forget even the most grandest of sights, Master Zhin.”

Zhin huffs his nose, his eyes wandering around the open area. There were plenty of things to see, some vases resting on pedestals, neat indoor trees and flowers to add some color and variety; pointless rich things to show off to your not-so-rich guests. There were plenty of portraits and paintings on the walls, but many of them didn’t really catch his eye. It was quite underwhelming once he got used to everything.

“Even after all these years, I still remember how bland the decorations are. Nothing’s changed, not even the flowers in those flower pot beside the stairs-”

“If my favorite shops weren’t so rudely destroyed by those damned creatures, maybe I would have changed things around.”

Zhin sighed as he was interrupted by a female’s voice. He stared begrudgingly at the new figure coming down the stairs, her hair still damp from her bathing earlier. Her attire was rather revealing, just barely covering her chest as her left leg was revealed to the open world. Platinum blonde hair pooled down her back as a circlet wrapped around her forehead. She gave off a sense of pride that could sway anyone into joining her side, no matter the reason. The female finished her trek down the stairs and was quick to stride across the carpet path laid out below them, stopping just an arms’ length away from the duo.

She said nothing at first, her gaze invasive and determined. Zhin remained calm and collected whereas Jenos felt he shrank in size. Khan stood off to the side, his arms crossed. It was quite. Suddenly, a fist found itself flying into Zhin’s face, eliciting a surprised cry from him as Jenos acted quickly to catch him before he fell over. Her calm demeanor crumbled as tears filled her eyes as she stared at the white haired male.

“Why haven’t you visited, Zhin!? It’s been decades! I was so worried about you, goddamnit! When I heard what happened to you, I-I thought you died too! Why didn’t you say anything!? Even a damn letter would have been enough! I thought you cared about me!”

Zhin sucked in a breath as the woman ranted between wails, having begun pacing before him and throwing her hands up and about as she rambled on and on about his neglectful behavior. He gave Jenos a small grin to show this was normal, which only caused the former demon to worry more. With a cold palm placed against a newly formed bruise on his cheek, Zhin called out to the platinum blonde before she could continue with her scene.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking right when I left home. Heading to you to say I was leaving wasn’t exactly the first thing that came to mind when you discover your family had been killed in a fire caused by demonspawn. But I’m here now, that’s all that matters. It may have taken years, but I’m back as promised.”

“Lady Lian was very concerned for your wellbeing, Master Zhin. She had sent out scouts to try and learn of your whereabouts, contacted other royals to see if they’ve housed you, or searched nearby ruins in case you were around in the area. The least you could have done is informed your fiancée that you were alive and well.”

Zhin choked, supposedly on his own spit. Staring at the Scion, he was reminded of the wedding plan and arrangements made. They were to be wedded the week after the demons had attacked his home town. The demon slayer slowly brought a hand up to his forehead before sliding his palm down over his face. He had forgotten all about it when he started his journey to get revenge on Soul Eater. Zhin recovered from the shock in a timely manner, coming back just in time to hear Lian speak again, “And who is this? I don’t recall ever allowing lowlifes into the palace. Khan, please take out the filth before he dirties the lobby. Zhin and I have a lot of missing time to make up for.”

Jenos instinctively growled as Khan approached, his hands darting to cling onto Zhin’s clothing. The former demon was getting irritated; his hands were rapidly heating up. Just as Khan reached out to grab the blond, Zhin wedged himself between them once more. A quick glance behind him and he could see the fear-turned-anger brimming within blueish-orange eyes. Jenos’s true colored were beginning to show from the stress. Looking back at Lian, the man scowled at her.

“Excuse me, but this filth just so happens to be my guest. He’s a friend, and has a name. If you are eager to kick Jenos out, then do not expect me to stick around. He will die out there without my protection. Either show him some common decency, or we can leave.”

“But-But Zhin, I-“

“I will not hear your excuses. You have turned your nose up to so many people in need, I will not allow you to do so anymore. He stays, or we both leave.”

Zhin argued heatedly. Lian was always like this, even when they were kids. She would snuff her nose at the commonfolk simply because they weren’t “worth her time.” She was rude to them and often called them worthless. Her favorite term was lowlife, she used it more often than any other. Zhin wouldn’t say anything about it back then, thinking she’d learn to treat people of the lower classes better as she got older; he had only gotten his hopes up. She was even worse than before.

After contemplating for a noteable amount of time, the Scion eventually gave in with a lengthy sigh. She sank slightly as her knees bent and shoulders sank in defeat. Lian wasn’t going to argue with a long time friend she hasn’t seen in ages.

“Alright, fine. You win. Khan, ease off. God, you’re making me feel like the bad guy here. Jenos, was it? I’ll see it fit that one of the maids gets you some actual clothing. Those rags deserve to burn for having even been woven together.” She turned her sight onto Zhin, mild annoyance apparent in her body language, “I expect you will be sharing a bed with me? It has been some time since we were last together, surely you’ve been deprived yourself. I’ll see to it that Jenos gets a room that is suitable to her–“

“His. Jenos is a man.”

“...needs. Dinner is being prepared as we speak, so please wash up before then. You two reek. Anything you wish to add before Khan gives the tour?”

“Yes, I will be sharing a room with Jenos.”

Lian’s expression darkened. “Why is that? He’s perfectly capable of staying in his own room.”

“I only wish to make sure he is comfortable here for his first few days. When he is, then I will consider sharing your bed.”

The platinum blonde groaned, but complied with the demand. She muttered a few choice words under her breath before dismissing herself, heading outside to blow off some steam. The door slammed roughly behind her, causing them both to flinch. Seconds passed before Khan cleared his throat, the tension having gotten to them all. He spoke softly and gently this time, explaining to Jenos that he could speak up whenever he had a question. It was different than the usual tone of voice the former demon was used to, but it made him feel more at ease. More welcome within the home. Zhin was also by his side the whole time too, which was encouraging.

The tour was a simple one, to say the least. Khan showed the duo around, refreshing Zhin’s memory as he went over various things to Jenos. They passed through many hallways and peaked inside many doors, most of which were either storage, training, or guest rooms. With the demon slayer tagging along, the Primus was forced to be kind to the young man. Something about the blond was off putting and malevolent. Sinister. He couldn’t put his finger on it, however. Khan simply continued as this unknown issue buzzed around his head liek a fly.

The grand tour ended at the guest rooms they’ve pasted earlier. Jenos was given the option to pick his room for the duration of his stay, which was a fairly quick decision. The room he chose was one of the larger guest rooms with a king sized bed, extra blankets and pillows, a moderately sized drawer and was close to the nearest wash room. Zhin and Khan spoke out in the hallway for a short period as Jenos threw himself onto the bed, sinking onto the bedding as the velvety material cradled his body. The door opened after the discussions were done as Zhin walked in with a set of fine clothes. He shut the door behind him and soon joined Jenos on the bed, placing the clothes on top of the dressing drawer. The demon slayer pulled the blond close and curled around him, effectively spooning the smaller man.

