#so much time saved not having to translate everything anytime i want to post

[bluberimufim]

Sip of Snips - "pump(ed)"

In an act of desperation, I'm turning to my fics because none of the recent words have appeared in either of my regular WIPs and it's making me sad. So I humbly offer you this, from that one HNOC fic of mine:

And just as his ears picked up all the Station’s hums, so too did his eyes often see all around the Fort. His field of vision was rarely without some snippet or other from somewhere far off. Down below, in unused tunnels, miles away across the reddish sands, and out there, in the void beyond Fort Galfridean where Avalon burned bright. He saw through the eyes of every nut and bolt and cog, his vision divided but never hindered, as if his sight was endless. Arthur breathed deep, trying to push away the hum, trying to close a thousand eyelids. It didn’t work. It never did. There was no quiet anymore. Never again. He could hear his lovers’ breaths, but he also felt their hearts beat and their brains work in their sleep and their blood pump through their veins. And he felt the bodies of every other being for miles and miles around. Every inhabitant of Camelot and its surrounding cities, every Saxon sleeping at the edges of the world, every animal in its shelter, even the rotting corpses of Galahad and the previous captain. Because the Station felt it too. The Station felt everything, and it never rested. He got up, carefully stepping over Guinevere’s sleeping form, and headed to the town hall. If he couldn’t rest, at least he could finally find some silence.

This fic has been sitting in my docs for months. I've been procrastinating it. I love it a lot tho.

This probably makes 0 sense without context lmao

[writerslittlelibrary]

You saved me

masterlist

summary: when you are taken, your mothers do anything in their power to get you back, even if it means hurting you in the process. 

pairing: Natasha x daughter reader, Maria x daughter reader

warnings: death and injury

genre: angst

words: 1455

a/n: this is trash and I apologize. I had no idea where I was going with this but I just really wanted to post a blackhill x daughter story

You do not have my permission to repost, copy or translate my work

 |——————————— ⴵ ———————————|

It has been three days since you’ve seen your mothers. Three days since you’ve slept in your own, warm, comfortable bed. The room you were locked in really was nothing in comparison to the comfort your mother’s had offered you over the years. 

Three days ago, you woke up like any other morning. Your mom, Maria, had already gone off to work, having mission reports and other important SHIELD business due by the end of the week. Your mama, Natasha, however, was at home, waiting to welcome you with a nice breakfast when you woke up. When you did wake up, your mama was kissing your cheek, saying she was just called into work.

You stretched a little before sitting up, giving your mama a hug before she left. Slowly, you got out of bed, putting on some sweatpants and your mom’s oversized t-shirt before making your way to the kitchen. Once you opened the fridge, there was a plate filled with your favorite breakfast you knew Natasha had prepared. Grabbing the plate and settling on the couch, you watched some tv before your show was interrupted. 

The tv had gone out, same with the lights and the digital clock. At first you were alarmed, but soon you settled on the idea that it was just a power failure. Someone must be messing with their electricity, you thought. It was unusual for the entire apartment block to lose their electricity, especially since your mothers had made sure everything would be up and running if something fails. They said it was for maximum security, which made you think. If the electricity had gone out, would the extra security on the door have gone out too?

You got up from the couch, walking to the door to check it. However, when you got to the front door, it was opened slightly. There was no possibility that Natasha had left the door open, so there must be someone in the apartment. Almost immediately you reached for your phone, wanting to call one of your mothers. 

Before you could even unlock the phone however, you felt a pinch in your neck, and you lost consciousness. That’s how you found yourself in your current situation. Locked in a tiny, unsanitary room. There was a chain attached to the wall that was attached to a cuff on your ankle, ensuring you wouldn’t be running away anytime soon. 

You wondered how many days it had been already, not having much sense of time in the dark room as there were no windows. You wondered how long it had taken for your mothers to notice you were gone, whether they finished their work day and were expecting to come home to you being asleep on the couch. You wondered if they were worried. 

There was a man that would occasionally come into the room. He would check your temperature, take some blood and sometimes inject you with something. The injections left your arm a little sore, but in general they weren’t hurting you. 

After the first time he came in, you fought against him, not wanting him to come any closer with his needle than he already was. After a guard was brought in however, you realized your mistake after the few hits he had delivered to you. Your upper lip was cut, and you had a cut on your temple. The blood that had trickled down had already dried, but the cut was still sensitive.

You heard some commotion outside the room, and wondered if it was the man that came back to take more of your blood. It wasn’t, and instead the cell door was opened by another man. He looked way taller and stronger, and looked nothing like the doctor that came in these past few days. 

Before you got to question him though, you were pulled from your sitting position, the man standing behind you and looping his arm around your neck, pulling you against his chest. 

You struggled to breath a little, and wondered what was going on when you saw a familiar redhead stand in the door opening, a gun being brought up to your temple. 

“If you try anything, she dies,” the man said, loading the gun to prove he meant his statement. Your mama’s grip on her gun didn’t waver. Instead she kept it pointed right at him, knowing she could kill him if she had too. 

“You don’t want to play this game,” she told him, loading her gun as well. The man pressed the gun against your temple a little harder. “Leave this building and she lives.” “I can’t do that,” your mama told him, taking a step closer. You could hear the bullet next to your head fall into the chamber, knowing he was going to shoot. Before you could feel his bullet pierce your head however, you heard another gunshot.

You opened your eyes when you heard a body drop, turning around in shock to see the man on the ground. You turned to your mama, who rushed to your side with a worried look on the face. It’s then you released the pain you felt in your shoulder.

Your mama had shot the man fatally, through you. He had stood behind you in a way that ensured she couldn’t shoot him, so she shot him through your shoulder. 

You grasped your shoulder, grimacing as you felt the blood soak your hand. “Nice shot,” you told your mama, who had reached her hand out to cover yours, helping you keep pressure on the wound. She smiled at you and pulled you into a hug, sighing deeply.  

