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#like yes he’s very stupid and he has a history of being self absorbed
dreamofbecoming · 11 months
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listen i know we all love steve “completely ignorant of queer culture to the point that bisexuality is a surprise” harrington being roasted and educated in turns by robin and eddie, yadda yadda, good stuff. i read “they made a horror version of rocky?” in a fic recently and cackled. also a big fan of “he knew he was bi from the start and just never talked about it” as a trope, love it excellent well done
but what about steve who realizes after starcourt that the most important person in his life now has this thing that’s a major part of her life that he knows nothing about, and what if he fucks it up? what if he says something ignorant or rude by accident, and hurts her? what if he loses her because he didn’t know the right thing to say? what if he can’t keep her safe because he doesn’t know what to look out for? absolutely fucking not, this steve says
and listen she’d never say anything, because she can tell that he can tell how much she likes teasing him and teaching him things, so he plays dumb, and she thinks it’s very sweet. but she notices when the zines she keeps under her bed that she buys at that one secret bookshop in indy when she can sneak away on family trips start going missing, always one at a time, and replaced in a few days with another disappearing. and she finds the new ones he must have gone to buy the weekend she was at her aunt’s house hidden in the back of his closet when she goes to steal one of his sweaters. and she notices when he slips more of her queerer movie recommendations into his personal take home pile rather than the movie night stack when he thinks she’s not looking.
she doesn’t notice when he drives to indianapolis after she tries to explain to him why she can’t just ask out a cute girl, tries to impress on him the fear attached to every moment of attraction that he simply has never had to feel, but later she finds a crumpled receipt from a diner in one of his jacket pockets when she’s looking for his keys, and the address is across the street from the bar the gorgeous woman at the bookstore told her about, the one she memorized the address of but hasn’t worked up the guts to think about visiting, and she knows he must have gone looking for a place like that, must have been trying to understand, must have been scoping it out to make sure it was somewhere she could feel safe, after she told him she never had.
so when eddie nearly pops a blood vessel when they clock each other and she mentions that steve is the only person she’s ever come out to before, her hackles come up. because she gets it, she does, he’s only known king steve until recently, so it makes sense that he would be afraid, be concerned for her safety.
but steve is her person, and no one- no one- has ever made her feel as protected or as cared for as he does. no one has ever tried as hard to understand her, no one has ever put so much work into making her feel safe and seen and loved. and she thinks maybe even if no one else ever does, that’s ok. because she has steve, and more importantly steve has her, and that means no one gets to question his ally credentials in her presence without a dressing down to remember, no matter how well they mean or how recently they helped save the world.
(and maybe she’s not as surprised as she could be when he figures out bisexuality all on his own, because she’s been reading all the same pamphlets he has, after all. and she’s seen the way he looks at eddie, i mean come on. maybe no one else has noticed, but then, nobody knows steve harrington like she does.)
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karocentein · 3 months
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~concepts~
just because i've sidetracked myself on writing more for Lackloster, i have made the perfect executive decision to proclaim a few concepts for some of my other projects which i am inevitably due to post here, whether on a separate account, blog or whatever
here is the list:
Expunging Of An Angel
it's a story of an actual angel being banished from their realm in heaven, and taking a form awfully similar to that of Sonic The Hedgehog, though this world is completely different, the main cast is as follows: Milo Prowlers, Amelia Ross, Knox-Als (yes, it is a real name) Dread, Tersius Hejok (also real name), and Siliker Viennas. their names are all in reference to either their real in-game names or their concept names; knuckles' original name was "dreds" (before it was considered discriminatory), Tersius is as similar to Terios as I could get, and Hejok is just a near-homophone to Hedgehog, Amelia is just an extended version of the name Amy, Tails' name is actually Miles Prower, which I think every sonic fan ever knows, and Viennas is in reference to the fact that Silver's original name was Venice, and Vienna is close enough for my liking.
anyways, the story focuses on the fact that each of them (-Siliker) are religious, and follow the same religion of which the angel in term (called Anjelik, or just Anjel for short) is sprung from, he originally came to symbolise the Rapture, but soon realises exactly who this main 4 (not Siliker) are, and why they don't want him to reap anyone, whether sinful or faithful
also every character resembles different sins (except for Milo, he is perfect), Amelia represents Lust, as she obsessed over this world's Sonic (his name is Sunk Hedges, and I'll get to why he isn't a live figure when I end up releasing this story in full), Knox represents Envy, he tends to get into fights and presents himself with rage towards anybody he views as above him, Tersius represents Pride, Greed, Gluttony and Wrath, he is a rich, self-absorbed figure, though he still wills himself to be associated with his lesser friends, and Siliker's only sin is atheism
just to keep you aware, this takes place in 2005, and I had to do a bit of stuff to do with Siliker's age because 06 came out in... 2006, and 14 + (-1) is 13, and I need a full cast of adults, it's just because I don't feel alright with writing what I write about specifically self-titled under-aged characters, so I'm saying now that Sonic 06 came out in 2000, (the way their ages are calculated is by 2005 - (the year their game was made) + their canon age in-game(-TERSIUS))
the story is due to cover some rather dark matters, and is a very light, considerate jab at modern-day religion as a whole, though purposefully focusing on a specific singular one
(it also has a sub-story called "Lá Breithe Shona Duit" of which is an AU of this AU in which both Sunk and Rogue (AU Rouge) are still alive, and nobody is religious, it details their Christmas holiday, and them being tormented by Anjel during it, as he isn't just an angel in this sub-story)
Timehopper
it's kind of inspired by Sonic Prime, but it's more thought up just because of a set of songs that I listen to
takes place at the end of time itself, but not by natural causes. the plot direction is a tiny little smidgeon-bit like that of it's faux inspiration, but i will note down the tiniest little hint as to it here
the viewer is only to see through the eyes of Gadget the Wolf and Barry the Quokka, you'll understand why in a bit, and their task here is to search for what remains of their friends
this cataclysmic event was partly caused by you, and partly caused by Robotnik messing around with stuff he shouldn't have been. specifically, he's built some stupid power harnessing thing around some weird crystalline growth emerging from the core of the planet, and you destroy it, which seems to completely erase your world from history, and splits what's left of your friends into different versions of the original
now you don't really know whether or not the world will ever be fixed again, but you do know a few things;
first off, Gadget and Barry have been merged into one body by the collision, i'll just call them Badger for simplicity, and second off, just as Prime Sonic can, Badger can hop through different "Fatalities" (what they call the worlds)
these worlds are as follows:
The Nuclear Option - a post-fallout version of the world run by Tails and Knuckles, they seem to have had a dispute in the past, though. also this world was once ridden with a plague, which is precisely why it is solely inhabited by echidnas and foxes (science stuff, they just used their silly little DNA strands to recreate themselves in different generations but none of them act the exact same or even similarly to the originals)
Greatest Britannica - somewhat based off of Sonic and The Black Knight, though, if I had to choose any one inspiration, it would have to be simple medieval England, the hierarchy system, the disrespect for the poor, the enslavement of all employees, etc. also Amy is the queen of this one, and her character is extremely slightly (i mean barely) based off of one from ⭐man slaughter
Cyber-Digital Revolution - it's a bit like cyberpunk-esque, but i would say it's more inspired by concepts of what the internet could really have been and just pixel art in general, but the main characters are Sonic and Shadow, they're essentially cyber-criminals or thieves. this world has evolved beyond the need for corporeal form anymore
Newer London - like 20th century London mixed with the Smog of the Industrial Revolution, main characters (though an outlandish combination) are Big and Rouge, there are these storms that wash through, they turn anybody outside during them to ash, but there are some big warnings before they roll in
Mandela Nation - not finished, but it consists of the Chaotix in a world where everything they've ever been shown or believed in has been made up and implanted into their minds. it's based off of the Mandela Effect, strictly ONLY the Effect
1995 G.R.E.E.N. - similar to TNO in the sense that it's post-apocalyptic, but in a different sense, this place is overgrown; infested, even. it contains Cream and Vanilla. based off of Solarpunk aesthetics and abandonment of old constructs to be adopted by nature
Interplanetary Intersection Zone - the world has been shattered; broken into pieces, and then repaired individually. main characters are Silver and Blaze. no particular inspiration, maybe the void from Sonic Prime, where the constellations of his friends talk about him
Desolate Isolate - it's just a checkerboard floor and an endless void. the only inhabitant of which is Robotnik, he's tried to leave, but simply can't. he can't die here, there is just nothing. he is the only figure you'll come across that remembers what you did
I have no clue as to what happens at the ultimate of this story, but I have a very clear idea as to how The Nuclear Option happened, and I'll write that eventually.
Capture The Emerald
very much inspired by nixliz's Capture The Intelligence TF2 horror game. my take is almost a direct copy, but it isn't close to being a direct copy, it uses sonic characters and has a storyline which i need to correct. the main person (in this case the player) is Mecha Mk.2, or just Mecha, as I call him (i also call Mk.1 Steel Sonic), and their manager is Rouge.
in context, you have been working for a branch of G.U.N. since your expulsion from the Eggman Empire in 1994, when you were defeated by both Sonic and Knuckles in fights in Sky Sanctuary Zone, and were assumed dead by your creator. though you were reformed and adopted by GUN to work as an agent (alongside agents Shadow, Rouge and Omega), though the latter and former persons didn't really like you all too much
anyways, the main thing is that 10 people have gone missing, though only 8 really matter, and all of this has happened within the span of 3 hours. other than being tasked with locating what happened to the cast, you are also dispatched (on a personal mission by your manager) to track down the 7 missing emeralds, which have also been narrowed to the "last seen" locations of your targets
the game would function on a level-based system, with 7 in total, a hard mode (where you would play as Rouge, it's called Two Shades Of Red) and a technical endless mode (called HQ Mode)
each character has been "decayed" in some form, by that i mean that Tails has been turned into a "walking" tree, Silver has been turned into an ice lolly, and Shadow has been turned into a crystal formation
I will also write those concepts when I get to it.
no more spoilers!
anyways tell me if you like any of these concepts (if you can be bothered to) and I may decide to pause production of one and focus on continuing another
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zenalios · 3 years
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[Warning: Long ramble ahead]
I have been thinking about Poseidon for an entire day, and not in the horny way. Much as I love to hate him, if I’m going to write about him, I need to know what makes him tick, right? There’s not much to work with if you look on the surface (seriously, I screenshotted and reread his chapters many many times, this twinky blond’s surface personality is almost as flat as an ironing board).
This all stemmed from me exploring whether or not Poseidon would have affairs. And someone else reminding me that canon Poseidon would not (again, thank you, you know who you are). The answer to this?
It depends. haha thanks law school  No, but seriously, I think I have gotten a grasp of his personality, hear me out if you have the time.
How does Poseidon actually function?
If he deems himself to be perfect, what does Poseidon actually do after all, since almost anything could be demeaning for him to do? Author has left us with a few things to work with that he won’t do or associate himself with, and instances where he acted out upon facing them:
Schemes and betrayal - Adamas schemed against Zeus (outcome: Poseidon killed him)
“The herd”/Support - The crowd cheered for Poseidon (outcome: no deaths, but he gave them a death glare and insulted them)
This could possibly extend to more, including protecting his reputation as the “perfect” being, the god of gods (”GOG”). 
But if we go along those lines… why did he even show up or participate in Ragnarok? Did Poseidon sign himself up? A tournament of this level could easily be interpreted as scheming too. That, and now he has to perform in front of the other gods, who he called a “useless bunch of bottom feeders”. Excluding the fact that the Author called him in as a champion (or Zeus, if we want to get cheeky), why did he agree to become one? He’s so perfect, he shouldn’t have to waste his time fighting humans, right? Why does he even care to attend anyways? Is it to watch their demise, which, again, they’re so trivial for a perfect being like him, so he shouldn’t give a shit about it anyways? Is he a repressed god who enjoys fighting like Thor, Zeus, and Shiva? We don’t get the impression he does, because Poseidon has never even had to try his hand at fighting someone better than him; he literally just one shot Adamas and that was it. Poseidon could have just turned down being a champion -we know he’s the most feared god, and nobody dares question him, so actually, nobody would have said anything if he decided not to. The audience didn’t even know he was fighting, so really, he didn’t stand to lose anything if he didn’t participate.
Here’s what I think. He participated because he knew he was strong, and he thought he could make a point there about how insignificant humanity is. His arrogance was further boosted by Thor’s crushing defeat of Lü Bu, and Zeus’s defeat of Adam (who was considered mankind’s trump card too). If they can do it, so can he, because he is the GOG.
What if he’s just doing things to prove a point? It’s very childish, yes. But so is the way he talks and behaves (I play a MOBA, and he sounds like all the trashtalkers I’ve ever met “ur trash uninstall game n00b” <3). He is like a teenager that has taken it upon himself to go through that “Nobody understands me” “I’m better than everyone” phase for all eternity.
Take having an affair for example. As pointed out, affairs can lead to a weakening of his divine reputation, and also, vulnerability. These are things Poseidon would be loath to fall for. So... no affairs? Not necessarily. The gods had tons of affairs. Zeus is literally depicted as a lecherous old man, so there is no way he was not having any of his own as well. With the exception of best boi Heracles, Ares, and Hermes (counting those we have seen so far), I think all of them would have had at least one, one way or another.
BUT, is being lustful contrary to being perfect? And if you successfully resist said lust, does that place you above everyone else? Yes, and yes. And how does Poseidon see himself?
Perfect. Above everyone else. The GOG I can’t not use this term, it’s so pretentious to me. On the topic of affairs, this would actually mean he deems himself impervious to lust as well. Poseidon would do it just to prove that he can, that he is fully conscious of himself, to prove that it’s just sex, just libido management to him, that he alone is capable of having an affair and emerging unscathed (this is childish, Poseidon is stupid).
WHICH NOW BRINGS ME TO THIS.
Why, for the love of the gods, is Poseidon like this?
Apart from the Author just writing him like so, I do believe there are certain underlying factors contributing to his trash personality. 
In Greek mythology, Poseidon was not always satisfied with Zeus’s rule. Though he was not overly jealous, he did attempt to overthrow him once or twice. Homer’s Iliad even mentions that Poseidon has schemed to bind Zeus, along with Hera and other fellow Olympians (think Adamas gathering everyone to do it). 
Poseidon in Ragnarok is never mentioned or shown to be jealous of Zeus; however, this does not exclude him from resenting that he did not become the king of gods. Zeus is their younger brother by order of birth (not counting the second birth), hence he should defer to the older brothers. It’s likely Poseidon thinks the same, there’s literally no evidence he is even loyal to Zeus other than him directly ending a plot that would overthrow Zeus by killing the source of dissent. All he says is that Adamas has defiled everything they stand for a bit harsh, man. Self-projection, maybe? The only difference between them would be that Adamas has chosen to take action and gathered everyone else to do it, while Poseidon just sat there and sulked about it. Then he takes it out on Adamas for bringing it up to begin with. 
I really believe this would resonate with Poseidon. If he’s that good, that perfect, the GOG, as they call him, why then was he not made the king of gods? Does it make sense for the GOG to not... become the… GOG? Underneath the entire “gods are perfect we need no one, gods don't need to scheme, gods don't need betrayal, bla bla” spiel, all I see is an entitled bastard salty geddit that he didn’t get the throne despite the fact that he never fought for it, simply because he thinks he’s so good it should have been handed to him on a golden plate instead of it going to Zeus. 
And when Sasaki pinpoints what he has not done, he gets even more tilted than a player whose match just got thrown, and winds up throwing his own match. Because even though Hermes mentioned that “the true depths of the ocean god remain a mystery even to his own kind”, someone who has lived life to the fullest like Sasaki can easily call him out on his bullshit. Which he of course becomes absolutely incensed at. Sure, he's played by these rules for eons, but if a person has been that way for so long, they would simply be confident and shake the insult off. Why then, is Poseidon so angered by Sasaki's statements? It's simple. After so long, someone has finally seen through it or dared to call it out after seeing it. The gods might not have, since they all believe they're perfect (re: Zeus, "such are the gods"), but a human certainly would.
Killing Poseidon can essentially be simplified into this:
Passion vs apathy (not empathy, again, it is 7am)
Action vs inaction
People you actually want in your life vs toxic people you don’t (I’m kidding, but seriously)
Overall,
Poseidon is a hypocrite and is so self-absorbed that in his own world, he plays judge, jury, and executioner.
“Perfect” this, “perfect” that. The whole thing is an act, ocean man is a sham. Poseidon excuses away his actions by insisting that perfect beings do not need to do such things. Then he goes and does them, but picks apart other people for it. After Adamas attacks, he becomes history erased from the books -hello, this is another scheme between yourself and Hermes, what about gods not needing to scheme? On top of that, doesn’t killing your brother count as betrayal anyways? 
Anyways, yes, he’s stiff, he’s trash, I would not wish meeting / dealing with him upon my enemies, but he is a very nice challenge as a writer to try and pick apart his character. 
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queenrileyrose · 3 years
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Up in the Air Chapter 11:  If This Is the Long Haul, How'd We Get Here So Soon
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Series premise: A chance meeting on a flight to New York between the heir to the throne and a flight attendant sets a series of events in motion.
Chapter Summary: Another morning after. Leo meets Wes. Riley works on her class. Wes and Riley talk about Leo. Riley and Leo have lunch. Daniel helps. 
A/N: This Leo and Riley are different from HC Leo and Riley. Same lovable personalities, but a bit more serious/darker.
A/N 2: Sleeper takes place in the same AU.
A/N 3: This chapter is not easy. I’ve never done what happens to these two, and it feels unnatural and I don’t like it. I listened to a lot of Taylor Swift to try to help me get into the right mindset. I do not listen to Taylor Swift and this has me with folklore and evermore on repeat now. 
Word Count:  4753
TW: Cursing. Suggestive language, unhealthy alcohol consumption, reference to mental illness, angst
Music Inspo: Coney Island feat The National--Taylor Swift
Thank you so much for the comments, likes, and reblogs. It means so much to me.
Leo woke on his couch, his phone alarm blaring. He sat up slowly. He’d set it after getting to the club, just in case. He had to wake up in time to get to the bike place. He couldn’t let Riley down again. At least he remembered coming home. Daniel. Fuck. Riley knew. He checked his phone, scrolling to see texts he sent that made no sense. At least he hadn’t said something stupid. 
She’d sent one text after his random letters. The okay symbol. That couldn’t be good.
He walked slowly to the bathroom, stripping off last night’s clothes and getting into the shower. 
He turned the water as hot as he could stand. He was screwing everything up. It’s what he did. Riley saw something in him that he just didn’t. Potential. 
He stood under the spray until the water turned icy.
———
Riley swiped the alarm off, rubbing her eyes. She’d actually slept well. She didn’t even check her texts as she slipped out of bed and stretched. She tiptoed to the kitchen, shocked to see Daniel awake and  toasting bread. 2 plates of scrambled eggs were next to the toaster.
“Wow.”
Daniel shrugged. “You have Nick today. And I assume Leo at some point.” He gestured to the chair. “Sit.”
Riley sat. “I am so confused right now.”
“Don’t be. Just accept my offering. Of slightly burnt bread and chewy eggs.”
“Dan the man.” Riley smiled as he set the plate down. 
“You’re all productive today.” Daniel remarked. “I am doing nothing.
“Jealous. Yep, I have real estate stuff with Nick. Lunch with Leo.”
“He’s sleeping it off.” Daniel groused. “He may not show.”
“I know, I’m not expecting him to.” Riley sighed. “I’m hoping he sees Wes, at the very least.”
“How do you feel about all that, the Leo crap?” Daniel chewed his eggs. “These aren’t bad.”
“They’re good, bud.” Riley walked over to the refrigerator and took out the orange juice, pouring them each a glass.
“I feel like shit about it.” Riley walked back to the table and set the glasses down as she took her seat. “He apologizes and it doesn’t mean anything. I want to drop everything and hold his hand through this.”
“But?” If she did that, Daniel would kill her. Or at least smack her.
“I can’t. I’d end up hating him for it. I’d hate myself.” Riley said. “It’s nobody’s fault. Not really.”
“Leo’s in a bad place, Ri. You being there and helping didn’t seem to make a difference. The second you left, he was back to it. It’s his fault, but he’s not himself.” 
“It fucking sucks.” Riley blinked as tears clouded her vision. “I wish I knew what to do.”
“How was he yesterday morning? You didn’t say.”
“Apologetic. Super into the self pity. Sweet.” Riley brushed a tear off her cheek. “Why couldn’t I meet him another time? When we were both ready?”
“Because he’d be king and married to the blonde.” Daniel said thoughtfully. “You’d be with Alex, trying to figure out how to leave. I’d end up poisoning him somehow. You’d visit me in prison.”
“Ha. I thought the timing was off. I jinxed myself.”
“Ri. I’m not going to say it. But you know what to do.” Daniel said as gently as he could. “You don’t want to do it or say it out loud.”
Riley nodded. “I tried to think about it earlier. I almost threw up.” She took a shallow breath. “I am barely holding it together.”
“I think he’ll figure his shit out. I think even when you do what we’re not saying out loud, he’ll be back. I don’t see him being able to let you go. Or you him. In a wonderful way, not a gym douche way.”
“I want to think that. But I will just sit at home and wait if I do.” Riley wiped another tear off her cheek.
“You will not. Not your style.”
“I don’t have a style anymore.” Riley took a deep cleansing breath. “I’m trying to be more honest about my feelings and I’m just telling everyone everything now.”
“I know!” Daniel crowed. “I love it.”
“I’m all messy.”
“It’s so punk rock.” Daniel said thoughtfully. “You’re going all in. Finally.”
Riley’s eyes crinkled. “Look at you, making me feel better about being ridiculous.”
“You take that back. Stevie Nicks can hear you.”
Riley rolled her eyes. “She’s not god.”
“She’s mine.” Daniel shrugged.
———
The bike shop was a good distance from Leo’s neighborhood. Leo hadn’t been on the subway since the first day he met Riley, but he navigated it easily. Perk of traveling all over Europe, he learned the transit system.
Leo walked to a large garage. Compared to the neighborhood, it was pristine. Leo went through an open bay door. “Anybody here?” 
A man in a grey knit cap rolled out of an office door in a black sport wheelchair. His tanned face lit up in a grin, his weathered skin making him look older than he probably was. “You Leo?”
 Leo stepped forward and held a hand out. “Yes.”
Wes shook it firmly. “Brian Westerly. Everyone calls me Wes.”
Leo nodded. “Nice to meet you.” He tried not to glance at the wheelchair, the legs that weren’t there, from the knee down, covered in black jeans.
Wes noticed. “Car accident. Ran my van into a tree when I was 22, lost my legs. Come on in.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ Leo began.
Wes waved him off. “You didn’t take em.”
Leo was taken aback at the casual mention of how he lost his legs. He followed him into the office.
He glanced up at Leo. “Have a seat.” He pushed a stool toward him.
Wes turned to Leo. “I won’t beat around the fucking  bush. Riley told me what’s been going on. I don’t think you’re an alcoholic.”
Leo exhaled. “I’ve been hitting it too hard. I’ve felt like a fucking loser the last few days.”
“You had a big life change. Gotta get fucking out there, get a routine. Can’t put all your shit in Riley’s basket and you can’t drink it away. Otherwise you will be an alcoholic.”
“When you had the accident. Were you-?” Leo’s curiosity was getting the better of him. 
Wes shook his head. “After. I didn’t want to get out of bed. I finally did, then I started drinking. Thought my life was over.”
