#oh also those phases of the moon

[mymp3]

the boy who feels like death

[nefertitiacai]

Astro observations : "I GOT IT FROM MY DADDY" (AND MOMMY) edition

yk that one "DADDY" song by PSY sksksk

🪷 Venus in 4th house is an indicater of person being very beautiful and blessed with good looking genetics. They can also be conventionally attractive since 4th house also rules homeland, so they may be deemed as attractive where they live. A genetically blessed placement.

🪷 Jupiter in the 4th house is also an indicator for having a feature that may be "large" that runs through the family. Like being voluptuous or tall. Again a "genetically blessed" placement.

🪷 Sun/Jupiter in the 10th house individuals can learn a lot of stuff related to careers and build connections through their father.

🪷 Moon/Saturn in the second house may have some distinct facial features which resemble their parents. As both are considered planets that rule over parents and the second house rules over face.

🔴 (TW: Generational Trauma) ⏬

(also the observation and remedies which I've mentioned are purely based on generalization, if you may be dealing with it on a serious note then consulting a medical/health care professional is what is required💚)

🪷 Those who have Mars/Chiron/Saturn/Pluto in the 4th house/cancer/conj Moon may beat themselves up for a certain "flaw" which they consider themselves to have. This habit or problem may make them feel powerless. As if they are unable to change it. However, in actuality that "problem" didn't start with them but may be a generational thing/a characteristic which got inherited from a family member. [Our genetics play a major role in general with the way we are today (yes even personality-wise). But one can change it by will and if they indulge in self-improvement techniques like meditation, visualization, journaling with clear intentions, and other mindful activities]

📚 (PS. as a book enthusiast to others who are into reading self help books I'd recommend those who are dealing with such problems to read the book "It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle" by Mark Wolynn 😃)

(TW: mommy issues) moon conj Pluto placement and being notorious with mommy issues.

However, in my case, I have this placement and I don't feel it to be like that. My relationship with my mom is a very typical one. We have different views on certain stuff but we aren't toxic. Nonetheless, what I consider really to be toxic is my mom's side of the family and her childhood had also not been the best. So this placement actually may be something regarding the fact that your mum had to go through a lot and if you know that fact then it is easy to forgive her and give her a tight hug whenever you can.

This placement can also be an indicator of the child's mom going through a stressful phase during the time of the birth.

🟢 TW over, ok enough with sad stuff now 🤧

🪷 It is an observation but I've noticed Sagittarius, Pisces, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Leo placements folks may resemble their father's looks and personality-wise distinctively. Like there's that one feature that they may also be known for like, "you have a smile like your dad". It may be due to them being ruled by Jupiter, Saturn, and sun respectively, the celestial bodies which deal with "fatherly figures" in astrology.

🪷 Leo, Cancer, Aries, Gemini and Capricorn placements 🤝 acting all wholesome and cute when their mom is around.

🪷 If you and your sibling both have prominent mercury placements then you might hear someone saying this at some point "oh YoU BOth LoOk likE eACh otHer a Lot" and y'all will be like "b*tch no, from which angle, I am obviously more gorgeous 😤" 

🪷You know being a Sagittarius 🐎(also honorable mention Aquarius and Pisces) this proverb literally go with us for our parents 'You can lead a horse 🐎 to water but you can't make him drink '

📚[ PS.  if the horse is willing then only it'll drink, you can't drink water on its behalf. (That's the universal truth with life btw, you are responsible for your own tasks. Others can only guide you but in the end, it's you who will have to act, innit)]

Even though it is for our own "good" and "wellbeing" that our parents do and force these placements to be doing things in a certain way these placements will only "keep drink up to it" if it gives them a feeling of expansion and freedom. (That's why Sagittarius and Pisces placements are deemed to be "irresponsible" but that's not the case. And Aquarius placements have a reputation to be "rebellious" but that's unlikely. These placements most of the time may think ahead of their time and may have a bigger picture on things that's why they may consider certain tasks to be irrelevant (however it can also backfire and this certainly doesn't mean to be an excuse to run away))

🪷 Virgo and Libra placements tend to have good mannerisms which may be taught by their parents. They are big on punctuality. Also, they are well-behaved and sweet people. Often being talked about as "their parents raised them well". 

Virgo is associated with the 6th house which is also the house that rules over service so they tend to be helpful. Libra on the other hand is associated with the 7th house which is the house of partnerships, that's why they like to treat people with kindness and have a pleasing appeal. Like a comrade. (Although this also has a shadow aspect to it, this can make these placements to be perfectionists in unhealthy amounts and they may start to have people-pleasing tendencies. They may also grow pessimistic since many people may view their kindness to be their weakness, which is not true at all you guys, y'all are great and don't fall into what those low vibrational people have to say.)

It's 11:11 while I type this 💫 also, umaru chan is so adorable

[genshin-obsessed]

Confessions | Honkai Star Rail

So i've been super into hsr recently and I thought I'd get back to doing longer hcs because those are always fun! This time I left out Welt and Sampo and I'm not sure how I feel about it lol ✧ Includes: Dan Heng, Gepard, Jing Yuan, Luocha, Blade ✧ Extra: Something a little weird has happened to my Blade lol, he's just a confused man who really likes the reader. It may be ooc- i have no clue

Dan Heng

For Dan Heng, he doesn’t know how long he’s liked you. He just realized it one day when you said something- a compliment towards him- and he just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Dan Heng’s not the most outward person, so wanting to confess wasn’t something easy for him. He actually needed to prepare, give himself a pep talk and all. His method is invite you to his room and then just tell you- no beating around the bush.

You’re shocked to say the least- I mean it’s DAN HENG. He liked you?! HE CONFESSED?! You sat there for a good minute just staring at him. He looked calm but kinda started panicking on the inside.

“I-I like you too!” You say before he can speak. You were so loud, he jumped a little. Safe to say, he’s extremely happy you accepted because then it would’ve been awkward afterwards.

“Oh good… good.”

Gepard Landau

Everyone knows Gepard likes you before himself. He can say it’s just been a few months but others know it’s been like a year. It’s just the way he acts and stuff.

Gepard has a VERY hard time confessing. He’ll keep trying to do it, but then backs out at the last minute. He’ll keep saying he wants to talk to you about something important then just doesn’t tell you. Finally, one day… it slips out. You two are alone and he barely realizes it until he sees your face.

You’re happy but also shocked. The guy you’ve liked for like ever finally likes you back! Do you go through the statue phase of freezing up and staring? Yes. Did he start panicking because of it? Yes. Your reaction right after was to throw yourself at him and give him a tight hug.

He doesn’t say anything right then and just hugs you back. You not running away, horrified, probably meant you felt the same. That made him happy- so happy he didn’t even know what to do.

“Thank you… for not running away- oh and liking me back.”

Jing Yuan

His feelings had been around for a few months now, he knew pretty much instantly when he was attracted to you. It didn’t take him long to figure out he was in love with you either. It was obvious, his heart pounded when you were around, he couldn’t stop thinking about you, and he was always worried you’d find someone else.

Jing Yuan confesses fancy style. He’ll invite you out to like dinner or something or maybe just to take a late night walk with him. As you’re walking, he’ll coyly bring up the topic of dating and whatnot. You two chat for a bit, then he just admits it. He makes sure to add the “it’s alright if you don’t feel the same way, I won’t be upset.”

Of course, you do feel the same way! Your eyes widen and you gasp as the reality sets in. The General of the Cloud Knights liked YOU! It took a moment to just process his words, and Jing Yuan stood there patiently, giving you time to think. If you were going to say no, that’s fine, he just needed a clear answer. You found it hard to speak but forced the words out, “I-I feel the same.”

Jing Yuan’s over the moon with this newfound knowledge. He’s so happy, he could shout it out from over the rooftops. Honestly! All he can do is give you a tight hug, not wanting to do anything else if you weren’t ready for it- say a kiss.

“I’m glad. We should go on a date then- a proper one.”

Luocha

Luocha is very good at keeping his feelings to himself. At first, he thought it was just a little crush and it would pass. But it didn’t. It just… kept developing. He tried to manage it, feeling that maybe a relationship right now wasn’t the best option for him. But when his heart would start pounding every time you smiled at him, or his mind went back to you and what you might’ve been doing when you two were apart told me he… maybe didn’t wanna wait.

Luocha’s confession wasn’t exactly grand. I mean, what was there to be super grand about? Especially if you were going to reject him. So he just took you out on a little walk and slyly brought up the topic of relationships. Once you mentioned you didn’t mind being in one, he just said, “will you be in one with me?”

You kinda froze. Deer in headlights situation. You needed a moment to process what he’d just said. He… wanted to date you? WELL GOOD! YOU WANTED TO DATE HIM! You happily nodded, a big giant smile spreading on your face.

There was this emotion he felt when you said you liked him too. Pure, unadulterated happiness. He felt so good about himself, about life, about everything. That emotion spoke volumes and all he could do was hug you. Tightly. 

"I'm glad... because I was really, really nervous you'd say no."

Blade

Ok… hear me out. Blade knows he likes you… when he doesn’t hate you. When you ask him for a favor and he says yes. When you hug him and he doesn’t strangle you- honestly, it wasn’t hard for him to know. Kafka teases him and he just ignores her.

Blade… doesn’t know how to confess. He’s not crazy about relationships or… people. So his entire confession was just confusing. You followed absolutely nothing except: “I like you.” You thought he was just admitting he didn’t hate you. That was good news! But you didn’t realize how good it was. “That’s great! I like you too!” You replied to which he crossed his arms, nodded, and said… “we’re dating now.”

Mhm. Yeah. That’s how smooth he is :’) you- you poor soul- didn’t know what he meant at first. So you were beyond shocked when he said what he did. Blade- BLADE- liked you- Y O U- romantically? You liked him too but you never ever expected this. Not in a million years.

You could only manage a dazed nod for a few seconds before a giant smile spread on your face and you practically threw yourself at him. Blade’s usual reaction would be to shove the person away but this was his special person. So… he hugged back.

“That was… rude, I think? Will you go on a date with me?”

[theemporium]

just clicked through your mv33 core and I feel like, since max didn't really have a rebellious teen phase, reader doing funny stuff with him? maybe skinny dipping or shotgunning all the weird stuff one tries as teen

why would you hurt me like this?? i am so soft?? oh my god?? this could be like a whole series🤠anyways thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

.

“This is stupid.” 

“It’s a pivotal part of teenage rebellion!” 

“Which teenager is stupid enough to do this?” 

“I did it when I was a teenager.” 

“I rest my case.”

You shot the boy a look, but he only grinned in response. 

When you were introduced to the world of Formula One, you had a million and one different people telling you what you should think of Max Verstappen. Whether it was journalists or paddock members or fans online, so many people were telling you what he was like. He was a villain, he was a cheat, he was everything bad with the sport. 

But when you met Max Verstappen, none of those words ever came to mind when you thought of him. 

He was blunt and straightforward with the words he spoke. But he was also undeniably caring and thoughtful. He cared deeply for the people close to him. He gave respect to everyone he met, regardless of their opinion on him. He was dedicated and hard-working, and it baffled you that this man was painted as the big, bad guy of Formula One.

The closer you got to the two-time world champion, the more you learned. There would be countless conversations where you would either find yourself on the phone to him or sat across from him on a hotel bed, legs crossed and smiles wide as you talking about anything and everything. 

When Max opened up about his childhood and lifestyle growing up, you don’t think he realised just how heartbreaking it was. He waved it all off, saying that was just how life was if you wanted to be a Formula One driver. But you didn’t buy it.

And you think, deep down, he knew that wasn’t very true either.

You wanted to change that. You wanted to give him back his years of lost childhood and teenage shenanigans, no matter how stupid or small and insignificant it may seem. You wanted to give him those memories, those experiences. And in all honesty, Max didn’t really care about it—but he liked having those experiences with you. 

“This just seems a bit pointless,” Max spoke up once again, his hands resting on his hips as he stared out at the dark water. “What do you gain from this?”

“An adrenaline rush and the thrill of hypothermia’s early stages,” you grinned back at him. “It never gets old, Verstappen. Skinny-dipping is a key experience everyone must partake in before they turn thirty.” 

Max narrowed his eyes at you. “Suddenly everything about you makes sense, Trouble.”

You grinned at the nickname. “Stop stalling, Max.” 

As much as he tried to avoid staring, he couldn’t help himself. His eyes were glued to you as he watched you pull your shirt over your head and dump it onto the sand beside you. Your shorts soon followed, and you were left in nothing but your bikini.

“Enjoying the view, Maxie?” 

His cheeks burned as he snapped his gaze away from you. He looked ahead of him, at the dark water. He could see the waves lapping against the sand, see the tide rise just before your feet before the water was dragged back in. But he couldn’t see the horizon any longer, not in the light of the moon and stars glittering in the sky.

Maybe that was what made it more thrilling. 

“Fine,” Max huffed before he pulled his shirt over his head. “Let’s do this.”

“That’s the spirit, Verstappen!” 

Max wasn’t even sure what he would feel. He almost imagined an epiphany would hit him the second his body was submerged in the ocean water, that the burning desire to make all the memories you spoke about would become stronger. 

Instead, he was just painfully aware that he was naked in the ocean, with his best friend a few feet away, also naked and grinning at him like he meant something.

“Don’t you feel refreshed?” You called out to him, your arms swaying back and forth to stay afloat. 

“I feel like you might have had a more boring childhood than I did if this is what you did for fun,” he retorted, his lips twitching upwards when he heard you laugh. 

“This is only the beginning, Max,” you said to him, almost like your words were a promise. “We are going to give you the crazy teenage life you should have had.”

His smile was more sincere. “I can’t wait for you to show me the world, Trouble.”

.

[the-s1lly-corner]

How would TADC cast react to their s/o baking them some pastries?

TADC cast x reader who bakes!

Funny that this is the next request due to be answered because I'm making orange cranberry scones as we speak (for an order! Not for me sadly, though I have enough to make myself a batch!)

CAINE:

Bro is going to try to shove whatever you've made for him into his jaws before bubble even has a chance to eat it.. has probably eaten right out of your hand before because of this/j

...../hj

He seems the type

Loudly goes on and on about how amazing it tasted, every single time without fail! Gets REALLY creative with his compliments, I thimk

Alas admin is no where near as creative as caine

POMNI:

Looks like she keeps a jar of cookies in her house in the real world. And honestly theres nothing wrong with that... though pomni herself cannot bake for shit

But good news! You're constantly making sure she has a supply to them so things work out in the end!