After a few seconds she pulled back, cupping your face in her hands. “We have to go,” she told you, grabbing her gun and standing in front of you. “Mom,” you warned, signaling towards your ankle. Your mama grabbed the keys from the man’s corpse, and made quick work releasing your ankle. 

She held her gun up high and exited the room, making sure you were following close behind. Soon enough you were standing outside, the Quinjet just a few feet in front of you. You followed your mother as she guided you to it, your mom already on board. The moment she saw you she jumped up from her seat and engulfed you in a hug. “You’re hurt,” Maria said as she inspected your wounds. “I’m okay,” you reassured her.

Maria helped you sit down as Natasha went to grab some supplies for your arm. When you sat down Maria sat on your right, pulling you into her and holding you close. You closed your eyes and just enjoyed your mothers warm hug. Her smell and her comfort you missed so much. 

Natasha sat down on your left, carefully pulling the shirt down to get access to your wound. You were still wearing Maria’s oversized shirt, making it easy for Natasha to pull it down and give attention to your wound. Not a word was said, but you knew you were safe in your mothers arms. 

You arrived back at your apartment about two days ago, and even though your mother had Tony up the security on your home, Maria nor Natasha would leave your side. 

While you were enjoying the attention and nurturing they gave you you also felt kind of suffocated. You understood their behavior though, not expecting it to go away anytime soon either. You were currently laying on the couch, your head resting on Maria’s lap and your legs resting on Natasha’s. 

“We love you, you know that,” Natasha suddenly said, breaking the silence. You looked at her a little confused. “Of course I know that. I love you too,” you told her. She looked at you with regret in her face. “I’m sorry I hurt you,” she said, suddenly getting tearful. 

You turned to her completely, feeling Maria’s hand on your back as she helped you sit up. She scooted closer to your mama, crawling up her side and laying your head on her shoulder. “You didn’t hurt me mama, you saved me. Please don’t feel guilty,” you told her as you closed your eyes and held her tight. 

You felt Maria rub your leg in a comfortable motion. She didn’t want to interfere in the moment you were having with your mama, but she did want to let you know she was there for you. 

“I’m so sorry,” Natasha said, wrapping her arms around you tightly. “Please don’t be sorry mama. You saved my life. You have nothing to be sorry for. My shoulder will heal,” you told her, and you felt Natasha nod her head. “I love you,” she told you. “I love you too,” you replied. 

[treesnutsandleaveswrites]

The Villain

Pairing: Baron Zemo x Reader

Summary: The reader has been residing in Zemo’s small place in Latvia ever since the Blip. When Zemo arrives with Sam and Bucky, there are words that need to be spoken and tensions that need to be diffused

Warning: angst, fluff, l-bombs?

Word Count: 1114

A/N: Sorry, this is not a part two to “Against the Grain”. Someone commented on it that there wasn’t enough Zemo fluff/non-smut and I’ve come to deliver I guess.

XXXXXXX

You sat quietly in the apartment, waiting as your tea was steeping in the teapot. While you waited, a book was at hand. It was just one of the books on the shelves which you’ve read already while hiding here the past five years or so. Even though you had the luxury of having access to technology thanks to your baron, you hardly found any entertainment in it. The occasional cat video cheered you up when you felt lonely, but when were you not lonely? After the incident with Thanos, you couldn’t trust anyone anymore. People were being rehomed and looking for people who had turned to dust. It was nearly hopeless the past half a decade. You had to stop seeing Zemo in prison after it happened because the government had become more defensive about who comes through their borders. So he told you to wait here in Latvia. It seemed foolish to hope because you knew he wouldn’t be out anytime soon. He was the man who tore apart the Avengers. He was a hazard to society as many saw it. However, that didn’t matter to you. You had lived a life where there were no people like the Avengers. You hardly cared about them when they showed up, because when they showed up, so did the bad guys. Even before that, there were already bad people. If the Avengers were so important to the people around you, then they would’ve stopped these villains a long time ago. Instead, they brought chaos. That was one of the reasons why your Baron went rogue in the first place. What was that saying? The hero would sacrifice you to save the world and the villain would sacrifice the world to save you? Well… Zemo was that villain. He didn’t care about how the Avengers were helping the world when taking out Ultron, he cared about his family who died in the chaos. He cared about how the Avengers didn’t care about the lives that were lost, but just the fact that they won.

You were deep in your thoughts, having forgotten about the words on the page. Then, there were footsteps filling the scarce apartment. You quickly placed down your book and headed to the kitchen where the sharpest objects were. The doors open gracefully and the last person you expected stood there, relishing the look of the apartment. You lost your breath for a moment before finally speaking.

“Helmut?”

His attention averted to you and a smile reached his face.

“Y/n.”

You made your way to him and he hugged you tight. He smelled of brandy and leather. It was a smell you missed… He released you and turned back to the door where a tall man stood.

“Y/n, this is Sam Wilson.”

“Well, the Wakandans are here and they��re looking for Zemo.”

Another man took his place next to Sam, “And this is James Barnes…”

“зимний солдат…” You murmured, looking at him. Confusion now filled your head.

“I will explain later.” Zemo cupped your face gently before pouring himself some of the tea you had completely forgotten about. The men made their way into the home and you went back to your spot on the sofa. He drank his tea contently while Sam and James looked at their phones and talked amongst themselves. Once he finished the liquid in his cup, he stood and sighed.

“I am going to shower, the stench of Madripoor plagues me.”

“I’ll put your clothes in the wash after.” You insisted, standing as well, “Mr. Wilson, Mr. Barnes, do not be afraid to get some rest and some food in your stomach.” You headed towards your room, the looming cloud of confusion getting darker by the second. You closed your door gently and sat on the bed, thoughts reeling through your head. You didn’t know how much time had passed until there was a gentle knock on the door. You got up from your place and opened the door, revealing Zemo in a simple blue bathrobe.