“I talked Khan into giving you a few of his outgrown outfits, so you’ll have more clothes to wear.”

“Is that so?”

“Mm. Are you comfortable here?”

Jenos hummed in thought, submitting to the warmth surrounding him. “I’ll get used to it.”

Zhin sighed. “You know what they are, huh.”

“Demon slayers, such as yourself.”

“...”

“I’ll be fine, I trust you. If I feel threatened, I can defend myself.”

“Good to know.”

The two fell silent, finding comfort in one another. These next few days were going to be tough, for both of them. Lian and Khan weren’t fond of Jenos, Zhin had to keep his eyes peeled for any strange behavior; the had to look out for each other. They only had each other to completely trust. The possibility of something going wrong was high, but they knew that the moment they stepped foot inside. Everything would be fine, though.

It just had to be.

#paladins champions of the realm #pcotr #paladins jenos #paladins zhin #paladins khan #paladins lian #HEY A CONTINUATION STORY FOR THESE TWO #GOD i’m so pumped for the next part #i have the story planned #just not typed out in full yet #zhinos #with one sided zhian #is it zhian?#and bulter khan is a thing now #have fun with that #short story #please enjoy!

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revlyncox · 6 years

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Sowing and Reaping

This sermon was delivered to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring by Rev. Lyn Cox on August 5, 2018. In it, we explore covenant, the Pagan holiday of Lammas, and the wisdom of Ms. Frizzle. This worship services launches a one-year interim ministry.

Blessed is the earth, which brings forth food for all that lives. Blessed is the rain, flowing with the water of life. Blessed is the sun, which calls to grow and which speeds our return to the earth. Blessed is the wind that carries the seed and the mist, the warm and the cool, the new and the returned. May we collaborate with and give thanks for the forces that create and uphold life. Blessed be.

I am a clueless gardener. It might be a little bit of an overstatement to say I like gardening. It might be more accurate to say that I find gardening fulfilling, even though I don’t exactly know what I’m doing. I learn spiritual lessons from gardening, mainly about how I am not in control of the universe. Perhaps because I needed to learn that lesson now more than ever, I made an ambitious plan for this year’s garden. Starting in February, I made lists of plants and I used graph paper to map out how I hoped the garden would look.

Around May 1, my kids and my partner came home from a Department of Agriculture educational event with tomato seedlings in medium-size containers, around which they had planted spinach, beans, peas, and sunflowers. My kids had great luck, and soon we had little plants ready to be put into the ground. The spinach couldn’t make the transition, but the other plants looked promising. I re-drew my maps.

Under the general category of “I am not in control of the universe,” I have learned a few corollary lessons so far this summer. Lesson One: squirrels love tomatoes. In past years, when I grew cherry tomatoes, I could harvest some before they were snatched up. This year’s crop of lovely, disease-resistant, full-sized heirloom tomatoes proved to be irresistible to our local furry friends. Lesson Two: When you let children plant seeds, they will definitely put more than one seed in every hole. What I thought would be three sunflower seedlings turned into six tall, lovely sunflowers. There were seven, but squirrels like to eat sunflowers almost as much as they love tomatoes. Lesson Three: not all seedlings survive to bear fruit, no matter what you do. The beans had an early crop, then half of the plants died, and the rest needed a month of tender, loving care. All of the pea plants died except one. Sometimes things don’t work out the way we hope.

In late July, as I was deciding if I wanted to plant again for a late harvest or if I wanted to give up, I was reminded of the old aphorism about planting beans: “Sow four seeds as you make your row: one for the mouse, one for the crow, one to rot, and one to grow.” In other words, plan for uncertainty. Take chances, knowing not everything we try will bear the fruit we hope for. When the odds are slim, increase your tries.

Hearing this rhyme again helped me get out of the trap of, “Why me?” Gardeners and farmers in many times and places had gone through the disappointment of losing bean seedlings. The saying has some variations, such as replacing “mouse” with “cutworm,” “rook,” or “pigeon.” There are many ways for a seed to end up as something other than food for humans. Loss does not always arise from lack of effort or character flaw. Sometimes things just don’t pan out. Sometimes you learn from mishaps. The old rhyme pushed me into an experimental mindset, the ability to try new things, or to try again after failure with the full understanding that there are no guarantees. I planted some new beans and peas, along with some radishes and beets, hoping for a late September harvest.

Moving from a focus on failure to a focus on experimentation also helped me to be grateful for the plants that did survive and grow. Nurture what is working well. Give thanks, because spectacular things do not happen through the will of one person alone. If you saw my post about today’s service on Facebook or Twitter, I included a photo of the very first pea that came to maturity in my garden, one beautiful little pod, turning green and plump against very long odds.

This is the essence of some earth-centered holidays that happens around this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, this holiday of the first harvest and the high summer tinged with the first glimmers of autumn. Some might call this holiday Lammas, which is a holiday about bread, celebrating the first grains of the season being harvested and threshed and ground. Some might call this holiday Lughnasadh (also spelled Lúnasa), after the god Lugh, a god of craftsmanship and many skills. At Lammas, we practice gratitude, we focus on the blessings we do have, and we realize that the earth itself is a more powerful partner than individual human gardeners in bringing about the abundance of the season. We remember sowing the seeds months ago, and we remember that planting is always a gamble, and we collect seeds from this year to use in the spring. When something bears fruit, we plan to use that experience in the future, we share the credit and the harvest, and we put love and artistry into the further work of transformation.

As it turns out, the spirituality of gardening carries with it some ideas that are echoed in science, education, and congregational life. One of my science education role models is Ms. Frizzle from the book and TV series of the 1990’s, “The Magic School Bus.” If you don’t know Ms. Frizzle, ask your nearest children’s librarian. In every book or episode, her students complete research projects about something like magnetism, the solar system, dinosaurs, or the human digestive system. When the students run into a question they can’t answer, Ms. Frizzle proposes a surprise field trip. “To the bus! Seatbelts, everyone!” The bus mysteriously becomes big or small, or travels through time or outer space, or withstands the conditions of a volcano or a waterfall so that the students are able to make observations and answer their scientific questions. Ms. Frizzle always says, “Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!” These three instructions are key for the ability of the class to learn new things and to have fun while learning.

Take chances. Make mistakes. Get messy. You will hear me say these three things again, because they also speak to a congregation’s opportunities during the Interim Ministry period.

Going back to the spiritual insights of Lammas, we learn at this time of year that we had to take chances. Only one out of four bean seeds in the rhyme led to a harvest. Sowing any kind of seed at all, literal or metaphorical, is a gamble. Not everything turns out the way we hope. Indeed, even as we bring in the first fruits, these are risky times. Sudden storms that cause the crop to rot or drought that invites wildfire are both real possibilities in August. Our inability to control the universe does not mean we are bad or lazy or incomplete. Living life to the fullest, learning and growing, requires a certain degree of risk.