Though, I think she would eventually feel guilty because you're always making stuff for her, so shes gonna try to return the favor; with varying success

RAGATHA:

I know for a fact I said somewhere that ragatha would, if she ever escaped with her partner to the real world, she would open a bakery with them. As well as this I also hc ragatha to be really into baking

So

You guys bond together through that, and perhaps even have dates where you two get together and make something! (This can be read as platonic, too!)

This leads to you guys sometimes surprising one another with a baked good... kinda funny tbh

JAX:

Similar to zooble, jax is more of a sour over sweet kind of guy. But if you tie say, limes or lemons into a treat, then you've caught his interest. Probably the type of guy to snag pieces of stuff before everythings done and/or assembled, you're probably going to have to bar him from the kifchen

He does this both to be annoying but because you're so so talented he cant resist

Comically slaps his hand as he tries to reach for something

KINGER:

I propose to you;

Person who can cook but sucks at baking x person who can bake but sucks at cooking

Oooo I mentioned in ragathas part that you two would make a bakery in the real world

But imagine you and kinger having a stay-in date in the real world; he makes dinner and you make dessert and its just you two working around in the kitchen and just

Talking

I think that's nice

As for the actual giving of goods, I think he would be honored. Makes it a point to take his time and savor the goodie. It kind of just.. no clips/phases into his head

Weird

Constantly talks about how talented you are to others, I think

ZOOBLE:

Oh... thanks...

Look zooble loves you, a lot, but sweets arent exactly their go to. Now sour and savory, that's another story and if you make her anything that falls into those groups they're gonna subtly hint that they wish for you to bake something

Actually .. no not subtly, zooble doesnt strike me as the type to drops hints like that majority of the time, they seem more blunt

Very nice, none of it goes to waste! Bad at making compliments but does express that your baking is good regardless

GANGLE:

She looks like a strawberry shortcake enjoyer (I have never tried or made strawberry shortcake( and I explain why

Would be over the moon if you gave her some. Actually, she would still be over the moon if you gave her ANYTHING

Shes very shy when it comes to recieving gifts, so she may kinda. Freeze up when you put the plate in her hands... give her a minute shes just trying to find her voice to thank you!

[winniethewife]

It's undeniably real (Layla El-Faouly x The Moonknight system x Reader)

Chapter 1: Then, it's the best feeling I've even known

Words: 1282

Warning: sex mentioned not described.

Three months ago when my best friend, and childhood crush, Layla El-Faouly reached out asking if I would like to possibly be in a threesome with her and her Husband Marc I was surprised. One they never seemed the type for Non-Monogamy, and Two I was pretty sure Layla was over her Bi-curious phase a long time ago. It was a pretty amazing night. I was pretty sure I would never have sex that good again, but I was very wrong. I have sex like that all the time. About a week after that night they had invited me over again, this time, I found out a lot more. About Marc’s DID, About Steven and Jake, about Moon-knight, and their adventures around the world. I felt like I could probably take that all into stride as their friend, then came the next surprise.

They asked me out.

They wanted me to be in a relationship with them, all of them. I had felt like my heart stopped that second. It took me sometime to process it and decide.

It had been a long day at work, I had just managed to get in the door and get out of my work clothes when there was a knock at the door. I went to take a look though my peephole It was Marc. I opened the door with a half smile on my face.

“Hey, Marc. Come on in.” I smiled and gestured for him to come inside.

“Hey, I’m sorry to not call or something before coming over I...I needed to see you.” He says in his usual gruff voice. He needed to see me? This was something else.

“Oh, um Okay.” I closed the door after he walked in. “Is something wrong?”

“Look, I thought it would be a good idea if, I asked you on a date, and they Want to ask you on a date as well, Especially Jake, He and Layla, don’t exactly get along…It’s a long story.” He seemed anxious about it, about asking me out.

“Does Layla also want a date? Is this some kinda trail period? First four dates free?” I try to lighten the mood with a joke. Marc smirks and chuckles.

“Yeah, something like that. I’m sure Layla would enjoy that. Sorry…this is still new to me…to us.” He rubs the back of his neck and averts his gaze.

“And not to me.” Admittedly my last triad hadn’t ended well but I had more experience in this than they did. “Anyway you feel about it is totally normal. Its how you act on those feelings that matters.” We sat in the living room for hours after that. Talking about how he felt, talking about how the others felt, and talking about how we all felt about Layla. I put my hand on his knee at one point and he after thinking for a second put his hand on mine, and that’s when I think I knew, no matter how those first dates went, I was saying yes.

~

Now three months later I’m grocery shopping with Layla, trying to figure out what one of the boys wrote on the shared grocery list, her arm around my waist as I’m holding the list.

“I can’t read Jake’s handwriting, what the hell does this say?” She points at it.

“Horchata Mix.” I laugh

“How can you read that?”

“He leaves me little love notes, like in the book I’m reading or on my bathroom mirror. I had to figure out what they said. So I made a cipher.”

“Well Jeeze, For all the times I managed to get him to talk to me all he could do was cuss me out.” Layla chuckles. Layla and Jake had a rough start of it, when He first showed up he brought chaos into their lives again and after they had just managed to settle down again. Layla had every right to feel like she did, but Jake also had a right to live a life, and for some reason, He really liked living his life with me. Which made me think of our first “free date”

~

“Dress for dancing. Can’t wait to see you. -J” That’s all the text said. The text made me laugh. The short black dress that hugs every curve of my body, the comfortable dance heels from my days in dance class, delicate makeup, hair done nicely. I thought I did well. I was surprised when Marc and Layla had said Jake wanted to take me out first. Apparently he had practically begged. I thought they were kidding at first, until I had gotten the text from Jake. Once I was ready I checked my phone to see a text from Jake.

“Outside. –J”

I felt my heart start to race as I left the building. He was standing outside his car, a flirtatious smirk on his face, It was a little odd to see Marc’s body but know it wasn’t him, how he held himself, the way he dressed, it was all very different. I walked up to him. I looked him over for the first time, he was dressed very nice, dress pants, white button up, dark tie, and the pageboy cap pulled over his dark curls was a good touch.

“It’s good to finally meet you Hermosa. You look stunning.”  His Spanish accent was a bit of a surprise.

“Thank you Jake, It��s really nice to meet you too.” I smile and lean in to kiss his cheek, a soft chuckle leaves his lip before returning the favor.

“Tu eres muy dulce…” His Honeyed words hit my ear and a shiver goes down my back. He opened the car door for her and she sat down in the car. As we drove to the dance hall we made some simple conversation. We pull into the parking lot of the dance hall and Jake is a gentleman the whole way in, opening doors, taking my hand, ordering my drink, it was quite sweet. But I had no idea what I was in for when we hit the dance floor.

He takes one of my hands in his and his other wraps around my waist, and he gives me a warm smile. It was my turn to surprise him by knowing where to hold myself in a starting dance position, a small smirk on my face as he chuckles and we start to dance together. I feel my heart thumping in my chest as His dark brown eyes met mine, something in the quality behind them, was different then when Marc looked at me. Everything about him was sensual, every touch, every turn, every second I felt like I was dancing on air. At some point we took a break and sat down to talk.

“Where did you learn to dance Muñeca?” He asks

“I took a bunch of classes in college, and some more recently with my ex. ” I answered honestly “And you?”

“If I told you I’d have to kill you.” He says with a chuckle. I laughed.

“Alright keep you’re secrets Lockley.”

“How else am I gonna keep you on your toes? Hm?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me and I couldn’t help but laugh again.

~

I put the blue bag of Horchata Mix in the cart with a smile then looked up at Layla. Her coffee eyes looked at me with an affection I had learned to enjoy over the last three months. I was thankful every single second I had with them. I had learned many times over the years that love like this is rare and fleeting, I just hope this time it lasts.

~

Masterlist

Chapter 2

[newkatzkafe2023]

@lara-legomonkiekid

What if Y/N's monkey's fur changed color with the moon?(like a full moon for white, a waning moon a white that's kind of black, a full moon for black and crescent moon for black with white).

Full Moon Monkey 🌙

(Lmk Wukong) You are the Prettiest thing he's ever seen. Your as pretty as the full moon and he can't get enough. He didn't even notice the black streak in your fur because he fell asleep on it. Then the next night he saw your fur was half pitch Black and the other half was pure white. Even if he admits that he's missing something all you could have done was just dye your white fur so all of that is on you and it looks good too. But finally you he saw that your were as pitch black as Macaque is when he finally said something, you finally explained to him that this is something your fur does and it's was tricky to explain so he was perplexed but he still thinks your pretty.

(NR Wukong) FLUFFY COUPLE🥰 He was all over you I tell you that. He just couldn't get enough of your rather unique appearance. He loves how you look like a giant snowball and he would die on the inside when you give him those puppy eyes and he would group you in a feverish hug. Who didn't even know this? The black streak in your fur, until Li pointed it out He didn't think too much of it Maybe you want to dye your Fur a little bit. It's no big deal and a hundred percent you're a decision But then the boys and Su saw that half of your body Pitch black and the other was bright white he has to be tripping now. He has finally asked about it and you said your fur always does that which left him more curious and wondered if you just dyed your fur without telling him. He finally understood when he saw your fully pitch black fur Which he found bought a weird elegance to you.

(HIB Wukong) He had this habit of petting you snow white Fur. So does Liuer and Silly girl but then they noticed some things different about you. You alway had snow white Fur and looked more like a sheep then a monkey. Your always turning peoples heads with your looks and children love how your a big shiny pillow or fluffy clouds stuck on the ground. But one day you had a black streak going across your fur and the first person to notice was Liuer who is a Automatically asking questions you tell him about your fur Special ability Of changing like the phases of the moon Everybody watched as your fur change from half black half white to a fully pitch black Which somehow made you even prettier. At least That's how Wukong Felt.

(MK Reborn) at first he doesn't notice to much really. You have snow white Fur big deal not to mention how fluffy you are so. You always hugging him and cuddling him and he hates how he would be out like a light. But then he notices something interesting about you. You one night had a Black streak your fur He didn't say anything at the time because he felt onec it was rude. He also didn't want to get punched So he Ignore it but then the next night the streak became have your body with freaked him and you out, Then the next day he couldn't find you at all. In fact he didn't see you until sundown and he found out why your It's no way for became as pitch black as a shadow or the night and That's when you spilt the beans to him. How your Fur changes along with the moon, but it makes you majorly Insecure and you didn't like telling him about it. He tells you that their is nothing to be ashamed of in fact he loves the other looks you had.

(Netflix Wukong) You remind him of the full moonlight and he loves it. Your big and fluffy, loving and Kind, loyal and Patient and and most of all beautiful , he can't get enough of you and has fallen asleep on your body on multiple occasions. Then one night Lin pointed out that their was a black streak on your fur and he looked up to see it. But he dismissed it as You may be wanting to dye your something so No big deal there, but the next night it happened again But now half of your body is pitch black. Oh God These low key freaking out now He finally made a decision to ask you about But he freaked out finally when he saw you were fully pitch black you finally explain yourself to him and how are fur works the same way as the moon he was majorly confused but he thought you were still beautiful 😍

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG

[songsofadelaide]

The Moon And Back

cw/tw: King Dimitri x sworn knight (f) reader, Azure Gleam route spoilers, no use of yn, childhood friends to [awkward phase] to lovers, mentions of the deaths of loved ones, accidental injuries, confessions, marriage proposals + a glimpse into the future, OCs. Creative liberties were also taken regarding a certain hero's relic. wc: 7.7k (Pls I am going to cry)

"I love you this much," he said, tracing an immeasurable, invisible line from his heart to yours. It was a surprisingly tender gesture from someone whose own strength even frightens him sometimes. "Or as the poets say, to the moon and back."

Many of the other members of the Blue Lions House thought the Crown Prince to be a rather easy person to read. While that may be true to an extent, those in his inner circle knew well enough the depth of his inner turmoil, and how dangerous it was for him to remain so trusting of people after all that he has been through. The same can be said when he easily welcomed the mercenary of unknown origins to the house he led while you were still studying in the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach.

Dimitri had a trusting nature, a nature so terrifyingly similar to his father, the late King, but he also had the tendency to conduct emotional self-immolation and deny himself comfort. More so, his refusal to open up about himself— made him all the more a perplexing paradox. Yet, he was the Prince. The one you swore fealty to just as the one who came before you. Just as your father did to King Lambert. Absolute obedience. To the death.

"That cub is your duty. The time will come that you will be the one to protect him. 'Til he grows into the fearsome lion that he is. Your life is not your own anymore, daughter."

For knights such as yourself, the monarch was the sun itself. Their light would be the rays of the sun's light that rarely touched this land.

You hail from a storied bloodline of knights loyal to the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, to the Royal Family— such was your lot in life and there was little that could be done to rewrite it. It was a fate you easily accepted the moment the young Prince welcomed you into his home as one of his most cherished friends. Dimitri did not think you less than his friends from the esteemed noble houses of the Kingdom. For the Prince, there was nothing he wanted more than to be surrounded by people he could trust— with his life, even— and you were one of those very people.

"Your Highness, you mustn't—! Dimitri! Oh!" You called out to the Prince in panic, giving chase as he slowed his pace. He greeted you with a warm smile as you finally reached him. "I am not the least bit worried! I know you're there behind me to protect me with your sword always at the ready!"

And while your family did not possess the relic with which you can defend him, he knew well enough that your strength of spirit would make up for what you lacked. House Charon already had its heir, after all. They've no need of an offshoot like yourself with your Minor Crest and all.

You were present for the Queen's memorial after she perished in the wake of the deathly plague that struck Fhirdiad. King Lambert's grief did not blind him to the fact that so much had to be done in Fhirdiad if he wished for it to be a dignified place worthy of its glory as the capital of the Kingdom. You yourself were amazed at how knowledgeable the Saintess was and how she mapped out the best outcome for the Kingdom capital. Driven by your own curiosity, you couldn't help but ask her if magic would be difficult to learn, but Cornelia took one look at you and concluded that you had a gift for the arcane arts yourself, and it should be nurtured— but there was very little you could do when your father pulled you away from her. He reminded you once more that knights defended their liege with their arms at the ready, and that magic was for those who could afford to learn it.

"It seems the blood of a hero courses through you, child. Have you... ever cast spells yourself?" "I... have not. My lord father has trained me by the way of the sword since I have been able to walk. Or at least that is what my mother says."