“May I come in?”

You nodded, moving so he can walk through the threshold.

“You don’t have to bother with the clothes, I already took care of it.”

“I could’ve-”

“I don’t want you to worry about that right now. We need to talk.” He stated simply while turning to me, “Come sit with me.”

You did so with no question and he took his place next to you.

“I know this was unexpected. I wish everything was easy and simple, but it is not. When I am done helping them, I will have to go back…”

You stayed quiet, letting him talk. Once he seemed done venting, your eyes averted to the window and you walked towards.

“Y/n?”

You couldn’t fully find words to respond to what he had said. Once again he’s risking his life to keep people safe, once again he’s a criminal the world fears… the world has more to worry about than a man trying to be free of the things that haunt him.

“Schatz?”

“Why does it have to be this way?” You murmured.

“Because I made mistakes-”

“You were avenging your family! The man—The Hawkeye—did the same, maybe worse, and he’s allowed to stay with his family. He’s still a hero! What was so different about you?!” You turned to him as he stood behind you, “Why are you seen as a villain? Because of people who are privileged with power they cannot control?”

He shushed you and sighed, “You mustn’t get so frustrated over this-”

“Now I am truly starting to see what these “Flagsmashers” are trying to do.”

He grabbed your shoulders, “Yes, they have a just cause, but they are fighting for it in the wrong way just as I did.” He cupped your face, “You must understand… there will always be consequences…”

“I know that, I face them everyday because I… I love you…” You whimpered, “I love the person who’s seen as the villain…”

Zemo nodded and kissed you harshly. You returned it wholeheartedly, missing his touch and truly relishing it ever since he had been imprisoned. He pulled away, small pants filling his chest, but he still managed to speak.

“I love you too… but this is the way things must be.”

You sighed before setting yourself on the bed, “Then… can we relish it just a bit longer.”

He couldn’t help but smile before joining you as you moved the blankets and settled yourself against the pillows. The both of you intertwined under the blankets and laid in unbothered comfort, pretending it was just the two of you in the world for the moment.

XXXXXXX

Translations: зимний солдат > Winter Soldier

A/N: Requests are open! Please take a look at my pinned post if you would like to request!

[shijiujun]

Bear with me I have... I think 3 more recs to go before the year ends! Hahaha in the meantime yes I know I’ve done some passing recs (残次品 Imperfection, 一级律师 The Lawyer & 鲜满宫堂 Palace Full of Delicacies) but I’ll leave those to maybe end of Jan hahahaha lest y’all get sick and tired of my posts! If you don’t wanna see these anymore feel free to block the ‘min’s why you should read’ tag!

- Part of Min’s ‘Why You Should Read’ Series -

Summary:

16 year old Chen Xing is the last exorcist in the world with any sort of powers after a time when exorcists were at their peaks came to pass, all exorcists turning back into regular mortals. Guided by his now-deceased shifu, the novel starts with him trying to find his Protector, a partner that all exorcists are fated to have, and is led to the prison of this army camp where his supposed Protector is held captive, about to die. 

He saves an unkempt and weak Xiang Shu, who then turns on him the moment he’s free, unwilling to be this ‘Protector’ that Chen Xing is talking about, and leaves. Chen Xing thinks this is the last of it, but he meets Xiang Shu again by chance in another town, and Xiang Shu saves him from zombie corpses. 

They head into Chang An together as they are on the way as Chen Xing tries to convince Xiang Shu to be his ‘Protector’ in his mission to restore magic and keep demons/evil from people, but Chen Xing only has four years left to complete his mission before he’s fated to die at the age of 20, as prophesized by his shifu. They are also supposed to look for the Dinghai Pearl, which is supposed to bring the bearer great powers and help them in their task.

Xiang Shu turns out to be the Great Chanyu and leader of the Tiele tribe, and after a misunderstanding with the current emperor, he heads back to his tribe with his loyal soldiers/followers and also Chen Xing, where they have to solve the mystery of the dead moving zombie corpses, people being revived from the dead by an unknown mysterious force, and also political strife as Chen Xing and Xiang Shu figure out their feelings for each other as well. 

Set in historical China where the Hans (Chinese) and the Hus are at war and constantly fighting for territory from each other. Chen Xing would be considered a Han, while Xiang Shu is a Hu.

*Also features time-travel and second chances in the latter half of the book! There’s a tad bit of spoilers below as well, so do skip if you wanna avoid them!

Read:

Novel (Online) | Novel (Print) | Novel Translations | Upcoming Donghua | Manhua | Audio Drama

Characters:

1. 陈星 Chen Xing - A young, wide-eyed 16 year old teen who has the powers of a Heart Lamp, which is a light emitted from his palm that can purify evil spirits/energy. When he was younger, his family was slaughtered due to sabotage from the Yuwen family, not that he knows about it until much later.

Look on the printed novels:

He’s the last exorcist with powers when the novel starts, and he fails to get Xiang Shu to become his Protector, but while he carries hope that his mission will be completed, he does not force Xiang Shu to become his Protector after the man rejects him twice, even though he knows he only has four years left to live. Because of his Heart Lamp, Chen Xing also has great luck and no matter what danger he falls into, there’s always a path of escape to safety laid out for him.

Younger look in the manhua:

He heads into Chang An city with Xiang Shu and Feng Qian Jun, and then split because he thinks he can find his old friend who’s from the Yuwen family, a boy who was his childhood friend and moved away shortly before the Chen family was massacred. He does not know that this boy, now a man, was complicit in the deaths of his family members and is thus not eager to see Chen Xing. Instead, when Chen Xing is escorted to the Yuwen manor by Xiang Shu, he’s crestfallen to see that the man is not at all happy to see him. Later he finds out that Xiang Shu is the Great Chanyu and has considerable status in the palace, and is also single. Once news of Xiang Shu’s return spreads, Chen Xing’s supposed childhood friend becomes one of the potential suitors looking to marry Xiang Shu.