In spiritual community, especially during the golden opportunity of an Interim year, we take chances together. We experiment with new ways of understanding the world, with different ways of worshipping and of doing church. We take the risk of speaking the truth with love. Take chances.

Make mistakes. Ms. Frizzle reminds us that the scientific method involves making a hypothesis and testing it. If we guess right every time, science doesn’t advance as quickly. We have to be willing to be wrong sometimes, and to admit we were wrong so that we can get to the juicy, exciting part of the learning process. We are human beings and we are fallible. Our tendency to make mistakes does not and should not cut us off from human community or from the traditions of spiritual growth or from the disciplines of science and craftsmanship. Humans are welcome in community, broken and whole, flawed and fabulous.

Lugh, the god who is celebrated at Lughnasadh (Lúnasa), is a character of many skills. He’s a warrior and a wheelwright, he’s a musician, he’s an athlete. Even mythical characters have to practice. Getting better at anything, from blacksmithing to gardening to being human, means we have to start out not being very good at it. Fail spectacularly. Fail with gusto. Fail better, and keep learning.

I tried growing beans and peas, and I mostly failed for the first harvest. Some part of that was due to random chance, but another part helped me learn about drainage, pest control, and planting more seeds than I think I am going to need for my crop. We’ll see how the second harvest goes. When I remembered that it’s OK to make mistakes, I was able to celebrate what I had and use what I learned rather than dwell on failure. Make mistakes.

Get messy! Farming involves getting covered with dirt, and sometimes covered in things more specific than dirt. Science education can lead to all kinds of messes, from vinegar and baking soda reactions to rock collections to close observations of living things. The abundance of Lammas puts us knee deep in flour, or the gluten-free grain of your choice. In the middle of a chaotic rush to bring the harvest home, we pay more attention to what we are doing together than on looking neat and pristine or on creating the illusion of having everything together.

In spiritual community, we get messy by being vulnerable and by accepting the range of wisdom and experience and emotion that our companions bring to community. An inclusive community welcomes all people, but not all behaviors. Figuring out how to be together, setting boundaries to help the congregation to be a place of courage and growth, is not easy. This is the art of covenant. Communities where people are authentic are complicated and difficult and heartbreaking and annoying and surprisingly joyful. Get messy.

This Lammas, let us give thanks. Let us remember the risks and acknowledge the losses, yet let us focus on gratitude and abundance. Fail better, and increase tries. This Lughnasadh (Lúnasa), let us celebrate the skills within us and among us, and let us commit to the love and artistry of living in community. As we bring in the first fruits of this new church year together, let us commit to a path of spiritual growth, lifelong learning, diverse and welcoming community, justice, and compassion. To stay on that path, let us take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.

So be it. Blessed be. Amen.

#Unitarian Universalism #lammas #lughnasadh #uu

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dent-de-leon · 7 years

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Allura for the ask meme!

Why I like them: Sooo many reasons!! I love how she’s a princess completely dedicated to her cause with this whole regal bearing, but still loves shiny things and playing cute games with her mice and just being herself. I love how she’s not as prepared and confident as everyone imagines, how she’s hesitant to be in charge at first, how she’s not sure if she’s ready and is still learning her role just like everyone else. I love how she’s not patient and motherly like people make her out to be, I love how she’s a force to be reckoned with and has a well honed strength in every sense of the word. I love how they took her old pink outfit from the 80′s and didn’t decide it was unfit for their warrior princess, and instead made the color a point of pride and relevance, something that mattered to Allura and belonged with her character arc.

I love how Allura is prim and proper at times but also allowed to start food fights because, yeah, she’s a teenager too. I love how passionate she is, how she’s someone ruled by her heart at times with a longing for the past and wide-eyed hope that she can genuinely make the universe a better place. I love how dedicated she is to her cause, how she’s willing to give everything it takes to keep the people she loves safe. I love how she’s had a tragic past but still knows how to smile and wants to have fun. I love how she really likes flowers and jewelry and small comforts that remind her of home. I love how she considers the space mice her friends and likes to gossip about the other paladins with them. I love how much she’s grown as a person over the course of the series, how she was able to reach out to Keith again and rebuild that bridge of her own accord. I love how she’s really opened up to Lance and they’ve grown so much closer, how she genuinely seems to reciprocate his affections. I love Allura’s courage and drive. I love how fond and uplifted she looked when Blue chose her. I love her whole character arc as a paladin and would be sad to see her leave the team after all that.

Why I don’t: Fanon Allura really does get the shaft a lot. It made me dislike her just seeing how she wasn’t allowed to be a teenager like everyone else. How she was the Team Mom and only the Mom, dutifully caring for all her children and also married to Shiro because somehow they’re both 20 years older than everyone else and must Be Together because Space Parents law dictates it be so. Because Allura isn’t motherly or nurturing towards the paladins in the slightest, because I’m sick of female characters being forced into a motherly role. Because automatically putting Main Guy with Main Girl and Space Princess with leader Space Knight and having the whole fandom accept it as canon just bothered me.

Because antis preached it as the Golden Ship and you weren’t allowed to ship them with anyone else for so, so long. Because people tried to shove Shiro’s characteristics onto Allura to suit their happy little Space Parents motif but she’s clearly more fiery, passionate, aggressive, self-righteous, has an anger and desire for revenge in her–because she’s so much more clearly like Keith than Shiro, but that makes her too rough around the edges for the Space Mom role so they file her down. Because antis keep editing Allura out of the picture and dropping in Keith because somehow Lance’s love for her isn’t valid enough. Because somehow Allura isn’t ever allowed to reciprocate and have feelings of her own.

Favorite episode (scene if movie): Just like with Lance, it’s The Red Paladin and A New Defender! I think seeing Allura’s very personal link to the Red Lion–and how she broke down at its rejection, watching her speak about Alfor and how much being a paladin means to her, the reason for her armor…that was all just so heart-wrenching and lovely. It also made me so much more attached to Paladin Allura than I ever thought I would be, and when Blue accepted her you felt a rush of pride and warmth as well.

Then there’s A New Defender, which again gives insight to both Allura’s weaknesses and strengths, her insecurities and innate potential. She feels betrayed by the use of Altean magic against her, she struggles with this fear that she isn’t skilled enough to handle this, that she was never trained and therefore can’t outmatch this. But then Lance urges her own, makes her realize that she’s the Heart of Voltron, and she’s had that power inside her all along. Both episodes provide great character development for Allura on her own, as well as further her bond with Lance and really seem to establish requited feelings on her end. It’s really endearing.