“Riley said she knew you from the bar.” Leo thought he understood Wes’ reasons for working in a place full of things that could wreck him, but he wanted to know for sure. 
Wes nodded. “I worked there after I’d been clean for about three years. I was trying to prove myself. It was not one of my better ideas. I kept it sober though. Riley checks on me every month or so. Fucking helped me find this place.”
“Why only every month?”
“Because I won’t fucking let her. That girl will fucking help me until there’s fucking nothing left over for her. You know that. You’ve seen how she is with people.”
Leo nodded. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard the word fuck so often.
“That’s what you have to fucking do. You’re better than that asshole she used to waste time on.”
“Alex?”
“Yeah. Never liked how he spoke to her. Ran over his fucking foot once.”
Leo realized Wes didn’t know the full history. He wouldn’t tell him. Not his story.
“I met him on the street. Asshole is accurate.”
“Back on track.” Wes tapped his finger on his knee. “Riley can’t be your only fucking helper. You have to do it on your fucking own, find other people like you. Like me.”
“I just moved out of a palace. I haven’t had to work for anything. You had a bad accident and had to learn to adjust.” Leo felt pathetic. “Riley’s had it so rough, she’s amazing.”
Wes shrugged. “Hard is fucking hard. Comparison is a fucking thief of joy.” 
Leo was stunned. He didn’t know what to say.
Wes handed him a card with a few numbers on it. “You can call me anytime, that’s cell and the garage.” He gave Leo an appraising look. “Booze fucking makes the problem worse. Sure you fucking forget for a while. You wake up and it comes back.”
Leo nodded. That was painfully true.
“You got two fucking choices. Stay drunk or face your shit.”
Leo considered this. It seemed so easy. 
“Do you regret it?”
Leo shook his head. “It was the right choice, but now my brother-“
“You can’t take on his shit. It’s his. Fucking own your shit, man.” Wes grinned. “You’ll fucking get there. Wanna hear something my sponsor told me?”
Leo nodded.
“You're looking for everyone else to fucking help you. You need their help, sure. A million people can’t fix your problems for you. You have to help you. The sooner you fucking realize that, the sooner you’ll figure out what works and do it.”
Leo absorbed this. “That makes sense. I’ve been trying to help Riley-“ Leo was cut off from a shout of laughter erupting from Wes. 
“Fuck man. Warn me next time.” Wes sighed. “She must really fucking love you if she’s letting you at all. I worked with her for a while. Never saw her express an emotion that wasn’t positive. That thing my sponsor said? The opposite applies to Riley. She fucking knows herself and she won’t fucking budge. She's got to realize she needs other people, not just herself.”
“It was frustrating at first.” Leo admitted.
“Oh, I can fucking imagine.” Wes chuckled. 
Leo nodded. “She’s talking more now, telling me everything. She doesn’t hold back, and not just with me. I’m the one who’s shut down.”
“Good for fucking her.” Wes nodded approvingly. “Just try your fucking best. That’s all we can do.”
Leo nodded. “I really appreciate you taking time out for me, man. No one’s ever told it to me straight before, besides Riley.”
Wes nodded. “I always fucking will. Use that card when you need it.” He gave Leo a hard look. “Don’t you dare drag Riley down.”
“I won’t.” Leo swallowed hard. 
————
Riley walked through the doors of the agency, on her way to Nick's office. She smiled at the receptionist and gave her the scone she brought. She had to watch out for Alex and she deserved it. Plus she’d seen her eating a chocolate one last time.
Riley walked up the flight of stairs, adjusting the navy pencil dress she was wearing. At least she was using the clothes she’d had in her closet forever. 
She tapped on Nick’s office door, it was slightly ajar.  She saw him on the phone and started to back away. 
He caught her eye and motioned her in.  “Right, Mr. Cooper. Thursday at 2 sharp. You too.”
He hung up. “Client.” He turned a smile on Riley. “Did you know you only have about 4 weeks left?”
“I thought it was 5. Awesome!”
“Your work is great. I’m learning things from it and I’ve been doing this job 8 years.”
“No shit?” Riley covered her mouth. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. The clients curse more than you, you’ll be fine.” Nick picked up a binder. “Ready to go through history disclosures?”
“Super pumped.” Riley grinned. 
Nick wanted to bring up the call the other night. Instead, he shook his head and handed her a sheaf of papers.
——-
Riley was deep into property values when her phone beeped. Text from Leo. 
“Do you mind coming to my place at lunch? I fell asleep on the subway and rode it too far back.”
Riley furrowed her brow. At least he went to Wes’. She needed to call Leo.
“Do you mind if I step out a minute?” Riley asked. “I need to-“ She held up her phone.
“Sure. We’re due for a break.” Nick stood. “I’ll stretch my legs.”
Riley nodded and grabbed her purse as she followed him out. She walked outside and down the block, finding the cigarettes in her purse. She sat and lit one, breathing deeply. She’d been trying to quit, but she needed something to do while she talked.
She dialed Leo, he picked up almost immediately.
“Hey.” She said, trying not to sound as annoyed as she felt.
“Hi Riles.” Leo sounded tired. “I’m sorry about last night.”
Riley took another drag. “What happened?”
“I called Li. Drake picked up. He’s pissed at me.”
“You have to stop that.” Riley was suddenly very tired.
“I know.”
“How did it go this morning?”
“Good.” Leo sighed, getting off the couch to grab water. “I needed to hear what Wes said. Now I have to figure out how to fix my shit.”
“Have you thought about going back for a little while?” Riley braced herself for his reaction. It wasn’t good last time.
“I don’t know.” Leo muttered. “I don’t want to, and I don’t want to leave you. The last time I left, you ended up in the hospital.”
Riley softened. Now it made a little more sense, though she was almost certain he was using the Alex incident as part of his excuse for not going. “That wasn’t your fault. Alex has been MIA. More people know about him, I have the restraining order. It’s handled as much as it can be.”
“It was still horrible.”
“I know, Leo. But you can’t stay because you’re scared.” Of Alex or Cordonia, she thought.
Leo glanced at the clock. “Can we still do lunch?”
“Sure. I have about an hour left here.”
“Pizza okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
An awkward silence followed. Riley stood and stamped out her cigarette before dropping it in the trash. “I’ll see you at 2.”
“I love you.” 
“I love you too.” Riley ended the call. She walked back up to Nick’s office, slumping into a chair.
Nick appeared a few moments later, Riley deep in thought. He took in her posture, her usual bounciness and enthusiasm gone. “Are you all right?”
Riley’s head snapped up. “Did you ever date someone, and you seriously thought that was it? Not love at first right, but you just knew. Like hello, it’s you.”
Nick shook his head. “No.”
“Oh.” Riley sat up in her chair. “What do I know anyway?”
“We can end this early.” Nick suggested helpfully. “Go home. See you tomorrow?”
Riley nodded. “Thank you. I’m sorry. Bad day.”
“Everyone has those.” Nick patted her shoulder. “I’m here if you need to talk.”
Riley nodded, standing with her purse slung across her shoulder. “I appreciate that. I’ll see you.”
Nick watched her leave. If Leo was messing this up, he was a damn fool.
——
Riley decided to walk to Leo’s. It wasn’t a super long walk. She needed to clear her head. She could call Wes.  
He picked up on the third ring. 
“Hey girl. Your guy was here.”
Riley looked both ways before rushing across the street. “Thank you for talking to him. How’d he seem?”
“Hungover. He’s a fucking good one though, under all the guilt and scotch. He just has to get rid of what’s weighing him down.” Wes paused. “You need to back up.”
“That’s why I sent him your way. I can’t get through to him and I can’t keep killing myself trying.” Riley felt a lump forming in her throat.
There was silence. “Wes?”
“Leo said you’d changed. I didn’t really fucking believe him.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “About time.”
Riley smiled at Wes’ incredulity. “But what about backing up?”
“Leo’s gotta do it alone, Riley. If you’re there, he won’t.”
“Figured that out in one meeting?” Riley knew he was right. She’d thought about it a lot last night. She’d taken care of him, and like Daniel said, it didn’t seem to make a difference. 
“It’s pretty fucking obvious.” Wes said. “Your name came out of his mouth I don’t know how many times.”
Riley sighed. “I know. I know. I just-“ her voice caught as she walked around a group of moms with strollers.
Wes coughed, still a little thrown by her showing emotion. “I think he’ll get there.  Shit will work out.”
Wes paused, finally deciding to ask. “I know he’s getting drunk, blowing you off. You worked at a bar. I’m just trying to figure you out.”
Riley sat on a bench and quickly told him about her foster parents.  “I worked at the bar to prove it didn’t bother me. which it didn’t, I didn’t have to take care of the drunks; just get them into cabs. Probably why we became friends. You were trying to prove something too.”
“Leo knows all this?”
“A little before. Th whole story after.” Riley stood  and continued down the sidewalk.
“Fuck.” Wes muttered.
“You know me. I don’t-I’m not a head over heels type.”
Wes laughed. “That’s the fucking truth.”
“As bad as the past few days have been, the thought of him not being here. I feel like someone punched me in the stomach.” Riley’s eyes filled. “I love him.”
“He fucking loves you, girl. You gotta love him enough to say goodbye for a little while.” 
Riley knew it was coming and it still hurt. Mostly because it was true. “I’m scared.”
“Of what?” Wes was so thrown by the change in Riley, but it made him happy. “You don’t scare easy. Remember those giant rats at the dumpster?”
He’d worked with her for almost 2 years. She never let anyone in. Hell, a month ago she hadn’t let anyone in. Leo had cracked right through that stone wall she’d built since she was a kid.
“Those were not rats.” Riley protested. “Those were science projects.” She’d throw food when she took out the trash. It kept them away.
She continued. “I’m scared that he won’t come back. That I’ll never love anyone the way I love him. That everything will turn to shit.”
“Listen here. You, Riley Brooks, are a fucking force of nature. Whichever way it goes, it’s for the best. You’re a fighter. You keep going.”
Riley took a deep breath. “Thank you.”
“You sound good, even with all the shit. I’m fucking proud of you.” Wes grinned. “We call that growth.”
“I’m gonna cry again.”
“Good. You probably have fucking years stored up.”
Riley laughed as Leo’s building came into view. “I’ll check in soon, yeah?”
“You bet.”
Riley hung up. She stared up at the building, pulling her cigarettes out of her purse. She needed a minute.
—————
Riley hesitated at Leo’s door. She stood there so long the hand holding the key started to tingle. 
She felt weird just unlocking the door. She knocked. 
Leo opened the door, a little confused that she didn’t use the key. He shrugged it off and opened the door wider so she could pass by him.
The air felt tense to Riley. She didn’t know how to break it. 
“Hi.” Leo said, waking to her. He tentatively put his arms around her, relieved when she returned the embrace. They stood there a minute. Riley already felt the tears rising. She swallowed hard, a tear escaping and sliding down her cheek.
“Hungry?” Leo asked as he stepped back. 
Riley shrugged, not trusting her voice. Why did everything have to be so hard? 
Leo studied Riley as she slung her purse over the chair and sat. Her bottom lip kept trembling, she��d tuck it between her teeth. Her eyes were shining. She glanced at the pizza box but didn’t move to take any.
Leo sat next to her and touched her arm gently, letting his fingers rest on her cool skin. “Honey?”
The term of endearment broke the damn Riley was trying to hold back. Riley’s eyes overflowed and she put her head in her hands. 
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Leo scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“I….don’t...know...how...to….start.” Riley managed, taking a deep breath.
“It’s okay. Take your time.” Leo wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but as she slipped out from under his shoulder, he knew it wasn’t going to be something he wanted to hear.
“I wish I could be what you needed.” Riley blurted, horrified that she’d said it.
“You are.” Leo soothed. “What do you mean?”
“Someone else could handle all this better.” Riley made a sweeping gesture with her hand. “I can’t. It breaks my heart and I don't know how to help you.”
“You are what I need.”
“We were apart for a few hours and everything you said to me just went out the window.” Riley narrowed her eyes. “I know you had another bad call. You made it worse.”
“I didn’t mean to.” Leo said. “I brought your suitcase to Jerry, and ran into Jason. I wanted a distraction.”
“You have to start dealing with your shit.” Riley stood. “You can’t numb yourself every time something doesn’t go your way.”
“We all can’t be as strong as you, Riley.” Leo’s voice had an edge and he winced.
“I’m not fucking strong.” Riley shot back. “I’m not strong enough to help you and deal with my shit. I’m a basket case.”
“You’re trying!” Leo stood, the small space between them seeming to grow. “I’m not.”
“Why aren’t you trying?” Riley’s brow creased.
“I don’t know. I know I need to go back. But I can’t.” Leo didn’t want to see his dad. He wanted to see Liam, but he just wasn’t ready.
Riley tried to stop the shake in her voice. “You can’t move forward, until you let go of whatever has you.”
“Riley, I love you. My life doesn’t make sense if you aren’t in it.” He tried to hug her, to close the distance. She stepped back.
“That’s my fault. I didn’t push you enough. I let you get wrapped up in me and not make your own path.” Riley sniffed. “I should have made you take it slower. But I’m so fucking in love with you, I can’t see anything else.”
“Stop blaming yourself.” Leo’s voice was soft, but harsh. “It’s not your fault. Any of it.”
“You helped me so much. I don’t know how I functioned before. My fucking savior, who found a necklace I haven’t seen in twenty years from a photo.” Riley wiped another tear as Leo stepped forward, she let his arms encircle her. 
“I can’t help you, and it’s fucking killing me. I don’t know what to do, Leo! I don’t know what to do.” Riley dissolved into sobs, Leo felt his eyes fill at the sound of her cries.
“You let me help you, babe. You wanted to change, I’m having trouble.” Leo stroked her hair. “I have to figure out my own way.” He just wanted the anguish in her voice to go away. 
“But if I tried harder-“
“No, Riley.” Leo tightened his arms. “You got me started. It’s my job to finish.” He thought about what Wes said. It wasn’t fair to her. Any of it. He wouldn’t make her wait for him.
Riley jerked back and stepped away from him. “See? You say stuff like that, and I see you again. The you I thought I knew.” She burst into tears. “It’s so fucking confusing.”
Leo was fighting with letting her go. Why did he have to be such an ass? He was someone he didn’t recognize. He only knew one thing for sure. He didn’t want to lose Riley. 
“I don’t want this to be over.” Leo finally said, knowing it was selfish.
“Do you think I do?” Her voice broke as more tears fell.
“No. I’m sorry.” Leo couldn’t bear to see her like this. He hurt her. He’d never forgive himself.
Riley wiped her eyes. She was so tired of crying. “Maybe being on your own is what you need.” She grabbed her purse. “Maybe we weren’t meant to last.”
“What?” Leo knit his brows.
“Yeah. We needed each other, to take a step out of things that were bad for us. Now the rest is up to us. Alone. Not together.”
Leo didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything.
“We jumped in so fast.” Riley whispered. “We fell apart just as quickly.”
Riley wanted to tell him to call her if he needed her. She couldn’t. Against her better judgement, she walked to him and clasped her arms around his neck.
Leo enveloped her, holding her as long as she would let him. She lifted her face to look at him and he quickly pressed her lips to his. She returned the kiss for several seconds before resting her forehead against him.
“I don’t think this is the end, forever.” Leo whispered into her hair.
Riley closed her eyes. She hoped he was right. “I hope not.” Riley whispered back, disentangling herself from him. “Please be you again. Please.”
Leo nodded. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I only wanted to protect you and make you happy.”
“I know it wasn’t on purpose.” 
“I wish I could take it all back.” A tear rolled down Leo’s face, he brushed it away impatiently,
“You can do this, Leo. You don’t give yourself enough credit.” 
“I love you.” Leo shoved his hand in his pocket.
“I love you too, Leo.” Riley said quietly as she walked toward the door.  “Bye.”
“Bye, Riley.” Leo replied, watching the door close behind her. He stared for a few seconds, trying to wrap his head around it. Riley was gone.
————
Riley didn’t remember walking to her apartment. She just realized she was there when she saw Daniel at the table.
“Riley.” Daniel said for the third time. He watched as she snapped to attention.
“I did it.” Riley’s voice was bordering on hysterical. “I miss him, and it’s only been five minutes.”
Daniel stood and led her to the chair. He shut the door and sat next to her. “Christ. I thought it’d be a few days.”
“I couldn’t.” Riley blinked as a tear fell. “I don’t know how I did it.”
“You put your oxygen mask on first, Ri. Like you’re supposed to.”
“Did you just use a flying safety example?” 
“Seemed like a good fit.” Daniel shrugged. “What can I do? What will help?”
“I can’t be in my head.” Riley said, her voice cracking. “It hurts too much.”
“I don’t know how to fix that, poppet.” Daniel’s phone beeped and he checked it.
Leo: “did she make it home okay? Do you know?”
Daniel shook his head. He was not doing this. He texted back quickly. 
Daniel: “She is home. I am not your go between. Get your shit sorted.”
Leo: “Thanks.” 
Daniel turned back to Riley, who seemed to be considering something. “What’s up?”
“Do I have chocolate milk?”
Daniel checked her cupboards and refrigerator. “You have milk and the powder. You want?”
Riley nodded. “Do I have grape jelly?”
“Yes.” Daniel frowned. “Oh, don’t make me. It’s god awful.”
“It’s awesome and it helps.” Riley wiped her face, the motion not making a difference as the flood of tears kept rolling down her face.
Daniel begrudgingly made Riley the chocolate milk, with a large spoonful of grape jelly in the bottom. He set it down in front of her, she drank for a moment. 
“I forgot to eat lunch. There was pizza, but I couldn’t eat it.” Riley’s voice sounded weird to her own ears. Like she was a robot. 
“I could eat. What sounds good?”
“Muffins.” Riley started crying and Daniel stood behind her chair and looped his arms around her.
“Let’s get the opposite. Curry it is.”
Riley nodded. “How am I supposed to do this? I want to run back already.”
“I'm here.” Daniel soothed. “I don’t go back to work until day after tomorrow.”
“You have shit to do. You don’t have to babysit-” Riley began.
“You hush.” Daniel interrupted. “Who was there when I broke up with Jen? Or with Damien?”
“I was.” Riley muttered.
“You were. My turn.” Daniel tapped his phone. “I’ll get you curry. Then we can watch something dumb. Like that movie where the woman stalks the guy from across the country and they live happily ever after.”
Riley laughed for the first time since Leo. “Sleepless in Seattle?”
“Yes, that’s it.” Daniel patted her back. “It’s going to be okay, poppet.
Riley nodded. She knew he was right. It just didn’t feel like it right now. 
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from the Anchors & Arrows series A Siren’s Agreement : Part 1
Pairing: Mark Tuan x Reader Genre: pirate!au; sea faring!au; fantasy au 
Royalty was always meant for royalty.  Water or land, it did not matter.
Those that wore the crown were destined for each other. 
That’s what you tell Mark on the deck of his ship. You try to convince him that once there was peace. 
Loyalty and love.
The look on his face as the sun bore down on him and his men was not the face of someone who believed. 
And why would he? He was raised to kill creatures like you. And now one comes to him and says everything he’s ever known is a lie?
You wouldn’t believe either.
Which is why you’re now 50 feet under water, staring into the cold eyes of the Sea Queen.
You mother.
It’s no surprise she came to find you. The waters were not always safe and your people were extra cautious when they knew the Milo was out at sea.
“Please tell me,” your mother growled, “you did not dare do what I think you did.”
Silence.
If possible, her eyes glowed an even stronger red as she neared you.
“If you want him to keep his tongue, you’ll answer me child.”
Even though tied up in the strongest seaweed, Mark looked regal and haughty, as if he wasn’t being held prisoner at the bottom of the ocean.
“It had to be done. I apologize for my rash behavior but it was the only way and you are well aware of the circumstances Your Majesty.”
The hand on your cheek and the slap that follows surprises the Prince, you see it in his eyes as your head jolts violently to the side from the action. It stings, merfolk are not immune to pain, but it’s the flaring embarrassment that momentarily colors your pale cheeks.
Be strong.
You steel yourself fir what’s next, holding your ground as you face her once more. 
Your mother’s anger is boiling, water around her hot as she tries to reign her temper in. It’s just the three of you out in open water, the Milo unmoving above you as its crew members remain frozen in time.
When she had found you, she had sensed the magic and had come alone.  Unorthodox for a Queen but you know why, the reasoning behind the that decision. 
No one truly knew just how cruel she could be. How cruel she was.
Yes, she was an able ruler, one that thought of her people before even her own family. But beneath the strength and her ever wise decisions, there was a mermaid that burned like the sun with a heart filled with bitterness.
You were not her only daughter but you were the only one that would even dare to pull a stunt like this.
“I should chop off that tail of yours and leave you in the weed with your beloved prince,” she hissed. Pulling your face tightly between two fingers, she scowled and whispered, “You know critical times are right now Y/N. How could you even think about exposing your magic to a ship full of pyrates?”
The pain burned through you but you held your ground, held her gaze, until she let go.
“People are dying mother. Humans and merfolk alike. You know there must be a union. The magic must be passed in order for both species to survive. You’re sitting your throne just waiting for us to finally go extinct!”
She looked offended, backing away momentarily. “Waiting? Waiting? You stupid girl, I’m trying to fix our problem. I’m trying to save us without having to shackle ourselves to them!” She points at Mark, eyes wild. 
“You hate humans but we are destined mother. We cannot survive without them, and they us. We are running out of time.”
“So your idea was a Siren’s Agreement? Blood mixed with blood, a bond only broken in death. You give up your tail, your magic, and become a bride of a royal from the Empire for a year? That’s your freedom Y/N, the ocean.”
You turn to Mark and you watch him absorb the information your mother just disclosed. 
“A year does not compare to death.”
Your mother’s voice was sad. “Sometimes the year is death.”
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Time is still frozen when your feet hit the deck. Mark’s crew remained unmoving, staring at the spot you both stood before disappearing. You take tentative steps forward as he examines his now suddenly dry garments. Your mother’s voice echoes around in your head until his breaks through.
“Explain to me what just happened.” You chuckle bitterly, “What, it wasn’t self explaining?”
“That was the Queen. Ruler if the ocean. And your mother.”
Your silence is all the confirmation he needs so he presses on. “You asked me, before she whisked us away, if I knew what a Siren’s Agreement was. Everything she said, was it true? The agreement includes you living on land as a human? A bride for whatever royal is willing to marry you?”
You wince at the way he says it but nod nonetheless. Your eyes meet his and your gaze hardens, “It would be a sacrifice I’d be willing to make for my people”
“And mine. Considering I’d be the royal in that little sentence.”
A beat passes. 
“Your mother is lovely princess.” “She is bitter,” you bite back, ”with good reason.”
“We are not meant to be friends, let alone spouses,” he replies, “my job is to kill you. You couldn’t possibly believe I’d accept a marriage proposal.”
You turn on him, “I know very well what your job is. But the magic gained in the union between our kind ad yours brings peace. It guarantees life. And loyalty.”
“Humans have peace.”
Time was starting to move, your mother’s magic ending. His first mate Eunwoo was freed first and his eyes widened at the sight of both of you. He moved quickly down the steps of the bridge, the rest of the crew reanimating. Your own magic moves through you as you inch nearer to the ship’s bow. Mark jolts forward as if to follow you into the depths, catching himself at the last moment.
“Humans have peace,” he repeats, just as Eunwoo reaches for his elbow. Your smile holds the same sadness your mother’s voice did, wind picking up and your legs returning to its shimmering tail.