Chen Xing is brought to the Tiele tribe shortly after hell breaks loose, and there he’s met with hostility also by the tribe, of which members are wary at seeing a Han, and also Xiang Shu’s sworn brother, who also has the hots for Xiang Shu. At that moment, Chen Xing realizes that he does not belong anywhere, has no real friends, no family, and is fated to die alone in four years time.

Of course he has feelings for Xiang Shu as the days pass, even though Xiang Shu displays his concern for him in brash ways. He tries to flee and fulfil his mission on his own, but Xiang Shu chases after him every single time, pissed off that Chen Xing keeps leaving him behind. Chen Xing, however, cannot reciprocate his feelings knowing that he’s about to die eventually.

2. 项述 Xiang Shu - Leader of the Tiele tribe and the Great Chanyu, wields considerable military might and commands respect amongst several neighbouring tribes as well. He’s reluctant to be Chen Xing’s Protector despite seeing his powers, because he has a duty first and foremost to his people in these chaotic, uncertain times, especially when war is imminent anytime. He’s also pissed off that Chen Xing keeps trying to impose this role of ‘Protector’ on him without asking him if he wants to be in the first place, and when Chen Xing realizes this, he stops asking Xiang Shu, and is determined to finish his mission without a Protector. 

Him as a Chanyu/Leader of Tiele tribe look from the printed novel art:

A great warrior who is looked up to by his tribe members, his past is also shrouded in mystery as he begins to find out just who his mother was, and how he himself contributes to Chen Xing’s mission. He’s unable to leave Chen Xing alone, always following after him. He always seems to be angry and annoyed at Chen Xing, and in the beginning Chen Xing thinks that Xiang Shu hates him because of the way Xiang Shu interacts with him. 

Him in Han-style outfit in the manhua:

Xiang Shu finds out early on that Chen Xing doesn’t have much longer to live, and is conflicted about it. When they finally find the Dinghai Pearl, he sacrifices himself so Chen Xing can obtain it, confessing to Chen Xing at the very last moment. This is before realizing that the Dinghai Pearl can help Chen Xing to time travel, and after the calamitous current timeline leading to Xiang Shu’s sacrifice, Chen Xing then goes back in time and this time, befriends Xiang Shu properly as he’s given a chance for a do-over to complete his mission.

3. 冯千均 Feng Qian Jun - A swordsman claiming to be an assassin that Chen Xing meets by chance after he’s duped by Xiang Shu in the beginning, and they travel together as they’re headed in the same direction towards Chang An city. Ends up being a good older bro to Chen Xing and also a helpful ally for Xiang Shu later.

Other Things I Like in the Novel:

Chen Xing picks up a dog after Xiang Shu betrays him in the beginning, after he saves him from deathrow in prison, and in a fit of anger, names the dog Xiang Shu as well, and when he meets human Xiang Shu again, the man keeps glaring at him whenever Chen Xing calls for dog Xiang Shu

Xiang Shu treats Chen Xing very differently, and even though he wasn’t sure that he liked Chen Xing, he trusted him, much to the displeasure of other Hus, and some of the other tribes’ members - He’s not so good at being nice on the surface to Chen Xing given their first impression (and he’s still unhappy about how Chen Xing decided to force the role of the Protector on him, also doesn’t have the energy or time to care about Chen Xing’s mission fully considering the trouble his tribe is in), but he does care about Chen Xing and his safety, always finding ways to choose to follow Chen Xing rather than stay to further defend his tribe in times of crisis

The novel also depicts Chen Xing’s loneliness and optimism very well - He keeps the secret of his soon-to-come death to himself, not wanting to make anyone sad when the time comes, and he’s quite open-minded about his death, but at times when he sees the warmth and communal ties of the Tiele tribe, it hurts him to realize that he doesn’t have anyone and doesn’t belong anywhere

I also like Xiang Shu’s ‘Hu’ look a lot! With the braids and furs and everything!

Chen Xing finds other exorcists (legendary ones that are supposed to be dead apparently) and also exorcist wannabes, who do not have the power but are eager to learn, having heard of the legend of exorcists from before, and they manage to set up an exorcists’ headquarters of sorts to train more exorcists, which also fulfils Chen Xing’s mission partially

Everyone wants to get into Xiang Shu’s pants. Everyone, I swear

[aeonghaseyo]

Under the Streetlight - Alexandra Trese x Reader

Song fic based on the song “Mixtape: OH” by Stray Kids

A/N: It’s actually my first time writing a song fic, and one using the English translation of a K-pop song I love so much. Please stream Mixtape: OH in Youtube! Btw, I tried my best for the reader to be of any gender haha

T/W: imagery of blood

-----

You were just a college student in Manila, trying to get by this one year in your program that seemed as if it was out to kill you. Why not though, with all the shit ton of schoolwork you had to do as well as org work you willingly volunteered to do? 

As you waited by a jeepney stop by a streetlight that might as well have been like a spotlight hovering upon you, you pondered upon a lot of things in your head and stopped to make a note to yourself. 

‘Note to self: I should really work on saying no once in a while. If I say yes to so much work during this sem I might be dead faster than I think.’

Even making this note to yourself made you feel stressed all the more, with your body automatically fidgeting, and you, conscious enough of your own habits when faced with stress and anxiety, tried your best to fend it off either by forcing yourself to stay still or by letting your thoughts wander to more exciting scenarios.