Favorite season/movie: Season 3!! It builds a lot on Allura’s character as well as her bonds with the rest of the team (also, that good allurance content). Seeing Allura’s journey as a paladin got me way more invested than I anticipated, and it really felt like she belonged on the team. It was nice to see that shift in her dynamic, in her really becoming one of the paladins rather than someone back at the castle. It was pretty refreshing to see her on the front lines and bonding with a Lion, even if it wasn’t how she initially hoped or intended. Lots of growth and learning on her end. Some Good Stuff,,

Favorite line: Allura’s plea to the Red Lion, especially, “I want to carry on my father’s fight, but I need your help. Please, I must do this.” ;; Hearing how committed she was, how important this cause was for her, how she was just laying her whole heart bare…that really got to me, and it was so well voiced. Damn good scene that hurt my heart and really shed some light on how much this all means to her,,

Favorite outfit: Listen I am just really partial to everyone’s space pajamas okay,, she just looked so cute in them they were both adorable and regal

OTP: Talked about this one already over here, but allurance!! :’D

Brotp: Keith and Allura!! As I said before, they have a lot in common, and I think their likemindedness makes for a really neat team. They’ve both experienced so much loss and grief in their lives, even despite been born at opposite ends of the war. And watching Allura learning to trust him again, see how Keith never pushed her or held a grudge against her in all that time, how he never demanded any apology because he understood Allura’s feelings and felt she was valid for having them. How they start to open up and lean on one another for reassurance despite their withdrawn natures–Allura letting Keith know she believed he was capable of being the Black Paladin, Keith comforting her after everything in the alternate universe. They certainly clash from time to time, but I think that, despite all their hardships, they’re gradually growing closer and it’s just nice.

Head Canon: That she loved the little Lotor helmet Zarkon gave her and ended up wearing it a lot as a kiddo ;;

Unpopular opinion: Never liked sha/llura or the accompanying whole “Space Parents” motif. Also don’t like how it’s very popular to have lots of “Altean Lance” AU’s where he’s given a great deal of Allura’s character and backstory and they’re also both conveniently siblings so there won’t be any romantic feelings between them.

A wish: That she and Lance live happily ever after and Allura helps everyone rebuild, quite possibly forming a “New Altea” for refugees across the universe. Or also!! Pollux is a thing, and Allura gets the comfort of at least knowing she and Coran–and Honerva–aren’t the only Alteans still alive. I would also love, love to see her apprentice under an Altean magic user or druid of some sort since at the end of season 4 she mentions that she’s never been trained. Keith got to train with the BOM, and so I really hope Allura will get to train with another magic user. oH also!! White Paladin Allura please,,

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: Allura being kicked off Team Voltron or otherwise having her character development as the Heart of Voltron lead to nowhere. Also sh/allura (sorry, but antis ruined it for me early on)

5 words to best describe them: Duty, righteousness, wistful, passionate, charm

My nickname for them: Space Princess!! ✨

#allura #voltron #allurance #lance #keith

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xsunqueensx · 3 years

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TWO FOR TRYING

Jooheon took me into a section of the the castle that was hidden to most guests, the servant’s quarter. The smell of fresh bread reached my nose and it instantly made me hungry.

A few older women were hard at work peeling potatoes while others were chopping some carrots and onions. The smell was delicious, it reminded me of home. “Hungry? We didn’t really get to eat.” I nodded and he led me into the next section of the kitchen. We turned the corner and the smell intensified; at this point I was practically drooling. “Well, well, well; are they not feeding you enough up there?” A heavy-set middle aged woman said, approaching the both of us. “Aunt May, it’s been awhile.” Joohenon headed straight to the woman and hugged her tightly. “My gracious, what on earth happened here?” Her expression went from sheer joy, to confusion, concern and or disappointment; I wasn’t sure, it was too soon to tell. “Now you know your mother raised you better than this” she said checking him over once more. “Com’on, You know I was raised by wolves.” Jooheon said bouncing his eyebrows. “Hush that now...even if it’s true.” The woman joked with bright eyes. The two shared a genuine laugh. “Aunt May, I want you to meet someone. This is our queen, well as of tomorrow... “Ms. May, wiped her hands across her apron and then curtseyed with a lop sided smile. “Highness, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The poor woman, I could only imagine what the two of us looked like soaked to the bone like this. “Please, please we don’t have to stand on pleasantries; it’s nice to meet you Ms. May. Please excuse my attire, our dear Jooheon has an appetite for bringing out the mischief in the best of us.” At this Ms. May let out a boisterous laugh. “No truer words have ever been spoken; he’s had me question myself a many a time!” The woman started to dig into a bin hidden behind some cabinets. She handed Jooheon and I a couple of towels. “Here, let me fix you something warm to eat.” Joohenon be a gentleman and make her comfortable, won’t you.” I smiled at how freely she talked to him, it reminded me of a mother and son. Jooheon patted the cushion of the bay window, he held my hand as I tried to hop up modestly. His cheeks turned red as I tried to keep my dress together but, I was failing miserably; the dress seemed to have a mind of it’s own. “Here, this should warm you a tad; Jooheon has your mother seen you two?” I grabbed the bowl, it had to be as old as me. “Sure did, you know how she has a sixth sense for spoiling any kind of fun.” I sampled the soup and it sent a chill through me. “Delicious!” Joohenon and Ms. May both lit up, “Thank you child, have as much as you wish.” I enjoyed their banter for a while, it reminded me of papa. “So child, how are you enjoin’ Kydith? Was the tide welcoming?” I nodded, “Quite.” “The grounds are marvelous, not to mention the food! I’ve met some interesting people thus far, the townsfolk were so welcoming. I honestly couldn’t ask for much more, well… maybe some dry clothes…” The three of us continued to converse. I learned that Baekhyun was indeed the castle fuck boy. “Charlene almost burnt down the entire damn kitchen, I found the two of them in the flour cupboard.” I choked on my beverage, “I’m telling you, that man is nothing but trouble.” Jooheon spoke next, “That man is a prodigy. He’s as dangerous with a sword as he is with his coc- um, bed habits…” Ms. May eyed him, “What have I told you about that filthy talk?!” A deep sigh left my fiancé, “I’m sorry May, old habits die hard.” I nudged him with my elbow. “Well, this kitchen isn’t going to run itself; Majesty, it’s such a treat to meet you in person. If you need anything, you know where to find me; especially if Jooheon is giving you grief.” Her eyes were warm and piercing into me, “Yes ma’am.”

“She was pleasant, how long have you known her?” I asked locking my fingers in his as we headed up a narrow passage into the castle. “Since birth, she’s been like a second mother to me.” There was something so gentle in the way he spoke of her, “I can tell she cares deeply for you.” The smile he gave me next was beaming, “I hope the two of you can become good friends.” Before I knew it, Jooheon led us to a paneled wall and pushed it open. We were right back inside the castle, “Well, that’s neat.” My fingers ran over the perfectly sealed edge of the hidden door. “Mhmm, we have several of these throughout the castle; I can’t count the amount of beatings I got as a child for playing in these with my cousin.” We waited as servants made their way past us carrying a pillar over their shoulder, no doubt it was for tomorrow’s events. Butterflies tickled me at the thought, I remembered the clock was just ticking away, every single second bringing us closer to our eternity. “Are you referring to Prince Kihyun?” Jooheon nodded, “Tell me about him?” We turned a corner and the castle started to look familiar, I believe we were headed back towards the main entrance way. “Well, at first glance he can come off a bit calloused but; once you get to know him, his kindness might blind you.” I thought briefly of my sister, “ I think marriage will do home well, he needs a womanly touch as he’s a little rough around the edges. Growing up without a mother’s nurturing touch will take it’s toll on anyone.” I sighed, “I can relate, I never got to meet my mother, I often wonder how I can miss someone I never even met but, Mothers are special in that way.” Jooheon squeezed my hand. “His mother, she was executed, right?” His face turned somber, “Yeah, my uncle is one cruel man. I’m still not sure if he’s truly moved past it yet. The relationship between him and his father is beyond strained. After she passed Kihyun built a wall and very few people have been able to climb it.” I frowned, “How sad.”