In Imperial Year 1171, the Saintess welcomed an Imperial lady to her home, and the King was so besotted by her that he married her in the shadows. Lady Patricia was a kind woman who raised the Prince as her own, and yet... There was a certain sadness to her that you couldn't quite put a finger on, no matter how hard you tried to understand her.

That same year, a girl from the Empire arrived in Fhirdiad, too— and there were whispers about her being a princess. You saw the delight that lit the Prince's face whenever he spent time with her, a girl whose air of precocious maturity matched the rumoured title she held. Once again, you were reminded of your most sacred duty as a knight of the kingdom— to protect that very same smile that lit Dimitri's face whenever he danced with the girl who wore Adrestian crimson amid the pale blue cold of Faerghus.

In Imperial Year 1176, your father perished in the Tragedy of Duscur, along with His Majesty the King and many other knights and vassals of the Kingdom. Duke Fraldarius lost his son in the clash, too, and you couldn't shake the thought that you could have been just another casualty had you not been sick during the campaign. Your mother kept you in bed despite your insistence and she may have just saved your life.

The Prince was inconsolable for the first few months after the horrific incident, and you could not pick up your sword to train without being reminded of your father— What were his final words? His last moments? Surely he did not shirk his duties. A hero's blood runs through our veins, no matter how thin the river flows now.

"I... have yet to apologise for your loss..." "You have nothing to apologise for, Your Highness," you replied to him. "My lord father did his duty and he did what he must."

There was but one irrevocable truth that made your blood run cold the moment you received the news— your magic would have been for naught if you were there. And so you pick up your sword once more, perishing all thoughts of ever learning the sacred art. Things would have been different if you were just the daughter of a lord, but you were a knight, one sworn to protect the sun of this Kingdom as your predecessors came before you.

In Imperial Year 1178, you joined the Prince's retinue on a mission to quell a burgeoning insurrection in western Faerghus. The second son of Duke Fraldarius, Felix, was present in the skirmish as well, and the both of you could hardly believe your eyes when the curve of a sadistic smile graced Dimitri's face as he rolled over the enemy forces. His ruthlessness in that battle earned him the ire of the Fraldarius heir and a nickname to suit his countenance.

"Well, if it isn't the Boar Prince himself. Out with it, then. Whatever it is you have to say to me. I loathe having to breathe the same air as you." "Lord Felix—!" You started, an indignant look on your face as you forgot yourself. "Shut it, you little lapdog. I won't be lectured by the likes of you," the lordling seethed at you. "You and I saw the same thing, yet you still followed this pathetic excuse for a prince." Dimitri wedged himself between the two of you and shook his head at Felix this time. "Do not speak to her that way, Felix. Might I remind you of the difference of your positions?"

If there was one person who understood you perfectly, it was Dedue, the Prince's foreign retainer whose faithfulness was nearly on par with yours. Dedue's circumstances and your parents' death made you both wards of the Crown. As the Prince trusted you with his life, so too did Dedue, and your silent, wordless mutual agreement to protect Dimitri became your common ground. It was safe to assume that you could leave your life in their hands, too.

You oft heard tales of the Regent's misdeeds and philandering ways, but your disdain for him runs deeper than just his mismanagement of the Kingdom at present. Though he was tucked away in his castle on the Itha Plains, Rufus knew well enough that there were still people around his nephew who would slay him with a glance if ever given a chance, and you were one of them. And though attempts were made to shake off that "meddlesome waif of a knight" and the "dog from Duscur" from the Crown Prince's side, the ground on which you and Dedue stood was as solid as ever, just as his faith in you was.

There was a knock on the door of your bedchamber that evening, which was unusual at that time. Though you knew Dedue was just next door, you concealed a blade underneath your night dress and only slightly opened the door. "Were you asleep already? My apologies..." "Not at all, Your Highness! P-Please come in!"

In Imperial Year 1180, the Crown Prince entered the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach with you and Dedue in tow as part of the Blue Lions House. While the peaceful school days gave you a sense of normalcy, those days did not last as long as everyone initially thought. Following the disappearance of the librarian Tomas, trouble and turmoil brewed in all three cornerstones of Fodlan simultaneously, like a masked puppeteer masterfully pulling strings— and everyone else along with it.

The uprising in Fhirdiad meant you had to return home, and while it gave you no pleasure to fight fellow knights of the Kingdom, you knew for a fact that they were misguided and led away by the false promises made by an irresponsible king who never was. You did not look away when Dimitri beheaded his uncle, the Regent, before the residents of the Kingdom capital.

"He's gone, Dedue. It's finally over," you nearly choked as you silently cried to yourself. "That... monster is finally gone." "No, I'm afraid not," he shook his head, a dire expression on his face. "We've only just begun."

For Dimitri, there was no turning back anymore from what had already been done. The Kingdom called for his ascension and he cannot put it off any further, no matter how he tried to avoid it. A mountain of tasks lay at his feet ahead of his coronation and you were there to carve open that path for him, at least that was what you endeavoured to do. When word reached you that Felix would soon become the next Duke Fraldarius, you pondered where your place would be in all of this.

"Ah, there you are. I was hoping to speak with you. I have already spoken to Dedue about things moving forward. I understand the Kingdom has promised you education—" Oh. You didn't like the sound of that one bit. "Let me stop you there, Your Highness. If you wish for me to return to the Officers Academy, I will not. My place is—" "I was about to say—" he cut you off, but not before he let out a small chuckle. "—That your place is here in the Kingdom. And while it pains me that we have to cut short our studies at the academy, I will need you and Dedue with me to... to—" "I am yours to command, Your Highness," you stated. Once you realised the error of your ways and your hasty assumption, you bowed down before him, long and deep and repentant. "My apologies, I... I simply do not wish to be removed from your side, even if the order comes from the Prince himself..." "I would not dream of dismissing you from my presence. Have you forgotten that I worry so little knowing you are close by with your blade in hand? Though I suppose we have little use for that now."

It is now 1182. Two years have passed since Dimitri's ascension as the King of Faerghus. As part of his reforms to the Kingdom, he established his own private army spearheaded by none other than the not-so-mysterious mercenary from your academy days, who proved to be a more reliable and trustworthy person than you initially thought. They grew to be a well-respected commander by both the nobles and the commoners who banded under the banner of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus.

For your efforts in aiding Dimitri in his reforms, you were officially knighted in the King's service and appointed a Kingdom General. The title couldn't come any sooner, with Adrestia's declaration of war against the Central Church. That same church is now knocking at the Kingdom's doorstep and to deny it assistance would be denying Dimitri's ascent to the throne. As a member of the Kingdom vanguard, you understood that the declaration wasn't just a mere threat, but a promise that the Empire would do whatever it could to accomplish what it set out to do.

But the deeper into Imperial territory you step into, the looser the lid on the can of worms becomes— that can pertaining to the cloud of mysteries left in the wake of the Tragedy of Duscur. The string of deceit will unravel by the King's hand, and many of your allies and fellow knights who have lost someone dear to them in that incident will receive the closure they deserve. You don't speak much about it, but your father sometimes visits you in your dreams, sometimes in unpleasant ways that rock you awake. Such was this night, and a crucial one, too, for tomorrow marked the deciding battle against Emperor Edelgard herself at the Arianrhod.

And you found yourself roaming around the encampment in hopes of distracting yourself from your nightmare.

"I see you still have no qualms about following the boar into battle," Came a voice you easily recognised as Felix's.

"And I see you remain as quick-witted as always, Duke Fraldarius. Good evening to you," you replied as the young man in blue stepped into your presence, bowing before him in reverence. "But you do just the same as I, do you not? But of course, you will claim it to be your duty."

"I am the Shield of Faerghus. Protecting the realm is my duty, and so it extends to protecting the King, too, though I know he hardly needs it. Though his might terrifies even his own allies sometimes." Felix stated as he defensively crossed his arms over his chest.

"I agree with you. We share the same sentiment."

"I think not. You don't follow him out of mere duty. You don't follow him simply because you are a knight in his service." he replied with a sharp smirk. "You follow him for something else entirely."

"I suppose," you nodded at him, not at all interested in denying the fact he presented. Even when you were younger, Felix has always been surprisingly perceptive. His knack and skill for sensing people's duplicity and intentions made him a fine leader in his own right, but he settled for being the King's right hand. It was clear from the way he looked at you that he understood your intentions, that you weren't fighting merely because you were ordered to, but because your entire sense of purpose was right there in the thick of battle himself, wielding his weapon of ancient origin. "His will is mine, and so is his path."

He chuckled at your remark. "As expected of a loyal lapdog. He rewards you well enough, I suppose. But then again, you don't care much for that, either."

"No, I do not, Your Grace," you shook your head and laughed at his comment. "This lapdog is simply pleased to do its master's bidding."

Both of you were prompted to look up from your conversation when you heard the sound of approaching footsteps. "Speak of the devil. It's your master, little lapdog."

"Lapdog she may be, she knows how to bite, Felix," said Dimitri, a small smile on his face as he stepped into your space. "That aside, what are you two still doing so late at night?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Your Majesty. It is imperative you get as much rest—"

"Pah. Here she goes again with that dutiful guardian act yet she's here, too, not at all getting a wink of sleep like she beseeched you to," Felix stated with a grunt of annoyance in his voice. "Go to sleep. And I mean both of you. We can't have the leader of this army and his adjutant collapsing on the battlefield because they didn't get enough rest."

"I'll ensure our King goes to sleep tonight, Your Grace," you quipped and gave another bow in Felix's direction as he walked away. "Good night."

But he turned back to you before he could fully leave the area. "Before I forget, boar. Isn't there something she should know?"

"I shall be the one to tell her that, Felix. You need not worry yourself about it."

Your curiosity was piqued by the way the King's smile vanished, replaced by a knotted brow that eased away when your eyes met.

"If it's to assist you, Your Majesty, I—" You started, only to be cut off when Dimitri raised his hand.

"You always did have a habit of jumping to conclusions without hearing the entirety of what has to be said," he said with a sigh, followed by a soft chuckle. "However, this matter isn't something you can decide on without having carefully thought of it. So I would like for you to hear it out."

"Of... Of course, Your Majesty. My apologies..."

His gaze softened further by the sound of your apology, the twinkle in your eyes now hidden underneath the thick of your lashes. The fact that you were a woman who unknowingly drew attention to herself, not because of your beauty, but because your spirit dawned on him at that moment. Though your beauty was a whole other thing to consider...

"I am well aware of the vow you keep to your father, who was my father's knight as you are to me. I feel as though that duty of yours has kept you from having a different life. Perhaps a life you would have wanted for yourself," he stated. "And though I am grateful for all you have done for me and the Kingdom so far, if I am ever holding you back from a life you feel you deserve, know that you only have to ask me and I will grant you release from your duty."

You couldn't fathom the reason for this sentiment. It almost sounds as if he is letting you go from his service.

"You are familiar with Viscount Brennius, correct? He came forward to me with an unusual proposal. Though I suppose you are an unusual knight yourself... He seemed to be quite taken with you, especially having seen your form in battle, and would like to share a meal with you one of these days."

???

"I can see you're rather puzzled by this development."

"Don't tell me you agreed to his proposal, Dimitri."

You called him by his name, a sound he long forgot, only for him to remember again, along with the tenderness of the days of your shared youth. He couldn't help but chuckle at the seriousness of your face.

"No, I did not," he replied with a smile. "I couldn't possibly give you away without fully knowing how you would feel about the entire thing."

"I loathe the idea. No offence to the good viscount, of course," you said, slowly looking away from his earnest gaze. "Have you finished, then, Your Majesty? May I speak freely this time?"

"Of course. You can always speak freely with me."

It was your turn to sigh this time. "I feel as though I haven't made myself entirely clear this whole time, Your Majesty. This... other life you think I might have been deprived of... I want nothing of it. If you think me held back by my father's vow to yours, then you are mistaken, because I chose this path for myself. And I don't think you to be so cruel as to deprive me of that other life if I had wanted it. If I had wanted it..."

Dimitri caught the twinkle in your eyes once more, only for the shine of the moonlight to reveal them as tears.

"I am with you because I want to be, Your Majesty. I follow you not out of duty, but because I believe in your will. And I—" You stated, trying to quell the quiver in your voice. You pursed your lips and bit your tongue before you could even finish the rest of your statement. "Forgive me for raising my voice. I didn't mean to..."

"You don't have to apologise. It is I who should do so. For assuming such things," he responded to you, followed by silence and only the sound of his approaching paces until you were face to face with him. He raised his knuckles to your face and gingerly brushed away the warm tears in the corners of your eyes. He moved with a certain slowness, his touch careful, as though he was doing his best to be precise. He did not wish to hurt you, after all.

"Your Majesty..."

He pulled away from you when he realised his actions, only for you to hold him by his wrist.

"...Just a little longer," you said, though your words were more of a whisper. You lowered your lashes further and sank into his caress. If you were dreaming right now, you didn't want to wake up at all. And yet, the sound of your name from his lips pulls you back to reality, the silver moon the only witness to your moment of weakness.

It was you who pulled away from the King, taking a step back from his position. You gave him a deep bow before heading back to your personal quarters, eager to dream about anything other than the pensive look on Dimitri's face when you parted.

Reclaiming Arianrhod did not go as planned, and the Fortress City was nearly razed to the ground by the monstrous anomaly that seemed to have spirited away the Emperor, too. Among the many wounded were Kingdom soldiers and the King himself, but he nearly lost it when he searched the area where you last had contact and couldn't find you.

"...urts. So... m..."

It was Ashe and Mercedes who found you half-buried underneath the rubble, your consciousness swaying to and fro as you tried to keep your eyes open. The last thing you saw before finally collapsing was the King— Dimitri— hobbling to where you were, your name caught in his throat. The commander was there, too, beseeching you to stay alive.

"...r... Maj...ty..."

The warmth and glow of the light magic Mercedes cast on you lulled you into a deep sleep, into a dream so vivid that you thought you were back in the waking world.

Before you stood the Hero Charon, whose blood runs through your veins. Tales and stories always depicted him as a swordsman of unparalleled strength, but he was a skilled magician, too. In his possession were the famed relic Thunderbrand, and a book of spells unlike any you have seen. You knew that the sword was in possession of the current Count Charon's runaway heir, but the tome in his hands... had the same eerie, crimson glow as the other relic. Only you didn't know what it was or where it was or if it was real.

It felt real when he beseeched you to touch it, only for the vision to end. Perhaps you were awake now?... Yet you knew you weren't. Because you were standing face to face with your father who has long been dead.

"Am I dead?"