One scenario in mind played: you on your knees under that same streetlight, with a woman clad in a black coat wielding a curved blade that seemed to gleam its own light even in the darkness. This undaunted, short-haired lady in a defensive stance, aiming to keep you from being kidnapped by the aswang in your area that would risk even the secrecy of their existence in the estero’s out of hunger they never bothered to control. Your entrails would have been their main course, and your soul their dessert, until the infamous Alexandra Trese came to your rescue within a split-second, not even giving you time to scream out loud for help.

As there were only two of the aswang who were going to salvage you to satisfy their hunger pangs, it only took mere moments for Alexandra to take them both down without a drop of blood on you. Even while she was splashed with blood, you looked upon her in awe and admiration. 

The mere thought of her figure post-rampage painted your cheeks red, as you also recalled the memory of her holding out a hand to you to help you up. The fear brought about by that near-death-by-aswang experience really made you literally weak on your knees, so at first you struggled to stand up right after you shakily gripped her hand.

When I get my hands on you

When I set my eyes on you

I get breathless and I’ve never felt this way before

I can’t explain this

It feels so different

So I want it more

No doubt, something coursed through you back then that made you gain just a little bit of strength to momentarily stand on your own two feet. You had that strength, alright, but you didn’t look it with the paleness of your face giving your state of weakness away to the woman in front of you.

“You’re safe now, you don’t have to be scared,” you heard Alexandra reassure you, and once again your knees were jelly.

So you stumbled. 

Blessed by her swift reflexes, your savior caught you effortlessly, and you couldn’t help but hold on to her arms and look into her unwavering black orbs. Another moment passed as she helped you back on your own two feet, her hands still on your shoulders as if to give you a sense of security amidst a relatively dangerous area.

You muttered an “I-i’m so sorry, ma’am,” to which the babaylan-mandirigma corrected you, “Call me Alex. You don’t look well enough to commute, and the streets are especially dangerous at this time of night. Let me take you home.”

I just want to whine

I’ll stop being calculative

I want you to notice how I am feeling

As if you would notice that I was lying

I don’t want to just be around you like the scent

She saved your ass from being a part of the aswang’s menu, and you thought that was just the bare minimum you deserved at that moment. You clearly didn’t expect her to help you up while you were definitely still weak on your knees, and you didn’t expect her to suddenly take you home.

So your mind momentarily went blank. 

Just like a PC that has been restarted, you began processing Alexandra’s offer to take you back home, and your feel yourself getting conflicted between letting her take you home for you to finally let another person help you from the ordeal you had sustained, or refusing her help just so you could prove you can still handle your own. 

But you were left with no choice as Alexandra said, “I insist. You’re much safer with me.”

With one speechless nod from you, she led you to the car where her two bodyguards were waiting and helped you settle at the back of the car, where she usually took her place.

I thought I knew

I was so confident that I knew everything

But I didn’t know, with you

As I get close to you, it gets more complicated

Even when I have something to say, my head goes blank

At the end of the day, I’m saying just meaningless words

“Another rampage, bossing?” one of the bodyguards, who was driving the black Sedan you were in, asked. “Those aswang sure are relentless.”

“At least you didn’t need to call us for help though,” remarked the other bodyguard, who looked like he was the twin of the man who spoke earlier. 

Right beside you, Alexandra let out a sigh for self-relief and responded, “Those aswang were easy prey. They were reckless enough to just corner a helpless passerby out in the night without any calculated plan of attack.”

The long-haired man at the wheel then replied, “Too hungry to even think, eh? ‘Yan tuloy.”

You paid no mind to the rest of the conversation between Alexandra and her bodyguards, instead finding yourself thinking about how secure you felt as the babaylan-mandirigma helped you up on your feet earlier under that streetlight. To you, her expression was nonchalantly serious, with a slight hint of concern that never escaped your perception. 

That concern never appeared for your eyes to see, but you felt it. It was there. Just for you, at that very moment after she saved you.

The train of thought halted to a stop in your head as Alexandra finally turned to you and said, “I never got your name. Do you want to tell me what it is?”

Turning to her with an expression akin to that of a child talking to their first crush, you stuttered, “I-it’s (Y/N). T-thanks again, for s-saving me back there, I t-thought I was gonna be a goner!”

Her eyes never leaving your form, she then replied, “It was a relief that I got to you before those monsters did.”

“Serves me right for waiting for a jeepney at an area without people, huh?” you remarked with a nervous chuckle, as a sign that you’ve finally found your keenness in freely attempting a conversation with Alexandra Trese, of all people. 

You thought she would reply to what you would refer to as a careless remark, but it seemed that you were wrong as one of the twin bodyguards replied to you instead.

“You were easy bait for those aswang, but no worries. Bossing got to you just in time.”

When I hold your hand

I feel like being a baby again

And I go whining and saying, “Don’t look at me like that”

I look you in the eye and take one step closer to you

No matter how much I plan and prepare

When I’m with you, I’m just a baby

Finally arriving at your place, Alexandra ordered her bodyguards to wait for her by the Sedan and turned to walk you to the front entrance. Out of gratitude, you finally mustered to thank your savior once again, which she answered with a nod and her replying, “Take care of yourself next time,” before she finally turned to where her vehicle was parked. 

You felt your heart sink then as she walked to the car by herself. What has gotten into you? She just saved you from an aswang attack, as is her duty as the mediator between humanity and the creatures of the underworld, and she probably doesn’t have the luxury of time to be the subject of anyone’s interest or courtship. So what was the matter? Why were you feeling as if you wanted, scratch that, needed to see her again?

Countless times before, you swore to yourself that you were the type of person not to fall for just anyone, regardless of how extraordinary they seem, regardless of whether they stood out in your eyes or not, out of fear of this weakness being exploited anyway and you being set up for disappointment in the long run. No, you would never let fragility get the best of you just because someone outright snagged you from a close call of an aswang attack.

Regardless of your distaste for showing weakness, that beating heart of yours nagged at you to call out her name and spend a few more seconds with her anyway.