“Ah speak of the devil, I presume he’s been nothing short of a gentleman?” I sucked my teeth as Na’eva and Kihyun starred bugged eyed. “Never mind us, what the hell happened here?” The prince asked. I went to speak but Jooheon beat me to the punch, “We went for a swim, duh.” Na’eva and I both dropped our heads into the palm of our hands. Kihyun took my sister’s hand and gave it a light kiss, “Please excuse me; I have some business I must tend to, I’ve put it off for as long as I can.”The perplexed look on Na’eva’s face didn’t slip my notice. “Shall I see you for dinner?” Kihyun asked, still holding her hand. “Of course highness, I’ve enjoyed chatting with you; thank you for the tour.” I watched as she took her hand back a little too hastily. “Jooheon, I think I’ll retreat to my chamber for a rest; will you be alright with out me?” Jooheon grabbed his chest and played as though he was about to faint on the spot, “How will I ever man-age-oh no, I’m not going to make it.” I laughed at his non-sense once more, “I’m serious, are my services required else where?” His brow flicked up and I could feel my face getting warm. Those damn dimples. “Ahem.” We both came out of our silent conversation. Na’eva stood there looking at her shoes. “No, you’re free to do as you wish; let someone know if you need anything.” I curtseyed and he bowed before leaving us there. “You have some serious explaining to do missy. Come on, lets get you out of what ever this is…” Na’eva said holding up a completely limp feather.

“A sword fight, huh?” My sister asked. “Yeah it was actually a lot of fun, he’s pretty quick on his feet.” She laughed, “I can’t wait to tell father.” I gasped, “What, you wouldn’t?” I splashed water at her, the bath felt wonderfully warm and inviting. “So tell me about your afternoon, you and Kihyun looked rather, what’s the word? Oh, awkward.” Na’eva rolled her eyes and completely submerged into the water.

“WHAT!?? She choked you?” Jooheon stood there in disbelief, “She misinterpreted something I said and just reacted. I still can’t believe that was her first response.” Kihyun said honestly confused. “Nathan, can you bring some wine?” Jooheon asked, knowing good and well they we’re both going to need it.”

“He’s not romantic- at all! He is devilishly handsome though so, I guess that helps with his assholey tendencies? Hell, I don’t know. He wants me to come and visit Peth, much sooner rather than later. If the circumstances didn’t seem so dire,I wouldn’t even go.” I ran my fingers through my thick curls, “Dire?” Ameerah asked. “Yes, apparently Pethians are plagued with such a low morale; he invited me to come and let the citizens lay eyes on their future queen; to remind them that a new era is soon to come.” I loosely braided my hair, “Not to mention, they haven’t seen you since you were a child-I’m sure that would be refreshing.” Na’Eva was still lost in thought, “What aren’t you telling me?” For a brief moment, she weighed if should…but she didn’t. “Nothing, I’m just still a little shaken from my meeting with Kihyun. C’mon, let’s hurry- I have make sure you’re ready for supper. Lord know’s we’ll have to redeem you after today’s afternoon dip.” She did this all the time, brushing things right off- it infuriates me to no end. If I didn’t want to know I wouldn’t have asked in the first place. Truth be told, she looked like she needed to share more than I needed to ask. “Yeah, yeah- BUT NO FEATHERS!”

“Now, you see why I need your assistance?” Kihyun said with his arms crossed. “Man, for starters, let’s not piss off your fiancé to a point of physical violence.” Kihyun dropped his hands to his side, “ I told you that wasn’t my fault!” Jooheon spoke over him, “Secondly, you’re acting as though you’ve never romanced anyone befo..re…oh….yeah, well you’ve come to the right person. So, what did you two do today? Tour the gardens? Eat lunch? Explore the castle?” Jooheon said with vigor. “I found her in a hallway and took her back to my room, we spoke for a bit and then she choked me.” Jooheon downed his glass, “Fuck…Ki, this is going to be harder than I thought. Well, baby-steps I suppose. Tonight, you’re going to have dinner together- just the two of you. I’ve already planned a dinner with Ameerah. Granted, it’s a little non traditional to not eat with the house before the wedding so, we’ll break away for dessert. “Ki, I’m leaving you in charge of your table; decorate it as you see fit. Nothing bland! Remember she’s a princess….YOUR princess, try to woo her. You got this.” Jooheon said placing a hand on his cousins shoulder. Kihyun nodded, “Piece of cake.” Jooheon flashed his megawatt smile, “That’s the spirit, now chop chop!”

Jooheon was having a ball, he adored the idea of spoiling his fiancé. “Hmm, lets go with the pink.” He said to a servant in the kitchen, “She looked rather pretty in it this afternoon.” The servant agreed and began decorating the strawberries. “What sort of flowers do you suppose would match?” Jooheon asked, jutting his hip to the side.

“Orchids my lord,I hear she’s loved them as a child.” Jooheon looked at the servant stunned, “Wow, how’d you know that?” The servant’s cheeks turned a bright pink, “You’re mother highness, she’s quite thorough.” Jooheon rolled his eyes, “Indeed she is. Alright, Orchids it is; I’m in your hands.” He added with a smile.

This was an absolute disaster, Kihyun was realizing that he didn’t know much about his queen. He sat with a pen in hand making a list of things he assumed most any woman would enjoy. However, he only had two items; himself and her. An exasperated sigh left him, “Damnit. Damn it all to hell!” He knew he needed help but, from who? Not Jooheon, he was busy with his own endeavor to capture Queen Ameerah’s heart. He didn’t dare ask Ameerah, he was sure her mind was on much more important things at hand. Kihyun stood up from his desk and decided that a walk would do his mind good. As Kihyun made his way through the castle, he noticed many of the wedding decorations were starting to come together nicely. He couldn’t help but smile, his beloved, goofy cousin was finally getting married. A lopsided grin came over him, along with some heartwarming memories. “How many times do I have to tell you, I want more silk on these chairs.” Kihyun was quickly kicked out of his own thoughts as the queen mother walked past him with a gentleman. He looked vaguely familiar, Kihyun thought for a brief moment before it hit him. Jamison, that was his name. He hadn’t seen him since they we’re kids. “Pardon me Queen mother but, I must beg of some assistance from your current company.” Katherine eyes bulged a bit at his request, she looked at Jamison and nodded. “That’s perfectly fine, I must review the menu for this evening. Jamison, I appreciate you keeping this old queen company. If my nephew gives you any trouble, come find me. She said picking up her hefty skirt and quickly floating across the marble floor. Jamison smiled and bowed. “My king, how may I be of service?” Jamison tried to control his heartbeat as a wave of jealousy swelled in him. “How have you enjoyed your time in Thear?” Kihyun asked. “My lord, Thear has treated mother and I well. We’ve been very busy keeping our promise to you lord, teaching your queen the ways of our kingdom.”Jamison could feel the bile rising in his throat, he hated this small talk and calling Na’eva anyone’s except his. “You’re both to be commended, I’ve heard great things. I hear you’ve become quite the opponent with a sword?” Jamison laughed, “Well, that depends on who you ask. Remember, my duty is to teach and protect; I’m only doing what’s asked of me highness.” Kihyun grinned at his candor. “Very well then, I have another task for you.” Jamison raised a brow, “I’m always up for a challenge majesty.”