The old man chuckled at you, his tired but fulfilled face the same way as you last saw him. "I'm afraid not, my girl. Though you feel like your spirit is wandering around here in this vast plane of blankness, you are, surprisingly, strongly tethered to the waking world. And that is because many of your allies pray for your recovery."

"Then why... are you here?"

"Come now. Is that the way to speak to your father? I am here simply because I can. You do know you should be asking that question yourself," he stated with an uncharacteristically warm smile. "How have you been? How... is Faerghus?"

You quickly agreed when he beckoned you to walk around with him. "I have been well, father. Faerghus is currently embroiled in a battle against the Empire."

"So it seems," he said with a small nod. "And the Prince?"

"He is the King now, and I his sworn knight. Though I suppose I did a rather poor job at it since I find myself here in this... strange realm between the living and the dead and not back where I should be," you said with a laugh. "You know... I've always wondered about something. When the tragedy struck..."

Your old man nodded at you, understanding even your incomplete thought. "My final thoughts were... of my little girl at home, eagerly awaiting my return though she was sick with a fever. And seeing you now made me all the more thankful that your mother kept you there with her."

"Her grief was deep, father. Surely you know how much she loved you."

"But of course. She and I are a love match, after all. One of the rarest things in life, even more so in the Kingdom, since we valued strength and our heroic bloodlines over everything else," he said rather proudly, only for his chest to deflate not long after. "Alas, what I didn't know was how that grief would drive her to her own death."

"Is she... here, too?"

He noticed the gleam of expectation in your eyes but could only ruefully smile back. "Yes, she is... but she is too ashamed to face you, if I am being honest. She wanted to see you but..."

You shook your head at his statement. "Please tell her that I do not hold it against her. Mother, she... She fought against an unseen enemy from the inside. And not even I could have saved her. Let her know, father, that I, too, fought that enemy and prevailed, but only because I couldn't bear the thought of him crying over me, weeping for me, when I should be protecting him—"

From where your father stood in this bleak plane of existence, a single light shone behind him. "Father?"

"It appears this delightful time has passed. It is time for you to return to where you belong, my daughter. But know this— The promises between dead men need not hold you back any longer. I wish for you to follow your heart now, with this second chance at life."

"Father, how little you think of me," you once again laughed at his remark even as he urged you into the glowing light. "I have been following my heart ever since."

The slightest twitch of your fingers, which were curled into Dedue's hand, was enough to rattle him awake. You blinked away your blurry vision and found yourself back in Fhirdiad, your fellow vassal watching over you as you recuperated from the blow you sustained after being thrown off the King's side at Arianrhod.

"...ur... M... jest..."

Dedue, who had been hunched over your bed while awaiting your recovery, calmly rose to his feet and headed to the door, where several guards and priests stood vigil. "She is awake. Please call for Mercedes at once so she can be checked."

There was a slight pain in your chest as you breathed a sigh of relief. The sound of thundering footsteps filled your room, closely followed by your comrades' excited voices expressing their delight at your kindling. Mercedes gently helped you sit up on your bed, and you recognised the room as Dedue's personal bedchamber in the castle.

"H... How long was I...?" You said, but your throat was parched.

"You were out for five days," Dedue answered as he handed you a cup of water to wash down the raspiness of your voice. "You broke your ribs."

"That explains why I feel like my lungs are crushed," you replied with a chuckle, only to wince in pain as a sharpness shot through your chest. "M-Mercedes, please...?"

"Of course. Everyone! I know you're all so happy to see our friend awake now, but do keep in mind that she still needs her rest," the older woman stated with a calm but authoritative voice. "She'll be walking again in no time!"

The rest of your Blue Lions comrades bade you farewell in the meantime, while Mercedes started a basic check-up on you— checking your vision, hearing, and the like. "It looks like everything is in order. Apart from your chest, is there anywhere else that hurts?"

"As long as I can use my sword arm, nothing else matters," you nodded at her, biting back another laugh. "Though I suppose my pride hurts a little... I was supposed to protect His Majesty, and yet I was thrown off by that... grisly thing."

"We were all thrown off by that monstrosity, but I am glad to tell you that His Majesty is well. Or at least he tries to be. He collapsed after giving orders when we arrived back in Fhirdiad—" Dedue stated as he sat down on the chair next to your bed.

"I-Is he well now?!" You inquired, your panicked voice startling Mercedes as she redressed your wounds. "S-Sorry..."

"Dimitri is all right," she told you with a small laugh. "He insisted on returning to work as soon as he woke up, even though everyone else urged him to rest. He also checks up on you a lot."

"He must be busy, then," you remarked with a soft sigh. "Shouldn't you be with him, Dedue?"

"Felix and Rodrigue are with him at present, His Majesty insisted I remain with you while you were still unconscious."

"I'm sorry I pulled you away from your duties."

"Don't be. I am glad to take care of you. I know you would have done the same had I been the one in your position," Dedue raised his hand in dismissal of your apology. "You should know that this is how much His Majesty values you."

"Where is he now? I should like to let him know that I am well."

The sound of your door creaking open once more prompted the three of you to look up, a breathless Dimitri walking up to your bedside before slowly falling to his knees, evidently placated at seeing you up and awake.

"I'm so relieved to see you awake now," he breathed a sigh of relief as he gathered your hands in his own. Dedue and Mercedes exchanged nods and made their silent exit, quietly shutting the door behind them. The young king could only bury his face in your lap, your fingers gently intertwined with his.

"Your Majesty, please... please raise yourself from the floor..." You gently urged him, but he refused to raise his head to look at you.

"Please allow me this... moment of weakness," he murmured, his breath warm against your knuckles. "You were asleep for so long."

"It was just five days, Your Majesty."

"And those five days were agonising, especially for our allies. That's two more than when I passed out after arriving home," Dimitri replied, finally looking up at you. He was out of his armour and just in his pristine white dress shirt and dark pants, an outfit similar to the ones he started wearing when you were in your early adolescence. And his golden hair, which was usually kept in a neat ponytail, was tousled and unkempt, like a lion unable to groom itself.

You slightly moved your hand to caress his cheek, and he easily melted into your touch. "Well, if you are all right with it, I would love to go for a walk in the gardens. And... if you are not so busy, might you accompany me?"

He quickly rose to his feet and carefully helped you up. "Of course. If you can stand—"

Fortunately, you were in a decent tunic, one of your finer ones here at home. You will have to thank Mercedes for that later. "I apologise in advance, Your Majesty. I am more of a girl now and less of a knight... I would greatly appreciate you guiding me as I gather my bearings."

You coiled your arm around his elbow and allowed him to steer your direction, his steps measured to suit your more leisurely pace.

"It has been nearly a week since that devastating incident at Arianrhod. The Imperial Army has withdrawn to Adrestia, just as we have returned home," he started as you walked past the guards and priests stationed by Dedue's bedchamber. "That chaotic attack caused severe casualties to both our armies. I doubt Edelgard will be making moves anytime soon... and the Alliance will surely have caught wind of this already."

"Then we have ample time to recalibrate our strategy, Your Majesty. If the commander is—" You replied to him, only for you to pause when you heard him grunt.

"Ghk... My apologies. I simply wished to catch you up on the situation. I didn't mean for you to start planning for our battles in the unforeseeable future..."

"It is quite all right, Your Majesty," you laughed at his sudden stiffness. "Pick my brain, please. Ask me about possible tactics. Just so you can be sure it's still working."

"Your eagerness to talk about this is more than enough proof that you are already well, and that your brain is still working," he chuckled at your witty response. No words could fully express how pleased he was to see you truly well, standing strong and proud despite your injuries. "But let us set aside that discussion for another day. There is... something else I wish to talk to you about."

You surveyed his expression for any of his stray thoughts, but all he had on was a tender smile. His eyes remained as clear as the ocean.

"Faeghus has always been a proud land. This place was simply not handed over to our ancestors, but they fought long and hard for it. And they fought not for the sake of mere fighting, but for our independence— the very thing that is being threatened at present," he stated, and you both found yourself in the palace gardens as you requested.

The afternoon sun was just as warm as you thought it to be, so you basked in its soft glow as Dimitri stood next to you.

"Even in the midst of our campaign, Rodrigue and the nobles still found the time to... bother me with trivialities," he said, though it sounded more like a grumble of complaint.

"Surely nothing is as trivial as you would expect if Rodrigue himself discussed it with you, Your Majesty."

"But it... is. At least, for me, it is. Because I am leading the Kingdom in this war and they want me to... to select a bride, of all things!"

A bride?

You fell silent next to him as he continued his... rant, as it was already turning into.

"I will not choose someone simply because Rodrigue and the rest of the Kingdom nobles told me to. More importantly, those people would know better than to hoist such a trifling matter onto me."

He didn't want to admit it, but you were right. It wasn't at all a trifling matter like he tried to dismiss it as. A succession crisis is the last thing the Kingdom needs, and many could claim to be the bastard child of the late Regent, given his great preference for sowing his wild oats. Yet he couldn't help but wonder why they had to discuss it now, of all times.

"It is probably because you will turn twenty soon," you said as you counted with your free hand. "Only five more moons 'til your birthday, if I am not mistaken."

Dimitri couldn't help but scoff to himself. His uncle spent his whole life fucking around, so surely he could be afforded that kind of grace, too. Not that he wanted to be a philanderer like his uncle, but that he would undertake his due diligence at the right time. With just one person. His wife.

He couldn't help but remember his conversation with Dedue earlier in the day before you awoke from your long rest. His vassal was as perceptive as always and was quickly able to deduce what it was that bothered him exactly.

"You do know that she will say yes if you ask, Your Majesty." "I... know, Dedue. But I have no wish to see her used for this purpose." "But you would not be using her. If the breathings of your heart are genuine— those words you uttered to her as she slept— you will hear the very same thing from her." "Do you really think so?..." "I think both of you need to be honest with yourselves. Only then can you solve this so-called predicament."

"If you are asking for my advice as to who to court, Your Majesty, I'm afraid I have very little to share with you. But if you consider casting your net far and wide, you'll find that many fighting in your army are eligible young women who—" You couldn't help but blab to yourself. And while you presented him with the possibility of finding a suitable match close by, he did not miss the glint of a tear forming in the corners of your eyes once more.

"I am... not interested in anyone at all. In other women, at least," he stated, breaking the silence that enveloped you as you stood still in the garden. "As a king at war, this matter is far too leisurely for my tastes at the moment, but I understand that Rodrigue and the others come from a place of concern. Like I said, I will not take just anyone. And silly as it may sound, I want a love match."

A love match. One of the rarest things in life, even more so in the Kingdom...

"But for me to obtain that love match, she must know that I... I must know if..."

The young king turned in your direction, holding your teary gaze though you wished to turn away. He raised a hand to your face, gently cupping your warm cheek in his callused palm. Your tears flowed and there was no stopping them, and so too were your words as you spoke them.

"I love you."

You held his gaze this time as you uttered those words. Soft as they left your lips and gentle as they landed in his ears.

"I stand here not because of my duty, but because I have been following my heart from the very beginning," you stated between breaths as you tempered your heartbeat. Your chest started to hurt again, but you didn't mind it one bit. "You are my reason for living, Dimitri. Not because my father foisted this duty onto me, but because you trusted me right from the start... And I trusted you. Even if you weren't the Prince back then, or even if we were just normal friends, I would have loved you all the same."

Dimitri's surprised expression softened to a glowing smile. "And I choose you because you are someone who sees me as I am."

You, who wanted him with no pretences. You, who wanted nothing at all from him but him. And you didn't even let those desires cloud your judgement.

"I love you too," he said, taking one of your hands in his own. "I know it took a while for me to realise..."

And he almost lost you in the process, too.

"I love you this much," he said, tracing an immeasurable, invisible line from his heart to yours. It was a surprisingly tender gesture from someone whose own strength even frightens him sometimes. "Or as the poets say, to the moon and back."

"Your Majesty, I..."

Your words failed you, but from the look in your eyes, he can confirm that those were indeed tears of the purest joy. And he wouldn't have it any other way. He feigned a cough into his fist.

"As you know, Lady Rhea herself is in Camulus Cathedral," he started once more. "If you are up for it, we..."

You laughed, never mind the sharp pain searing through your chest. You were alive and breathing and your heart was beating, so close to bursting with emotion because the King loves you.

Dimitri loves you.

"Sure, why not surprise everyone by finding your own solution to their bothersome problem?" You replied to him with a small shrug.

"Ah, yes, before I forget... I actually have something for you. When we first heard about it from Lady Rhea, she figured it was something you could make use of," he told you. From behind you came Mercedes and Annette, and in the hands of the younger woman was a worn-out satchel. "She says it was one of the few things they managed to save before they fled Garreg Mach."

You pulled out the tome from the satchel and couldn't believe your eyes. It was a book of spells unlike any you have seen, and it had the same eerie, crimson glow as Thunderbrand, its only twin in this world.

"Lady Rhea called it Suttungr's Mystery, I believe, and it is tied to the crest you possess," Dimitri stated, the same kind smile on his face as watched you marvel at the relic now in your hands. "The Crest of Charon."

"Y-Your Majesty, I thank you, truly," you said, wiping your tears with your sleeve. "This is a wonderful present, but I'm not so sure I can utilise its full potential. I am not a skilled magician like my ancestor, after all."

"Fortunately for you, magic can be taught and learned," Annette excitedly chimed in. "And we're at the right place at the right time, aren't we, Mercie? The Royal School of Sorcery is just next door!"

"Ah, you're right! I can easily learn a thing or two even from just you guys," you happily exclaimed as you held the tome close to your chest. You raised your eyes to the young king and beamed at him. "Thank you, Dimitri."

"There is something else I wish to give you, if I may."

From his pant pocket, he pulled out another gift, one you instantly recognised as his birth mother's treasured azure dagger, a present bequeathed only to the Queen Consort of the King of Faerghus.

"Shall we be on our way to Camulus, then?"

"...So it was said that the Warrior King of Faerghus and the astute Leader of the Leicester Alliance ended the senseless war waged by forces who worked in the darkness of the shadows. The young leaders were closely aided by the Church of Seiros in their pursuit of peace." "...But the tale of the young king's blossoming affections for his own sworn knight became one of Faerghus's most beloved tales of all time."

"When you look at things that way, it sounds like your father fell in love with me first rather than the other way around," you remarked as you closed the book you just finished reading. In your lap was a boy no older than six, his sunny blonde hair a stark reminder once more of who you married and bore a child for. And how you did all of that not out of obligation, but out of love.