“...then you’re not paying enough attention dear prince.”
And then you jumped, lost to the sea spray as the main deck comes alive again.
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You don’t return home, can’t return and face her. Your plan most likely did not work and now you didn’t know what to do.
For now, you retreated to your sanctuary, a hidden spot in the outskirts of Ered you discovered when adventuring as a child. As the years passed and you grew older, you found yourself there more and more, the silence better than the self loathing at home. 
It held small trinkets of your youth, things collected from your time away from your family. It’s not like your own quarters in the palace but you feel relief when you settle on the ground, tucked away from your failures in the quiet beating of your own heart. 
You don’t know what your next step is, unsure if there even is a next step. You don’t even know if you can go home. Your siblings will have already heard of your treachery, no doubt exaggerated by your mother.
No, for now you catch your breath. Because as you lie in your hideaway, you realize whether or not your plan worked, you did the one things forbidden of you.
You gave a human more knowledge than any should hold. You told a human of magic.
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The Milo reached Khotia quicker than planned, much to Mark’s dismay.
“At least there’s no fanfare,” Eunwoo grinned, stretching his long arms over his head. “If there was another parade, you would’ve sulked all through the feast.”
Mark would’ve replied with some crude remark but chose to only growl instead, shoving past him as he made his way down the dock.
He was back on land. And back to being a prince.
“Where are you going Your Majesty,” Eunwoo yells from behind him.
To Zemër.
Zemër, a tavern settled off the docks, was a pyrate’s favorite place to unwind once their feet hit solid ground. Run by Kiraz, a former Queen’s Guard, the four walls echoed with laughter, foul words and plenty of secrets.
The only reason it was still standing, besides the fact it kept the kingdom's unsavory in one place, was because Kiraz saved Mark’s sister one.
Sacrificed her sight but had the royal family forever in her debt.
It was too early for any real noise so when Mark entered, he was unsurprised to find her standing at the bar cleaning glasses. A waft of lavender and spices hit his senses as she turned towards him, snow white hair flying up with the movement. Her crimson lips curled into a grin as he sat himself in front of her.
“You are really early Your Highness,” she teased. Roux, her right hand man and in house giant passes just then, boxes piled high in his arms and a single nod sent his way.
“You know the Milo is quick,” he says, sending his own nod back tot he man as he disappeared around the corner. She tsks, shaking her head, enticing more of that scent his way. “Now you and I both know news of that siren has already reached shore.”
He clenched his jaw in irritation, “How far up shore exactly?” She shrugs, “Not far enough but it’s only a matter of time. The Mermaid Killer let a creature go free. Was she at least pretty?”
He thought back tot he encounter, back to your face as your mother’s hand collided with your cheek.
Yes, he thought. “No,” he said aloud.
“Learn to lie better Mark,” she replied, “I’m blind but your hesitation reads a mile away. I hope you can do better than that when returning home. Having feelings for a mermaid won’t sit well with your parents.”
“There are no feelings Kiraz, by the heavens. She’s a siren.” “...exactly.”
There’s silence, aside from the grumbling of a few leftover drunkards. And then, “You’re here for information.” He never came for anything else. He was only a pyrate out on the water. He slides his prepared payment her way, “I need to know the history of a mermaid’s magic.”
Kiraz inhales sharply, dropping the glass she held, the noise of it shattering bouncing against the inside of the tavern. Mark is surprised, she’s usually so terrifyingly calm, even more so when she grabs his sleeve and hisses to the back quickly, vanishing behind the curtain. 
When he emerges on the other side, she immediately turns on him, “She showed you her magic?”
He nods, cautious. “Not that willingly. It was in desperation. She wanted to know if I knew what a Siren’s Agreement was.”
“...you don’t. Or you wouldn’t be here.” “Kiraz, do not forget who you’re speaking with. We’ve done this dance plenty of times.”
She chuckles, bowing at the waist, “Of course Prince Mark. A Siren’s Agreement. Blood mixed with blood. And a year spent on land.”
Mark remembers the Sea Queen’s words. Sometimes the year is death.
“Why don’t I know about a mermaid’s magic?” Kiraz moves off to the side, cutting tape off inventory boxes. ‘Most likely hidden. There hasn’t been a union in years.”
“A union between a royal, mermaid and human.” “...yes. Long ago, a mermaid’s magic kept the land and sea prosperous. Trade was common, as was merfolk on land.”
He remembered your transformation, your legs.
“From your silence, I assume that’s how the creature caught your attention.” He didn’t answer so she continued, “It used to be harmonious. We thrived together. Royals from land and sea, joined in together and united in old, powerful magic.”
“Until?” She sighed, “A misunderstanding. Although, it depends on who you ask. Some not as kind as I consider it traitorous.”
“Traitorous.” “The Queen Aylin, wife of the great King Asriel. I assume you remember what your tutors taught you.”
He did. “It was a time of great peace. Their union brought the Empire together. It was said that the Queen’s kindness balanced, and tamed, the King’s temper.”
“And?” “And she bore six children before passing. The king was devastated.”
Her smile was discouraging.
“History lied. She passed, yes. But a mermaid’s magic is tied to the sea. And to the love they’ve chosen on land. Queen Aylin wished to return to the ocean to strengthen her magic. And she wished to take the children. She promised to return, for she loved her husband and her life in the Kingdom of Muiria, but she grew weak on legs and needed to grow strong.”
Laced with confusion, Mark asked, “But you said merfolk on land was common.”
“Ah, but she was royal. And Asriel was afraid she’d disappear, steal his heirs and the magic away into the sea spray. He grew paranoid, his council feeding his fears like a hungry beast.”
He knew in his heart what happened next. Murder. He killed her.
“...the magic didn’t pass onto the children?” When her magic died, so did theirs.
“The princess, the siren that appeared in front of me, she said I wasn’t paying enough attention when I told her humans had peace.”
“She’s smart, that creature. You can’t see past the bow of the Milo. The land is dying. The Empire is afraid. And you honestly haven’t noticed the receding water?
He hadn’t.
“Kiraz,” he said, determination coloring his tone. She grinned, “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“How do I summon a siren?”
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You feel the summons, deep within your bones, as the water shifts around you. 
The magic calling to you is strong and for a moment, you think it’s your mother beckoning you home. When feet hit solid ground and the foam dissipates, you’re surprised to see Prince Mark and a woman you don’t recognize off to his right.
“Your Majesty,” you say calmly, honestly too tired to be on alert. You could only hope you hadn’t just been summoned to the sit of your own murder. 
“Princess. Kiraz told me you merfolk can only be summoned to a place if you accept the magic. So I’m a little...”
You sigh, “In all honesty prince, I thought you were my mother demanding I come home.”
He frowns, “You...she banished you?” “My mother is cruel but she’d never risk losing another child. So no, not banished. I simply have yet to return.”
“So she was pretty.” Your attention shifts to the unfamiliar female. Her stark white hair was free against her shoulders, past the small of her back. She was dressed in military style clothing, trousers tucked into long black boots and a form fitting but loose white tunic buttoned all the way up to her neck. Her fingers were adorned in all gold jewelry, rings of all sizes. Her red lips were curled into a smile and her eyes...
“I could be hideous,” you casually say.
Her laugh was loud, “I don’t need to see you to know you’re beautiful princess,” she bows, “Kiraz. Welcome to my establishment.
That name.
“Kiraz Brum. Famed warrior of the Queen’s Guard. You know, you’re a story we tell children to frighten them.”
Kiraz grins, “What an honor. I hope my name served its purpose.” “Children stay away from the borders of Khotia so...yes. I’d say it works quite efficiently. Now, if I could? Why have you summoned me? And how? How did you know the ritual?”
She shrugs, moving backwards to sit on a nearby crate. “The why is his department. The how? Let’s just say I picked up that little tidbit when I was still employed by the royals.”
You mirrored her action, sitting on whatever was nearest, which also happened to be a crate. “A story for another time. Well, Your Majesty? Twice in 24 hours is unique to say the least. What do you want?”
Mark, silent up until now, crossed his arms. “The last union between our kind was Queen Aylin and her human husband, the great King Asriel.”
You mood suddenly soured. “Great would be too kind an adjective.” “Would murderer work better?”
“Ah, I see. Kiraz has opened those eyes of yours. Yes. Your great King Asriel, deep within his own madness and paranoid, killed his queen. You see, a Siren’s Agreement is a partnership. Blood mixed with blood. To keep the peace, for the land and sea to prosper, a mermaid’s magic must remain strong. And to feed that strength, the time spent on solid ground must match the time in Ered. Each royal pair understood the terms of the agreement and continued to honor them until your great Asriel made it impossible for the merfolk to trust humans again.”
“The council convinced him she was a traitor taking his children and the magic he considered his,” Mark whispered.
He couldn’t believe it, not really. Everything he’s been told, been taught, to what end? Why hide history?
“Why not learn from those mistakes,” he asks out loud, “why enter into a war that they know will never end?
You watch him process the truth, watch his safe walls crumble around him. And for a moment, you mourn the last bit of his innocence that was slipping away.
“Not everyone enjoyed sharing solid land with the merfolk,” Kiraz reveals, “when Aylin died, the Empire saw it as a chance to return them to the Ered for good.”
Mark meets your eyes, “But something is happening now, that’s why you came to find me.” 
You nod, “The last of the  magic is disappearing. Both land and sea are suffering and will be beyond saving if you don’t join in the agreement with me.”
He frowns, “Why me? There are at least two princes in every kingdom.” Kiraz snorts, “But how many of those princes masquerade as pyrates six months out of every year since he turned 20?”
He glares and you can’t help but laugh, caching them both off guard.
“She has a point,” you hastily reply, “you know the water, thrive on it. Out of every prince of the Empire, I thought you’d be the best option to shackle myself to for a year.”
“Such flattery princess, what kind words.” “I do not want magic to disappear,” your tone growing serious, “merfolk and humans aside, the very foundations of our homes depend on it. I do not know about you dear prince, but I want peace. For everyone.”
The captain whistles, “Do it Mark, she’d be a better diplomat than you.”
Mark doesn’t reply back, just stares at you. Weighing his options before jumping into your crazy scheme. 
“The Empire would never allow it. You mother would never allow it.” “Then we skip the formalities. If you agree, right here in the storage room of a tavern, Kiraz can be the ritual’s witness.”
It’s madness and they’re both floored at the suggestion of a hastily done ceremony in the back room of Zemër but Kiraz speaks first.
“How do you know I know the ritual?” You shrugged, “I assumed. And I assumed correctly, yes?” “...I should stop underestimating you princess.” “A wise choice Captain Brum. Now dear prince, will you refuse my offer a second time?”
It’s all too quick, too hasty of a decision to be made without guidance. Mark knows what his family will do, what the council and people of Khotia would say. Things are not done this way.
But union to a siren, royal or not, was not done at all.
Not to mention his freedom as captain of the Milo. Was he really ready for a year of life on land?
“How do I know this isn’t a trick,” he challenged. “Oh by the heavens,” Kiraz started.
“No, you’re right. For a moment, I forgot our people are enemies. The outer fields of Khotia, just north of the small village of Dimelor. You’ll find the proof you’re searching for in order to believe me. It’s less than a day’s ride for two horses if the captain here wishes to join you. Once you’ve seen, you know how to summon me again.”
Mark’s jaw clenches, eyes narrowing. “And if you’re lying?”
You magic moves around you, shifting you back to your original form. The air smells of sea spray and before you’re deposited back into the Ered, you answer his last question.
“Then dear prince, you can have a princess’ tail.”
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Dimelor rests nestled in the mountains, surrounded by green fields and humble homes. The smallest village in the kingdom, it grows produce which is shipped in bulk to the citizens of the main city.
Mark’s mother, the Queen Elinia, spent springs visiting the workers and their families, ensuring not only the health of the fields but the health of their caretakers. Sometimes, she’d bring Mark and he’d play, getting lost in the tall grass. The outer fields were large, housing the bigger vegetables and the man in charge, Lucien Elidior, always snuck treats to him as a boy.
They hug when Mark dismounts his horse Nova.
“You look well my prince, welcome.” Mark smiles gently at the aging man before him. “As do you Lucien. It’s good to see you. You know my associate, Kiraz Brum.”
“Captain,” Lucien replies, bowing slightly. Kiraz grins in return, bending slightly at the waist as well.
“Now what brings you all the way out here?” Mark starts his walk down tot he fields themselves. “I need to see the fields. Shipment is soon as I recall.”
Lucien’s demeanor changes suddenly, his cheery disposition becoming nervous. Mark senses the change right away, noting Kiraz does as well.
“Something wrong Lucien?” The caretaker seems distracted, eyes darting every so often to the bend around the corner.
“Lucien?” His attention snaps back suddenly, “The shipment was early my prince! There’s no produce to oversee. I’m sorry you and the captain came all this way for nothing.”
“I’m blind but even I know you’re lying Lucien,” Kiraz relies smoothly, tucking her hands into her coat as she steps around them both. Lucien tries to intervene but Mark catches his wrist, “Whatever you’re hiding, as your future king, you must tell me.”
The older man looks guilty but nods, following close behind the two. Kiraz is quick on her feet, rounding the bend and getting full view of the fields. When Mark hears her frantically call his name, he picks up his speed before stopping completely in his tracks.
“By the heavens,” he whispers, astonished.
The once lush green fields were barren, weeds in place of towering grass and patches of dry land where fresh produce once grew dotting the area as far as he could see. He couldn’t believe his eye. He remembered what it once was, the beauty that stood before him every time he came to visit. 
“It’s gone Kiraz, she was right,” he turned towards Lucien, “how is this happening? My parents...”
“They are aware Your Majesty,” he replied. “It started a week ago, slow decay from the northwest corner of the fields. We sent a report and your mother ordered us to harvest whatever we could and quickly.”
“Do we know why this is happening,” Kiraz wonders, even though she’s well aware of the magic and its steady disappearance. 
“We are unsure captain. The early morning workers noticed dying vegetables and before we knew it, we were losing almost half of our usual harvest.”
“The other villages,” Mark inquired, worried about the response. “Unaffected for now.”
Thank the heavens.
“My prince,” Lucien slowly began, “you should know. You were never meant to see this. Your mother made it clear you were not to be told.”
“Just me or all her children?” “...you alone.”
Curious.
“Kiraz, head back to Zemër.” “And you?”
“I need to have a word with the Queen.” 
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He loved the palace growing up.
While others saw it as a soaring epicenter of power, to Mark it was home. 
Safety. Family. 
But as his 20th birthday approached, he found his home stifling, as if someone had sucked out all its air. The pressure was immense, especially being the eldest boy. His sisters were safe from the responsibilities of slaying mermaids. 
He lived and breathed it.
After his first kill, after returning home a murderous hero, the four walls he had come to love felt like they were slowly closing in. He spent time training off site, missing meals to sweat out his frustrations instead. Alongside Eunwoo, childhood friend turned right hand pyrate, he became at home on the waters of the Ered. His parents never questioned it, his mother’s only complaint besides his safety was how often he found himself away. 
Walking up to them now, regal on their thrones, he wondered what they’d say. He wondered if they’d defend themselves. 
“My boy! We heard you docked early and was curious to know when you’d show your face.”
His father King Laith was a strong man, not necessarily in stature but in every other way. Graying hair didn’t dim his bright smile, nor did it stop the charisma from overflowing. A deadly combination during negotiations. Mark smiled, letting himself get wrapped up in a hug. He threw his arms around the King’s shoulders, spying his mother still atop the dais. From her calm demeanor and calculated smile, he knew she was aware of his quick trip to Dimelor. His suspicions were further confirmed upon seeing Atlas, her peregrine falcon and spy, land on a nearby ledge.
When the two men broke apart, she comes forward, seeping motherly love.
“There he is, safe and sound.”
He lets himself be embraced once more, taking in her scent of lilies and orchids, eyes closing for just a moment.
“Hello Mother.” She smiles, this time a true mother’s smile, kissing his cheek. “It’s good to have you home. Your absence was felt, your brother would much rather spar with you than his aging father.” They laugh at the King’s expense and in moments like this, Mark feels like he’s home again.
The way home once was.
“I miss the Ered already but I cannot wait for my bed. The rest of our overbearing family?”
“Your sisters took a trip to Liaven and should return within the week. And the youngest is off in Muria for two more days overseeing the newly commissioned weapons for our army. We’ll be reunited soon.”
Mark nods and before he knows it, the King is whisked away to meet with the Council and he’s left with his mother and her damn bird.
“You’ve seen the fields.” It wasn’t a question.
Right to the point then.
“Why hide that from me?” “Who’s hiding? You’ve been at sea for almost a year. Getting messages to you is difficult. Plus, agriculture is not your concern.”
“When I am King it will be. And I’ve made aware you gave the orders to purposely keep it away from me. So I’ll ask again. Why?”
Her eyes are cold as they turn towards him. “If we’re in the habit of answering questions, you’ll answer mine first. You’ve never, in 7 years, let a siren go. And now one roams free instead of being spear headed to the deck of the Milo.”
“That wasn’t a question mother.” “Do not test me.”
He’d answer her, truly, if he only he himself knew the answer. Why didn’t he kill you?
“Feelings for a siren will get you killed.” “So will hunger if our fields remain barren.”
A servant arrived then, reporting that the Queen was needed. Good, he had grown tired of this conversation. 
“The crops will be taken care of. You’ll be back on the water soon enough so don’t let yourself get worked up over it. And as for the other issue. Find it. Kill it. Do not be weak now.”
Disappearing around the corner, Mark released a pent up sigh, shutting his eyes to try and stop a growing migraine. “Useless,” he said, the word echoing in the emptiness around him. His mother knew something but would sooner sacrifice Atlas than tell him. He knew it had to do with the magic and it wouldn’t surprise him if his mother knew all the deep dark secrets of the past.
But there was one that would tell him. The Queen would be furious but things were becoming more urgent the longer he was home.
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“Mother is livid,” your sister says when she finds you wandering around. 
You had returned home after meeting with the Prince and Kiraz, avoiding places your family could corner you. You forgot that your youngest sister was annoying enough to find you anyway.
“I’m sure she is.. .And I’m sure she’s told you tall tales of  my adventures. But I’m too tired to answer all your burning questions Cathia.”
“Only one question. Was he handsome? They say he is, for a murderer.”
That stop you in your tracks, water growing silent around you. 
Was he? Handsome? It’s not like you were really paying attention. You were preoccupied with more pressing matters. Thinking back, you dig into your memories, pulling a visual of the Prince forward.
Strong build. Dark hair. Striking eyes. He didn’t smile in your presence but you assumed it wouldn’t be all that terrible.
“You could say that,” you casually reply, swimming forward. Your sister follows, looking utterly pleased, “Oh my, very handsome then. You’re blushing Y/N!”
You frown, palm against your cheek, “That is absolutely ridiculous Cathia. He is the Mermaid Killer. I did what I did to save our people, to save magic. Without a union, everything as we know it will die.”
“Wait. A union? What in the great Ered are you talking about?”
Surprise colors Cathia’s features as she pulls you to a stop to face her. “Mother said nothing about a union to that murderer!”
I guess she didn’t tell them everything.
“You have nothing to worry about, Mother stopped anything from progressing. And he shot it down anyway, I am a siren after all.”
You hoped that was enough to appease your little sister but you should’ve known better. Her expression turned irate, “You make it sound as if you simply proposed a union to a random individual and not the human responsible for most of our people’s deaths. The magic might be disappearing but I’d rather disappear into the mist than have you shackled to him.”
“I’d rather live. Mother also disagrees but alas, I made my move. There’s no reason for everyone, everything, to die. A year on land is a sacrifice I can make. If he had accepted.”
Cathia is about to strike back with a rebuttal when your blood runs warm, ceasing any words in your throat. You feel it, a steady thrum in time with the beat of your heart.
I’m being summoned.
Your sister couldn’t here once the ritual was complete, whisking her to wherever the Prince was. You became momentarily frantic as you felt the pull under your skin.
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” you quickly say, “just leave me be for now, I beg you.”
You can plainly see in her eyes she has more to say, biting her lip apprehensively. You’re hoping she drops it, almost shouting in relief when she agrees and makes you promise to return home safely. 
“And don’t you dare do anything rash,” she scolds. You could almost laugh.
“I promise. Now go on, I’ll be fine.”
It’s when she’s finally out of sight that the thrum is at its strongest, taking you away in the current and out of the Ered.
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Mark’s grandmother, the former Queen Freya, lived high up in the Thelorian Mountains, away from the main court and the royal family.
He could still remember cllimbing the very same steps he was now, small legs trying to keep up with her as she ascended quickly. Freya was the only royal that supported the idea of siren equality, living in peace with other species. Her beliefs were considered radical, whispers in court starting up behind her back. Soon she retired to the mountains, commissioning a home away from judgement in and out of the palace.
Being out on the sea kept him from her much more than he would like, the journey to see her even father than the outer fields of Dimelor. 
“If you mother discovers you’re here, she’ll have headaches for days,” his grandmother yells, hands on her hips as she stands at the top of the stairs.
He grins, sprinting up the last few steps and into her embrace. “You’re not as in shape as I thought you’d be Yien,” she teased.
“We both know you’re in much better shape than all of us combined năinai.”
She pinches his cheek, “Flattery will get you nowhere boy. Tell me why you’ve come to see an old woman up in the mountains.”
She takes his hand, grasping tightly as they walk the path to the main house. Built under the cover titanic wisteria trees, Freya’s estate spanned most of the upper hills, the flattest parts stable enough to build upon. It was created to ensure the former Queen’s safety and comfort, away from the citizens that didn’t share the same views.
Tea was waiting when they arrived, liquid steaming as his grandmother beckoned him to sit. “So. Something has happened. What’s going on?”
“Năinai, what do you know about Siren Agreements? About a union between our kind and theirs, a joining of magic?”
Freya eyes her grandson. “You finally know about the fields.” Mark’s eyes widened, “You know about that?”
She laughed, “I might live up here like a recluse but I was once Queen. And many still follow me. Of course I know things. The question is, what do you know?”
“I know things have been hidden from me. And I know taking a siren wife may save our dying land.”
“...marriage? My dear boy, a union doesn’t need to be matrimony.”
What?
Freya sits back in her chair disregarding her tea. “A union between a siren and a human is a Siren’s Agreement, yes. Blood mixed with blood, a joining of magic. The siren must spend the minimum of a year on land in order for both lands to prosper.”
“But Queen Aylin and King Asriel had children.” “ Yes, six. But not all unions result in children. Aylin, after her year, realized she had fallen in love, and vice versa. Hence, a wedding. If you’re to join in such an agreement, it doesn’t mean gold rings on your fingers.”
Which means I can still be out at sea. I can still captain the Milo.
“How is it you know so much?” She chuckles, “A Queen must be aware Yien. Just because I’m up here and everyone down there has forgotten what sirens have done for us, doesn’t meant I have to as well.”
“Forgotten? What do you  mean?”
With a sigh, she crosses her legs. “Your tutors taught you nothing then. Truly. The real history they kept hidden so people would hate a species that were once our allies. Listen closely dear. Sirens are strong and yes, they can be dangerous. But once, a very long time ago, we lived peacefully. The land and the sea were thriving in harmony. When one needed help, the other came to their aid. A partnership. Love. Friendship.”
Birds chirped overhead, filling the silence between them both. Freya watched her grandson filter through the overload of information, a pensive look on his face paired with a frown set between his brows. 
“Sweetheart, why are you here? Or rather, how are you here? How did you come to be aware of all this? You, the famed Mermaid Killer.”