Driven by your own resounding heartbeat, you called out to her while race-walking towards her, “Alex!”

Ey (I’m a)

Can I call you baby?

Ey (I’m a)

In front of love, I’m just a baby

Just like that, you got her phone number, along with a reminder from her to call her when you need help with anything out of the ordinary, which is pretty much another way of referring to supernatural occurrences or anything involving the supernatural realm. 

Under that same spotlight by the jeepney stop at night, still alone, you exited to your phone’s main menu and find your thumb almost grazing the contacts icon at the bottom of your screen. You pressed on that Contacts icon and found Alexandra Trese’s name right under the “A” list in your contacts, underneath a bunch of registered numbers without any proper names to them. With longing, you stared at that name along with her number.

‘I have your number, Alex. Can I call you anytime then, even when I’m not in trouble?’

I know I shouldn’t whine about it

I know it well that you’re everything in my mind

My heart wants you

I want your love

This feeling is so toxic

You’re the only antidote

“Fancy seeing you here again, (Y/N).”

The heart that was already fluttering in your chest skipped a beat upon hearing that familiar voice. Quickly, you turned to the owner of that special voice right beside you, belonging to none other than the person who has been plaguing your thoughts since that fateful night. As if by instinct, you smiled lightly and greeted her, “It’s good to see you again here, Alex. What brings you here tonight?”

I’m sure about my feelings but I can’t control them

The way I talk to you, treat you, and behave towards you

Is so immature

Mature person, Mature love

Mature man, I thought it would be easy

Everything is difficult in front of you

Alexandra filled you in on her agenda for tonight, “I was wondering if there was going to be something unusual happening tonight that concerned the aswang clans that have gone out of control. Strangely, nothing has been happening in this particular street, unlike the last time I saw you here.”

Your (e/c) orbs gone soft, you looked upon her as you replied with a chuckle, “And then you found me instead.”

Her own eyes slightly widened, the woman before you cleared her throat and answered, “Yes I did. And I’m relieved to know you’re safe tonight.”

Time passed, and the silence between you and Alexandra remained as she stayed vigilant and prepared for a possible aswang attack that could happen right where the two of you were standing right now. Worried, you checked the digital clock on your phone once again, which read, “11:43 PM.” Upon being aware that it was actually past your bedtime, your features manifested a look of both worry and frustration, and Alexandra seemed to have noticed it herself.

“Are you okay, (Y/N)?”

“I am, it’s just,” you let out a tiny whimper as you continued, “it’s past my bedtime already, I had to stay behind in school to help out with an org activity the day after, and I haven’t even studied for my exam tomorrow. I hate it when I can’t ride a jeepney right away going home.”

Hold your horses. Did you just rant to Alexandra Trese about your current predicament?

What should I do?

Am I under the illusion?

Will this end easily?

(Oh na na na na what should I do)

Closer (Oh na na na na what should I do)

I want to come to you and get to you

Out of embarrassment from the complaint you just uttered to the person who once saved you from the aswang, the person who brought you home out of kindness, the person you have admired for a long time but never had the chance to tell out of fear of rejection and quite possibly your own consideration for her duties to both the human and otherworldly realms, warm blood rushed to your cheeks and you covered your face as you apologized, “Sorry Alex, I didn’t mean to bother you about my own personal troubles. I can handle it by myself, I promise.”

A hand on your shoulder finally prompted you to look right at her, your head finally unobscured by the hands which formerly shrouded the remains of your embarrassed demeanor.

“Want me to take you home again, (Y/N)?”

This was your one chance to be with this one hell of a woman yet again, like the last time you both were under that same streetlight by the jeepney stop.

What made the current circumstance different from before was that you were not afraid to accept her offer this time. You were hell-bent on getting Alexandra to remember you as much as you continued to remember her and savor that special memory with her.

(Baby)

(I want to come to you and get to you)

No matter how much I plan and prepare

When I’m with you, I’m just a

With an unexplained expression driven by a growing fondness for the babaylan-mandirigma before you, you finally replied to her, “Of course Alex. Thanks again, I appreciate it so much.”

Alexandra then took you by the hand and led her to where that same black Sedan was parked. Cherishing the warmth of her hand, you slightly tightened your hold as if to say, ‘I love holding your hand, and I don’t plan on letting it go anytime.’

I look you in the eye and take one step closer to you

No matter how much I plan and prepare

When I’m with you, I’m just a baby

Ey (I’m a)

Can I call you baby?

Ey (I’m a)

In front of love

I’m just a baby

[kekoma]

— asahi as your boyfriend.

been wondering what it’s like dating jesus asahi. hope you enjoy.

if you ever look up the definition of softie— his picture comes up immediately.

asahi is so soft that you sometimes find it funny when others view him as a ‘tough’ and ‘scary’ looking guy.

however it does get annoying when those rumors that follow him start to appear more and began to be more twisted than before.

with those assuming the relationship started because he has blackmail against your family or you, that you have to repay him for saving your life or maybe you saw him commit a crime and the only way he’s letting you live is by dating him.

many stupid rumors but after a while it’s just a ‘shake your heads and put them in their place boys.’ type of thing.

but you, his friends and your friends know this man couldn’t hurt a fly. he’s just too sweet to do something like that so asahi tries not to care too much about those rumors.

however he occasionally wonders since he doesn’t want your image to be ruined because of him.

so you’ll have to remind him that it doesn’t matter and if it really did then the relationship wouldn’t have started anyways.

vv happy to hear that from you, resulting in him worrying less and finding himself lucky to be in love with someone so amazing.

although thanks to his looks, most guys stop hitting on you the minute he comes near.

let’s all say thank you jesus azumane <3

without an doubt, the type to buy matching headbands because he founds it adorable.

“hmm baby, don’t these headdbands look nice?” he’ll pass over his phone to reveal a picture of the headband.