Grian Ephraim Blaiddyd was born on the fifth of the Harpstring Moon in the new era. His birth heralded the arrival of the Kingdom's long-awaited heir, and your first-born son with Dimitri manifested the much coveted Major Crest of Blaiddyd, much to the delight of the peoples.

"Why does it matter who fell in love first, mama?" The boy quipped, his mouth surprisingly smart for his young age. "The only thing that matters is that you love each other still!"

You threw your husband a shocked look, which he only returned with a low laugh.

"You've puzzled your mother quite enough, Grian," Dimitri chuckled from across his bedchamber. "Mackenna and Lyor will be arriving today. Have you forgotten?"

"Of course not, papa. How could I forget the arrival of my favourite friends?" Grian stated with a smile as he hopped off your lap. He bowed before you much like you always did when you were his age. "I will see you again later in the evening, my good mama."

As Grian was set to be King, the spirited Mackenna Aine Gautier and the intuitive Lyor Glenn Fraldarius will, too, rise to their destinies as the future Magrave Gautier and Duke Fraldarius of the new era. But for now, they will settle as good friends to the Prince.

The boy exited his father's bedchamber, closely followed by his older but ever-reliable guardian, Dedue.

"I wish he'd stop talking like an old man," you said, your voice cracking in laughter. "I swear, Grian spends too much time with the city's old folk. I'm glad Mackenna and Lyor are here this time."

Dimitri approached you and pulled you into his arms. "Our son has a point, you know. Why does it matter who fell in love with who first?"

"I suppose you are right, because even after all this time, I still love you this much," you said, drawing an invisible line that connected your heart to his. "Or as the poets say, to the moon and back."

[cerastes]

Was thinking about the hypothetical Arknights action game stuff from awhile back again, what enemies/story characters do you think would make for some sick boss fights?

Oh, I like this one. Just to name a few:

Patriot: The first that comes to mind is Patriot, as an enemy that would push the game systems of an action game to its limit. In concept, I like to imagine it in the way the true final boss of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon goes: You have your playable character, which I would like to say is Amiya for this case, and your big damage opportunities come from interference ran by Rosmontis clashing with Patriot and Rhodes Island Snipers and Casters barraging him by Elysium's instruction. Patriot is also perfect to load a ton of mix-ups onto by virtue of him being able to do both gigantic, slower attacks and barrages of quick lunges. He could be a setpiece boss and a straight up skill check boss in equal measures.

Bishop Quintus: Yeah, man's Yamcha as far as bosses go, BUT in the context of a character action game with tight movesets and mechanics, a gigantic tentacled boss that can spawn more and more tentacles from everywhere in the arena, has laser attacks, and was explicitly Devil May Cried for a while by Specter when she was literally air comboing it by leaping from falling rock to falling rock as she unleashed a Sexy Smokin' Style kinda beatdown on him? Yeah I would very much love to control an Abyssal Hunter in a fight against this thing.

Faust: Hear me out. In the context of a full on high impact high speed action game, Faust would be heaven to fight. Between the ability to shoot a hugely powerful bolt, the ability to turn invisible, the turrets, and imagining him hoping around for a stylish mix of melee and ranged combat, yeah, I'm a believer. I like to imagine a scripted part of the fight where he hides and starts charging a truly massive shot, with the Arts humming from the sheer power. In the arena, there's also a lot of his snipers to run diversion and make it harder to find him. Normal people will find him and hit him out of the charge. COOL people will find him, taunt to trigger a MUCH faster charge, and then use a counter to catch the supercharged shot and return it to him a la Nero Buster counters in DMC4.

Full Power Big Ugly Thing & Eunectes: Remember Full Power Big Ugly Thing? No, not the one running on emergency fumes and jury rigged power sources, the actual fully geared version, powered by the airplane engine? The one that sent Gavial flying into the sky Team Rocket style? That one, that one should be some sort of secret fight. An actual brickhouse of immense, unfair power, only for the gamerest of gamers to cut their teeth with, punctuated with a final, high impact duel with Eunectes herself as the burning wreck and the originium fires make for a makeshift ring.

FrostNova: Legitimately, I think FrostNova would make That Moment in an action game. That Moment, That Boss, the one everyone remembers. Her skill set and aesthetic is supreme, the way ice can be used for both style and gameplay, alongside the actual emotional beat of throwing down with FrostNova as her life literally evaporates. Creating ice weapons that break with each attack just to have another one ready for the next swing, diverse moveset, dangerous at all ranges, highly mobile due to sliding on ice, giving the player high mobility as well (I love when boss gimmicks also can be used by the player in some way), there's just SO much one could do with a FrostNova fight, it'd probably my dream fight if done with love.

Endspeaker/Amaia: The concept of an ever-evolving boss with multiple forms has so much potential, TOO much potential, it's hard to fill those shoes, but if you do, imagine. In my dream of dreams, each phase/form of Endspeaker would grow resilient and even develop specific counters to your habits, in the shape of better dodge maneuvering against specific, high usage moves, and even counterattacks if you use some too much. The best way to go about this boss is to actually use your whole moveset, and even then, you want to ration specific parts of it depending on the phase. Plus, the latter forms of Endspeaker/Amaia are legitimately wicked looking and I think would look eerie and breathtaking in motion, with all those flowing parts constrasting with its sharp, long claws.

[thiswasneverthat]

stray kids as your jealous boyfriend

❅ genre: fluff!!

❅ words count: 700+

hyungline version!

bang chan

Chan is not the type of man who is easily caught in jealousy

However, he is not entirely immune to feeling jealous either. It happens only once in a blue moon

When he is jealous, chan will not explicitly say it to his girlfriend though, because he convinced himself that it was a silly reason; a reason that will be frowned upon

But in the end, he will surrender— eventually let his walls crumble down when his girl persuades him

And persuading him will include hands holding, soft caresses on his cheeks or his curls, and sometimes a stolen kiss works even better

“I want you to rely on me.” That is what Chan will say— that is the reason for his jealousy

He is full of surprises, isn’t he? Because, instead of developing a problem in their relationship, his reason only makes his girlfriend laughs

“I rely on you, Chris. I always do.” 

He loves it very much when his girl calls him Chris

“I know. But promise me, next time when you have somewhere else to be, give me a call. Ask me to drive you, not your other male friends, yeah?”

lee know

"What is jealousy? Is that your friend?" Minho will sarcastically ask his girlfriend every time she confronts him about that.

When his 'denied-jealousy' phase is showing, he acts like he is so unbothered, yet when his girl is not looking, he purses his lips into an adorable pout

The reason for his jealousy though, in most cases is because of her friends— her opposite-sex friends

Sometimes whenever Minho is around and any of her male friends stare at her for longer than necessary, Minho will fake a cough and protectively wraps an arm around her waist

A gesture he often does to show that the girl is taken, the girl is his and his only

"You know I love it when you're jealous, right?" His girl will tease him with a smirk 

But, Minho is Minho. Will he admit that he's jealous? Of course, he won't

"Why would I be jealous of those men when I am the one who gets to kiss you every time I want?"

How the table has turned, Minho loves it when he makes his girl blush so red like a ripe tomato

And then, long gone was the jealousy

changbin

When it comes to Changbin, his girl could read him like an open book

Because he is very honest with what he feels

Changbin doesn't see it as a vulnerability to show his emotions to his girl

When he is sad, he will say that he is sad. When he is jealous, he will also say that he is jealous

"I don't mind if you want to be friends with your ex, but can you not smile like that to him? Just smile like that to me only." He will say with pursed lips as he holds her hands

His request then immediately earns a hearty laugh from his girl

"I mean, I can fight, but I do respect your friends."

Oh, what a gentleman he is

The next time when they accidentally cross paths with her ex, Changbin will hold her hand tighter than usual, never leaving her side

But of course, with a friendly smile on his face

hyunjin

Hyunjin truly is a lover boy, just like what his girl loves to call him with

And sometimes a hopeless romantic 

While he believes that his girl is the one for him, he couldn't help but be super protective

Early in the relationship, Hyunjin will show jealousy by cutely sulking or pouting his lips

However, these days though, he only shows his jealousy by protecting his girl

"I am Hyunjin, her boyfriend." That is how he will introduce himself to her friends whom he never met before

PDA slash public display of affection has never been a problem 

Hyunjin will hold her hand or wrap his arm around her shoulders all the time

"I am not jealous, I am just protecting what's mine. You know that, right?" That is what he always says to his girl every time she taunts him about being a jealous boyfriend

[rendezvouz-fling]

Astro Observations #27

Moon signs edition part 3!🍂

• Taurus/2H moons tend to become addicted to going to casinos the quickest.

• Sagittarius/9H moons have a thing for drinking.

• Aries/1H moons tend to be quick tempered yet they’re also quick to forgive and move on like nothing happened.

• On the flip side when they see someone as their enemy, even if they don’t say anything to that person they’ll gossip about that person and make fun of them for years.

• Air moons & Leo/Sagittarius moon/3H/5H/7H/9H/11H moons 🤝 having some of the best playlists out here.

• I’ve noticed fixed moons (Aquarius/Leo/Taurus/Scorpio) tend to be heavily into 1 music genre or they have long lasting phases per genre.

• Taurus/2H moons 🤝 listening to others’ ideas but dismissing them if their not practical sounding.

• Sagittarius/9H moons 🤝 being the life of the party even if they’re shy.

• Libra/7H moons & Taurus/2H moons just have an eye for aesthetic. Even if they don’t acknowledge it themselves.

• One thing fire moons/1H/5H/9H moons will do is try cheer other people up but will not have it when others try to do the same for them.😭

• Gemini/Virgo/Scorpio/Aquarius moons 🤝 overthinking everything.

• People with their moon at 10/22 degree tend to come across reserved even if they have a bubbly personality and are usually very poised from their teens.

• Scorpio moons are some of the most affectionate people I’ve ever met! They’ll listen to your problems and give you a shoulder to cry on. They also show that they care for you and honestly I love that about them. <3

• People with 1H/5H/9H moons can come off very jovial and adventurous in personality! If in the 1st house they’ll be very feisty and teasing, 5H moons are full of life and have very animated mannerisms, 9H moons tend to be daredevils who always down for an adventure!! Like, “wAnnA gO On An AdvEntUrE tO thE stOrE At 3Am And glIdE AcrOss An IslE On A cArt?¿ I’ll pUsh It mysElf whIlE yOU sIt In It.” 😂🤍

• Virgo/Scorpio/Aqua moons & 6H/8H/11H moons are very smart and pretty much always a step ahead.

• 3H & 9H moons tend to be well rounded.

• Taurus/2H moons have an eye for fine quality. These are the people who don’t really care where they’re buying something from as long as it looks good/will last longer.

• Depending on the aspect, people with moon-mercury tend to be good at talking about their emotions or helping others voice theirs. They’re the types to have others opening up to them or telling them their life story.

• Moon at 1/13/25 degree tend to have this child-like energy to them. They’re also very protective of those closest to them.

• Moon at 3/15/27 degree tend to come across as playful and somewhat energetic yet they can also be very scatterbrained and tend to overthink everything—and God forbid they have a mercurial moon in the combo.💀(No hate there, just to say those that do have a mercurial moon at Gemini degree are THE biggest over thinkers who tend to stress so much they enter paranoia.)

• I’ve come to notice 6H moons are common among celebrities!

• Air moons logic is randomly texting their friends something and not reply back the whole day and then being like “Oh don’t worry I’m okay now.”

• Moons at 1/13/25 degree tend to be restless and rather address things in the moment when something’s not right to them.

• Most Aquarius moons I’ve met have this thing where they sit and contemplate on whether or not to share potentially helpful knowledge on a topic that somebody’s talking about because they’ll know exactly what it is but they might also be able to use their knowledge to their advantage later.

• I’ve come to notice most Aquarius and Leo moons tend to have 2-3 siblings while most Libra moons I know tend to have at least 3-4 siblings.

• I’ve also noticed most Scorpio moons are either the only child or they’re the eldest of the bunch.

• Capricorn moons are always seen as the most reliable/responsible ones.

• Most Gemini & Pisces moons I know tend to be an only child, either that or they have 2 siblings.

• Libra moons tend to either be the eldest or the youngest.

• Taurus moons tend to have 3+ siblings, I’ve also seen this placement in people who were born into big families.

• Aries & Sagittarius moons tend to be the 2nd eldest when born in big families or the eldest of 2.

• Most Virgo moons I know are either born into a small family or a big family no in between.

• Most Aquarius/Capricorn/Virgo/Gemini/Leo moons I know tend to have step siblings or have parents who remarried/had kids with other people.

[arammies]

pac: your qualities that surprise people

ू take a breath and focus on the question. then pick a pile that stands out the most to you. you may pick more than one pile. if nothing catches your attention, then there is simply no message for you here at the current moment.

ू many many thanks to my guides and your guides for helping with these messages :)

ू ~0.4k words each pile. there are three parts of this reading; in general, strangers/acquaintances, and your close ones.

ू deck used; the weird cat tarot

from left to right, top to bottom; pile 1, pile 2, pile 3, pile 4

· · ─────── ˗ ˏˋ ❀ ´ˎ ˗ ─────── · ·

pile 1

— general —

[ eight of cups ]

okay the keyword here is content. whenever you think something doesn't serve you, while you take time to be frustrated about it, it doesn't take long for you to walk away even without knowing what the future holds. you have a very strong will and respect your worth so much so when you know you need to move on, you'll immediately move on. you struggle to let go but once you decide enough is enough, you do let go. i feel compelled to tell you that it doesn't matter if it's small steps or big steps, the thing here is you do indeed make the first steps so kudos to you for letting go things that don't add up to your life :)

— strangers / acquaintances —

[ three of swords, seven of cups ]

woah. you're so strong. you've been through literal hell and you still hold those dear to you close. not to say you're not phased by the challenges of your life, but you understand that the law of nature is that everything will pass so you give grace to yourself and the people around you very much. you gain more knowledge on what to hold onto and what to let go as these challenges come. you're also very adaptable in every aspects. you don't like to be fixed in a box. for example, you don't have a specific aesthetic that you relate to, and you simply like everything from here and there. so like when people talk to you, they're like "wait, how do they have so many different interests??" . i don't know why but they're really like giving me "gasp, shocked, ???" energy lmaoo you keep doing you pile 1!! be awesome!!