“Na’eva, which earrings? Crystals or the diamonds?” The two took turns holding the current options over her silk and pearl gown. The diamonds looked very brilliant as the lights bounced off of them, yet the crystals had a very soft glow that swallowed any color it was against. The girls squinted and replied at the same time, “Diamonds.” That happened quite often, finishing each other’s sentences or thoughts. “So back to your afternoon dip, how handsome was he wet?” Ameerah cut her eyes at her sister and laughed, “I can’t even put it into words- his body looked incredible underneath his shirt.” A blush hit her cheeks again, “His smile could talk me into just about anything….I’m terrified at how easily he tempts me.” Na’eva perked up at that last line, “Tempts you? What ever do you mean? You did save a little fun for tomorrow evening, did you not?” A giant smile creeped across her lips, “RUDE! You’ve lost all story privileges!” The two shared a laugh and continued to get dressed. Na’eva traced the brim of her eyes with dark coal, “Have you given much thought to tomorrow evening?” Ameerah blotted her lips with mint leaves and rouge. “Of course I have, I’m every bit anticipating and dreading parts of that ceremony.” Na’eva nodded, a royal wedding will take it’s toll on anyone; especially, the happy couple. Na’eva nodded, her sister would be taking the final step into womanhood. “Well, hopefully your reign will boil down to more than intimacy, childbirth and being obedient. Jooheon seems to have a great reputation amongst his people though, the air about him seems, different?” Ameerah sighed, “Tell me about it! He’s a great listener and has just a keen interest in everything it seems, I don’t know I could be partial? I certainly hope not, I hate how long it takes getting to know someone but, it seems like he’s excited to try to. I honestly can’t complain- that’s more than most queens get in a lifetime.” The two shared a comfortable silence and started on their hair. “So, do you think the sex will be good?” Ameerah twisted a curl into her palm. “Sister!” The two giggled. “I’m serious, if all else fails, may the gods’ grant you the perfect cock!” Na’eva said with a complete straight face. “Well, since we’re speaking on his member, I got to size him up first hand….I mean it wasn’t my intent but, things led to one another. You know, that’s besides the point, he’s a damn tease!” Na’eva sat there with a goofy grin, “Um, what the fuck sis?! TELL ME EVERYTHING.” The girls slipped into their respective gowns, “So you sat on his damn lap?” Ameerah turned sideways checking her reflection, “Yeah, that was the only way to win!” She said very matter of factly. “Poor mother Katherine, what kind of daughter is she inheriting?” Na’eva said flattening a crease in her dress. “She should be worried about her son, I believe he would have consumed me right then and there; servants be damned.” Na’eva smirked at that, “I still don’t see the problem?” She hated to admit it but, it sounded like a current problem of hers.

The evening came quickly. The boys chatted about the events to come, “All set, right?” jooheon asked. Kihyun adjusted his jacket; “Of course. I asked for a little help but, it was mostly me. My neck should survive our next encounter.” Jooheon shook his head, “Well, deep down I want to say that is the saddest thing that I’ve ever heard BUT, I’m mostly proud. Look at you, doing man stuff.” Kihyun scoffed, he knew he needed to mend any possible damage from earlier that day. He dared not speak that he was actually nervous; his ears always gave him away. “Let’s go, we don’t want to keep them waiting.” Kihyun took another deep breath and followed his cousin up the marble staircase.

Ameerah rubbed her newest cub’s round little belly, Nova was purring contentedly on her lap. She was such a precious little spirit, her paws were too damn soft. “Laila, has the castle been treating you well?” The big cat unfurled with a yawn onto its side, a lazy chirp left her. “Should I take that as an yes, my lovely lazy bones?” A knock sounded interrupting her, “Yes?” She spoke. “Princess, I’ve come to escort you to dinner.” Ameerah’s mouth went dry, was he really coming to fetch her for dinner? Her servants generally would do that. “Of course, you may enter.” Ameerah placed Nova onto the chaise’s cushion when, the door opened. “Wow, what a lovely sight you are.”

Jooheon said still holding onto the door knob. Ameerah brushed her gown to eliminate any possible creases. “My lord, you spoil me with your words; many thanks. Might I add, you look more handsome as the day passes.” She said stepping towards him. His cheeky grin was back, I t was the combination of her words and gown. She was rather bold in all aspects it would seem, a trait Jooheon was becoming more attracted to by the minute. “I think we compliment each other well princess, thank you.” Jooheon took in her silhouette, the silk outlined her in a mouth watering way. “See something you like, Sire?” She said with the same tone that became her on the boat. “Indeed, I’m curious about these; may I?” Ameerah breathed in his scent, it was different from earlier; it was soft but dark? When did he get this close, she thought? “Sure,” she answered before she realized what he was even talking about. His fingertips grazed over her hip, “I’ve never seen a piercing here before.” Ameerah silenced a shiver that was fighting to run rampant, “Ah, yes. I actually have two.” She grabbed his other hand and placed it on her hip, “See? You feel this one too?” Joohenon just nodded and enjoyed the quietness that sat between them, he unconsciously rubbed his thumbs into both of her dermal piercings. His cock was was turning him into a barbarian, all he could think of was slipping his hands underneath her dress’s slit. “Interesting, what made you choose these?” Ameerah smiled sheepishly, “My mother, she had the same piercings too.” Jooheon smiled, “Well someone is a softie.” The two laughed but didn’t move, the comfort that came from him holding her was addicting already. “Well, I believe if we don’t head down now, mother will send a search party after us.” Jooheon removed his hands but extended his elbow. Ameerah happily took it, she was excited for their first evening together.

“Highness, it’s lord Kihyun.” Na’eva sighed, what could he possibly want now? She almost didn’t respond but, she knew the servants would have something to gossip about if not. “A moment please!” Na’eva quickly adjusted her curls and straightened her back. “Enter.”