He scoffed with a hint of a smile, “It’s a bit of a long story. Which I think I’ll just show you to save some time.”
Her brows rose in surprise, “Now you’ve got my interest piqued. What do you need me to do?”
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You’re high up in the mountains once the smell of the Ered dissipates. The sun is bright and warm against your skin as your tail transforms into legs. You squint, hand coming up to shield your ace as an astonished voice rings out behind you.
“By the heavens. Mark, she actually appeared.” You rise, on alert even in front of a familiar face. You’re hesitant, keeping a bit of distance.
“It’s alright princess. We won’t hurt you. May I present, the Queen Dowager Freya.”
The elderly woman next to him bows, “Welcome to the Thelorian Mountains Your Majesty.”
You bow as well. “Queen Dowager. I’m aware of your efforts towards peace with our kind. It is truly appreciated.”
She smiles, “You look like your grandfather.” Shocked, your heart skips. “Y-you knew him?” “Mmmhmm. He was a brave siren. And loved you deeply. His death was...hard.” “Yes, I dear say it was.”
You shake away painful memories and address the Prince. “You summoned me again which means you’re either going to kill me or...”
“The Dimelor fields, how did you know,” he asks, halting you mid-sentence.  “Magic. Always magic. You saw it then, your crops dying.”
He nods gravelly, “Yes. Barren fields where there was once lush green. It was unfathomable to comprehend.”
“You understand then, the severity of the situation.” “I’m beginning to understand everything. Which brings me to my next point: why did you tell me a Siren’s Agreement was marriage?”
You smile knowingly, “Why dear Prince, I never said anything of the sort. You assumed it was a marriage. Has it become appealing to you, marrying me?”
His cheeks color and his grandmother can’t help but let out a breathy chuckle. “Don’t be ridiculous princess, I made an assumption, that’s all. Like your mother said, being ‘shackled’ to me would be hell.”
“You’ve met the Sea Queen.” “Unfortunately,” he mumbled. turning to her.
She addressed you, “Is she still surly and stubborn?” “When was she not?”
The Queen Dowager laughs. “Minthe always believed the sirens were better off on their own. Her hatred of humans runs as deep as their hatred of her.”
“She has a valid reason.” “Yes, sadly she does.”
Your walls fall a bit, there’s something about the former Queen you feel you can trust. She senses it as well and smiles warmly. “My grandson called you here to accept your proposal.”
That takes you aback and your head swivels towards him, “The union? You’re agreeing?”
He reaches and scratches the back of his head sheepishly, “There’s things to discuss but...yes. For the good of our people.”
“I thought what you cared about most was captaining the Milo.” “My ship isn’t more important than my people, no matter how much I love the sea.”
“You said there were things to discuss.” He straightens in a very prince like manner. “Yes. If we are joined, even if it isn’t a marriage, I will treat it as such. And what’s mine will be yours. You will be safe on land for the year you are there. I know not of the ways things once were. But I accept your guidance in the things I must learn, if you accept mine.”
You blink once. And then a few times more. “That’s very mature of you, Your Grace.”
“I can be...when the occasion calls for it. Do you agree? Or have anything to add?”
“Not really. I’m just waiting for the part where you tell me how we’re going to tell our families. I assume they’ll be present for the joining.”
He doesn’t reply, exchanging a simple look with his grandmother that speaks a thousand words. You know what it means, you share similar looks with your siblings when your mother isn’t paying attention.
“We have no plans of telling our families. Your grandmother will be our only witness and my first appearance in front of the royal family of Khotia will be on legs.”
“I have a beautiful Khotian gown you can wear,” the Queen Dowager adds. “This is rash. Insane. Crazy. Unprecedented.” 
Mark laughs. “More rash, insane, crazy and unprecedented than showing yourself to a ship full of pyrates?”
Ugh, he does have a point.
You purse your lips but say nothing, instead turning to a more authoritative figure. But as if she read your mind, Freya simply throws her hands up. “I have no objection. I’d be happy to be your witness. And I will personally be there to hold your hand as you present yourself to Khotia.”  
“And might I remind you,” the Prince butts in, “you were just fine with the idea of hastily done ritual in the back room of Zemër, with Kiraz as the witness.”
“That was before you actually accepted. I didn’t think the great Prince of Khotia would join in a union without his family’s knowledge or presence.”
His grin is smug, “I am unexpected princess.” “Which means I should expect more of the unexpected.” "Exactly. So?”
You weighed your options. Just like your idea to board the Milo, this was a bad idea. There were too many obstacles and yes all this started because of you. You, who wants to save the sea and land, even with everything stacked against you. Now, you had a prince willing.
Now, something can be done. And both worlds don’t have to burn.
You meet the prince’s eyes, the question lingering there in his irises.
“So...a union then?”
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It wasn’t a grand affair. Not that either of you thought it’d be.
The ritual was simple, albeit with a bit more blood than you remembered it needing. The Queen Dowager had tears in her eyes as she blessed the union, hugging you both at the end.
There was no kiss, no stares of affection, simply a handshake between you both. There was an understanding in Mark, a new look that washed over his face when his blood mixed with the magic. He was made of it now, his soul linked to the sea in a deeper way than being a captain.
He had wondered aloud, without even realizing it, “Does it always feel like this?” “Always,” you had replied, your own magic thrumming warm within your cold siren veins.
Freya offered a meal, the first on you had on land, and discussed what happened next.
“The transformation is quick, 24 hours until I trade my tail for legs.” “What of your family,” Mark asked in between bites of his food.
“I’ll say my goodbyes. They can’t know about the union before I step on land. My mother is strong. She can undo the union with her own magic and it will painful.”
“...painful?”
His grandmother chimes in, “You are joined now my boy. Blood mixed with blood remember? Undoing that will be like ripping apart your very soul.”
He swallowed, “Sounds like something we’d like to avoid then.” You had laughed, surprising everyone, before you quickly recovered and told them you’d be back the next morning.
Your  goodbyes were quick, but not as hasty, as to avoid suspicion. You didn’t know whether or not to be upset about the fact your siblings couldn’t feel the urgency in your hugs, as if you’d be back that night. Your mother wasn’t around, attending to matters of the sea. A part of you wanted to wait but you could feel that thrum of magic, scales prickling like human skin.
You were back on land before the 24 hours were up, holding tight to a bundle to clothes and towels as Freya led you to a room in her massive home.
“It will be an adjustment but I am here if you need anything. Do not hesitate to call for me.”
“Mother believed in handling things on your own.” Her smile was gentle, “There is nothing wrong with asking for help, Your Grace. We are family.”
Family.
“Thank you Queen Dowager, I will do my best to remember that.” “Oh my dear girl, I told you. Family. Queen Dowager is too formal. Năinai will do just fine.”
Your heart started to beat strongly for a moment. “...năinai?” “Grandmother. Now get some sleep my darling. Tomorrow, you shall be introduced to the world.”
Tomorrow. Tomorrow everything shall change.
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“You’re nervous.” “Sweaty palms is a symptom of being nervous?”
Mark chuckles, adjusting the collar of his very prince like gold studded military jacket. “Yes. Sweaty anything is a symptom.”
“Then yes, I’m nervous. And I don’t enjoy sweating either. Human reactions are odd and frankly, disgusting.”
He’s grinning at you as your fingers fumble and you feel the crushing weight of the gown Freya loaned you. He’s surprised that you’re nervous, if he’s being honest. He’s only ever seen you stoic and strong, rarely letting any other emotions overtake you, a side effect no doubt of being raised by the Sea Queen.
The young woman sitting next to him was different, as if time on land was slowly transforming her.
Or she’s becoming more comfortable?
He decides to do something a little rash, taking your clammy hands in his. You’re alone in the back of the carriage carrying you to the palace, unmarked as to keep attention away, so he doesn’t worry too much about the gesture. You freeze for a moment but allow the comfort, taking a deep breath as your eyes follow the scenery outside the window. The ride seems an eternity and the silence between you both is adding to the nerves already threatening to overtake your whole self.
“Tell me about your family. What should I expect?”
He started running his thumb against yours absentmindedly, like his own mind was suddenly a million miles away. “They’re regal and serious when the occasion calls for it. My father is charismatic, kind. Mother is stern, protective. She will be the hardest to win over. My younger brother is adventurous. Full of mischief. My two older sisters are funny. Gentle. But cautious. A curse of being the eldest and female. I love them dearly.”
“The deck of the Milo would tell a different story.”
He smiles a bit, “I love them dearly. It’s the crushing responsibility that takes me away to the sea. I’m the oldest male.”
“And now shackled to a siren.” He’s still smiling. “Ah, yes. And you’re shackled to the land.” “Only for a year. Remember, the magic must remain strong.”
“Do I get to throw you back in the ocean like a goldfish? We should make a ceremony out of it, invite the whole kingdom out to the docks.”
You narrow your eyes, lifting your joined hands and bringing them back down against his thigh roughly, hitting him with the underside of his own hand.
“You throw me like a goldfish, I’ll drown the Milo.”
His scandalized look causes an eruption of chaotic giggles within the carriage before it rolls to a stop and there’s a knock at the door. The nerves hit you at full force and your mouth shuts, killing all noise.
“We’ve arrived, Your Majesty,” a voice rings out. “Oh by the heavens,” you whisper.
His hand is still in yours, giving it one more squeeze. “You’re going to be fine, don’t fall apart on me now. You’re royalty too. Breathe and let’s do this.”
There was a surge of confidence running through you as Mark rapped on the door, swinging open a moment later.
To your surprise, Freya appeared at your side. You knew she’d keep her promise to come but the relief at seeing her came at a bit of a shock.
“Are you ready, my dear?” Her smile was comforting, her finger entwined with yours calming your racing heart.
“No,” Mark suddenly said, adjusting his sleeves with a smirk. “She’s sweaty.”
You shove him before Freya pulls you both along to the side entrance of the palace. Servants start to stare and the walls echo with their whispers. The Queen Dowager leads the trio, your arm around Mark’s. Every step brings you closer in and you want to appreciate the four walls of the towering Khotian palace but suddenly, someone calls Mark’s name and you are faced with the entirety of the royal family.
You’ve been by your mother’s side atop a dais as she commanded her subjects. She was intimidating so you can clearly remember the looks your people would wear as they approached her.
You’re sure you’re making that same face at this moment.
The members of Mark’s family all wear identical looks of both curiosity and mild amusement. Except for his mother. The Queen of Khotia’s gaze alone could cause water to boil. Your grip tightens, wrinkling the fabric of Mark’s jacket. His fingers clasping over yours is an odd relief, balanced you as you made your approach.
“Mother?” The King’s voice was laced with confusion and what you’d later recognize as fear. Fear of his mother or wife, you’d never know.
“Hello, my darling. It’s been some time since I’ve graced these halls. Elinia, as radiant as ever.”
The Queen’s smile did not reach her eyes.
“Mark, this is unexpected. Who is...who is this lovely young woman?” Your breath catches. She wasted no time zeroing in on you. Mark seems completely calm next to you, ginning as if everything isn’t about to change.
“Unexpected indeed by joyous nonetheless! Mother, father and my dearest siblings...may I present Y/N...”
You brace yourself.
“...princess of the Ered. Daughter of the Sea Queen.”
The throne room seems to grow cold as ice as his words are processed by those in front of you. His grandmother seems amused but you’re waiting for the explosion.
“What in the heavens did you just say?”
Ah, there it is.
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A/N: oof this one was a monster. It would’ve been longer but I figured, I don’t know, maybe ending it here would be a bit of fun. I have the very last line of this thing written on a sticky note in the notebook I wrote all of this down in. I wanted to go all the way but I realized I had other parts of this collab to write. So now I can leave it up to your imagination. And once this gets posted, I’ll post that last line and it can add to your thoughts of how it would’ve played out. She’s lengthy but I hope you enjoyed. Onto the next one. xx
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downinthedevildom · 4 years
Text
Okay so I’m a big hecking dumb! I accidentally answered privately but didn’t put anything it. THANKFULLY! I screenshot everything so not all is lost! 😤😤 so here @delori-a this is for you! X3
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First of all! I am no queen, friend! I am but a humble potato 🥔 I’m glad you enjoyed your match up though! 💜💜
I’m sorry this took me a while to finish, I have no excuse... I’m just a procrastinating fiend! X3 HOPE YOU ENJOY SWEETPEA!
Rating : FLUFF!!? Comfort?!
Warnings : none
Word count : 3k+
💚~*~*~*~*~*~*💜💚*~*~*~*~*~*~💜
What time was it? It was always hard to tell here.
Looking up from your desk that is currently cluttered with the battlefield of textbooks and papers you were working through, you cast your dry eyes to the window, the gorgeous starry skies doing little to answer the question in your mind. It's always night here. There was no setting sun in the Devildom to lay hints on how long you had been slaving away since returning from R.A.D for the day.
A heavy sigh passed your lips as you turned your head back to the paper you had half-written, full of dark scratches with your frustration laden mistakes. You pluck your D.D.D up from its hiding space, at some point being disregarded and covered with an open book, to look at the clock. However, it didn't illuminate like it usually would once being lifted meaning the battery had died and you hadn't even noticed the music you had quietly playing from the device stopped somewhere along the way.
It didn't really matter what time it was anyway, you had already resigned yourself to your impending all-night cramming session. Two papers were due and the impending midterm test that counted as half your grade on Monday had sealed your fate to have a very sleepless weekend.
Another sigh left you as your rub your palms over tired eyes in a will to make them stop fighting you with this pesky irritating dryness. You needed coffee; always the silent saviour. You pushed yourself out of the chair, your joints popping loudly in the quiet room with the movement. Using your hip to push your chair in you tossed your D.D.D onto your bed, making your way out of your room and quickly to the kitchen. Never before had you been so thankful that your room was only a few steps away from the elixir of life. At least this way you were sure not to wake the other residents in the house of Lamentation through the weekend. You already knew this would be a trip you would be making a lot over the next few days.
A single push of a button had the coffee machine humming to life, echoing through the room in the unusually quiet house - another thing you were thankful for in this moment. The lively atmosphere would normally fill you with warmth, the seven rulers of hell lives were something to witness in the comfort of their dwelling. Sure they fought often, but these walls were filled with so much family love and a millennia of memories you had only begun to scratch the surface of. Tonight you were thankful for the quiet, no disturbances as you fought against the dread of failure with tooth and nail. You really didn't need the bothers yelling to give your brain more reasons than it already had to pulse painfully in your skull.
It was a Friday night and as far as you knew only you and Leviathan were home right now. That being said, it was more like you had the house to yourself due to the otaku being less likely to come out of his room while he was gaming for the night than it was that you would spontaneously combust from the pressure you were putting on yourself. Everyone else had their weekend plans already in full swing.
Of course, none of the brothers would be home studying like you, struggling to understand the topics of demon-ology. They already knew all this stuff... They lived this stuff! Sighing was quickly becoming your only form of vocalization of the night as another passed though your lips to accompany the dull thunk of your spoon hitting ceramic as you stirred your coffee. The thought of another all-nighter weighed heavy on your chest and that has another sigh following.
“Oi, what's got you all huffy, huh?!” the unexpected voice startled you from your mind, causing you to jolt and fix the white-haired demon with a wide-eyed gaze.
“Mammon, you gave me a damn heart attack!” you managed to squeak out the words as a hand clasped over your chest willing your heart to get back down and out of your throat. The all too familiar grin on his handsome features while he leant against the door frame, did little to convince you he was anything akin to remorseful for causing your soul to temporarily up and leave your body.
“I thought you had a shoot tonight, you skip it?” you questioned him before he had the chance to start teasing you as he normally would. It was always in jest, but you didn't have the energy to throw your own back at him right now.
“Skip?! Its good money doing them shoots ya know! As if I would skip it!” The fake offence in his voice was dripping in the pride he had by earning his own money, honestly. “I finished over an hour ago.” he filled you in while shrugging himself off the door as you approach, continuing to do so as he followed you down the hall. “Just got back, you weren't in ya room so figured I’d hunt ya down.” The playful lilt in his tone made his intentions clear to you, he was still hyped up and if you let him he would talk your ear off until morning.
Normally you would accept it willingly, even asking him questions about his shoots to continue seeing the proud smile on his face and his laugh ringing through the air of your bedroom. You just didn't have the time right now, so instead, you shoved away the voice in your head telling you that procrastination with your favourite demon would be the best way to spend the night.
“And why, pray tell, did you feel the need to find me?” you almost flinched at the harshness of your own voice, quickly placing your coffee down on your table you added in a gentler tone. “Is there something you need? Something wrong?” your hand had already fallen to the back of your chair, ready to pull it out and take your temporary throne, while turning to face him.
You hoped he would read the room and realise you were too busy and leave you be. Dreading the thought of his reaction should you have to ask him to leave. You really did love his company and his self-esteem already got knocked enough by his brothers. Right now, with the prospects of flunking three separate classes hanging in the not too distant future, your nerves were dancing on the edge of a blade. One wrong step and you would be more of a disappointment to the exchange program than you already felt you were.
A flicker of what you read as recognition flashed over Mammons face as his gaze turned from the messy table and his impossibly blue eyes landed on your own. “Yeah, there's somethin’ wrong. You are doin’ homework when we planned a movie night, remember?” he flashed you with another blinding grin and all you could do is blink in bewilderment. No, you didn't remember that. In fact, you are pretty sure he just made that up on the spot so he had more of an excuse to claim your time.
“I’m sorry, Mammon.” you started, the dejectedness in you tone was thick in your tone. You chose not to mention his blatant lie, instead just telling him the truth in return. “I don't have time to watch a movie with you tonight, I really have to get this work done.” You give him a soft smile, hoping he doesn't get upset with you as you attempt to pull out your chair only to find Mammon’s own hand near yours holding it in place.
The questioning look you threw him was only answered by a grin that never faulted from his face. “Hey, you should be happy the GREAT MAMMON is so willing to spend time with ya! You really gonna throw that away for a night of homework, human? You can be a nerd again tomorrow.” his deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, normally it would force out your own but right now all it did was light a fire of irritation under your skin. You rub your free hand on your face, forcing another sigh back down before it could escape.
“Mammon, Please. I really have-”
“Aw, Come on! You got all weekend to be doin all this-” he cut you off and you watched in silent horror as he plucked up one of the textbooks, dislodging papers you had carefully paced as markers for the material you needed to study, your gaze following them as they fluttered to the ground near your feet.
“-This ain't even that hard! Why ar-”
“Yes it is!” the words snapped out of you, cutting him off this time. Your eyes locking onto his stunned ones. The grip on the chair grew tighter with your irritation, causing your knuckles to turn as white as the demon's hair. Not even his surprise at your uncharacteristic outburst could hold back the stinging string of words that rushed forth now the barrier you had built around your stress broke.
“You said it yourself right? Many times in fact! I'm just a stupid human!” you took a breath, releasing your grasp on your chair as your arms started to shake with your misplaced anger. Taking to folding them defiantly instead as you stared down the demon in front of you. The rational side of your mind knew those comments were made in nothing but light-hearted jest. But that rational side wasn't present right now. Abandoning you in a moment of frustration leaving those words to sink deep into your chest as your own self worth sunk lower than your struggling grades.
“And yet I am meant to understand and memorise the in’s and out’s of multiple different demons anatomy types and over fifty thousand years of devildom history, When up until six months ago I was minding my own damn business before being dropped into a world I always believed to be derived from fiction!” your breath shook as the telling pinpricks behind your eyes burned a warning of the impending flood coming forth.
“You know all this stuff! This is your world, your home!...” your chest tightened threatening to close your throat as the days of frustratingly trying to absorb so much in such little time yet still coming up short each time despite how hard you try, floored you “I'm just living in it...“So yes mammon.” your voice cracked and the well in your eyes burst free, sending salty trails cascading down your cheeks. “It is that hard.”
His eyes never left yours for a second during your usual outburst of emotions, though through your rapidly blurring vision it was impossible to read the expression he held, leaving you to assume it was one of realisation leading to his own anger. You turn your head away, slamming your eyes closed in a futile silent plea for your tears to stop, simultaneously waiting for Mammon’s own anger to lash at you. It was deserved after all.
So you waited, for the rush of energy that sends static through the air when one of the brothers’ emotions get irate, the raised booming voice of anger to return back to you. The moments passed in suffocating silence, only the sound of your shaky breaths reverberated in the room, with each passing second without the whiplash you were waiting for not coming, the ache in your chest grew with your guilt.
Lowering your arms in defeat, you knew you had to apologise, you needed to and yet if Mammon hadn't said anything yet it would probably be the catalyst to your demise. you held your breath, willing yourself to once again open your eyes and look at him. But when you did, what you witnessed wasn't a face twisted with anger or even annoyance. His brows were drawn low, casting dark shadows over his eyes that were filled with nothing but shocked sympathy. You open your mouth to utter… anything to break the silence between you both of you.
Before you could force out a single word your world grew dark in the blink of an eye. Strong arms engulfed you, pulling you close to him as slender fingers of one hand threading through your hair holding your head against his broad chest that radiates comforting warmth.
“I'm sorry..” the words you tried to speak were whispered gently, though it wasn't your voice that spoke them. The arm around you back, caging to him grew tighter as a choked sob forced its way from your chests. That was all it took for whatever hold you had left on your emotions to snap and your own arms circled around his waist, gripping the fabric of his shirt as if he was your lifeline.
“I’m sorry for not realizing you were struggling m/c… why didn't you tell me?” his voice, far gentler than you felt you deserved was laced with his own hurt. The warm breath tickling the shell of your ear did little to quell the river spilling from your eyes, soaking his shirt as you attempt to muffle your sobs into his chest.
You had no idea how long you both stood there, you clinging to the Avatar of Greed while he muttered gentle words to help calm your fried emotions. Eventually, you fell quiet, a tiredness flooding through you with his warmth making you realise just how much your body ached for this release of everything you had been keeping locked in a metaphorical cage.
You let your hands slacken on his shirt and as you did Mammons grip loosened too, allowing you enough room to take a step back and look up at him. His own eyes were scanning your features and the gentle smile he was giving you was enough to melt away any of your worries. It made your heart flutter, he really did care about you. In this moment nothing was truer.
“Ya feelin’ better now M/c?” his tone was just as gentle and you could only nod in response, as soon as you did the grin he gave you as his features relaxed in relief had the tips of your ears burning. Thankful to your breakdown your face was no doubt already flushed so would go unnoticed.
“I'm… I'm sorry for shouting at you Mammon. You didn't deserve that.” You dropped your gaze to his chest, a small scoff of a laugh bubbling forth. “I got your shirt all wet…” His bright laugh made you jump slightly, so sudden after the quiet moment. You felt his hands shift from you only to land on your shoulders, causing you to look up again.
“Don’t worry about it!” he spoke as he began taking steps towards you, the hold he had on you gently coaxing you to step backwards with him until your legs bumped the edge of your bed. “It’s my job ain't it? I gotta look after ya, or Lucifer would have my head!” He finished with a light downwards push on your shoulders, gently forcing you to sit on the plush mattress behind you. You gave him a questioning look that he answered with a grin and a shrug while letting go of your shoulders “Just the way it is.” That smile proved to be just as contagious as you always thought it was, now paired with the rising rosy hue on his own tanned cheeks drew out your own smile in return.
You let out a quiet laugh of your own, “of course, how could I forget?” throwing him a bigger smile he took a proud stance with his hands on his hips, but before he could respond the dread flooded your mind again and you let out a groan. “It doesn't change the fact that I'm going to fail… then Lucifer will have MY head.”