“oh yeah. really cute~”

“so you LIKE like them?”

“heh yeah. why?”

he’ll suddenly pull out two headbands that are extract ones from the photo.

“ta-da~ now we can match!”

“... sir...”

he might even take a few pictures and post it on his sns, captioning it ‘love at it’s finest :)’ now the whole team laughing.

doubtlessly he’ll let you play with his hair anytime and any day.

and he sometimes like to ask you if you’ll do his hair when he isn’t in the mood to do the typical man bun.

side fact: he likes to request you do the same hairstyle that you have (if you’re the type to change hairstyle every few days or weeks)

but if you’re someone with different hair texture than his then he understands and just ask for you to braid his hair :) vv content with whatever he gets from you.

ALSO— asahi LOVES, let me say it again, L O V E S when you wear his hoodies and sweatshirts. 

willingly hands them to you just to see how cute they look on you even if they’re big on you.

“you look so adorable~ maybe you should start ditching your clothes and wear mine instead sweetheart!”

“then what would you wear i really started wearing your stuff?”

“i-... umm i’ll just buy new clothes.”

since two nicknames was mentioned, let’s put it out the top nicknames he calls you.

the main ones are 🥁🥁🥁 sweetheart, baby, precious, sunshine, hun and cutie <3

it’s mandatory that you attend his games too.

asahi views you as his personal cheerleader (and good luck charm) who truly understands his fear.

assuming you went through something similar that he did and have overcame it, becoming better than before then automatically he listens to your words carefully.

most people just give him the basic prep talk which begins to sound too similar to each other but with you— it’s completely different. hints why he listens to YOU.

but to wrap it up... attend his games so he can show off his improvements all thanks to you :)

the type to remember small details about you that caught his attention.

like that one time you asked for tomatoes to be removed from your meal but they still added small pieces of it in your food and you just pretended act like everything was okay? yeah he remembered and now whenever you two order from there, he removes them before you see it.

or maybe how you seem to fiddle with clothes, avoid eye contact with others, smile when nervous or whatever that you may go through when anxious or put into a uncomfortable situation that others blindly don’t pay attention to? asahi has already picked up on it and finds the perfect excuse to get you out of the situation.

something i want to point out is that he most likely gives the best hugs.

we’ve all seen the way this man is built— so for sure his hugs engulf you and make you feel like you’re home.

and generally he loves hugging you because something about the feeling of holding the one true person that has his heart and attention, makes him even softer.

which brings the infamous topic~ pda.

in public, pda with him is normal. hand holding? yeah but he definitely makes sure your fingers intertwine with his. kissing? oh definitely and he’ll kiss you every chance he gets (but i promise it’s not one of those types of things where it’s extremely overbearing and cringey. he’s a classy gentleman so he knows the right time to kiss you)

vv romantic touches that aren’t explicit and stays in both your comfort ranges.

however in private, he’s a bit more touchy/cuddly behind closed doors.

kisses are more frequent and his lips are always find their way to kiss each finger tip while whispering the reasons he loves you (imo he’s capable of being that soft and romantic.. just a TAD bit)

as for cuddling— instantly being the big spoon. can’t fight this teddy bear about it. it’s his way or HIS WAY.

besides it’s impossible to big spoon him with those shoulders of his.

moving on... let’s talk dates <3

most dates are chill and quiet. he’s not really into the loud scene and struggling to hear what you may have to say or be distracted.

so going to the movies, the beach or park to have a picnic, a cafe, small restaurant and etc. is the type he goes for.

side fact: on one of your picnic dates, he made you and himself a flower crown. literally one of his most favorite dates since he was able to get some cute pictures of you. he likes to look over those pictures and finds it amazing that someone so angelic like you exist in his timeline.

but to conclude before this gets any longer... dating asahi isn’t bad and again 10/10 from me. super lucky to date this dude <3

© all content belongs to kekoma 2020. do not repost, modify or translate.

[amagicdoctor]

I'm reading the old Iron Man stories for the first time ("Tales of Suspense") and in one tale, Tony saves (almost killing himself) Angel, one of the original X-Men and seems to part in very good terms with them. He didn't seem to show any anti-mutant prejudices. I wonder when he starts having anti-mutants leanings (if it's true he has them). To what extent? I was also under the impression that his and Wanda's animosity only existed (mainly at least) in the MCU and that in the comics they were friends most of the time? Could be wrong about that last one. Allegiance and friendships shift a lot in comics.

Hello! This is a really good ask, thanks for sending this in.

So in reference to all those comics you’ve read, these are all good things for me to know and add to my reading list. There’s a lot of old golden age stuff that I haven’t read yet but I don’t even know if I’ll be able to get to them anytime soon. There’s still a lot that I’m thinking about in terms of the dynamic Dr. Strange has with the X-Men, and how that relationship extends to other characters such as Iron Man and the Avengers.

I’ll have to say that when I go into building these relationship dynamics I kinda have to be a little biased. I love the X-Men, they’re my second favorite Marvel team/family, so I want to treat them well in whatever I do. At the same time, I don’t like the Avengers. So I want to bring that clear contrast between these groups in my story.

Asks like these are extremely important to me because I know there are people out there who would like some canon proof that dynamics like these exist somewhere. For reference, I have found that within the X-Men comics fandom there are some blogs where people believe (whether its a joke or not) that the Avengers are pretty bigoted. (I don’t know if anyone would like me to create a post of screenshots/memes of stuff I’ve seen but it’s really good stuff.) I was inspired by those blogs to wrap their canon around mine.

Like I said, I don’t know too much about what comics did back in the day and how they handled the Avengers reacting to the growing mutant community, but I started actively reading comics during the Civil War 2 (2016) event. I know that primarily had to do with inhuman issues (inhumans and mutants are both targeted groups, so this goes hand in hand), but if you saw the way the Avengers fought within their team over what was right/wrong, controlling people, controlling kids, making everything about them, it pretty much showed what they could have done if it was a mutant-related issue.