— close ones —

[ the chariot, two of pentacles ]

oh my god pile 1, so like your qualities that surprise them is also funnily the explanation for the strangers / acquintance part. that you're a very, very balanced person. when you think and make choices, you're aware of both the materialistic and the spiritual world, both the feelings and the consequences. often, you try not to view things just from one perspective which is also why your close ones think you make one of the best judgement. i feel like they go to you for advices a lot and not like just minor ones either, the very very big ones that can make or break their world, because again, you help them see in a wider perspective. this quality of yours is also what makes it possible for you to have multiple different things or interests going on for you, because you know which to prioritize. and you might even enjoy having different source of knowledge and stuffs going on for you because even though sometimes it might be a hassle to keep up, you're just really content with what you have.

thank you for reading pile 1, have a great day !!

· · ─────── ˗ ˏˋ ❀ ´ˎ ˗ ─────── · ·

pile 2

— general —

[ the moon ]

people are so scared and confused by how you live your life. they don't think they'll ever get how you manage to embrace your situation with open arms, how you can move forward in life living like "that", their words not mine. i'm feeling that the majority of you might have been or still is, unemployed, homeless or freelancing etc. they can't grasp how you can live so calmly despite your life being so stagnant. but at the same time, they're also very inspired by it ?? in a way, they're basically saying "i don't know how you can live like that but i respect you for it". your energy is also very refreshing and i've never felt this relaxed so i assume people feel that way about you. when they spend time with you, you remind people to breathe.

— strangers / acquaintances —

[ ace of pentacles, three of cups ]

people who don't know you well are always suprised with how abundant you are, or that you make your life seems so. as in you're someone who goes along with the flow of life, and goes through it rather peacefully with whatever that is going on. they also notice how you accept both the good parts and bad parts of both yourself and life, rather you cherish it. you might be someone who doesn't understand good and bad in societal terms like people having icks or people calling someone a good person or a bad person, to you no one is purely good or bad. everyone is simply human. so the way you see things makes your judgement very clear; you acknowledge both sides but i get the feeling you don't like the term of pros and cons or good and bad in general because you think everything is just simply be.

— close ones —

[ the high priestess, queen of swords ]

again, you're just so good at simply being there. you don't feel the need to rush into anything if there's no urgency to, you don't mind doing nothing. which surprise your close ones, because people often are scared at not doing anything. but you're simply very accepting of the things going on in your life, you acknowledge that you'll have different phases in life and this is just one of it. you might even come off as very unbothered but i get that this trait of yours doesn't come naturally, you went through some hardships which opened your eyes to shift to this new way of seeing things. you're open to various opinions and are very patient and understanding with your life. because of this, some of your close ones might even look up to you.

thank you for reading pile 2 , have a great day !

· · ─────── ˗ ˏˋ ❀ ´ˎ ˗ ─────── · ·

pile 3

— general —

[ knight of cups ]

they're amazed that you're such a go-getter!! you just keep on having things after things. and it also surprises them because you're still so excited for your journey despite them seeing you already tried many things, you just want to keep trying and trying. they're also amused because amidst all this busy schedule, people can see that you would always make time for your loved ones, whether when close or far. they see that you bring a part of your close ones around in things you do and places you go.

— strangers / acquaintances —

[ ten of cups, the devil ]

ooh they see you as someone completely happy with what you have. perhaps you achieved most of your goals in life or are about to. but you're completely in love with almost every aspects in life especially your connections and relationships with other people. which is also why they're so weirded out by how you still have things to look forward to do in the future. to them, it's like you've achieved happiness, why are you chasing for more? why are you planning more and more moves? aren't you happy enough? which to that i say fuck them lmao cause you clearly know what you're doing.

— close ones —

[ knight of wands, wheel of fortune ]

yippeee!! shut them haters mouth zip zip!! your close ones clearly see that you're not as greedy as people make you out to be. it's true you're working on more goals, but they're aware that these steps you're taking are only to deepen the connections and relationships that you have aww. for example, you want to get more money so you can buy your close ones stuffs they can't afford or to donate to those that clearly need more help than you. and you know that since you're able to do so, you will do it. and you clearly enjoy doing this, your closed ones can see that. again, you've achieved most of your big dreams and if you're still in the process, this wheel of fortune card is just another confirmation that your dreams will be aligned way sooner than you'd initially thought. also i'm getting that you're not just abundant in physical world, but also the spiritual world. you might be one of those people whose gut hunches are always right and it spook your close ones a lot haha. you could also have precognitive dreams :0

thank you for reading pile 3 , have a great day !!

· · ─────── ˗ ˏˋ ❀ ´ˎ ˗ ─────── · ·

pile 4

— general —

[ page of cups, ten of pentacles ]

you're very playful. it seems like you've newly developed this trait? or strengthen it more? like you just gotten out of a period of self journey of accepting yourself and your wounds. now, the people see that whatever danger throws at you, you just kind of blurt your tongue at it? lmaooo and for people that are more acquainted with you, they notice you're facing your past wounds with such a cheeky energy. it reminds me of lightly joking about your traumas because you've processed and accepted them, and not in a joking as coping to distract you from the depths of your wounds way. you're also very very stable, or long term stability is about to come your way. now you just sit in your glory and you watch as things unfold, you're confident in your capabilities. everything in your life is aligning to a space of more security and comfort, and this is all because of how you have this set of values and morality and hold onto them tightly. you're just doing you, is what i get their general reaction to this are.

— strangers / acquaintances —

[ six of wands, eight of swords ]

it seems that you gained some positive attention like getting praises, promotions etc and i feel like it was very recently as well. regardless, the cards are telling me that you have a fair amount of both people supporting you and wanting to see you fall. now, regarding the achievement, those who support you from afar are really proud of how far you came, that your gentle soul finally gets the appreciation they deserved. to them, you have a really pure heart and energy while being such a hard worker. you really have their support, pile 4. now onto the people that don't like you as much, these can be external factors that had or are negatively impacting you, but i feel for the most of you, it's the people instead. they see here that you're standing tall in yourself, not shaken up by their advances as you deliberately close your eyes and ears to anything they have to say. you also don't make a move either and this really hurts their pride (lol serves them). they're seeing you in all your glory and your unbothered energy makes their insecure asses more insecure.

— close ones —

[ page of pentacles, seven of cups ]

your close ones are aware that you cherish your inner child very much. tbh this whole spread screams inner child. anyway, you make decisions after listening to your inner child but you're also very grounded in reality. like you have that thirst for enjoyment a child would have but you're not a child in terms that you are blindly going anywhere without knowing the cautions of the place. you nurture your inner child very much so you try to things that would make them happy, and your close ones are really happy you're happy. remember that achievement in the strangers / acquintances part? i feel like that alone has opened up so many opportunities and choices for you, choices that would make your inner child so happy. they're just super proud of you, they know you've been waiting for this day. and since you have a solid foundation of principles, they trust that you would make the best call for future choices whether or not you ask them for their advice. there's just so many good things waiting for you pile 4 :)

thank you for reading pile 4 , have a great day !

· · ─────── ˗ ˏˋ ❀ ´ˎ ˗ ─────── · ·

[madmutts]

LEO AND DONNIE'S DRESS/SUITS ARE DONE!! FINALLY! so much gold-

I threw in the cane just bc- there is actually a pattern on leo's sleeves too but idk if u can see it or not- anyway have them, Raph gets his own bc she's the prettiest (/hj) (Also Donnie's is a mix of a suit and a dress! Those are pant legs believe it or not lol!)

Oh, this is very delightful. That definitely feels like something I'd wear. I adore all the of the little details on both of our hypothetical outfits. You are a great artist, good job. Though the fact that you drew Nardo taller than me is a crime. -D

Woah, oh man this is cool. I look like I just walked off the set of a period piece movie where I play the main character. Love the moon phases cape, so cool. And I think it's great that you drew me taller than Don. I deserve it. -L

[berylshores]

Beryl Shores HCs - Sandborn Moores

// why do i call these headcanons when it’s my canon? hmm

// anyways a little more on the sirens and their relationships with the actual town itself!

- Moondrop and Sunrise know the towns residents by heart. Their names, their families, their personalities, etc. Anyone deemed too “nasty” make for easy pickings and have plucked the island population to a very small few they deem tolerable, mostly attacking sailors and travelers these days

- they gossip like they don’t already know what’s happening as it happens and also haven’t already predicted it 3 days before it happens

- The majority of the townsfolk have kind of just accepted “yea there’s something in the water,” they don’t know what but they don’t really care atp . just don’t investigate anything weird, don’t litter, and it’s fine

- Some of the residents even talk to the sea, telling stories, venting and asking for advice. They’ll never get a response, but Sunrise enjoys it and Moondrop secretly treasures it . Who knows, maybe the person that’s been bothering you may suddenly “disappear”?

- Moon likes to fuck with people with voice mimicry, even when not intending to kill. You’re just walking around and randomly hear your mom scream .

- Sun and Moon both enjoy sometimes swimming along secretly with people taking walks and under them in the sea

- fishing trips often go well on full moons (coughs at Moons moodswings) and new moons almost always are disastrous, so the fishers of the island have formed little routines, routes and traditions surrounding the tide and moon phase

- surfers are literally the funniest things in the world to them . look at what those humans have to do to mimic a fraction of our power . yank the board right out from under their feet for the audacity /j

- It took them both way too long to comprehend cooking. why are you putting that meat on a fire what the fuck are you DOING ITS BURNING and then they managed to snag a cooked scrap and were just like “oh”

[itsagrimm]

He Who Comes from under the Water

Chapter 9 - Of Moons and Monsters

Monster!König X she/her afab Reader

CN mentions of death, mentions of murder, mentions of cannibalism, arranged marriage, disrespecting and displaying a corpse, ableist language, internalised toxic masculinity, creepy observers with no understanding of boundaries, warning for those who have issues with paranoia, König has issues and needs fairy tale therapy

Not sure how the phases of the moon work? Click here.

Notes for better understanding at the bottom!

Partly beta-read by the amazing @queenquazar. There are typos in there but I need to publish this asap before spiralling into another round of rewriting this for the 10th time. also, thank you so much for baring with me.

6.9k words

Masterlist

this is a hit or miss chapter. love it or hate it. i am ready to throw out my laptop bc this chapter was hard to write.

Oh and I made a playlist for this series. Enjoy.

As the King of Everything from Under the Water, König never grew tired.

As a man, König felt like he was grinding his bones into dust.

The never-ending work started to get to him, eternal weariness was wearing him down like a stone getting chipped away in the currents.

He yawned.

During the day König worked on the Half-Palace. The Half-Palace was getting close to being done, rising up into the sky as high up as it reached down low and deep into the waters. It was a marvel. But König was not done yet, working tirelessly to finish his new residence to finally marry and bring his fiancé home safely.

During the night König guarded his Bride. With his axe in his hands, he stalked her garden, carefully avoiding her strawberry patches and making sure no villager or malevolent creature harmed her. The rumours of a human maiden marrying the Vodyanoy had made its rounds, and König started to see more unusual unwelcome guests creeping in the shadows. Sometimes he found villagers too, boys who turned on their heels just at the sight of König’s giant frame, axe, and piercing deep blue, ever-seeing eyes. Not all the trespassers were clever enough to run away at the sight of him. Twice König used his axe and spilled blood. First time it was a Tschort trying to sneak through the kitchen window. The other time a Kikimora nearly made her way to the Bride’s window. König got to them both in time, killing the intruders with quick blows of his axe and hanging them up in the alder tree around the bride’s house for the night as a warning. The first time his bride cried out at the sight of it, the second time she did not cry anymore.

During the few moments in between when he walked at the lakes beach with her or closed his eyes for a moment, worry consumed any thought in König’s mind. His Bride was fragile. The creeping beings in the shadows wanted her blood, her tender flesh, her inheritance. There was danger everywhere and König started to feel on edge from being on the lookout all the time. In all his life he had experienced worries and insecurities. Now he had learned to fear - for her.

In those moments König wished he could just ignore all tradition and carry her to the half-finished Half-Palace before the wedding to keep her out of the hands of those that wanted to tear and bite and kill and devour her. But then he looked at his own hands - long clawed fingers that could wrap around her neck and break it like a twig or drag her down the deep waters until she was nothing but a lifeless body. The first time that realisation hit him, it had mortified König. He was a danger - just like all the others. And she was just a girl. A girl that managed to get tangled up with him. Baba Jaga’s words still hung over him, telling him he had to sacrifice something to keep his Bride safe. Something deep inside of him knew he had done it wrong, all of it so far. Her fear of water was testimony of it. And so he sacrificed everything for her. But one question remained.

Will it be enough?

Feeling tired and drained, König sighed and made another round to check for danger. For now, no one was there but the moon, rising over the gable of the Bride’s house.

Peaceful, calm, familiar.

König nodded in greeting to the silent lunar wanderer. At least the moon was not out for his Bride. For now.

Of course, the thin slice of the waxing crescent did not nod back.

It was the moon after all.

König let himself fall onto the grass again, leaning against her door and closed his eyes.

A moment, just a moment of rest.

Rest.

Rest.

Rest…

Sleep was alluring. It called to him like the Rusalkis called for him to return to just being in the water.

Just a little bit...

Just a bit closer…

No harm in it…

With a low “thud” the axe slipped out of his hands, waking König back up from his light short slumber.

König shook his head.

No! He had to stay up. Another Tschort could try to crawl in any moment or Ivar might wipe up the village into a frenzy and come for her. His Bride was so frail in comparison to him, a little maiden and nothing more. Just yesterday she cut herself with a kitchen knife. Or was it tomorrow? Does not matter! One day she would hurt herself again and he had to make sure that would not happen. He could take it, not sleeping and working every moment. His body will withstand. He was a king after all! He was her guardian, her fiancé and soon-to-be husband, her man.

And she was worthy of König to grind himself down as a payback for the life he had condemned her to and the pain he would cause her with his huge hands and sharp claws. Sleep and labour was a necessary sacrifice.

“You are an idiot.”

König looked up, searching for the source of those words.

“Oh, don’t look so surprised. You are an idiot and deep down you know it already.”

König got up from his spot, taking up his axe.

“Who is it! Come out! Show yourself!” The king called.

“I am not hiding myself. You just don’t see what is in plain sight like the fool that you are.”

Confused, König's head whipped around, searching for whoever was talking to him.

“Here, little king. Up!” The voice called. “You are not used to looking up when speaking, aren’t you?”

As told, König looked up while raising the axe in expectation to see a new threat, a new danger, a new assailant.

What he saw instead was the moon.

“Hello.”

 König blinked, not understanding how and why the thin lunar sickle was smiling down at him.