It didn't help that you already saw yourself as the weak link to the exchange program, the angels were excellent at everything. The only other human, Solomon, was more than accustomed to the ways of the demon world so he was doing just as well as everyone expected him to do. With his magical prowess and unfathomable knowledge, it was no wonder why everyone expected greatness… then there's you, struggling to even keep your head above the water that is a passing grade in most of your classes.
Shifting yourself to stand once more, you had to work. Mammon halts your movements by placing his hands back on your shoulders. “Oi! Stop being so stubborn.” you open your mouth to retort but he just lifts a finger in front of your face silencing you. “We are watchin’ a movie and you are gonna deal with it!” he huffs with finality leaving you to groan.
As if reading your mind Mammon sat himself down next to you, his voice taking the gentler tone again. “I… I'll help ya study tomorrow, a-alright?” not meeting your eyes you saw the hue rising on his face once more as he shuffles himself back on the bed to lean his back on the wall while plucking up the remote that laid on your pillow to turn on the T.V. “I’ll even get Satan to help if it will stop you stressin’ so much.”
The sound of the TSL theme song filled the room as you stared at the blushing demon sat on your bed. It was obvious he cared about you even if he didn't want to admit it out loud. That thought alone had a soft warmth spreading through your body. Letting out your final sigh of the night you admitted defeat, scooting yourself back to claim the space next to him.
“Thank you, Mammon. You're the best,” you spoke quietly while leaning your head down onto his shoulder. You felt him physically stiffen next to you. Just because he had hugged you didn't mean you could get all cosy with him now. Not wanting to make him uncomfortable you moved to sit back up properly, however, the arm you were just resting on flew out to circle around your back and gripping your upper arm pulling you back towards him, forcing a sharp breath of surprise out of you as your face landed on his chest.
You were about to question him, tell him he didn't need to hold you anymore but he spoke first. “Damn right I'm the best! Don't you go forgetting it again, human!” despite his bold declaration you could hear the underlying shyness in his voice. You bite your lip to stop your giggle; you simply grin snuggling further into his side. It didn't take long for your eyes to grow heavy.
The sound of Mammon's rhythmic heartbeat was drawing you in like the most perfect lullaby, melting away the stress that had been building for weeks. In this moment, everything was perfectly calm, you felt safe and knew you weren't alone in this hectic adventure in the land of demons. Unable and unwilling to fight the sleep washing over you, your eyes fluttered closed as you lay in the arms of the demon you were undeniably in love with.
As the tendrils of slumber overtook your senses you heard his soothing voice reaching you before your world fell into a restful dreamless sleep.
“You are perfect...Good night, my human.”
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winryofresembool · 3 years
Text
Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 21
aka Caleo uni au
Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…
Chapter summary: Calypso and Annabeth have an important encounter
A/N: Sorry for the lateness! It’s time for some Annabeth action. Just a fair warning, since next Friday is the Christmas day and the Friday after that the New Year, I am not sure when I'm going to be able to post again. Be prepared for at least one week's break, possibly even two. But don't worry because more is definitely coming.
I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think!!
Calypso is the bolded text and Hazel the regular in the texting part.
Words: 2300+
Genre: romance & hurt/comfort
Warnings: none
previous chapter / AO3
Getting Leo to talk to her again was a huge weight off of Calypso’s shoulders, but there was still more to be done. Annabeth still kept to herself during the history lectures and Calypso didn’t want to force her to talk; she felt Annabeth should be the one to initiate it. From what Calypso had heard, Piper had tried to talk to her earlier, but so far Calypso hadn’t noticed any significant changes in Annabeth’s behavior. When she walked into the lecture hall that day, she noticed the blonde girl on the opposite side of the room, focused on her book. Letting a small sigh out of her mouth, she went to her usual seat pretty far from Annabeth.
Since the lecture wouldn’t start for a few more minutes, Calypso decided to use the time by checking her phone. When she opened her WhatsApp, she considered for a moment to whom she should text. Her first instinct told her she should contact Leo, but she imagined he was probably busy going to his own lecture at that moment, so she ended up scrolling through her other contacts instead. Noticing that Hazel seemed to be online, she started typing to her.
10:05: Hi, Hazel
10:05: Hi there! Was just thinking about you!
10:06: You were? How come?
10:06: Frank just texted me that on his morning jog near the campus today he had run into someone he had apparently recently met somewhere (he didn’t tell me where exactly).
10:07: and they had talked for a while.
10:07: At some point Frank mentioned the guy’s first name was Leo. I’m pretty sure it was /the/ Leo!!
10:08: How can you be so sure? I’m sure there are plenty of Leos around this campus. It’s not a rare name.
10:09: no but hear me out. The description matches with what you’ve told me. He said he’s a mechanic with a dog and when I asked Frank what he looked like, he said ‘dark hair, scrawny, eyes look like there’s some mischief going on in that head of his all the time but he’s not actually that bad when you talk to him’
10:09: I admit that does sound like the Leo I know
10:09: I told you! What a small world it is, apparently the boys we’re interested in know each other!
10:10: Still feels so weird when you put it that directly. You’re the only one who knows so far. So please, if you somehow happen to see him as well, don’t say anything.
10:10: Alright, I won’t. But what are /you/ waiting for? If he’s anything like the boys in our art class I’m sure he’s all over you by now.
10:10: Hazel!
10:11: Sorry, sorry. But you did talk to him after that… situation you had?
10:11: I did. We’re good now. Thanks for the advice the other day, by the way. It did help.
10:12: Ha, so you’re saying I gave you good advice. Could that mean that maybe you should also reread what I just said a moment ago?
10:12: Sorry, I gotta go. Something came up. TTYL!
10:13: Calypso!!
10:13: That’s so rude :P
Calypso hadn’t lied, though. She had noticed someone sneaking from the other side of the hall to the seat behind her, and that someone happened to be her friend to whom she hadn’t properly spoken for several weeks now. Trying to stay on her seat as neutrally as possible, still watching her now dark phone screen, she waited for Annabeth to start the conversation.
There was a tap on her shoulder. “Cal…” she finally heard Annabeth’s familiar voice say.
“Yeah?” Calypso asked tentatively, slowly turning on her seat to see the speaker.
“I think we should talk,” Annabeth stated, sounding more like her usual self.
“Um, sure,” Calypso answered but didn’t have time to say more when the professor stopped her, starting the lecture. “After this class, OK?”
“Right.” Annabeth nodded. Then she turned her focus to the professor, but Calypso noticed that not for long. She started doodling something into her notebook and was tapping on the floor with her foot, a habit that Calypso had noticed was very familiar to Leo, especially when he was nervous. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that Annabeth also had dyslexia and ADHD like him. The information seemed to come to her so naturally… but before the Percy incident, Annabeth had revealed that especially when she had been younger she usually had had to read the textbooks at least 5 times before she had finally absorbed what she had read. Later on, with the help of a teacher that actually understood her learning disability, she had learned some other methods that seemed to help her. One side of Calypso thought that it was relieving to see Annabeth show signs of weakness because usually she seemed so good at everything she did that it was mildly intimidating.
Soon Calypso realized that she herself had trouble focusing on what the professor was explaining while thinking about what she should tell Annabeth after the class. What could she say that she already hadn’t in the previous time? That she absolutely hated Annabeth’s boyfriend’s guts? That her flatmate made her feel weird things when they were in the same room so there was absolutely no need to be jealous?
Once the lecture was over, Calypso packed her things and gestured to Annabeth that they should have their conversation outside the lecture hall. They were walking silently until most of their fellow students had split into their own directions and found a quiet spot by the windows. There were some armchairs spread around the corridor to make it seem more comfortable and the girls sat down on two of them.
“I take it you may have changed your mind about me,” Calypso said directly once she had settled on her seat, feeling there was no need to tiptoe around the topic.
“I… yeah,” Annabeth started, and for a brief moment Calypso thought she showed a tiny bit of fragility. Suddenly she realized that maybe Annabeth wasn’t being her usual confident self, because she wasn’t that great at dealing with her feelings. Things like maths, chemistry and physics were simple to her because there were certain rules that needed to be applied. But the human mind was harder to read, Calypso knew that much. “Sometimes I think there are two different Annabeths: one that is very protective and jealous when it comes to the people she cares about, and then there’s the rational Annabeth who tries to yell to the other one that she is being ridiculous. I’m sorry. I overreacted.”
Calypso shook her head. “No, I think I can understand why it bothered you. I hate keeping things from you, but I promised to myself… I mean, it is safer to not get you guys involved.”
“But… why? What could happen?” Annabeth asked, folding her arms.
“I’m not going to go to details but my father… I’m sure you have figured out by now that he is not a nice guy. When he doesn’t like someone, or someone tries to get into his way… Good things don’t usually follow that. And I mean it. There is a very good reason why I moved this far from my previous home. To be honest, I would have liked to go all the way to Greece but that just wasn’t possible.”
“So you’re saying that your father is what you’re afraid of? And he could get us - I mean your friends - into trouble if you shared too much information with us?” Annabeth collected the pieces of the puzzle together.
“Basically, yes. But please, don’t ask more. I may already have said too much,” Calypso said worriedly.
“Don’t worry. My lips are definitely sealed,” Annabeth reassured her.
“Thanks.” Calypso hesitated a bit. “Um, can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead,” Annabeth nodded.
Calypso shifted a bit on her seat, trying to get more comfortable. “If I’m honest, I was not expecting you to forgive me that whole Percy thing that easily. What changed your mind?”
“Well, let me just tell you that you have some very good friends who managed to persuade me.” Annabeth gave her a playful smile.
“Huh? Who?” Calypso knew that Piper had talked to Annabeth but she didn’t know there were others as well.
“First of all, Percy convinced me that there was absolutely no reason to be jealous. I’m not going to tell you how he did it, but he can be pretty sweet when he wants to. Besides, between you and me: Seaweed Brain just can’t lie to me. I can read him like a book.” Annabeth’s smile only widened as she said that.
“OK.” Calypso didn’t think she wanted to hear more about that topic.
“But that wasn’t all. Piper also talked to me,” Annabeth added.
“What did she say?” Calypso asked curiously.
Annabeth’s eyes started sparkling mischievously. “A lot of things,” she started, “but she reminded me of some events that happened before Percy’s arrival that evening.”
“I don’t understand you now,” Calypso pretended to be stupid even though she was already guessing where Annabeth was going with her statement. “What events?”
“I don’t know…” Annabeth tapped her fingers against her forehead. “I think hugging, cupcake sharing and flirty bickering was involved. Keyword: think. I guess the people involved know more about that than I do.”
“That was… that was just us being friendly!” Calypso rushed to deny. “And what was so flirty about our bickering? We do that all the time and I’m not trying to…”
“Relax, Cal,” Annabeth stopped her. “It just kind of reminded me of me and Percy. But if you say so…”
Calypso groaned slightly. “Fine, you won. Again. Maybe… I may be starting to like him. But that doesn’t mean anything. He probably doesn’t like me back. And it wouldn’t work out for various reasons. I… When I moved here, I really thought I could just forget about everything that happened in my past and start to live my life. But it turns out that my past is still following me and stopping me from forming functional relationships. Besides… none of my former relationships worked. I may have been a kid back then but I made some bad decisions and it wrecked my self confidence. I don’t want to get hurt again and I also don’t want to hurt Leo. He has a very good heart, despite his weirdnesses…”
“Calypso, I know from my own experiences that ghosts of your past can be hard to fight. I have had plenty of family issues of my own in the past and they have probably influenced my later decisions, I admit that. But you seem to have taken an attitude that you have to deal with it alone. But you don’t. Let us help you. Maybe I can’t speak for all of us but I know I’m not afraid of your father. It is always possible to fight if you just come up with a good strategy.”
“This is probably a weird comment but that sounded like something I’d imagine the goddess Athena say. Are you sure you’re not her? Or related?” Calypso attempted to joke.
“Last time I checked, all of us were regular people,” Annabeth chuckled. “I admit I’m probably not quite as advanced in the greek mythology as you are although I have studied some of it, of course. But your question reminded me of this book series I read as a kid: Peter Johnson and the Olympians. The characters in it were children of Greek gods and I always wished that I’d be like one of the main characters who was a daughter of Athena.”
“Ooh, I read that series too!” Calypso said enthusiastically. “It was kind of cute although now that I know more about history and Greek mythology, not all the characters are quite like I picture them in my head. But I appreciate the effort to make the mythology more known to young readers.”
“Right! I agree.” Annabeth nodded before realizing they had gotten pretty far from the original topic.  “Sorry, we got a bit sidetracked here. I seriously do hope that you’ll let us help if needed. I myself am gonna try to be more patient and let you do it on your own terms, though.”
“Thanks, Annabeth. Um, about that Leo part, though…” Calypso felt her cheeks heat again and she wanted to curse her silly mind for reacting like that every time she thought about her flatmate. “Would you please be kind and keep it between us? I just really am not ready to deal with that yet…”
“Fine. I’ll let it be. For now. But maybe think about it. Who knows, you could be surprised by what might happen…” Annabeth said mysteriously.
“What do you mean?” Calypso frowned.
“Like I said, there are people who are ready to help you carry your burden even though you’re too absorbed by your issues to notice that. That’s all.”
“O-kay,” Calypso said suspiciously, wondering what Annabeth’s statement implied.
“You should know that one of the people who talked with me was Leo. He said he had noticed that you were feeling pretty down since the… incident and that you seemed to blame yourself for everything. And that you also felt very bad about not being honest. That’s what really opened my eyes and made me decide that I need to get over my grudge that doesn’t even make sense. I got what I wanted, didn’t I? Logically thinking, you should be the one who’s mad at me.”
“That Leo…” Calypso was so focused on that part for a moment that it took her a while to register what else Annabeth had said. “Um, sorry. To be honest, I think the Calypso from a couple of years ago would have been mad. But my priorities have changed and I also realized that Percy is way happier with you.”
“I’m glad you’re not holding a grudge, though,” Annabeth said.
“Life’s too short for that,” Calypso shrugged.
“I guess so. So, we’re friends, right?”
“Right,” Calypso confirmed, giving Annabeth a genuine smile. Some hope had risen in her heart again and she made a mental note to thank a certain mechanic later at home.
10 notes · View notes
ssidesblog · 4 years
Text
frame the halves and call them brothers
remus centric, 2,935 wc, ao3
remus meets janus, who proceeds to psychoanalyze him (and virgil is exhausted)
Remus did not wake up early. Or rather, he didn’t like waking up early, not usually. But that morning, Remus woke up with an excited buzz despite the fact he was awake before 8am on a Saturday. He rushed to get dressed, slipping on a flannel that was two sizes too big and had rips in the wrong places, a pair of black pants (the ones Patton loved to describe as his church pants since they were so ‘holey’), and his pair of blue ladder laced Doc Martens. Looking at himself in the mirror he couldn’t help but grin. Contrary to popular belief, Remus took a great deal of pride in his appearance, and to him, looking like the definition of the word ‘punk’ made him very content and happy. 
His mom sat at the kitchen table, already in her uniform for one of her jobs. Remus walked over to her and bent down to plant a kiss on her cheek. 
“Good morning, sweetheart.” She greeted him. 
“Morning.” He replied with a smile that showed off his chipped tooth. 
“You’re extra excitable this morning.” She commented and stood from her seat. 
“What can I say, I love facing the consequences of my actions.” Remus said, opening a granola bar and following his mom to the front door. She rolled her eyes with a chuckle and grabbed her keys from the hook by the door.  The ride to the school was quiet. Remus knew she was still pissed at him, even more so at Virgil and was not excited for him to be around the kid who beat him up. They pulled up to the school and just as Remus opened the door to leave she spoke. 
“Please behave yourself, mijo.”  She sounded exhausted and looked the part as well. Remus’s stomach knotted when he realized just how tired her whole existence was. He nodded, not trusting himself to talk, and left the car. He watched her pull away with a sort of sadness. He quickly shook away whatever he was feeling and entered the high school. He walked into the gym where Mr. Young was waiting along with a few other students. Remus noted he didn’t see Virgil, meaning he was early to something for once. He sat down on the bleachers and shortly after Virgil walked in with someone Remus vaguely recognized from a few of his classes. The two walked over to Remus. 
“I just don’t understand how you can be stupid enough to also get detention.” Virgil said to the kid next to him. 
“I don’t think it’s fair,” The other person spoke, “Writing on the bathroom stalls shouldn’t result in this kind of punishment.” 
“You wrote ‘fuck 12’, Janus, what the hell did you think would happen?” Virgil asked incredulously. 
“Well I didn’t think I would get caught.” The kid, Janus, replied in a grumble. 
“You making fun of me for being a wannabe punk when your boyfriend acts like that is kinda fucked up, Hot Topic.” Remus said, inserting himself into the conversation. Virgil gagged while the other kid made a face of pure disgust.
“Never say that ever again, we’re brothers.” Virgil said. 
“Oh, fuck, sorry I couldn’t really tell,” Remus said looking from one to the other, “I’m guessing you’re step brothers or something?” 
“Actually, we’re twins, I just happened to get all the melanin,” Janus stated and then gestured to the left side of his face where splotches of pale skin stood in a contrast to the rest of his dark complexion, “Virge did have some kind of influence though.” 
 Remus nodded in understanding and Virgil looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze. 
“Please tell me you don’t actually believe that.” Virgil spoke in a desperate tone. Remus laughed a little too hard. 
“I know I’m dumb but I’m not stupid.” Remus said. Virgil put his head in his hands and mumbled something Remus interpreted as ‘I want to go home’. He lifted his head and looked from Janus to Remus. He leaned closer to Remus and lowered his voice. 
“My brother kinda hates you for punching me.” 
“It’s ok,” Remus spoke in a similar hushed tone, “My brother hates me for punching you, too.” Virgil raised his eyebrow but didn’t question any further, to which Remus was thankful. Roman wasn’t a fun topic to talk about unless Remus was making fun of him and right now, even thinking about him was making him upset. 
“Ok, kids,” Mr. Young addressed the less than 10 people in the room, “Each of you will be cleaning up the campus. We have proctors all around campus so don’t do anything that will get you into even more trouble. Come grab a trash bag and gloves and hop to it.” He gestured to the pile of garbage bags and boxes of gloves. Each of the kids shuffled over and grabbed their supplies. 
Once they were outside, Remus, Virgil, and Janus stuck together and picked up the same area in relative silence. Remus bent down to pick up a half eaten sandwich when he noticed Janus’s shoes; blue ladder laced Doc Martens. He grinned and fully stood up. 
“You killed a cop, too?” Remus practically shouted the question and gained the attention of the two boys, along with a few bewildered looks from surrounding students. 
“Excuse me?!” Virgil asked, his voice going up an octave or two. Janus looked down at Remus’s boots and then his own, a knowing look on his face. 
“Seeing as how this little shit,” Janus nodded in the direction of Virgil, “Beat the fuck out of you, I seriously doubt you killed a cop.” Remus barked out a laugh. 
“Half-pint has some moves you wouldn’t believe.” Remus pointed to his tooth and Janus moved closer to get a better look. 
“The little raccoon did that?” He asked with amusement in his voice. Remus nodded. 
“He pulled my head back and smashed my face into the ground,” Remus recounted the moment with a sense of nostalgia in his voice, “My mouth just so happened to be open.” 
“You don’t sound angry about it.” 
“Because I’m not,” The grin in his voice was evident, “I’ve always wanted to get into a fight and now I have a way of remembering it.” Janus gave a small smile and Remus counted that as a win. 
“Is your nose ok?” Virgil asked. 
“It’s fine, kid, no need to feel guilty.” Remus reassured him. It was feeling a whole lot better than the day before, the bruising made it look a lot worse than it felt. 
“I still can’t believe you did that, bub.” Janus spoke with pride as he ruffled Virgil’s hair, “I raised you well.” 
“You’re barley even a year older than me shut the fuck up.” Virgil’s voice didn’t actually hold any malice. 
“Oh, you’re older than us?” Remus asked, adding, “I could have sworn I’ve seen you in some of my classes.” 
“Oh, no me and you are the same age,” Janus said with a shit eating grin on his face, “V here skipped a grade so he’s a little baby.” Janus had turned on his baby voice and squished Virgil’s face. 
“Get the fuck away from me.” Virgil said and swatted his hands away. 
“Awww, little piss baby.” Remus cooed. 
“I hate both of you so much.” Virgil said, giving each of them a pointed look. 
“You know you love me.” Janus said and wrapped his arms around his younger brother, swaying a little from side to side. Virgil mumbled something into his shirt that made Janus chuckle. Remus watched them and felt a little part of his chest ache. 
“You’re not so bad, Remus.” Janus said, letting go of Virgil. 
“I’m all sorts of bad, but I appreciate it.” Remus said. 
They finished cleaning with a lot more talking and joking around. Remus felt happy having people to interact with who were brand new to his life. It was like a breath of fresh air. Once they were dismissed, Remus walked to the front of the school with the two brothers. 
“Do you wanna go over to the gas station?” Janus asked him. 
“I don’t have any money on me.” Remus said, shifting on his feet. 
“Don’t worry about it, V can buy you a slushie.” Janus said, already walking in the direction of the nearby 7/11. 
“Why do I have to buy it?” 
“You’re the one who beat the shit out of him, it’s the least you can do.” Janus said and winked to Remus. He snorted. Janus looked over at him and squinted, searching for something in his face. 
“I’m flattered, really, but it’s awfully rude to stare.” Remus said. 
“You look familiar.” Janus mumbled. Then his face lit up, “You do theatre, right?” Remus groaned. 
“No, that’s my brother.” He couldn’t help the disgust evident in his voice. 
“Oh, are you two twins?” He asked. 
“Sadly, yes.” Remus responded. 
“You don’t seem very fond of him.” Remus bit the inside of his cheek. 
“We just have a complicated history.” He said. Virgil and Janus both raised an eyebrow and maybe Janus’s joke about them being twins wasn’t too far off. 
“Aren’t twins supposed to be, like, super close and shit?” Virgil asked. 
“Virgil.” Janus said his name like a warning. 
“No, it’s fine, Roman and I are just,” Remus paused to think of a way to describe their dichotomy, “different. He’s the golden boy and I’m clearly not.” Remus said and gestured to himself. 
“Comparison creates a divide and causes nothing but harm.” Janus told him. 
“That’s the thing,” Remus was starting to get angry, “I was never the one to start comparing. It was our dad who always favored Roman. Roman who does nothing for himself; he people pleases and has no sense of an actual identity. But because he can follow the rules he’s the good twin.” Remus hit the crosswalk button harder than necessary. 
“You seem a lot more interesting.” Virgil said 
“Agreed.” Remus gritted through his teeth. 
“So then, why are you jealous of him?” Janus asked. Remus turned to him. 
“I’m not jealous of him.” 
“Yes you are.” He stated
“Janus likes to psychoanalyze everyone.” Virgil informed Remus. The crosswalk flashed the little picture of the man walking and the three boys imitated the motion.
 Remus thought about what Janus said as the two boys started a conversation of their own. Was he jealous of Roman? There was no way. Roman was self absorbed and egotistical, but only on surface level. He and Roman may not get along too well but they knew each other like the back of their hand. Remus knew how insecure Roman was, always scared of losing his good image, letting himself hide away parts of himself to look less weird. Remus was happier, Remus was unabashedly himself. So, why was he jealous of Roman?
“You ok, Rem?” Virgil asked, successfully gaining his attention. 