A servant opened the door with their head bowed. Kihyun stepped through looking even more delicious than before. I blinked trying to take in his appearance. His hair was swept back and his jawline looked as if it could cut. His dark eyes held mine as he walked in. “Good evening princess, I’ve come to walk you to dinner.” Na’eva wanted to roll her eyes, she could do that her damn self. Her resolve weakened as he spoke next with a smile, “I’m well aware that you don’t need me for that but, I’d like to redeem myself. I’m not the greatest with words but, hopefully my actions will speak much louder.” Kihyun looked almost shy, his ears were bright red. “I would like that very much.” Na’eva extended her hand and he took it.

The dinner table was grand, it really reminded the girls of back home. The table was filled with lots of familiar dishes, there was quite literally something for everyone. The giant navy velvet cushions were welcoming, along with the current guests seated. The chandeliers casted the room in comfortable glow. Ameerah and Jooheon entered the dining hall and the room fell silent. The attendees stood and bowed as the couple found their seats at the head of the table. Jooheon pulled the chair out for his queen. “Thank you,” Ameerah said adjusting her gown one final time before sitting. “You look stunning,” Katherine stated from across the table. Jooheon gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, “Doesn’t she mother?” Ameerah giggled, “Well, you’re certainly too kind. I hope all the wedding plans haven’t stressed you too much?” Ameerah spoke to Katherine. “Not in the slightest, I’ve been planning for this since many years ago. If anything, I believe I’m more excited than you two. It’s a mother’s pride and joy watching a child grow and marry.” Ameerha went to speak when the chair next to her moved. Kihyun was pulling the chair back for her sister to sit. “Nice of you to show up,” Jooheon said behind the brim of his glass. Once Kihyun was seated the conversation flowed effortlessly, the warmth amongst the household was very evident. Ameerah felt as though she could get used to this- not to mention the spread was delicious. “I’ll be sure to tell Ms. May how delicious this is,” Ameerah said preparing for another bite.

Dinner was promptly coming to a close when a servant nodded to both Jooheon and Kihyun. “Well mother, thank you for supper. The dining hall looks amazing, I can only imagine how everything will look tomorrow.” Jooheon guided Ameerah from her chair. “Pardon us, we’ll be having our dessert out here. The giant French doors were already open with sheer drapes fluttering in the evening’s wind. Jooheon escorted his fiancé onto the balcony and an gasp left her lips. “You did all of this? For me?” Na’eva and Kihyun smiled at the happy couple unconsciously. “I suppose that’s my queue, would you care for dessert outside as well? I’ve had a table prepared, that’s of course if you feel comfortable, princess.” Na’eva thought it over, the sourness of the day leaving her minute by minute. A part of her warred, would she be foolish and put herself in another volatile situation deliberately? Or, would she give this handsome man a second chance? Oddly enough his demeanor looked rather nervous….she hated to admit it but, his puppy eyes were working. “I would like that.” The smile Kihyun gave was radiant and it caused Na’eva to return it tenfold.

“This is gorgeous, you really outdid yourself Jooheon.” Ameerah took in all of the candlelight and delicious sweet options before her.

The sun had set not too long ago, casting the sky in a pretty shade. It was indeed wondrous how the sky was blanketing the two just right. “Who would have thought, you’re quite the romantic?” Jooheon smirked while rubbing his chin. “Let’s not tell the rest of the castle, I have a rep for being a bad boy.” The two shared a laugh. “Well, I’m certain the servants are well aware of this hidden weapon of yours.” He tilted his head, “Weapon?” Ameerah smirked, mhmmm; I see how the female servants ogle you.” Jooheon paused at her revaluation, “Is that jealously I hear, Queen?” His eyes starred into hers playfully, “Somehow, I think you would like that.” She said turning towards the scenery just beyond the balcony railing. “Pardon my bluntness but, I haven’t the slightest doubt that I’ve captured your eyes, you could’ve burnt a hole in my dress if you simply willed it so. Besides, I’ll soon hold your name and acquire your heart.” Ameerah walked to Jooheon and traced the ‘V’ of his blouse, “Just think, you have yet to even hold all of me. You can rest assured, wandering eyes are no threat to me.” Her hand cupped his chin gently. A lady may play well with others but, a woman knows how to keep her toys from becoming dull, Understood?” She said placing a soft kiss to his lips. “Yes.” Was all that he could muster, his focus was now on the growing tension within his pants. Jooheon kissed the back of her hand, “So the saying is true? That man is really that simple?” She joked. Jooheon dropped his head, all he wanted to do was take her to bed, “I fear you may be correct.” The two finally sat and began pouring wine, sweet hints of pear surrounded them. “It smells amazing, is this home gown?” Jooheon nodded as he poured his own glass. “Oh yeah, this is actually one of my creations. Believe it or not, wine making is rather relaxing; it’s one of my favorite pass-times.” Jooheon looked on excitedly as Ameerah took her first sip. “Wow, this is delicious….any other hidden talents I should know about.” Jooheon took a gingerly swig, “You’ll see first hand tomorrow evening.” Ameerah choked on the crisp liquid. “Highness!”

Nae’va followed behind Kihyun as he led them to their next destination. She was finally able to take in all of him, his shoulders sat rather tall complimented by a delectable span of neck. He was quite handsome in the day but, the way the moon was casting a shadow over his sharp side profile; Na’eva found herself starring even harder, he looked like perfection. “See something you like?” Kihyun said flashing a toothy grin. “What? N, No absolutely not. I was looking at the beading on your collar, it looks rather intricate.” She finished a little too quickly. “Ah, thank you. My mother had it made for my father when they were courting. Heh, kind of fitting for the evening, no?” He said glancing back; his eye were much different from earlier today- they seemed warm. “So, we’re courting now? Na’eva asked quickening her pace to match his. “If her highness finds it to her liking?” Na’eva smirked, “I believe it’s too soon to tell dear prince; besides, I still have no clue where you’re taking me. Atleast you’re allowing me to walk on my own…and the views are exquitie.” She said peeking over the never ending balcony. “What is that? The scent is lovely.” Na’eva asked closing her eyes and trying to place it. Kihyun stopped and looked at her, “Our table.” He said beaming from ear to ear. This was the first time he had ever done something like this….romantic. His palms were already starting to sweat.

Red and pink petals met Na’eva’s eyes as she looked down. “Roses…they’re lovely.” She said tiptoeing over the silky petals. They rounded the corner to a quaint stone gazeb; roses were cascading from the top and up it’s legs. The fact that this was tucked away in this little corner of the castle was beyond romantic. past Islet lace ran from one end of the table to the other, dessert was bountiful and the smell of fresh chocolate carried in the wind.