“Don’t look so surprised!” the moon scolded with a laughing tone. “You greeted me yourself.”

“How?” König asked, lowering the axe.

“You are asking me how I can speak?”

König considered the moon's words before smiling shyly like a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Okay, that’s fair. You can speak just like I can.”

If the moon could nod it would have done so. Somehow König felt like far out in the interstellar realm of implausibility the moon indeed did nod at him.

“Why after millennia of not speaking to me you do now, moon? I greet you twice a day.”

“I grew to like you, little one. And I got bored watching you self-mortifying yourself. It was entertaining for a while until it became the most pointless thing I have witnessed in a long time.”

“What do you mean, Moon? I am not mortifying myself! How would you even know.”

The moon raised an eyebrow at König. Somehow it did that.

“Please. I have better eyes for that than you, little king. I do nothing else but watch and witness.”

Unconvinced, König crossed his arms.

“What do you know about me and my worries?” He countered.

“Only about half of it. I just see you at night.” The moon admitted. “Shame really. You doing everything else but talking to your fiancé is quite the sight.”

“What is there to talk about?” König replied. “Spare me. Everything is clear. She is just a nice girl who ended up engaged with me, so I have the duty to protect her.”

“Sure, little king. Then you would have no issue just crossing that doorstep of hers and telling her that. Sacrifice the facade and just take her to that Half-Palace of yours and be done with it. It’s all just formalities and traditions at this point. You are just concerned for her safety.”

“I am concerned for her safety.”

König gazed around the dark garden. There was the spot where Ivar had threatened his Bride. And the alder tree König had strung up those that had wanted to harm her. And the axe with which nowadays he did as much killing and fighting as he did building.

“That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

XXX

König looked at the Bride’s door. The familiar wooden frame she walked through every day. It would be easy to just open it and go in. Or knock? König felt like she would appreciate a knock before getting dragged out of her family home in the middle of the night in the name of her safety and his pragmatic marital claims.

Up in the night sky the thin moon sickle was grinning at the sight of the fool calling himself King, silent and expectant to watch something - anything - happen.

But it did not.

Not every night was calm and spent in solitude.

A bunch of laughing and giggling Rusalkis decided to join him and the occasionally appearing fox on his guard post. König looked around, seeing the half-moon rise above the horizon. It had been silent ever since that night a while back.

Of course, the Bride was still sleeping in her own house.

Of course, he had not even attempted to move her from it.

They were still unmarried.

It was tradition König told himself.

She would not want to be in the nearby finished castle with him anyway.

“Why so grim dear Vodyanoy?”

Startled, König spinned around, teeth barren and the axe in his hands.

“Easy.” A rusalka straying behind soothingly replied, her hands up.

König stilled.

“Oh it is you, Lada.” He said and lowered his axe, “I am sorry. I thought someone had crept up to me.”

Lada leaned forward. Her pretty eyes gazed up at him as she lowered her hands.

“You know, not everyone is out there to get you or the Devitsa, Vodyanoy. Take a rest. We can guard her in the meantime.”

“No.” He grumbled. “It’s nice that you are here to help, but she is my responsibility to carry. I brought this upon her.”

Curiously, she leaned forward.

“Oh, you do that a lot these days, König.” Her words splashing down her lips like a lively spring, unimpressed by the near display of violence moments before. “Always responsibility. Always offering yourself up like that makes a difference. Tell me, is this spectacle for you or her?”

“It’s not a spectacle.” König replied, moving back from her and crossing his arms before him.

Lada grinned.

“Alright. Sure. Good luck.” She declared and waved a goodbye at him before, jumping back like a firefly raving in zig zag over a pond's water. König watched Lada return to the other Rusalkis, giving a sharp, toothy and nearly careless smile to flirt with the Fox. They seemed so content with chatting in the moonlight. As if stalking and hunting intruders was a Rusalki past-time. Knowing the Rusalkis it probably was.

König suppressed a yawn, unwilling to admit Lada was right. He really needed to take a break. Soon, when he was married and the bride was safe. He would have given anything he had in him then. But until the wedding there was no point of even thinking about rest or the life leisure he had known before.

Was he really that busy all the time?

Unapproachable and lost in his own thoughts nowadays?

König remembered how much time he used to spend with the Rusalkis. Oh, he did. They had played, filling the air with splashed water, with laughter, with moans.

It felt so long ago.

He hadn’t even thought about it.

Would his marriage remove him forever from that part of his life?

He stilled as the realisation hit. It hurt. But only a little.

Thinking about the Bride's little human fingers that tangled his hair, asking him how his day was, telling him about hers pleased him. König had gotten used to the Bride in his life so quickly, he wanted more of it.

But enough to stop lust and satisfy his more carnal desires?

She…

You promised to guard her, protect her, make her your Queen. Nothing else. König reminded himself unhappily and looked up, searching for answers in the night sky.

There were none, only the looming moon.

It was as if the half-moon was watching him with mockery, observing König’s thoughts and temptations.

König grunted.

Fine, maybe she was charming in many ways. He had to admit that to himself. But maybe that was another sacrifice he had to make for the sake of her. König was sure they could find an arrangement at some point. There was little he promised nor expected from her outside of their marriage. But that was for a moment in the future when he had the right words for it.

Until then, his tasks were easy: No sleep, no leisure, no lust.

König tapped on the hilt of the axe. It’s been a couple of days since he had to use it as a weapon and the calm waiting was wearing him down nearly as much as thinking about his forbidden Bride - her clever remarks, her unrelenting will to life, her careful steps around water. If he asked her opinion about his sacrifices she would say something wise. She always seemed to do, giving him little knowing looks over tea cups, over the lake, over hot puffs of breath escaping her lips. And when she spoke her words rang in his ear like music. Melodic syllables falling from her mouth like raindrops and teaching him of the world.

Now the bride's words were siren songs to him.

He sat down into the grass and watched the house of the bride. There she was, sleeping her well earned rest. And he was outside where he belonged with his claws and flaws and desires. He looked up to the sky. Cold stars and the unmoving moon grinned down at him, silent and calm unlike his thoughts. König wondered if it was easier that way, just to watch and never to do. Just to witness but never to participate.

No wonder the moon is a judgy creep.

König frowned, wishing he did not feel drained, unsure and like he had made the wrong decision.

Let them see. I will do right by her - König promised to himself.

XXX

The night was pleasant but cold. It had rained and the now cleared sky and fresh breeze added to the unusually cold summer weather. König was sitting right under the ledge of the roof, watching drops of the previous rain roll down from the leaves and running into little pools of water. It was calming. And with humid weather like that he knew at least no villager would show up, giving him one thing less to worry about.

König heard her steps before he saw her step out into the night. He looked up.

“König.” She greeted with a blanket around her shoulders. “Would you mind company? The full moon is so bright, and the rain kept drumming against the roof. I cannot sleep.”

He nodded before suspiciously eyeing the massive, silent luminary above them.

Creep.

She settled next to him under the dry roof, facing the dark garden and treeline with him.

“Are you okay?”

Her words reached into him and laughed at his convictions. Just hearing her voice made something stir in him.

“There was so little time these past days and we hardly spoke.” She continued. ”Can I help with something?”

König shook his head before even thinking.

His burden, not hers.

“No, Bride. You cannot fight the monsters lying in wait. You can’t even lift my axe.”

The thought of her facing another Kikimora, a Tschort or an angered, disapproving Rusalka terrified him. She did not even have teeth to tear and bite.

“Is fighting the only way to help?”

He looked down at her, the little pretty thing that he spent the day admiring while working and the night desperately trying not to think about.

She pressed her thighs closer to her body for warmth.

Tangled limbs, desperate touches, heated kisses. He could warm her up.

Instead, he lifted his arm and silently invited her closer. No point in keeping her cold.

“Yes, it is but it is unpleasant work, my Bride. We will marry soon, and you will be safe in the Half-Palace. Do not worry yourself.”

She moved closer, pressing herself into his warm body. With a stern look more for himself than to others König commanded the last of the drops on the grass and from the dripping roof not to touch his shivering maiden.

Of course, she did not notice, only purring like a cat before the warming fire.

For a moment they stayed like that as if she was thinking about his words while König closed his eyes for a moment, indulging in it.

“What will happen with my family’s house? I am fond of this place.” She asked finally.

König sighed and opened his eyes.

“Whatever you want, Bride. It is yours and it always will be.” He chuckled grimly. “Maybe you want to stay here every once in a while, when you grow tired of my company.”

“Do you think you are an unpleasant presence to be around?”

“At times.” He admitted.

“I do not.”

“You are too kind.”

“I doubt that.”

There it was again, the banter. She met him exactly at his level, hitting him playfully where he would never expect it. There was a lightness in her words that made him nearly believe her. König could not help but grin to himself while pressing her slightly closer.

“Any idea about the sacrifice?” She asked while leaning into him to cover his massive frame with what was left of the blanket. A cute but pointless gesture.

“I have some ideas,” König resigned. “But there is no way to be sure it is working and I doubt you want to test it.”

She shivered.

“No.” Her voice was thin and frail, hitting him with guilt.

“I think I need to ask my brothers for help.” König continued. ”But I'm not sure that is wise. It could be dangerous.”

She nodded. “I suppose dealing with family can be like that sometimes.”

König stilled, thinking about her words and listening to the drumming sound of the rain.

“Hmm, I suppose you know a lot about that,” He hummed and paused before daring to speak again. “May I ask … are you angry at your family? For marrying you off to me?”

It was as if he was asking the bravest question of all.

She shifted around.

“Sometimes,” She admitted. “It’s hard because till this day I love my family. But to be fair, marrying me off to a stranger was just the last thing of a long line of things that weren’t as well thought through or kind as they might have told themselves. Who knows. They are dead now and I am here. Could be worse.”

He nodded, trying not to feel too much about her words. Marrying him was bearable. König hardly blamed her. Still, it hurt more than he had expected. Was that pain another sacrifice?

“Could be worse.” He repeated flatly.

“Well now you make it sound bad. That’s not what I meant.” She muzzled into him as if she truly wanted to be there.

König closed his eyes, reminding himself not to lie to himself. This was just a practical arrangement for her. For him.

He cleared his throat.

“So, what do you think we should do?” The Vodyanoy changed the subject. “One brother you already know of is Simon. We used to be close but something happened and since then he is like a ghost of himself, moody and withdrawn but capable of kind and terrible things at the same time. It’s hard to know with him. He never formally claimed his kingdom, but everybody knows not to cross the master of the forest, the Leshy.”

The forest turned silent as if knowing that König talked about its master.

“What are the things that make him dangerous to be around?” Her voice was so little in the woodland's silence, so brave to speak.

König swallowed, remembering his days with his brother. They were long gone, lost in a sea of blood.

“Simon taught me how to kill.”

The forest stayed silent, as if trying not to breathe like an animal of prey sensing a possible predator.

“Oh.” Brave like a single flame in the dark she whispered into the night, breaking the silence, and releasing the forest from the dark grip of its master.

“I have other brothers but the one who could help is the deathless one - Koschei, the master of bones and battlefields. Nowadays he goes by the name Graves.”

“Charming. Leaves little to the imagination why he could be dangerous.”

He grunted in agreement.

“That’s quite a family I am marrying into.” The bride paused. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Scared?”

She shrugged.

“Only a fool would not fear a brother-in-law who is called deathless or for whom the forest dies down.”

Brave one.

“You do not have to marry me and into this family. You know that, right my Bride?” It felt right to say it and offer her a way out from the terror that was his presence.

She stared into the cold wet forest, unmoving and expressionless.

König wished he knew what she truly thought of right now.

“Do you not want me as your bride?” She asked finally with a flat voice.

Her lips singing the siren song. What does marriage even mean at this point? 

“I promised it, did I not?” He said instead.

She nodded, a stony expression on her face.

“So, we stick to it.”

“Aye.”

König felt tired. Like he had run out of words, keeping it short and safe instead of pouring out his heart and burdening her. If only he could rest, lay down next to her and close his eyes.

“You say Simon was here?” The Bride mused. “He was the one to point out the danger to me. If he knew how to get rid of it or wanted to help, he would have done it. But he did not. I don’t think we can count on him here. Which leaves…”

“Koschei.”

König felt the corners of his mouth drop down into a disapproving frown.

He knew she was right. Still…

“Maybe there is a safer, cleverer way to engage with him?” The Bride continued. “He is the Deathless. I am sure he might know something and maybe a simple letter or a messenger will be enough. What do you think?”

Still unhappy, König considered her idea. It was sound. Yet the mere thought of having to ask his brother for help and being in debt to him worried him more than he wanted to admit. Graves always had a thing for pretty girls. And for his Bride to draw the attention of Koschei the Deathless did not only feel like asking for disaster but evoked new fears in König.

What if Graves would like her and do as he had done with many girls before?

A new ugly thought roared its head up.

What if the Bride would prefer Graves over him?

“If i keep practising my writing I can write to him.” His dearest Bride added. “I could ask for his council as a bridal gift. What kind of man would refuse or violate that?”

König took a deep breath. He hated how right she was.

“I could work but-”

“Perfect. Let us do it soon.”

Her voice left him as little room to argue as there was left under the blanket between her and König.

“Fine.” He surrendered like driftwood to the currents.

Instead of pushing for more she just sighed herself, relaxing into him and staring into the dark.

She will just be my Queen. König thought to himself, surprised by his own possessiveness. As long as she is safe, it will be fine. No need to worry more than usual.

She was here, at his side and safe.

Nothing more than someone like him could expect or ask for.

He closed his eyes again to enjoy the feeling of the Bride so close to him before straightening up and concentrating on being on guard again.

She yawned, muzzling closer.

“I might fall asleep here.” She admitted. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all, Bride.” König replied with a feeling he wasn’t familiar with, “I’ll be there.”

xxx

It felt ridiculous how much König loathed the thought of his Bride meeting Graves. He knew it was unfair, hating what his own insecurities and worries did to him. The Bride had suggested a plan and he was the one not sticking to it, that odd feeling in his stomach stopping him from teaching her how to write or write Graves himself. Instead, König could not help but make excuses.

It’s late…

I am busy right now…

Maybe tomorrow…

König told himself that his worries and reservations were justified. He was just cautious. It was Graves after all, the Deathless, the one called master of bones and battlegrounds. And the Bride was so fragile in comparison to all those monsters and men.

“Just talk to her, boy!” The moon nearly shouted down from its high place one night right before vanishing behind a cloud. 

König only shook his head.