“Oh, uh, yeah I’m fine.” Remus responded. Virgil nodded and followed Janus inside the 7/11. Remus walked in after him. 
“What flavor do you want?” Virgil asked, grabbing a cup and a lid. 
“Mix the blue and the Coke.” Virgil made an audible noise of disgust but complied. He wandered over to the chip aisle and Remus went to the back where Janus looked at the cold drinks. 
“You never answered my question.” Janus spoke, not taking his eyes away from the energy drinks in front of him. 
“I don’t really have an answer for you, I don’t know why I am. If you asked my therapist it probably has something to do with my dad.” 
“That’s what all therapists say.” Janus opened the case and crouched down, picking up two cans of Monster. 
“I mean, they aren’t wrong, dads are just like that.” Remus accepted one of the cans. 
“I wouldn’t know, I grew up with two moms.” 
“That’s why you’re so put together, no trauma of having a father.” Remus said. Janus laughed and Remus decided it was one of the prettiest sounds he’d ever heard. 
“Why do you need a Monster if you also have a slushie?” Virgil asked, exasperated. 
“Extra energy.” He replied, handing him the drink. Virgil rolled his eyes and went up to the counter. 
“I don’t think Roman is as boring as you think.” Janus said. 
“You know him?” Remus asked. 
“I’ve spoken with him a few times, he’s very active in theatre and so am I.”
“So you knew I wasn’t him?” Remus asked. 
“He’s interesting in his own way,” Janus avoided Remus’s question, “I think you need to give him a chance.” 
“Easy for you to say, you and Virgil seem like perfect siblings.” Remus knew he sounded bratty but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 
“When I first met him, I absolutely hated him,” Janus started, “I was 11 and suddenly I had a younger brother. I was in a new home and the only familiar part of my life was my mom and even then she had split her time between me and Virgil. I didn’t want anything to do with him. I thought he was weird and too quiet. Poor kid just had anxiety and me and my mom moving in did nothing to help. I had to give him a chance and once I did, we found we were similar in our own ways, but more importantly, we were different. Now, I can’t imagine a life where he isn’t my brother.” Remus looked at Janus in awe. 
“Give Roman a chance, he may be completely different than you but what’s so bad about that?” Janus gave him a smile that on anyone else would look disingenuous but with him it was the most open expression Remus had ever seen on anyone. Remus could only nod. 
“Is J getting all philosophical on you?” Virgil joined Remus’s side as Janus went to pay, “I keep telling him not to do that to people. He’s so weird.” There was a smile on his face as he spoke, as if just the mention of his brother made him happy. 
“You’re one to talk.” Remus knocked Virgil’s shoulder with his own. 
“I know the kid who brought a worm into class, claiming it to be his pet is not lecturing me about being weird right now.” Virgil said and Remus laughed. 
“I forgot about that, I miss that little guy.”  Virgil rolled his eyes with a certain fondness in his expression. He handed Remus his drinks as Janus joined the two. They walked back to the front of the school to wait for Virgil and Janus’s mom. 
“It was nice meeting you, Remus, we should hang out again.” Janus said as a way of goodbye. Virgil waved and off the two boys were. Remus stood up and started his walk to his house. He didn’t live too far away and was at his house in less than 20 minutes. He entered the house and found Roman sitting in the living room, watching something on TV. 
“Didn’t detention get out like, an hour and a half ago?” Roman asked and eyed the slushie and can of Monster in his hand, a sort of sadness in his eyes. 
“I went to 7/11 with Emo and Janus.” He said and walked over to him. 
“You know Janus?” Roman asked in surprise. 
“I met him today, those two are actually brothers.” Remus laughed at Roman’s disbelieving expression. “I know, it’s a small world.” He handed Roman the Monster. He took it hesitantly. 
“I’m glad you had fun.” He said and opened the drink. They were quiet for a few minutes, Remus joining him on the couch and half paying attention to what Roman had put on the TV (it was Hannah Montana; he only watched that when he needed a distraction). 
“Why were you so mad when I got into that fight?” Remus finally asked. Roman chewed on his lip in thought before finally responding, voice soft. 
“Because I didn’t want you to get hurt. And I didn’t want you doing something you would regret and beat yourself up about later.” Remus felt a pang in his heart. 
“You saying you actually care about me?” Remus meant for it to come out as a joke, but the way his voice cracked and went quieter just made it sound pathetic. 
“Of course I care about you, you’re my brother.” 
Remus took in a deep breath and sipped from his drink. 
“I’m sorry.” He said after a pause. 
“Dude, are you ok?” Roman’s voice was filled with worry. Remus managed a breathy laugh. 
“Yeah, I am. Thank you for the concern, Ro,” Remus smiled at him, “It means a lot.” Remus kept his voice low so it wouldn’t crack, so it wouldn’t push pressure on his throat, so he wouldn’t cry. Roman nodded and turned back towards the TV. 
Remus knew it was going to be hard. Roman had always been this ideal his dad set for him, more of an idea than a person. And Remus thought, maybe, he’d always hold some kind of resentment towards him. But Janus was right. Roman was different in almost every way, but he was still himself. In the same way Remus was himself. Eventually, he would come to accept that, but for now, Remus was content watching Hannah Montana on their couch, on the verge of tears, Roman’s head somewhere else entirely. They were a collective mess of trauma but at the end of the day they were still brothers and Remus couldn’t imagine it any other way. 
31 notes · View notes
monkey-network · 4 years
Text
Who is Best Girl in Konosuba?
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Welcome back, fellow weebs, to Media & Entertainment Developers Essentials Lessons Book. Today on MEDELB, we’re discussing the question that existed since one of the most disastrous years in the 21st century, 2017. A question that dives into one the greatest anime of all time. Yes, even better than Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, and Steven Universe. I am talking about KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! Today we’re discussing: who is best girl? Aqua? Darkness? Megumin? Your father?
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Now it’s important to know that KonoSuba is genius because it supports judicial simplication, a professional term that I can break down for you. Judicational Sampling is the idea that a free society does not impinge on the actual taxing benefits of localized source banks. KonoSuba is genius because it made a lot of money... to make more KonoSuba. It is not Disney, whom is the greatest bottom in the Hollywood industry, but in truth I wouldn’t want it to be. Sometimes, genius is fine where it is and you shouldn’t question it. There are people who question why KonoSuba originated as a light novel, and those people are to be shunned because they also believe Harry Potter is worth reading, straight people are bad, and that ranch dressing is good on pizza. You know, the alt-right and we have enough problems on our hands as it is. And as the great Joe Biden once said,
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But today’s focus will be on discussing on who is best girl and how that affects our society. And if you are one of the people unaware of this discussion, then perhaps you should realize that any comments you have contradict themselves and function as your self-righteous wannabe soapbox. In short, you’re acting like a su crit, so please read history. Because ultimately, I am a proud KonoSuba kinnie and member of the intellectual anime community founded by the General Rebecca Sugar. I would appreciate it if you would recognize the context and respect. It. Because ultimately again, I sent you all a respectful anon about this earlier today which you ignore and this sounds, smell, looks, feels, tastes... like Racism. But back to KonoSuba, let us discuss Megumin.
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Now, Megumin is a good person. She can create explosions which are big.... explosions, this represents her pride. She wears red which is the color of your blood, so that could mean satanic blood pacts. Megumin represents the resolve in critical deductive intelligent smart reasoning where blind subservience has been... eradicated. But what is blind, subservience? For a simple understanding, think of it as the cooked Molotov of slice of life shows or some other perceptively anodyne prosaic internationalized statement.
Overall, Megumin is a short person so choosing her as best girl is pedophilia and if you try to tell me otherwise, you are a nazi troll and deserve the chamber. And if you agree with me, don’t speak if you’re Afro-American like myself. Because this is just a cartoon for kids and you’re complaining too much about it. Or am I?
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Next, we have Darkness, which is a force parallel to light and is also used in the form of attacks in the Kingdom Hearts universe. Those who follow the path of Darkness will usually gain untold power at the expense of something of their former selves, so this naturally explains why she is an explicit masochist. Then again, her real name is Lalatina Dustiness Ford which explains a lot more. We continue asking who she is, and what she is, but nobody is asking how Darkness is. Because looking like the poster child for Aryan superiority with her blonde hair and blue eyes, she isn’t capable of being best girl because that would mean the guillotine for you and I love you too much to not let that happen. She is overall the better character for inventing good things like the dominatrix, but she cannot be best girl because she is a good character and supports capitalism. I too support capitalism but I hate people who think capitalism is alright, if that makes sense.
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Aqua is a better contender for best girl because I was fortunate enough to see less porn of her. Kazuma notably has called her worthless, but Kazuma is what internet users would call an braincel. He played video games, so obviously he isn’t one to be speaking on value. Aqua was able to survive getting vored by a frog multiple times, so clearly she is more cunning than the average E-girl. Aqua is able to make the most of her situation and entertain people with watersports.... and tricks. Kingdoms Hearts wishes it had a character named Aqua as cool as this one, but then again, you’d have to wait 4 more years for KH4 so what life would you have? She is mostly blue, which is a color, and I prefer it when anime has color. If it doesn’t, it’s racist. As the wise Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez once said this last November, 
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This Disproves Objective Analysis.
She represents the element of the holy flood thesis joining the narrative tripling in subsequent disagreement that there any factual basis to the truth that Kazuma is wrong but because there’s simple authentic observation there is no objective truth. Plus she cries a lot, and if there’s anything I learned from Steven Universe, it’s that if you cry good enough, you can topple entire totalitarian empires. Except for General Rebecca Sugar, because she can smell your fear and absorb it accordingly. She is basically the Mother Teresa of animation. Again, great contender. But we have to consider the others so let’s move on.
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Next, we have Wiz. 
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Next, we have Sylvia from their first and latest movie. It’s as they say, if it is new, it is better. I believe Sylvia is more than the sum of their parts, they are caring and charismatic and can turn into a powerful creature. None of the other characters can turn into a powerful creature, and that is why they possess internalized misogyny. The slimy veneer of quasi empiricism can be a very disgusting tool for nefariously slipping in one’s own rotten viewpoint or value. One that you know might otherwise be c̷h̵a̷l̸l̸e̴n̴g̴e̸d̴ ̵a̸s̴ ̸r̵i̷t̸u̵a̷l̵i̴s̵t̷i̴c̵a̷l̶l̵y̶ ̶s̷u̸p̸e̸r̶l̴a̷t̴i̶v̵e̸ ̵o̶r̸ ̷p̶e̵r̵h̷a̵p̵s̵ ̷y̵o̴u̸ ̸t̵h̴i̴n̸k̵ ̷t̴h̶a̶t̶ ̶w̷͍͍̠͉͚̦̦͛̔̓͗̏ā̵̛̬̜̂͋ṙ̸̨̐̌̈̅ ̸̦͔̣̮͔͋̊̑̕i̷̛͎̽̅́͑s̴̠̩̟̝͙̍̏̀͌̑̕ ̷͚͔̦̜̜͊̾̽͊͂j̸̡̨̣̙̮̓͘ų̵̣͚̹̱̐͌̎̑̈̎̆s̶̢͚̺͉̰͂̄̉̾͑ț̵̤̭͔̲̲̮̀͒̏̐̓ ̵̡̙̟̖͐́͋͝p̷̙̳̣̫͍̬͗̽͒̀e̸̻̯̽̆̇́͑͒a̵̡̞̣̫̫̯̰̿͛̅̄̅͂c̷̀͐̊͗͝ͅē̵̠͕̫̙ ̶̻̼̳͑̓̈́̿͐ŵ̷̼̝̣͇̞̞̺̍͋i̸̠͓̪̣̜͍̘͊͂̀̄t̸̟̣͉̼͑̒͜h̵̥̗̲̩̑̏́͜ ̵̡̠͉̝̾̆̌̇͐e̷̢̨̼̺͖̒̈́̃̃̆x̸̟̟͂́̄̍͛́̄t̴͖̣̼̫͇͐͋̆̽̎̚r̷͎̙̯͈͉̲̚a̵̩͎̥̺̮͂̀̃̚ ̸̠̜̣̥̜͍̠̌ṡ̴̢̡̐̽̅̃̇ͅt̴̖̣̹͙̙̼̟̔̐̚͝͝ĕ̵͔͍̤̼̂͌̐̑p̸̡̹̪̻͔̬͕̃̚s̸̫̙̈͛̉̋̉͝ ̶͔͚̽͝y̸̨̘͎̠͕̺̽̉̃o̶̜̥̺͔͑̏ͅu̵̓͜ ̴̨̦͉̀̊͊̓̌̃f̶̢̮̱̳̖̟̼̰͒̊̈͜i̸̯̼̫̩͚̇̉l̸̢̢̯̗̠̪̹͈͎͚̬̭̮̣̬̿̈́̍͘t̸͕͕̮̻̭̰̬͎̻̰̬̙̟̀́̍̋h̷̡̡͎͙̘̩̞̤̰̳͖͙̺͈̅̓͆ͅy̴̡̢̳̤̮̘̻͚̲̪̳̭̗̙͈̽́̔̄̓͊̅̍̓͗͑̓̈̿͝,̵̛͙͚̒͐̍̅̓͗͌̕ ̷̢̡͚̮̜͚͈̖̥̳̹̦̙͈̄́́͛̈́̈́ͅt̸̛̼̯̯̠̰͓̩͍̺̊̽̔͂͑̕ë̵̢̖͕̰͕̜̹̰̫͙̣̩͈́͐͐̿̆̽͌̓̀͐̊̑̀̆͗̕͜ͅͅs̴̢̡̜̯̀͋͛͒͐̌̓̕t̸̠̳̱̙̃̓̽̈̔͗̏̋̓̈̏ ̷̧̧̤͉̦̲̜͔̫̤̯́̽͊̕̚t̸̘̲̼̜̱̿̿͑̽́̈́͋̔͘u̶͍̞̜͛͜b̸̛̯̙̼̜͙̏̓̄̽͆̏͘͝ẹ̷̛̉̑̂ ̵̡̡̞͓̱̤̞̫͛̎̆͘͝b̸̡̡̟̫̱́̔̓̋͗̃̊ǫ̶͍͕̼̥̳͕͖̥͈̼̳̎̒͋ͅŕ̶̢̨̧̛̞̝̰̠͍̥̓͛͗͛̃̏̂ņ̷͔̞̜̟̱̮͍͎̹̬̠̰̳̌͠͝,̸̙͕͓̟̥̜͛ ̶̛͓͊̉̑̍̀̿̽̅̓̂͝͝a̷̧͕͎̜̮̟͚̮̦̜̝̺̿̈́̍̀͂̔͝ņ̴̛̰̮̟̤̭̘̲̠̹̲̟̎̉͂̃̈́̅̂͒͑͠͝ͅͅṱ̶̛̥̘̬̖̳̤͈̟̫̻̘̻̅́̿̓͂̒͂̓̏̐̔̈́̊̊͜į̷̧̱͚̱͉̲̺̬͕̙̀̅̔̆-̷̫͈̳̩͔̠͕͖̹̲̓͊̂̅̈́̔̈́̔̍̎̒̇͌́̃͘͜͜S̶̘̻̱͖̗̠̩̥̝̺̻͕̪̯̊͒͆̽͐́̀͠͝ͅJ̸̨̝̲̬͕͈̘̞̠̱͖̮̒͑̈́̎̃̄̍̃̚͘̚͝ͅͅẂ̸̡̖͉̞͍̙̲͈͈̜̼̪̯̱͇͉̋́͋̎́͗̿̋̈́͂̈́̽̉̚ ̴̣͓̼̟̼̬̙̜͈̰̼̼̖̣̆̅̋̽̕͝͠C̷̙͉̭̜̭̞̝̲̳̰̊̓̃͝E̵̤̟̮͠N̵̨̢̼̱̺̭̦̟̳̪̻̘̿͛̀͜ͅT̸̹͚̆͆͐̊̀̏͑̓̈͝ͅR̸̛̮̲͇̼̻͇̹̙̞̤͎̗̾̊̈́͊͗̋͑̅̿̓̐̔̔͝͝ͅI̵̧̩͕̼̱͚͈̻͎̮̝̖̰̐̑͛̎̂̃̇̇̀̈́́̃̕͠S̶̞̘͔̈́̒̑͒́T!! But, Sylvia is dead, so as much as I wanted to consider, they can’t be best girl so we must move on. 
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Next we have Yunyun. It is said that she “forms a rivalry with Megumin as an excuse to create a friendship.” Now we could call her a beta cuckquean, but that would imply you have a life outside a human being. As our current president once said, 
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I’m never a Trump supporter myself, but this is wisdom I can kinda get behind regardless. Sure he ghost wrote this, but not all wisdom comes from the mouth. However, Yunyun represents the normalcy of KonoSuba, and as such could be a nice change of pace for those too dependent on the definitive waifu. She has big jiggly boobs, sure, but have you ever considered that her boobs have, personality? A lot of otakus and bronies have not been understanding this as of late, as I feel we’ve overlooked something far more important: Tactile anime feel. We can stare at breasts all we wish, but how realistic are her proportions? You can say it’s fiction all you want, and you’d be right, but if I’m envious that the fiction women have better boobs than mine, my opinion is now better than yours. What I’m getting at is that Yunyun is like a ghost, you try to find her, you search for them, and you look for them, and you try to find them, but you can’t find them, thus they are empty handed.
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The last contender is Kazuma, who is the villain of KonoSuba because he doesn’t act like the typical isekai protagonist. He isn’t like Kirito from SAO who was almost involved in incest or Sonic the Hedgehog who believed stalking people is okay as long as you’re alone. As Luigi Mario once said, “It is common, but not too common.” He spits in the face of a critically stupid people because he believes in true gender equality. Those who don’t believe in this philosophy are mostly women, and that’s okay. He must clearly be best girl because he is asserted with the phrase “Give and take”. Most people complain about 11 hour Youtube videos, but they can hardly spend three hours overthrowing their bastardizing governments. Which is why Ligma is not running in the 2020 presidential election, because you keep putting your time in the wrong cubby hole. KonoSuba is a complicated anime, and Kazuma is the crux of that complication. So the sooner you can understand Kazuma, the more you’ll understand KonoSuba; that is why he’s considerably best girl. Otherwise, go play World of Warcraft like the mainstream loving psuedo-intellectual toesucking simp that you are.
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To conclude, KonoSuba has a lot to think about for a smart people. Choosing best girl is not about finding your interest, it’s about avoiding callout culture because you have shit taste. If there’s enough controversy, I avoid it unless it can benefit me in the long and short term. Clearly Aqua is the choice for when you yourself have little to prove, Yunyun understandably for when you have nothing to gain, Kazuma for when you want to feel better about yourself. In any case, if you are not horny on main, you are probably the reason Trump got elected because you are yourself sexually fascistic. Sorry, I don’t make the rules and ergo this post was never made for you. Real, in-depth nitty gritty perspective, prescriptive criteria for denationalization context barriers are still alive on the internet. Ultimately, we must decide on whether or not this was all worth it. Simplicity is hard to strive for, but that is why people only use five percent of another’s argument. Or else we’re fans of the She-ra reboot, always over-complicating the idea that kinship will save the day in the end and thinking the creator didn’t copy the great works of famous Shark Tale actor Martin Scorsese. You know? Tankies. I myself have made a long post expressing this complicated issue, but then again, I am a chronophobe. I fear time and I would appreciate if you wouldn’t timeshame me, you potential ablest. So in truth, you choose who is best girl because you are valid. Not more than I but still.
Thank you for reading my post. If you liked this essay, please comment. It’s free. If you liked my paypal, please donate. It’s free. Sharing this would be highly appreciated. It’s free. Dollar Dash Share is offering a free shaving earbud for the first ten sign ups when you use the promo code, ‘MNKY’. Make sure to try out their Curiosity streaming service and use the 5000 silver to unlock new warriors or maps. Thank you for reading............ KonoSuba.
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mountphoenixrp · 3 years
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We have a new citizen in Mount Phoenix:
                                         Hodr, the God of Winter,                      whose origins stem from Ancient Scandinavia.                                     He is now the owner of Nysnö.
FC NAME/GROUP: Kim Jaejoong | JYJ/Soloist GOD NAME: Hodr PANTHEON:  Norse OCCUPATION: Tailor, Owner of Nysnö HEIGHT: 1m80 DEFINING FEATURES:
- Porcelain complexion, very easy to get tanned or sunburnt
- Big, watery, and expressive eyes with natural eyebags  
- Tattoos:
+ Two quotes on the left chest: Deferto Neminem (Accuse no man), Always keep the faith
+ A pyramid with an eye and a set of horns, with three dots above on the left wrist
PERSONALITY: Just like what the last season of a year would offer to the world, Hodr’s got that quiet yet immense power to free, to freeze, and to frighten.
More often than not, he is the literally coolest individual found in any place he’s been to, and his too-cool-for-you resting face with porcelain complexion won’t help. But no, he’s not just a walking ice statue, and yes, he knows how to socialize and even tell jokes – the ones that would help listeners not to try so hard for a pity laugh. He looks aloof and is aloof most of the time, until the situation calls for what he can contribute. Although he may not be the fastest to offer a hand, Hodr would only offer what he’s best at. And actually, after thousands of years of trial and error, the winter god is confident to say that he’s a well-qualified player in quite many different fields in life. And does that make him cocky, sassy, savage at times? Yes dear, all checked.
On the more serious note, this icy god would be often seen alone, being absorbed in a book, something on the screen, or just in his own thoughts. It doesn’t mean he’s unaware of his surroundings at those times; in fact, the reverse is true. Hodr has a keen eye for detail, which would make him the perfect go-to person if you want your new hair cut, new glasses, or even a tiny pimple near your hairline, to get some attention. The god likes to give honest compliments, moral support, physical support, basically what it takes to help others feel more confident in themselves. In some senses, he could be seen as an amateur life coach. And a great drink buddy. He himself isn’t really confident in his flirting skills, but if you’re looking for at-least-acceptable courtship, relationship, or situationship advice, Hodr can manage to give you some.  
However, Hodr would take his sweet time to warm up to others, not because he needs to consider if they would worth his time, but the exact another way around. Despite his well-put-together demeanor, insecurity and fear of abandonment are some of the challenges he’s still striving to conquer. Also, Hodr’s developed this odd determination to make as few mistakes as possible, hence his over-meticulousness and indecision, also explains why he might take months to finish a suit. Yet, if one gives him enough patience and understanding, guarantee that they would get the best-customized suit on earth, and probably a (some sort of) friend in this Norse god of winter.  
HISTORY:
  Before Ragnarok
What was the fun of being the forgotten son of Odin? Nothing much - or should it be phrased almost nothing at all – except for the plethora of aloneness, which equaled to ultimate freedom in Hodr’s book.
The God of Winter was born with eyes that could only see the depth of his own soul and not one of the universe’. At first, it was a curse, then a blessing in disguise, for it gave him the privilege to stay away from the frenzied dance of life and death, of battles and romances, of wisdom and stupidity, those that most other Norse deities had always relished. Hodr preferred, almost thrived on, his blissful solitude. He loved it when he could turn not only one, but both blind eyes, to the surrounding chaos. And it was like a seed planted on barren land, the desire to be at the center of attention and adoration like his dear brother Baldur was. From the first day of existence, Hodr had already understood this. His brother was born to be loved, and he was born to be left alone.
In the serendipity sang by the winter breezes, Hodr had heard his final. Or finals, to be exact. That yes, he was born to with a cursed blessing like no others, that he could make use of it to keep trouble at least a winter away, but that wasn’t meant to last forever. Nothing supposed to last forever, especially when – no matter how different they were – all the Norse deities have been waiting for the Ragnarok since the beginning of their fate.