Shadows danced upon them both as candles surrounded the small table. “You did all of this for me?” Na’eva asked lifting a rose from the stem to her nose. Kihyun stepped closer, “Yes, it’s the least I could do. I know I’m not the greatest with words but, how I handled today was appalling. I’ll never treat you like that again, I’m sorry.” Na’eva reached for his hand, “Ki, I understand you’re under a lot of stress. I can’t imagine everything you’ve been going through; all alone at that. Listen, I’ve given your proposal some thought.. I’d be delighted to visit Peth with you.” Kihyun’s eyes widened and the first true genuine smile crossed his lips. “Under a few conditions, you’re to wine and dine me this evening.” Kihyun perked up at her request, “Oh? What else, my queen?” Na’eva plucked a a petal and rubbed it between her fingers. “You’re to fill me in on your plans with your father, if I’m to help; you’re to hear my suggestions.” Kihyun took a step closer to her, “Not even married and you’re already making demands?” Na’eva smirked, “You learn quick, maybe there’s hope for you yet, dear prince?”

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concerningwolves · 7 years

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Art’s Rules for Character Building

Obviously when writing, there is a need for characters, and a subsequent need to know your characters. My writing has been incredibly character-driven in the past, and they’ve always been the source of most of my positive feedback. It’s time to branch out and work on other areas of my writing, but I figured that I would share with you the best selection of the nifty tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way. Here ar four:

Seasoning with details: it’s just like socializing with your co-workers!

Detail, detail, detail. I knew the things you needed to know, like how they would react in certain situations, their favourite foods, their morals and beliefs. But I also knew how they liked their tea, or their coffee; I knew how they sat, how they rested, slept, reclined; cat or dog person, or maybe a reptile; could they cook, did they love rubbish food, or all of the above? Half of the trivia I knew about them was irrelevant to the plot- probably more than half- but it gave me a clear sense of who I was going to be working with for three books.

After all, why do you need to know your co-workers? You’ve got to work with them. Your characters are your co-workers: the people who will be helping you (and sometimes hindering you) in getting stuff done. Without them, conflict is hard to build and conflict goes towards plot; nature needs someone to go against, those corrupt agents need some poor sod to catch, person A needs a good reason why person B is the love of their life.

If you know them well, the work will be smoother. Yeah, maybe you won’t need all of the information, but you never know. That isn’t to say spend all your time finding out what Hogwarts house they are in or figuring out their Starbucks order, but do understand them in the same way you would understand a friend, or even a close peer. You can use these facts and odd knowledges as the salt and pepper of your project- sparingly for flavour, that is. Too much of either can be overwhelming. Not enough (as I often find) is still tasty, but something is definitely missing.

If the devil is in the details, why is the devil there?

Little details are the key to characters. I’ve said that, but, the details need to have purpose.

Let’s take the classic trope of the bady guy cleaning his nails with a knife. Cool, huh? Eh. It gets boring. You have to wonder why he does that, surely it’s dangerous, it achieves nothing but showing how cool and intimidating he is. The character who will use anything to clean his nails because he is annoyed by all the dirt, and so takes a hairclip from a friend, on the other hand- that is interesting. That’s a little quirk. We can assume then that this character has vain traits, or that he likes to take pride in his appearance, or worries about how others will judge him. Take that detail, ask yourself why it is there, and incorporate it into the narrative flow so that your readers get the information about the character that they need, and keep being interested. Example:

Aaron flexed his fingers and pushed onto the balls of his feet, a tremor in his fingers building and building and, God, he had to stop clutching the napkin. His knuckles were white. That woman. Was she looking at him? He checked his hands, splayed them on the tabletop, made them flat. Neat, almost. His nails were filthy.

“Can I borrow that?” He pointed at the bobby pin in Samantha’s hair. She raised an eyebrow, but passed it to him anyway, holding the loose curl of hair just out of her face. They both smiled at the waiter as he passed, plastic smiles, Sam’s hand cupping her face in an over-casual way.

“Don’t bend it.” She said as he cleaned under his nails. “Not for nothing, anyway. They don’t care.”

“I care.” He had to fight to keep his voice small inside his throat.

We don’t know why he’s there, but we can guess it’s to meet someone. This is important to him, suddenly. It conveys anxiety. Is he anxious, does he need to be? Or is this vanity? Questions, questions... you need to get your readers asking them.

So, details pinned-

know where they came from, and where they’re going

This is a funny one, because generally a character doesn’t have their entire life crammed into a story. You get a nice chunk of events within their life, and the events are, assuming that character survives the plot, resolved within that chunk. They could wind up an architecht in London, drinking a dram of whisky every night before bed, twenty years after the curse is broken and the evil bloke dead- but your readers don’t know that. They might wonder about it, but they don’t need to have the answer.

That’s the readers though. You do. You absolutely, absolutely do. What are your character’s dreams? Do they achieve their dreams? Do their dreams change- when, why, how, who for? Do they regret it? You need to know how they grow in order to understand who they are when you put them through your book. Children? Career? Or are they unemployed, do they fall through the cracks? Does the storyline you put them through leave them traumatized (and I mean that in the literal sense, not a hyperbole. Never hyperbole.) and they are too proud, or too far gone, to find help? Or maybe they don’t have anyone to help. Why? Do they push people away?- oh, that’s good. They do? Great! You can use that!

You also need to know if they are resolute, or changeable. Does something happen to them in their story that changes their minds? Or, in the simplest form of this rule: knowing that your character is going to end up alright is a way of putting them through hell.

As for where they come from, that’s backstory. We all like a nice bit of backstory. Just, for the love of Lady Word, don’t give everyone a miserable childhood, two dead parents and a curse. As problematic as she can be, JK Rowling did this very well in the Harry Potter books. Ron has a great, ramshackle, sprawling family; Hermione has her muggle parents; Harry’s are dead; Luna has her dad; so on and on. It’s backstory, not sobstory.

Backstory doesn’t always define where a character is going- trauma is not a road map to be followed; a picket-fence family doesn’t secure a nice life- but sometimes it does, and you need to know the events that shaped their lives, personalities and dreams. Nature/nurture is something that springs to mind. Knowing the beginning and the end is how you give the character depth and dimension within their little stretch of stage time.

So, finally

variety is the spice of life, and there is such a thing as too spicy (at least in writing)

This last is a culmination of all of the above. Not everyone has to be wild, funny, quirky, neon, bursts of life on a dull day. Some characters can be mundane; actually, you need them to be. Partly to bring out the brighter characters through contrast, but also to stop your readers becoming de-sensitized to the overwhelming nature of too many vibrant people. In a population, everyone is different. People are quiet, people are loud, people like Queen and others like the latest pop. Some people don’t want to be the change they would like to see in the world. Some people just like pizza, netflix, and really hate change. I think TV soap operas do this very well, by presenting us with a cast of real characters that are true to real life, but still relatable, still easy to emotionally invest in. Not that your book should be a bad soap opera, but, siphon off the lessons you need from them and run with what it gives you. Have some characters to soothe the pallet, to make the story easy to swallow and, most of all, have their personalities work together. They don’t have to be friends- but if they hate eachother, why? What kind of personality or ethics or morals clash has caused it? You choose, but please, don’t make all of your characters the carbon copy of one another, based off of something just a touch mary-sue. This is why details are so important, because that is what sets them all apart. Happy writing!

#writeblr #Character Design #character development #writer #writing #world building #character building #writing advice #writer advice #writing help #writer help #writer blogging #oc

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