The Bride was his responsibility and it was his duty to protect her from the world. That was his sacrifice. It had to be the answer. But then doubt whispered again to him.

Not good enough, Graves will be better for her.

A day passed, a night, another day. The Half-Palace was shaping up and König was dreading to be finished. He would bring her home then, far away from all those who were out for her blood.

But then she would be alone - with him.

Suddenly the axe was looking tiny in his hands, just a simple twig in clawed fingers made to rip and tear and drown.

He felt stuck - he was the reason for her troubles but also the key to her safety. He wanted to keep away but then how was he supposed to guard her? He wanted to marry her and be done with it. But what did marriage even mean for him? For her? Was it the delight in her presence he felt? The excitement of just talking to her? The secret longing to take her deep into the waters and embrace her with everything minor that he was, feeling her bare skin and tangled limbs and bubbles of air escaping her moaning lips and reminding him it would be the death of her.

Confusion dripped more into his tired and worn mind.

He was scared of himself and what he was capable of doing.

But no one could understand what he was anyway.

And so König kept it to himself.

That night he was alone. The Fox had gone home. He had young to play with tonight, he had said, and König had only nodded.

Yeah, yeah, sure, I understand.

Lada and all the other Rusalki left for some rest in the ponds, and rivers and lakes.

Deep down König knew that he needed some break as well.

But he was afraid of leaving the Bride alone or staying alone in the house with her. He was a danger too after all.

Defeated, he sat on his regular spot next to the door, gazing through the garden and hoping for nothing and something to happen at the same time.

The axe in his hand had started to rust a bit from all the blood it had spilled. A long time ago it had been a gift from his brother Simon, back when they were close.

“It does not have to be this painful, you know?”

König looked up, searching for the source of the voice. The garden with its tidy strawberry patches and attempts of growing buckwheat and sunflowers was as untrodden as it had been the last time he made his rounds. 

“Still up here, little king.”

König looked up and the thin crescent of the waning moon smiled down softly at him.

König leaned back against the wall of the house.

“What do you want, Moon? I am tired. I don’t need a lecture or getting shouted at again.”

The grand luminary of the night sky stayed silent. König wondered if that was all then and prepared to get up again for another patrol round.

“I am sorry. I should not have done that.”

The Vodyanoy blinked in surprise.

“Is the mighty Moon apologising? To me?”

“Don’t make this harder than it is, little king.”

König crossed his arms but nodded.

“Fine. Your apology is welcome. What do you want, Moon?”

“I just want peace between us. Of all your brothers and the old beings walking this earth I feel the closest you. The waters and I… There is some magic working between us and I felt responsible to say something but I overstepped. That is not how good-”, the moon paused, “Neighbours, let’s say neighbours are supposed to be.”

König huffed.

“You are a creepy neighbour, you know that?”

Moon in its interstellar ways giggled.

“I am the watcher in the night. What else did you expect?”

 “Maybe, but I don’t have to like it.”

The moon kept smiling.

“If you ever have children I will watch them and keep them safe just like I watch you and just like I watch your Bride.”

“I don’t trust that. And I doubt I will ever have children.”

“Who knows. That’s not up to me.”

They stayed silent.

Nervously, König grinded his teeth and considered what he had heard.

“You watch her too?”

“Yes.”

“Is she okay? Clearly all of this must get to her. And the arranged marriage…”

“Little King”, the moon whispered near softly, “Isn’t that something you should ask her yourself? Be brave. Talk to her.”

“You keep pushing me to talk to her!” König cried out in frustration. “Why? It wouldn't matter anyway! There is nothing to say. Our marriage is just a facade. I am the one most likely to harm her and there is nothing I could say or do to remedy that.”

The anger of the past months, bottled up and pushed down, made their way out of König. Like a hurt animal he howled his words up to the moon.

He jumped up. The axe was ready swinging in his hands, clawed and ready.

If he could, König would have picked a fight with whoever crossed his path just for the sake of it. But there was just the moon - cold and far away.

He screamed in anger.

“I do everything! And it’s not enough. I AM NOT ENOUGH!” König stalked around the grass and felt his anger dissipate with every step getting heavier and heavier. 

“I am not enough.” He repeated with finality and came to a halt. “And I never will be.”

It was silent. 

Conscious about his outbreak he looked around. Not a leaf dared to move around him. Ashamed he fell into the grass and covered his face.

“I am sorry. It was too much.” König mumbled as he tried to catch his breath and fight the tears. “I am not like that normally.”

“I know, König. It’s okay.”

The moon's words felt like the last push. König cried. He did not know why. Some of it he understood. But a lot were just tears he had to shed years, months, nights ago and now he did not know why he cried.

Heaving for air in between his sobs, König hears the moon's soft words. 

“Oh it’s okay, König. It’s fine, little king. It’s fine…”

He was the water and the water him. Köng’s tears flowed endlessly until he was done and only a tired void was left in him.

He looked up to the moon, staring down at him. The soft smiling crescent unchanging and familiar, surrounded by a countless number of stars shining down at him.

“I am sorry for … this.” König started.

“No.” the moon interrupted. “Don’t you dare to apologise for crying. I mean it. It’s okay. Next time, just leave the axe out of it, okay?”

König looked at the axe a bit off in the grass. He had let go of it at some point, feeling like failure again - even in his sadness he was intimidating.

Vodyanoy nodded.

“Listen König, may I say something?”

Another nod.

“You breaking down like that was inevitable. Don’t torture yourself like that. You don’t need to carry it all alone. And I guarantee your the Bride would be the first to listen to you.”

A tired smile made its way up to Königs lips. “There it is again - you want me to talk to her. But she is so fragile. She can never do what I can. What’s the point?”

“You build her up in your mind as mighty as that castle of yours. She is the most fragile, the most worthy, clever and beautiful - don’t deny it. I watched you yearn for her for too long. But she is just a person and not your dream of her. And all your sacrifices are great but the one that truly matters you did not give.”

“Which one?”

“Honesty - with her, with you. You two need to talk with one another instead of silently offering yourselves up. She is not as weak as you make her out to be. And you, little king, are not always strong. It’s painful to watch.”

Defeated but not yet passive, König tried to reason. “You don’t understand. Besides, what is there to talk about?”

“That you care about her maybe? And that you care so much, that’s close to twisting into a mindless adoration suffocating both of you. Let her be strong and be to you what you are for her instead of sheltering and keeping her away. She is an ocean worth discovering, not a cup of water that needs to be kept out of the sun to not evaporate.”

König looked down at his hands. The same claws as always.

“Don’t start that again, boy. Get up, knock at her door and ask if you can sleep there. And tomorrow you can talk.”

Slowly, König eyed her door.

Disturb her? Be a burden to the one he wants to keep all burdens away from?

“Be brave, little king.”

The moon was wrong. Nothing could be fixed with talking. But what if the moon was right?

The door drew him in like nothing before.

And he was so tired.

König got up, collected his axe and stepped forward.

Should he really do it? The moon stayed silent, waiting for König to walk to the door and knock.

He took a deep breath, wiped his hand over his face and stepped forward.

This was it. It felt like the bravest, hardest thing he had ever done.

He knocked.

Cultural context

Tschort (literal translation: devil) can be both a plural and singular. It can be translated as demon or devil. But that only captures the word in its Christian context and not its presence in mostly in pagan traditions in folk and fairy tales. It’s easiest to understand a tschort as a type of evil or at least ill-meaning supernatural male being.

A kikimora is a bad female house spirit known for haunting dreams or generally the household. I know her as an entity that drives humans insane by whispering, stealing eggs, spinning spider webs and confusing her targets but there are other tales about her in which she has other abilities. There are proposed links between the Kikimora and the ancient Greek Moiren, the Germanic Nornen, and obviously the old Slavic goddess Mokosh. Funnily enough in the game “The Witcher 3” the kikimora is a type of giant spider.

Erle / alder is a very important tree in central European folklore and especially German speaking folk. Alder trees are part of the birch tree family, making them very resistant trees. The alder grows on very humid soil, often appearing close to bodies of water or moorlands. Since moors were associated with the dead, alders were considered a bit spooky. Alder trees ‘bleed’ a reddish liquid when being cut, adding to their spooky association. There are several rites around alder and alder twigs. The Erlenkönig or Alder king is a very famous German poem about an elven king trying to seduce a sick child to come and live with him. A german – English translation can be found here https://www.ogn.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/bellcogo2015.pdf All in all the alder tree is just a cool spooky tree with plenty of pagan-Christian connotations around it.

There are a few stories about the moon and as far as I am concerned, they all coexist in a semi plausible way. In the 1964 soviet, kids’ movie ‘Морозко’ the sun does not rise out of kindness to give the protagonist time to finish her nightly chores. The man on the moon or the moon face is a story drawing from German speaking tradition that the moon is a single wanderer watching out for those that cannot sleep or work late at night. It’s a kind presence and there are lullabies for kids about the nice man on the moon guarding them. Also, the moon as the cause of ebb and flood would be of interest to a water being like the Vodyanoy even though many Slavic folk traditions come from landlocked places therefore not noticeably experiencing the tides. At last, the moon is a way of keeping track of time, not just for eastern or central Europeans.

The Rusalkas name is Lada. Lada is a name used till this day. The origin of it is interesting. There are conflicting theories about ‘Lada’ being a possible Slavic goddess of marriage, fertility, love, spring and much more. Since primary sources on beliefs before Christianity in eastern Europe are basically non-existent, I would be careful with set ideas about the goddess Lada. The word лада appears to have further linguistic roots and connotations in old eastern Slavic and modern spoken Slavic languages like significant other, fret, lover, maiden, husband, etc. However, my Russian is far from good enough to get into this and I also don’t speak any other languages from this region. So please be mindful of that. If someone feels like educating me here, I would be very interested in learning more.

Little reminder – Rusalkis are something akin to mermaids or nymphs. They are loaded in symbolism as being promiscuous but also connected with children and childbirth, playful but also dangerous as they kill and drown those who harm them, spinning and washing clothes but also leisure, very much alive but also connected to suicide by drowning. In the stories I am familiar with, Rusalkis can leave the water if they want to, however there are stories where they don’t. Since Rusalkis are a staple in a lot of eastern European folk traditions, there is no one set idea what the right Rusalka is.

Koschei / Коще́й in Russian is the recurring male bad person in at least Russian Slavic folklore. Koschei is also called the immortal or the deathless. The name Koschei translated literally can mean something along the lines as the one of bones. Supposedly he is unkillable because he keeps his soul or heart secured in a separate place than his body. Often that is an egg which is placed in other animals which are guarded. Stories about Koschei tend to place him as the antagonist or love rival. Koschei is supposed to be rich and likes gold. He tends to kidnap, enchant, or marry unwilling young beautiful women (which require rescue of course). He is a sorcerer. Often, he is named as head of a castle or larger hall which indicates a ruler position. This is stressed with many tales naming him tsar / царь / ‘king’. There are links between Koschei and the other classical bad girl in Slavic folklore – Baba Yaga. That is symbolised by helping each other or being related somehow. However, they rarely appear together.

Addition by 'Uroo7kuro0': "Кощей" can come not only from the word "кость"/"bone". Also perhaps he's the prototype of another god whose name is "Карачун"/"Karachun" who was in charge of the cold. Interesting fact in some fairy tales Koschei and Baba Yaga were equally negative characters, while in others Baba Yaga helped the main characters kill Koschei

Devitsa is a transliteration from the word ‘девица’. It’s not well translatable but means something along the lines of maiden, mistress, damsel, maid or lady. Here, it is used like an honour title but like all honour titles the word Devitsa can and is used ironically. Nowadays in spoken contexts 

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[sorcerous-caress]

Worldbuilding and human kink? Is it my birthday /lh. This has me googling “halfling sex” and being a little surprise someone has thought about it enough to write a generously large paragraph.

Apparently it’s not uncommon for them to have more casual sex with close neighbors and friends indulging in it together. I genuinely think it would be hilarious for a halfling with a human, elf, drow, orc, dwarf, etc (the more uptight races) friend/neighbor to ‘seduce’ and then being very friendly and kind, but not exclusive or even inherently romantic.

Halflings 🤝 Humans

Being horny on main.

Oh my god imagine a poly relationship that's a human who thinks this is a casual friends with benfits deal, a halfing who thinks everyone here is just friends, and one high elf who acts as if they're robbing a bank whenever they watch the human go down on the halfing.

Add a dragonborn who is sweating over which one of those people is gonna end up as their mate for life, who isn't phased by the sex but it's the romance part that's considered a big taboo in their culture to even date someone for love, so imagine seeing more tha one person?

High elves being sex repressed 🤝 Dragonborns being romance repressed

Also I really love world building AAAAA i wanna invent shit and make shit up and shake it around like a snow globe. I believe elves went to the moon much sooner than humans with just magic, dwarves have found fallen space rocks and meteors and used them to forge their weapons, winged elves or any species who can fly already mapped the world and drew all the know maps before humans even learned how to tame horses.

Also the horses is funny, elves has seen them all their lives but never bothered to tame it because it feels weird yk? Why would they ride on an animal, plus their cousin is a centaur so it feels even more weird.

Then they see the humans coaxing the horses with carrots while holding a saddle behind their back, skip a few years and suddenly the horse population skyrockects as humans steal this one animal to their side.

Imagine being a wood elf and in harmony with all of nature, then glancing over at the human city and feeling very confused on what these weird wolves are and why do the humans call them dogs, also why are they obeying the humans and holy shit that one is wearing bowtie.

Occasionally humans just wander into the forest, spot an animal that seems semi useful then kidnap it back to their city, suddenly their population spikes and they're the new best friends of humanity.

It happened the other way with cats tho, the wood elves remember overhearing two cats talking about the hairless apes wandering around and how one was betting the other that they can get them to share their food by just screaming at them.

Humans probably inspired their cuisine based on halflings' recipes since they didn't add soul consuming spices for fun like elves and didn't sprinkle in literal gem and gold dust like dragonborns.

A human with a Halfling neighbour who comes over every other day to share their stew because "they accidentally made too much and can't possibly finish it all themselves so how about you grab a bowl or two, human?"

One day the human makes a joke about how they're a simp or going to horny jail, whatever modern shitposting meme is trending, and the halfling takes it seriously and offers to sleep with them.

I mean, that is basic neighbourly hospitality to them. Of course they will fuck their friend who is in need, you don't even have to ask twice, come here and lay down and they'll take care of you until satisfied.

Now their trips over to your house are twice as frequent, half to feed you their cooking, other half to sate your lust appetite.