“I, too, shall die,” he informed one night at the gales caressing his porcelain cheeks. The gales, reminded of the anticipated farewell, hurled in despair. Hodr smiled, the warmest a god of winter could muster. “Behave yourself while I’m away, won’t you?” The winter gales laughed out their response.
And they kept wuthering. Their mighty roars got deafening the day Loki showed up with a mistletoe spear; the sound so deafening Hodr could not really hear what they were trying to say, but the spear had already been thrown away, aiming at a target even his wildest imagination could not let him to see.
When he knew was when it was too late to know. Baldur’s death came much faster than his belated realization. He abhorred Loki, with just one tenth the hatred he had dedicated to himself. Loki’s natural couldn’t outshine his exceptional gullibility; his wrongdoing couldn’t be anything else but a proof of foolishness.  
The forgotten outcast was now the greatest sinner. Hodr melted into an epitome of guilt and agony.
The mighty Odin went berserk, of course he would. Hodr could tell what was coming – a decision, a revenge, exactly what he was expecting to. It was another blessing that he did not have to wait for long. One day after Baldur’s death, Vali was born. Just as great as their father, he had completed his sole duty of showing Hodr the way back to nothingness with utter ease. There was no sign of protest from Hodr.
But no one could rest in peace.
Winter did not keep its promise to its God. The freezing gales kept hurling their inconsolable anger. Ice and snow waged war against all gods and men, buried three summers under their thick white blood, and no living left undamaged.
That was how Fimbulwinter started, and how the world began to end.
After Ragnarok
Hodr couldn’t tell how long it had passed between his death and his resurrection. Probably a Ragnarok apart, or that was what he had heard from the survivors. How could he return to life? Why him and not some other much more deserved warriors? No one, including winter, could give him a convincing answer.
What he’d known was that Baldur had also come back to life – the best news Hodr heard since his existence. No blames, no cries, only understanding, and family bond were shared again between the two Odin’ sons, which, until now, still surprised Hodr somehow.
Asgard and the other eight worlds were quick to recover, teeming with life. The winter gales had stopped wuthering. Yet, there were still so many questions left, to which if he did not find the answers, no one - even his greatest of a father - could.
Is this all the reasons why I have been here on earth?
Is there anything else I should know? Learn? Master?
Is there any other place I should go? Anyone else I should meet?
Is there really something called ‘true love’? What is love though, anyway?
Hodr spent the next millennia on self-discovery and re-discovery. On learning and un-learning. On growing up, getting wiser, bolder. On figuring out that actually, his hands were actually much more skillful than they were thought to be. On being a god, then being a god in a human vessel. On falling in, then out of love.
It turned out that true love was real. Hodr felt lucky that unlike humans, whose single-use lives might be too short to find one or too long it was hard to tell it apart of the false ones, he was really deep in it a couple of times. All of the romances he got the chance to co-create, some faded into memories, some into scars, some into a holy mess. But Hodr had learned that just like everything else on this universe, true love wouldn’t last forever. At this point of his seemingly endless quest of knowledge and self-improvement, Hodr was pretty sure that he had raised an army of those who loved him, and an equal-size one of those who hated his guts.
Winter wasn’t meant to be adored by everyone, was it?
But now, let’s get back to a couple months ago, when Hodr was chilling with a long-term fellow god at a corner of a bustling bar. Both were in their newest human vessels, drinking cold beer and talking about what on earth they should try next for this human lifetime. At some points in their unplanned plans discussion, his friend raised a random question.    
“Have you tried out Mount Phoenix?”
“What is a mount phoenix?”
“No, it’s the Mount Phoenix. A magical island of gods and their half-human kids. Some of your kids are there as well, I think. Go figure it out!”
So, in the next morning, Hodr woke up sober, packed his bags and himself, and cruised to the Mount Phoenix to figure it out, first and foremost for the thrill of new adventures. Soon, the universe once again showed him that there were still so many things in its pockets that he hadn’t even heard about just yet. Hodr was intrigued, so he chose to stick around the island probably a little longer to seriously figure things out.
He’s also been mastering the art of making suits, by the way.
POWERS:
Winter Manipulation: Able to induce the intensity of winter and that of other elements in its realm, including cold, death, and solitude to some extent.
Water Manipulation: Able to create, shape, manipulate water in solid, liquid, and gas states, also change water from one state to others. Able to create ice objects, including weaponry.
Cold Manipulation: Able to create, shape, and manipulate cold, making everything (including living things) colder with direct or close-ranged contact, ranging from mild coolness to freezing point.
Cold Immunity: Be immune and completely invulnerable to both cold’s direct and indirect effects.  
Cold Empowerment: Will be quickly energized or become physically stronger, faster, more durable once in contact with cold.
STRENGTHS:
Hodr is an epitome of the phrase ‘aging like a fine wine.’
He’s very much open-minded, quick-witted, and is a diligent learner. Learn best by trial and error.
If one can withstand the cold, they would get a compassionate, reliable, and loyal companion in him.
He’s pretty much dexterous, and likes to make things with his hands and not his power.
He’s got good taste in fashion. Surprise, surprise!
WEAKNESSES:
He’s cursed with bad eyesight, no matter how good the condition of his vessel’s eyes is. Can’t live without medical glasses or contact lenses.
High heat is Hodr’s nemesis. He’ll rarely enjoy hot food or drinks, and will become noticeably lethargic during summers.
He’s quite slow to open up to new faces, may let his doubts misguide his mind, and can be frustratingly indecisive at times.
He’s still somewhat gullible to those he loves or considers to be trusted friends.
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kammieceleek · 4 years
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STUPID SIMS CHALLENGE!
Well, here’s something I’m sure nobody will pay attention to, but here goes.
This is called the ‘Tudor Challenge’ because, unlike most challenges where you play as a woman and move her up, you’re going to be playing as a guy this time around.  More specifically you will be playing as King Henry VIII, one of the most notorious monarchs in English history.  And this challenge will be split up by wife because we all know he had six of them.
Catherine of Aragon:  Divorced
Henry’s first marriage to Princess Catherine lasted twenty-four years and ended in divorce.  In order to complete this portion of the challenge, you must marry Catherine as a teen (enable teen marriage) and after she’s been married to your older brother Arthur.  The two of you will have one child—Mary—but because you’re Henry, you will have several mistresses and one son with somebody other than Catherine.  When you are both adults (not young adults, full-on adults), you divorce her and move onto the next part.
Anne Boleyn:  Beheaded
Anne Boleyn caught your eye while you were married to Catherine and you began an affair with her despite her being your wife’s lady-in-waiting.  You will not be married to her long; only long enough for her to give birth to your second daughter, Elizabeth, before she dies because you had her beheaded (or kill her in a fire; your choice).
Jane Seymour:  Died
You become engaged to Jane almost immediately after Anne’s death and she seems to be perfect for you.  She’s a good stepmother to Mary and Elizabeth and she gives you the son that you always wanted named Edward.  Unfortunately, she dies very soon after and you are left heartbroken.
Anna of Cleves:  Divorced
Another incredibly brief marriage, Anna will become close to your daughters and your son, but you divorce her because she didn’t look like the portrait of her that you saw.
Katherine Howard:  Beheaded
You are almost an elder now and your daughter Mary is a young adult.  Elizabeth is a child.  And Edward is nothing but a toddler still.  You meet the teenager Katherine Howard, who has been with two men before you (but you don’t know it).  While the two of you are married, she carries on an affair with Thomas Culpepper and you have her killed for adultery soon after she becomes a young adult.
Catherine Parr:  Survived
Now an elder, you marry the young adult Catherine Parr, who has been married twice before you only for both her husbands to pass away.  She becomes the wife who outlives you and also a loving stepmother to your daughters and your son—young adult Mary, teen Elizabeth, and child Edward.  You pass away and your son becomes your heir at the young age of nine.
TRAITS, CAREER, AND ASPIRATION
Traits:  Glutton, Noncommittal, Self-Absorbed
Career:  Politician (must reach rank 10) or Monarch (if you have the Royalty mod)
Aspiration:  Serial Romantic (obviously)
ALLOWED CHEATS
You can use the money cheat as many times as you like since Henry had a propensity for throwing lavish and overdone banquets.  MCCC is required in order to complete the Aragon/Howard sections to allow teen marriage.  Royalty mod isn’t required but could be a fun addition.
RESEARCH
If you want a more complete challenge experience, you can look into the history of King Henry VIII and find out more about his life.  The point of this challenge is to educate people on history, not just have a Sim complete an aspiration and be married six times.  I have only put the bare minimum up here for challenge purposes. 
*IMPORTANT NOTE*
Yes, this challenge was inspired by the recent smash hit musical ‘Six’ and while you can play as Henry it isn’t necessary to constantly play as him to complete the challenge.  You can go by wife if you want to, and it may be necessary to complete certain sections.  Like I said, I don’t think many people will actually do this challenge, but part of me hopes that I’ll see Vixella play through it on her channel so fingers crossed!
Good luck, monarchs.
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grey-edges · 4 years
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@wholesome-gay requested “Albus accidentally reads Scorpius diary” sooo this is what I managed to write, hope you like it!
Scorpius was rummaging through his bag with an adorable, frustrated look on his face and Albus couldn't help but comment.
"Having some trouble there, mate?" he asked, a fond smirk on his lips.
Scorpius let out a puff of air that caused his fringe to blow to the side, and his lip stopped in a pout, making Albus' heart flutter slightly in fondness. "I forgot to pack my Charms book for later and I don't have time to run back to the dorm between now and Runes... Do you think you could grab it when you have your free hour, and then give it to me when we meet up before Charms?"
"Of course! Where is it?"
"It should be at the top of my chest, if not, it's in there somewhere," Scorpius waved dismissively before turning back to his plate to take some last few bites.
"Do you need your notes or anything else?" Albus wondered, finishing up his own meal as well.
Scorpius shook his head, "I've got all that, thanks though, you're a life saver."
Albus gave him a beaming smile in return, anything for his best friend.
The two boys said their goodbyes and Scorpius headed off towards his Ancient Runes class while Albus went back down to the Slytherin dormitory to chill out for an hour until they had Charms. He entered the seventh years boys dorm and went straight for Scorpius' chest at the foot of his bed, knowing that if he waited to grab it, he'd forget it all together.
Albus knelt down in front of the chest, unlocked it with the numbers of Scorpius' birthday and hummed curiously when his Charms book wasn't the first thing he saw. He began digging, it was mostly sweaters and other text books, a few letters from his dad, but nothing else too exciting. He eventually found the text book which had fallen towards the bottom. He pulled it out to reveal another smaller book that Albus didn't recognize. He curiously pulled it out and examined the sleek black cover. On the front was Scorpius' initials engraved in silver. He gently flipped open to a random page and quickly realized it was Scorpius' diary.
Albus' heart rate picked up slightly and he quickly glanced over at the door as if to make sure no one was entering. He stared at the cover for a moment, debating if he should read it or not, knowing he'd probably feel guilty, but he was too curious and he figured there wasn't much that Scorpius didn't share with him already.
He sat back off his knees onto his bum, the cool tile slipping through his jeans made him shiver. He took a breath and opened to the front page...
2nd of September, 2019. Mum passed away three days ago now. I feel so numb. Dad said I should write out my feelings in here. Don't know how much it will actually help, but I'm going to try for him. Dad has been trying to act strong for me but I accidentally saw him crying in his study the night before I got on the train. Albus has been a wonderful friend, he's even agreed to come to her service tomorrow and I'm so grateful, I don't know what I'd do without him. Usually he makes everything about himself, but he's actually being quite selfless with this whole thing and I'm proud. I wish mum could have known him, I believe they would have got on very well.
Albus felt his heart tightening in his chest and he didn't want to read any more of that entry. He randomly flipped to one of the middle pages and began reading again...
14th of September, 2020. Pro Tip to my future self if you're ever reading this... Time Turners are NOT the way to go and if Albus ever asks you to go rewrite history you have to tell him 'NO'. Oh Merlin, you'll never believe the wild ride I've been on the past few days. I've only just now had time to sit down and write about it.
First Albus thought it'd be a brilliant idea to jump off the Hogwarts Express!!! Should've realized then that we were going to get ourselves in trouble! Not to mention the trolley witch is straight up mental!! Never will I EVER have another one of her sweets!! Nuh uh! Not worth it!
Albus found himself chuckling at Scorpius' exasperated writing as he recalled their fourth year fiasco. He then flipped forward a considerate amount of pages and found one dated back only a few days ago...
28th of January , 2024. I can't with him. Him and his stupid fluffy scarf and stupid hat looking so beautiful in the winter snow... Ugh! I shouldn't be thinking these things right now - no I shouldn't be thinking these things at all! Scorpius Malfoy get yourself together!! He's just so adorable with his pink nose and cute squinty eyes... His laugh is so infectious too, if you heard it you'd fall in love too I promise. Oh Albus Potter the things you do to me...
Albus felt his heart rate multiply and he glanced at the door as if Scorpius was about to walk in right now.
A part of his brain was telling him to close the book and pretend he never saw it. But the other part of him was begging him to turn the page and read until the end.
He eventually gave in, unable to help himself...
Tonight we were sat in the common room and he was on the couch and I was on the floor by his legs, and I don't think he even realized he was doing it, but he was playing with my hair and raking his fingers through it while he read and it felt so heavenly. I've never wanted someone to touch my hair before but that was so comforting I could let him do that all day.
How lame is it that I'm in love with my best friend? Tell me it's lame and cliche... Oh Merlin what would dad say? I really hope he'll be okay with the fact that I don't fancy girls... I'm so anxious about that all the time. Whenever I'm home I just feel guilty and I feel like I'm constantly biting back a secret from him. This whole Christmas break I felt like I was dancing on ice and I just kept him in the dark. I think he knows something is up, because he's hinted at not understanding why I haven't shown any interest in girls, but I don't think he suspects that I'm gay... I'm not scared to tell him per say... It's just I haven't found the right chance and I know that it'd be terrible to tell him via letter... Now I'm just rambling I should go, it's late anyways, even Albus is already asleep and he's a night owl. Goodbye for now X
Albus sat staring at the page, absorbing all this new information and feeling very shocked to say the least. Why hadn't he realized that his best friend was gay? How would he bring it up? Would he bring it up?
Albus didn't know how to feel or react. Scorpius had feelings for him. His own best friend and crush, liked him back. This didn't seem real. Albus felt numb.
He slowly closed the diary, feeling guilty for prying, but also starting to feel excitement and hope bubbling up inside him. Scorpius liked him too! He no longer had to be afraid of ruining their friendship with the silly little crush he's had since fourth year.
Albus arrived to Charms twenty minutes early, the class before them still wasn't even finished yet, but he was too eager. He stood outside the door, holding Scorpius' book and bouncing on his toes, constantly looking up and down the hallway, waiting for the blond boy to emerge. In his head he planned out how he would tell Scorpius, repeating it over and over again until he felt like he had it down.
Many minutes later, when he saw Scorpius' blond head make his way around the corner, he felt adrenaline rush through him, but the second Scorpius greeted him with a smile, Albus got choked up.
"Thanks so much for grabbing my book, you're a lifesaver," Scorpius sighed, gladly taking the book from Albus' hands. Albus could only bring himself to nod. Scorpius gave him a quizzical look in response, "Is everything okay, Al?"
"Just peachy," he squeaked. Scorpius eyed him carefully before moving into the classroom
They found their usual seats together, waiting for Flitwick.
"So how was your free hour? Did you get any homework done?" Scorpius wondered quietly.
"Good, and no, not really," Albus replied shortly, completely avoiding eye contact.
Scorpius' quizzical look returned and Albus suddenly found his shoes really interesting...
"You didn't happen to read something... did you?" Scorpius asked slowly, as it dawned on him that his diary was in his chest where he'd told Albus to look...
"No," Albus replied way too quickly. He slowly raised his head to look at his best friend, trying to mask the guilty look on his face.
Scorpius' face, however, was full of dread, "Oh Merlin... Oh no... you didn't by chance see anything about... about you, did you?"
Albus sucked in a breath, here it was... Now or never... "Yes, I did but - but before you freak out-" he added quickly as Scorpius tried to open his mouth to say something, "Before you freak out, just let me say that, one; I'm so soooo sorry for prying and reading it - I just couldn't help myself - but I think you'll forgive me when I tell you that... that I feel the same about you. I have since fourth year," he finished off barely above a whisper.
Scorpius stared at him, his eyes wide in shock and his mouth hung open, wobbling like a fish as he tried to process everything his best friend had just told him.
Albus visibly cringed at Scorpius' lack of response, "Are... are you mad at me?" He asked.
"No!" Scorpius finally spluttered out, "I-I don't think I can be mad - are you serious? Are you for real? You... you really fancy me too?" The blush on Scorpius' cheeks would've rivaled a Weasley's.
Albus could help but let out an excited giggle, "Yes! I've been dying to tell you but could never figure out how, and I never wanted to ruin what we had so I just didn't - then I read that and... and I knew I couldn't hide it," he admitted and Scorpius let out his own airy giggle.
"Oh Albus, it feels like a dream to hear you say that - I thought I've been going crazy this past year or so," Scorpius sighed happily and Albus couldn't help but give him a beaming smile.
He glanced around the classroom to see that only a few other students had entered the classroom still, so they were mostly alone. Albus took this as his chance and without warning, leaned forward and captured Scorpius into a kiss. it was kind of slow and awkward since neither of them had kissed anyone else before, but neither of them cared. Albus felt Scorpius smile against his lips and his heart seemed to explode with warmth and happiness throughout this entire body.
They pulled apart and rested their foreheads together, both with dopey smiles plastered on their faces.
Before either of them could make another move or say anything else, there was a loud thud coming from the desk next to them, and Rose Granger-Weasley's voice groaning, "Finally! But couldn't you two have waited a few more months? I now owe Aunt Ginny five Galleons!"
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whitehotharlots · 4 years
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Elizabeth Warren is a weak candidate
Tumblr media
It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year.
Last October, prospective presidential candidate Liz Warren stopped by the ur-#Resistance podcast Pod Save America, a program in which several former Obama staffers named John talk about which Gryffindor house Trump administration members belong to, and helpfully explain why Andrew Cuomo is actually way more progressive than Cynthia Nixon. They talked about how Trump had taunted Senator Warren by referring to her as Pocahontas, a cruel play on her claim to Native American heritage. Why, they asked, don’t you try and shut that bully up? Why not take this test from our eugenicist friends at 23 and Me? 
“By golly,” said Liz. “That sounds like a real dandy of an idea!”
Now… this is actually stupider than the mainstream narrative suggests. Because even though it turned out Liz had a smaller percentage of Native American DNA than basically every other American white person, simply taking the test reified an offensive precedent of blood quantum, which is more or less universally rejected among actual Native Americans. Even if it turned out she was 50% Cherokee and had little feathers floating in her piss, the entire spectacle still would have made a mockery of the intense, material struggles faced by Native Americans to this day. 
Now, normally on this blog, I’d go on for several paragraphs about how I don’t actually care about Warren’s heritage (I don’t), how it’s more important to note that she and the rest of the Democratic establishment only care about Native issues to the extent to which they can exploit them, how her refusal to take a stand against DAPL was not just concerning but disgusting, how she can write as many “Pow Wow” recipes as she pleases but at the end of the day she’ll just be another shitty Democrat who expresses solidarity with oppressed people but does nothing to prevent their water being poisoned or their land befouled. But that’s jumping the gun. We’ll only have to worry about being gravely disappointed by Warren if she manages to beat Trump in general election. And I’m sorry to tell you, but she doesn’t have what it takes to get that done.
Warren is a goon. I’m sorry, but she is. She can’t answer softball questions about her recent political history without coming across like a teen who was just caught shoplifting and has been asked why there’s Playstation-sized bulge beneath his shirt. (“D-did I support gay marriage? Well, umm, jeeze louise who can remember something like that? Uhhh. There might be notes? Maybe? But there isn’t. So, I… I guess, well, who can say, really?”)
Warren isn’t nearly as a self-certain as Hillary was, and that’s a problem. It wouldn't be a problem if she actually were a leftist and actually did plan on proffering material solutions to the material problems facing nearly every American. But she’s not. Policy-wise, she is somewhat better than Hillary or Biden. That’s fine. But that’s not enough. She’s already spent too much time courting the Democratic establishment and their corporate base. She knows, therefore, that when a dying cancer patient asks her if she supports Medicare For All, that she has no choice but to lie to his face, that she’s prioritizing corporate cash over helping suffering people, but she lacks Hillary’s soulless cruelty and so she can’t simply laugh away the man’s concerns as naive bro stuff. This causes her to stutter and panic, which makes her (rightfully) appear disingenuous. 
Warren’s plans are likewise a degree or two more progressive than what was being offered by Hillary in 2016. But they’re not straightforward. They are cloaked in the maddening layers of equivocations, loopholes, and means testing that have infected every Democratic proposal since the early 90’s. This is the unavoidable consequence of party seeking to appease two diametrically opposed interests. You can’t satisfy the profligacy of capital while helping everyday people. It cannot be done. And so Democrats rely on Rube Goldberg-style labyrinth policies to obscure this fact, to make it look like they’re trying to help when actually they’re not, they are at best attempting to add a little sugar to the arsenic so that we won’t fight back so much when they pour it down our throats.
Obama could pull this off. We all knew Obama was lying in 2012, but he was appealing enough to make us rationalize away his lies. Same thing with Bill Clinton. If you’re not old enough to remember, check out this debate clip. The man looked like he was going to crawl through your TV and fuck you, and most of us were cool with that. Hillary lacked this appeal. Warren lacks it even moreso. And, yes, I guess this is essentially affective and subjective--just my opinion and whatfor. But any soberheaded person should be troubled by the fact that Warren’s campaign as already absorbed the most viscerally annoying people from the Hillary campaign, and is already aping HRC’s most repulsive and alienating tactics.  
These are people like Sady Doyle and Amanda Marcotte: neurotic, celibate scolds who engage with politics primarily as a way to actualize their petty grievances and insecurities. These people are incredibly unappealing to everyone who isn’t immediately inclined to like them, which is about 90% of the American electorate. And this unappealingness has nothing to do with their gender or their physical appearance. It’s because they are liars who are running a manifestly cynical grift, and they don’t have enough charm or intelligence to trick voters into thinking they’re doing something else.  They are electoral poison, and their outsize presence with the Democrat establishment is a big reason why the Democrats get their asses beat so consistently even though they are supported unanimously by the American media and cultural classes. 
Their grossness was encapsulated very succinctly yesterday, in the misadventures of Ms. Ashlee Preston. Preston is a large black trans woman who works as an official Warren campaign surrogate. She took to twitter to do what these people do: lie about Bernie Sanders and his supporters. They need to lie, because they are working for a candidate who is manifestly more regressive and less electable than him, but they still want to position themselves as the most radical in the field. So she lied. She said that Sanders hadn’t done anything to support gay rights since the 70’s, and that therefore it was actually good that Warren voted for Reagan twice during the AIDS crisis, because that means she grew into her present woke state.
This was all par for the course. Liars lie. Preston is paid to lie. So she lied. 
Also par for the course: Bernie supporters asking her what on earth she was talking about, and doing so politely. And then, once again par for the course, the liar claiming to have been viciously harassed by Bernie Bros, which is meant to validate the lies that warranted the response--which actually wasn’t a lie since it was just, like, sarcasm that y’all folx was too hateful to understand. 
This process has been going on pretty much non-stop since the middle of 2015. Anyone who pays cursory attention to it knows what’s happening, but the weird rules of political decorum make it so we all have to pretend to take it seriously. But yesterday there was a twist. Preston, apparently, had a bunch of semi-coherent tweets in which she said all kinds of neat stuff about Mexicans and Asians. These got posted. She reacted by saying she was kinda sorry but also still right and that it was harassment to bring up that stuff. And… that was it. Cancel Culture’s denizens applauded her apology (a courtesy often provided to those who are willing to lie about leftists). She is still employed by the Warren campaign. The incident wasn’t discussed in any mainstream news sources. The outrage over her old tweets was actually co-opted to smear those who unearthed them. 
The simple observation here was made by hundreds of people online: if this were a Sanders surrogate, they would have been fired immediately, the affair would have been discussed on cable news, and it would have been held up as proof that Sanders should drop out immediately. And when I say hundreds of people posted something along these lines, I might be understating this. The duplicity on display here is manifest to everyone who isn’t on the take. Everyone can see how rotten this is. There’s no question about it. No argument to be had. I’m sorry to say, but this kind of brazen cynicism does not go over well with most voters. It is, in fact, incredibly alienating. The people who claim universal healthcare is inherently racist and attempt to ruin people’s lives for using imprecise language can’t just turn around and demand immediate ablution for their own hateful acts. Or… I guess they can, since that’s what just happened. But they shouldn’t be able to. And the fact that she was able to, so completely and so easily, proves just how much of a shitty fucking grift this whole thing is. You don’t need to be a genius to realize that. You don’t even need to be well-read. You just need to pay a little attention and possess a little bit of self-respect. And that’s why Warren is going to lose.
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fireintheforest · 4 years
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Behind the Blue, chapter 16
It was exactly seven-thirty the next morning when the Hawkcroft dining room seemed to come to life. Sitting at the table were Emmanuel himself with his family –that is, Avelle & Louis, his children- Louis’s wife Katherine, his lawyer Armellon, Bertraug the medic and Saufinril as a guest. Servants came from the kitchen serving oatmeal toppled with fresh berries and honey, hot chocolate, three different kinds of cheese, sliced loaves of bread, jams and jellies, tea, thin slices of uncooked ham, butter, sliced apples sprinkled with cinnamon and eggs in a hot skillet, ready to be served to the plate.
Despite feeling the cold, persistent glances of Armellon, who was seated in front of him, Saufinril just focused on his oatmeal and tea, not making eye contact with Toivon as he served Bertraug’s coffee. Avelle chatted excitedly with her father about the Masquerade, her shrill, excited voice almost drowning any chance to have a conversation with anyone else.
“…white roses, and oh father we could have them as decorations on the windows and arches and we’ll have to call Paurdis for the entertainment, I have so many ideas and monsieur Cyremin is here to help me with it.” Saufinril shot a polite smile as Avelle went on, “He has a divine eye for aesthetics and if we combined things from the Isles it’d work splendorously for the Masquerade, he’s helping me.” Out of the corner of his eye, Saufinril saw Armellon narrow his eyes at him, so all he did was take his tea and take a sip of it. Armellon himself took his cup, muttered something along the lines of “courtesan helping” in Altmeris, and took a sip.
“So, Monsieur Cyremin.” Katherine said, turning to Saufinril and away from her sister-in-law, “That robe you wore to the party was simply beautiful. Was that Valenwood silk?”
Armellon placed his teacup down, eyes on Saufinril. Saufinril smiled pleasantly.
“It is, yes. Imported, of course.” He replied
“Marvellous.” She said, “As were the hair brooches.”
“Indeed. Were those from Valenwood too?” Armellon asked, in that perfect, natural face of genuine interest that was just a mask for something else, so common in the Isles.
“Some were, yes.” Saufinril replied, raising his teacup, “Others are handcrafted from the Isles. One is surprised you didn’t recognize the artmanship.” Saufinril winked discreetly at Armellon, who looked equal parts troubled and angry.
“Well, it has been a while since one’s been in the Isles.” Armellon commented, still keeping a narrowed eye on Saufinril.
“Very in vogue.” Luckily for Saufinril, Katherine had been more keen on giving one of the servants, a sickly ginger woman, a hard look and watching her until she served her more tea, “Did you arrive long ago to Evermor, monsieur?”
“A mere day, maybe. It was by sheer luck that one heard of the event held here.”
“Really?” Armellon asked, tilting his head, having Saufinril’s answer caught his interest, “A mere day and you already found your way into an exclusive party.”  Saufinril shrugged and smiled coyly while internally he cussed the lawyer with all his might, “the Divines work hard but you work harder.”
“Stop, you are flattering one, serah.” Saufinril said
“One just has to ask, how did you hear of it?” Armellon inquired, pretending an innocent curiosity. The internal cussing went harder. Toivon glanced at Saufinril.
“Well, one was at an event when that handsome actor –one can’t recall his name- invited one to the party. He said he’d been invited and asked for one’s services in the manor. Naturally, one first had to wrap up in the prior event but when one arrived, he introduced one to monsieur Emmanuel. And the rest is history, as some would say, hmm?” he directed a smile to Katherine, who tried to suppress her own. Armellon just gave him an unreadable expression and went back to his tea. Toivon quietly exhaled.
 Once every person left the dinner table, Toivon and the rest of the servants started to clear the table’s empty plates and untouched food and taking it through the servant door, down the stairs and to the kitchen.
“I’d never seen an Altmer younger than monsieur Armellon.” The teenage boy behind Toivon suddenly said
“Really?” Toivon asked, making conversation.
“Yeah! I thought they were all…old.”
Toivon chuckled.
“I thought he was young looking, too.” The woman ahead commented, “Do you think monsieur Armellon knows him?”
“Why would he?”
“Well, they’re both Altmer.” She stated matter-of-factly.
“I don’t think they do.” Toivon said, holding back the eye roll.
“But monsieur Armellon was looking at him a lot.” Piped in the boy
“No he wasn’t.”
“He was too! Through the whole breakfast he was.” The boy grabbed one of the slices of ham and ate it, continuing, “You saw him almost buttering his hand because he was too busy looking at him.”
Toivon didn’t reply. He’d seen the Altmer at the first break-in and later at the breakfast, but he’d been tranquil knowing that Saufinril could bullshit his way through his own culture. But this kid raised the important point of what if they knew each other. Recalling the breakfast, he did realize Saufinril hadn’t looked at the lawyer a whole lot, focusing more on Avelle and Emmanuel. He was going to ask him the first chance he had.
“I’d never seen him around Evermor before.” The woman commented, using her back to push the door to the kitchen open.
“Me either.” The boy replied, eating more ham.
“Can’t say, don’t care.” Toivon replied, putting the dishes where they would be washed. When he turned around to go back out, he almost ran into the sickly ginger woman.
“Sorry.” She mumbled, eyes never off the ground. She skirted around the Dunmer, placed the dishes, and walked back out the kitchen in a hurry.
 Armellon gallantly offered to escort Saufinril to the Marigold. And of course as Cyremin, Saufinril smiled brightly and made a remark about Armellon following him to his quarters that earned him a glare from the lawyer. Within himself, however, he had to roll his eyes. This stupid lawyer suspected something. They rode in silence, apart from the other, until the Marigold’s rose gold roof came to view.
“Here’s one stop.” Saufinril turned to the lawyer, “As unnecessary as this trip was-”
“One is going in with you.”
“Serah. One was jesting back in the manor. Surely, you know how unprofessional it is for one to take one’s clients to one’s bedr-”
“Where is your escort?” the older Altmer asked, eyes set on Saufinril, who got quiet, “Your Mother, or Older Brother or Sister? Hm? You are too young to be in the continent by yourself. Are you telling one you have a room in The Marigold, all by yourself, the same night you arrived? With what money?”
Saufinril bit his lower lip and looked down. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck.
“The new regime is,” he softened his voice on purpose, letting his face fall away from the smug smile he’d adopted for his character, “Everything is under their control now. And…” He fiddled with the hem of the sleeve, “One’s Sisters are still in the Isles. One is just being a diplomat, under their, ah, suggestion.”
A heavy silence fell on the carriage, both Altmer unwilling to voice the Thalmor out loud, but knowing otherwise.
“Did they give you a permit of pass?” Armellon asked. Saufinril nodded.
“It’s in one’s room. One usually carries it with one but this morning one forgot it. One obviously can’t bring it out to you now, one has a commitment.” Saufinril returned to his character, giving Armellon a smile, “Unless you wish to come with one?”
“One has other commitments too.” Armellon said, not amused by Saufinril’s coy smile but admittedly less harsh than before. The older the mer, the softer the heart.
“How disheartening to one.” Saufinril opened the door and began to get out.
“If the appointment is so important,” Armellon asked as Saufinril got out, “why not just go there straight from the manor?”
Saufinril turned to Armellon, posing a face of full offense, “And repeat an outfit?” he asked almost indignantly. He closed the carriage door and walked to the Marigold.
 In the bedroom, he closed the door behind himself and let out air from his mouth, relieved to not have to act like a self-absorbed, frivolous, charming, flirty mer and contenting himself with the silence. He sat in the bed and started to remove everything in his hair, tied it back in the ponytail and then pulled out the paper he’d seen on the drawers of the rich mahogany desk and set it down. He found the ink and quill after searching around, in the lower cabinet of the bookcase, and didn’t bother sitting down while writing:
 Serah & Rialas,
One hopes this message gets to you in good health and spirits. One sends you this letter to let you both know one is alive, free and in good health. There was a hiccup in the heist and one will have to stay for longer until we get what we came here for. One will keep in contact with you. Rest assured that if anything harmful were to happen, one will get out of it and come back to Valenwood as soon as possible. Any response confirming one that you are both well or, in the event it were not so, telling one of the happenings of your lives, will be awaited by one.
Yours sincerely,
Saufinril
 It was once that the ink dried that Saufinril used the familiar, comforting pulse of humming magic to summon a creature. Saufinril gave it the instructions of where to deliver it, and the creature disappeared, heading to the Den.
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theliterateape · 4 years
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The Cinema of 2019: A Literate Ape End-of-Year Review
By Don Hall and Brett Dworski
Editor’s Note:
With projects like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Watchmen, The Mandalorian, and pretty much everything produced for the CW, we are smack dab in the epicenter of the Age of Fan Fiction. The films of 2019 have some nods to this trend with Joker, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Yesterday playing hard and loose with expanding the existing iconography to tell new stories.
We enjoyed a lot of movies in 2019. While not a banner year like 1968 or 1999, the year certainly had its standouts. Here is our end of the year list of the films that impacted us the most compiled by Don Hall and Brett Dworski, both film fans and people with acceptable vision and hearing.
NOTE: These are not ranked because generally, we believe the practice of ranking films is fucking stupid. However, we do rate them from 1 to 5 Apes. Enjoy.
Apollo 11
4 Apes (DH)
There really was a time when America was great. Sure, there was still segregation and violence, the war overseas, the draft, and the host of problems faced by the country but the men and women who took up Kennedy’s challenge to get a human being on the surface of the moon elevated us all. Apollo 11 is a documentary using entirely archival footage of this historic moment when mankind exceeded itself.
Honey Boy
1 Ape (BD)
The anticipated debut of writer Shia LaBeouf is choppy and disappointing. Newcomer Noah Jupe plays child actor Otis—based on LaBeouf—whose drunken father disrupts his recent success. The film’s inconsistencies stem across the plot, casting and performances. The father, played by LaBeouf, flops between abusive asshole and tender daddy by the minute; neither is compelling. Lucas Hedges, who plays Otis as a drug-abusing teenager, looks nothing like LaBeouf or Jupe. And once things get interesting, Otis forgives his pop and tells him he’s “going to make a movie about him.” Very original, Shia. The fact that Honey Boy is based on LaBeouf’s life is intriguing, but the film is ultimately a huge letdown.
Midsommar
4 Apes (DH)
Ari Astor gives us a twisted break up story wrapped in the bloody flowered crown of a horror film set in blinding sunlight. I loved Hereditary for a million reasons. I loved Midsommar for five: Florence Pugh, the bizarre mating ritual, the fucked up mushroom visuals, old people willingly plunging to their deaths, and a dude being stuffed into the skin of a recently slaughtered bear and burned alive.
Dolemite Is My Name
3 Apes (BD)
Eddie Murphy rewinds the clock to his Raw and Delirious days in this biopic of Rudy Ray Moore, a comedian and musician behind the Blaxploitation movement of the 1970s. While wildly erratic at times, it’s also an affectionate and sobering look at the hustle of show business. It took years for Murphy to ditch his affable family-man routine, but it was worth the wait: Dolemite Is My Name cements the raunchy, cocksure comic as one of the greatest talents of all time.
Yesterday
3 Apes (DH)
I wrote about this here. Loved it.
The Lighthouse
3 Apes (BD)
Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe are exhilarating in this delirious indie thriller. They play 19th century lighthouse keepers who struggle to maintain their sanity upon learning they’re stuck on an island off the coast of New England. The stunning black and white landscapes of Nova Scotia are overshadowed by Dafoe’s and Pattinson’s constant bickering, farting, masturbating, and binge drinking. The Lighthouse is bizarre, hilarious, terrifying, peculiar… and quite good. You’ll never view seagulls the same way after watching it.
Endgame
5 Apes (DH)
The culmination of nearly two dozen interconnected films all stemming from my Gen X childhood? I’ve been waiting since I read my first Avengers comic when I was ten years old for this and it did not disappoint. Packed with incredibly satisfying moments (Professor Hulk, Cap gets the Hammer, “...on your left...,” and “I... am... Iron Man”) this was the most fun three hours I could imagine that didn’t involve cheese or sex.
The Art of Self Defense
4 Apes (BD)
This deadpan and absurdist comedy highlights toxic masculinity through a ruthless karate class. Jessie Eisenberg plays Casey, a lonely, frightened accountant who enlists in the course after a mugging leaves him hospitalized. Led by a vain and puzzling instructor, the class soon absorbs Casey’s life and brainwashes him to commit barbaric acts beyond self-protection. Although clearly a blend of Fight Club and The Karate Kid, The Art of Self Defense carries an unusual rhythm that separates it from its predecessors—and displays a refreshing kind of filmmaking from newcomer Riley Streams.
Joker
4 Apes (DH)
The politics that suddenly surrounded this were nothing more than distraction. Was it a response to the humorless Woke culture? An Incel Fantasy? Who gives a fuck. It was a film that did something a lot of movies lately refuse to do—it surprised us. It also included an amazing, painful performance by Joaquin Phoenix and, like Logan before it, used the pop culture iconography of the comic book tropes and deepened them in ways that only a bold approach could.
High Life
4 Apes (BD)
Visually-stunning cinematography and a harrowing storyline carry High Life, one of the most daunting films of the year. Set in a futuristic world where death-row inmates are sent to conduct eerie experiments in outer space, High Life is as morbid as it is alluring. The movie—which was made in 2018 but not released in theaters until 2019—resembles a space version of The Shining with its isolation-leads-to-madness concept. While too edgy for some, High Life is one of the most uniquely made films in years.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
5 Apes (DH)
Tarantino’s homage to revisionist history, the plight of growing old and becoming replaceable, 1960s Hollywood, and chock full of snappy dialogue, incredible performances, and both a sense of celebration and melancholy makes this one of the best movies about movies ever made.
John Wick Chapter 3
5 Apes (DH)
With next year’s Keanu-mas when they release both John Wick 4 and the Matrix 4 movies on the same day (yes, I will participate fully) the franchise that spawned the newfound love for all things Reeves is absolutely worth noting. Full of that comic book/video game world-building, odd but sensible rituals and oaths and rules plus plenty of head-shot, bloody violence, I sat in a Las Vegas theater with a crowd and we all gasped, laughed, and applauded at the absolute action-porn that is John Wick. Yes, these films are pornography of comic book violence and Reeves is our big-dicked John Holmes.
The Painted Bird
5 Apes (BD)
Those seeking a feel good shan’t see The Painted Bird, a bloodcurdling Holocaust drama seen through the eyes of a child. Petr Kotlár gives a robust performance as a nameless boy fighting to survive the violent societal breakdown in Eastern Europe. In doing so, he experiences one nightmare after another—each worse than the former—and loses hope in human kindness along the way. The beautifully shot black-and-white landscapes are a mirage for the routine abuse the boy encounters, leaving audiences as numb to it as he is by the film’s end.
The Irishman
4 Apes (DH)
Scorsese caps a triptych of films over decades with this much slower but no less magnificent look into the Italian Mafia from the inside/out. Goodfellas is an Irish kid’s ascent and is an explosive young man’s movie. Casino is a Jewish man’s climb up in the Mob and, while still explosive, is a bit more subdued and a decidedly middle-aged man’s film. The Irishman is an old man’s view, looking back, reliving awful and magnificent moments.
Together, the three films mark a masterwork in a genius director’s canon.
Ad Astra
5 Apes (BD)
Ad Astra takes a different approach than most solar-system journeys by exploring the man behind the suit. Brad Pitt is Roy McBride, an accomplished astronaut whose dedication to space has damaged his marriage. When called upon for secret mission to Neptune, the stoic McBride finds he’s more than a government robot, and his ascent to madness results in one of Pitt’s finest performances. Supported by a wonderfully played asshole in Tommy Lee Jones, Ad Astra is as much a family drama as it is a space adventure.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
5 Apes (DH)
Sure, there were unanswered questions leftover and I really didn’t care for that kiss at the end but I loved this film from start to finish. Completing a story as massive and, in many ways, disconnected, was a tall order and I think Abrams and team did about as good a job as anyone could expect. This will be in rotation at least a couple more times in the next few weeks.
Marriage Story
5 Apes (BD)
Oscar-worthy performances from Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson drive Marriage Story, a clever, poignant narrative about divorce. Noah Baumbach’s behind-the-scenes view of the crippling situation separates it from movies alike, exploring factors beyond courtroom troubles and custody battles. Marriage Story empathetically—and even comically—shows both sides of the fight, and its effect will last far beyond the screen. Get your box of tissues ready.
Alita: Battle Angel
3 Apes (DH)
Not a Manga-Boy so the inconsistencies with the story and characters didn’t bother me. I thought this was the closest to watching a dramatic video game with some cool performances and great use of camera and technology. It was also the film I saw first as a resident of Las Vegas so that counts for something at least to me.
Parasite
5 Apes (BD)
Superbly written, shot and performed, Bong Joon-ho’s account of class discrimination in Korea is an electrifying and emotional masterpiece. What begins as a lighthearted story of two families—one rich, one destitute—spirals into shocking sequences of deception. It has every element of an instant classic: witty comedy, sexual tension, thrilling violence, social themes and a stunning finale that mirrors the horrors of reality. Calling it the best movie of 2019 isn’t enough: Parasite is one of the top films of the decade and transcends the arc of modern cinema.
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godkilller · 4 years
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anonymous asked:  Going off of your hc about Gin being obscenely strong, do you think that he's been that strong through most of the series (if not the entire time)? Having to reign in his powers to always be less than Aizen's, but strong enough to earn his place as his second, just waiting with all that power at his fingers. Aizen gained power through transformations, Gin had to home grow his.
//   unprompted ask.   thank you !
          I’m always excited to get these sorts of questions----especially considering you’ve now officially enabled me to continue my lifelong rant of how underrated and underestimated Gin is. To answer your question, however, I’ll have to break some things down. This might get a lil messy so bear with me!
          Gin has always acted, in canon and especially in my experience writing conflicts, fights, throughout my time musing him... as dramatically weaker than he really is. It’s one of his most basic psychological tactics: in canon, Gin has countless times behaved as though he truly is incapable as a way to gaslight and altogether hide his true potential from being known, he lies about even sensing if an opponent has died or not to his fellow captains, utterly and willingly downplaying his power. Deliberately placing himself in a position for belittlement and for others to promptly underestimate him.
          In several instances throughout the series, Gin downplays his capabilities. He talks it off as luck, or maybe he’s just winging it all---- ” oh, oops, those Ryoka I didn’t even aim at survived ? ”  “ Ichigo dodged my Bankai that I’ve been slashing around wildly for no reason when I wasn’t even aiming for him ? ”  “ Ah, a fluke only your mask got cut ” or “ oops, Hinamori’s that way too since ya happened to dodge ! ” because Gin never wants anyone to ever know the extent of his knowledge, cunning abilities, and full power. Gin spent so much time throughout his debut convincing the audience, the other characters around him, that he was simply too playful or even downright stupid to truly be a threat. Whilst yes, his intimidating aura contradicted him----when put up against his “ oopsie I non-fatally stabbed Byakuya instead of killin’ Rukia ! ”  his vibes of a threat clash, leaving his opponents confused and on edge on whether or not Gin is just toying with them, or if they’re actually, in fact, battling him on semi-equal grounds. They’ll never know.
          Mayuri calls Gin out during the Rescue Rukia / SS Invasion arc’s first shown captain’s meeting. He says something along the lines of “ we all know you’re capable ” ( of sensing the livelihood of a target, etc. etc. ) which leads me to believe that while yes, Gin hid his strengths, he also was required as a captain to prove his worthiness of the title----and to walk amongst them as an equal. Therefore, yes, because the series begins with Gin being within the Gotei 13 as a captain, I do believe he has been that strong during the majority of Bleach.
          Gin’s rise to captaincy sparked his ascension to standing, at last, somewhat equal to where Aizen now stood. Aizen had not yet even begun to experiment on himself and his way to breach the limitations of a Shinigami at the time. Gin had decades as a captain to therefore bridge the gap to be as close as possible, achievable, for himself and Aizen. Between their betrayal and the chapter preceding the conclusion of the Winter War ? Gin had reached his highest potential in order to combat the transcendence Aizen plotted for years to achieve. Much like with the parallel of Ulquiorra hiding his Second Release state from Aizen, Gin sought to keep all murmurs of his Bankai’s true speed and poison, the cell-destroying ace, a secret. Keeping himself at a level of worthiness and respect, fear, precautions, by Aizen himself but without earning the threat of Aizen deeming him too dangerous and thusly drawing first, negating Gin’s chance to grasp Kyoka Suigetsu entirely in his self-preservation ? Well, let’s just say Gin banked a lot on Aizen valuing his deadly presence as a way to continuously challenge him----as well as the unknown fact that Aizen likely wanted to wait, not strike at Gin despite his growing threat, until the Hogyoku was fully absorbed for him to dance with death. This waiting game, finding that sweet spot in which Aizen’s arrogance finally eroded his caution ? The main reason why Gin, unfortunately, waited too long. The rest’s history.
          Gin was never  “ more ”  than Aizen, his power was not so vast----he brandished it, instead, into a fine blade. The way they wield their powers differ greatly; Aizen’s is oppressive and overwhelming, whilst Gin’s is a creeping dread. Both are capable of each other’s methods, though prefer their own------Gin may have never opted for Hollowification, for leaning on any other sword other than his own, but it’s bold to assume he didn’t, too, transform himself in seeking power. “ You’re turning into a snake ”  very much can be asserting that, indeed, Gin kept his powers solely as his own, but it can easily be argued that he lost himself all the same as Tousen, Aizen even, in doing so.
          No one achieves such power without cost, Gin’s just wasn’t outright shown throughout the series----he had suffered that loss for power mostly off-screen, slowly, until at last Rangiku was sobbing amongst that pile of rubble.
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