When did all of this prejudice stuff start? According to some comic timelines (like Avengers Origins: Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver [2011]), before Wanda joined the Avengers she was literally helping her terrorist father harass the X-Men and other humans. So it’s not entirely Tony’s fault for being extremely wary of her abilities. I think there are a lot of people that are still afraid of Wanda, and some of those people are Avengers. They might not want to kill her or anything but her reality breaking powers are definitely something to fear. It’s just that with all this bottled up fear/aggression toward the potential what if? is directed to Wanda and Wanda only because she’s the only high-powered mutant in arms reach. People like Jean Grey are all the way on the other side of the state in a school. So those mutants are in a more controlled environment with Prof. X watching them, but not Wanda.

You also mentioned the MCU- I also don’t like watching any Avengers film media, but I have only watched the first Avengers movie and Endgame/Infinity War so I can’t even speculate what Tony’s dynamic with Wanda was. I know less about Wanda in the MCU than I do in the comics (I get a lot of secondhand information from my friends/fandom). So I definitely haven’t been translating my MCU canon for them into this comics canon.

You also asked “to what extent?” Tony Stark is a businessman. I feel like despite whatever persona I create for him I also believe he has this courtesy to be a professional. In the Illuminati, a secret group made out of Marvel’s top superheroes, he had to work alongside Professor X, the greatest modern mutant activist ever. I think these two characters can definitely be petty between each other (and those scenarios will be explored later) but at the end of the day, they both know that mutants and humans have to come together to save the world. We only have one Earth and it takes all sides to find peace.

I think Tony knows he has to live and share a planet with mutants, and he’s ok with that, but he definitely would get agitated/skeptical at times when all hell breaks loose because a mutant caused it.

✨

I’m really excited to continue receiving follow-up asks like these. If there’s anything I need to add I’ll update/reblog this post with the new additions. Otherwise, please send in another question if anything here was unclear, or you can just DM me.

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Shaw’s Exorcism Date (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

Note: This date was translated by @redqueenschoice! It’s on my blog because she doesn’t want to put individual translations on hers...

Shaw’s Qixi Collection: Date ♡ / Call 1 / Call 2 / Event / Special Call

Check out Victor’s date (by @lucienism) and Kiro’s date (by @skyholders​) too! A lot of effort has been put in by these three lovely humans T^T💕 Do send them lots of love!!

On the night of Qixi, I had a terrible encounter and happened to be saved by Shaw. In order to repay the favour afterwards, I promised to run errands for him for seven days. Very soon, the seven days are coming to an end…

~

The crescent moon reminiscent of a bow hangs in the sky, the canopy of the heavens are painted pitch black. The little starlight that filters through the dense canopy of the forest scatters, and a line of men make their way through the mountain’s forest in a hurry, the swords on their waists still red with fresh blood.

A drop of blood falls onto the surface of a leaf, before it is trodden underfoot all of a sudden.

MC: Ahh…

Bandit Leader: Tell me the truth!

My head was harshly hit, and I let out a weak, muffled cry through the cloth stuffed in my mouth.

The image of my family’s pitiful state right before the moments of their deaths surface in my mind again, and my throat tightens, both my heart and mind unable to move on from the tumultuous upheaval in my life.

It was only supposed to be a trip to the neighbouring village to visit some relatives. How had it come to this?

Bandit Leader: The ones we’ve gone after the last few days weren’t lacking in anything, huh? Hiding so many goods…

Bandit Underling: That’s right. Especially this young girl here, she’s still young and healthy.

Bandit Underling One: Boss, before we sell her off, how about we… ehehe.

Upon hearing his perverted words and laughter, I start thrashing about in a panic, but the ropes wound tightly around my wrists and ankles just won’t budge no matter how hard I pull. Tears stain the blindfold over my eyes and I stretch my hands towards my waist, getting ready to put up a fight with everything I have - I’d rather die than be disgraced in such a way.

At this moment, however, he is interrupted by another low voice.

Bandit Underling Two: That’s enough. You can make merry anytime you like, but in this instance, it’s better for us to hurry and get on our way. I heard these woods aren’t to be trusted at night, and there are rumours that monsters come out at night.

Bandit Underling One: Big Brother, aren’t you a little too believing of these old folk tales? Where on earth would there be demons, and even if there were, I’m not scared of them!

Note from Red: and here, ladies and gentlemen, is the beginning to every horror movie ever

A cocky laugh leaves his lips, but the second he does, the surroundings in all four directions abruptly fall silent.

All of a sudden, a long, piercing cry rips the still night in two.

The sound is delightful to the ears, yet it is striking enough to tear through the haze - upon hearing it once, it would be irreversibly carved into one’s heart.

I only feel my body sway for a moment, but in the blink of an eye, I find myself shoved down onto the ground. The second my shoulder collides with the wet, slippery dirt, I hear the bandits’ terrified shouts flying to and fro above my head.

Bandits: Mon… Monster!!!

The snarl of a predator beast, the metallic hiss of a blade being unsheathed, frantic and hurried footsteps… followed by bloodcurdling screams.

The chaos and what I experienced a few hours ago are far too similar, the same sounds echoing inside my head until they slowly fade away to nothing.

I cannot see anything in front of me, and can only smell the faint scent of blood mixed with that of the cool forest suffusing my nose.

At this moment, footsteps gradually approach me.

I hold my breath, and feel cold sweat slowly trickling down my back.

Who is it? Did one of the bandits survive?

Or is it… the monster?

The owner of those footsteps stop before me, and a strong hand pulls me up from the ground.

The person lifts up my bangs and a fingertip meets my forehead, the ice cold sensation making me shiver.

Mystery Man: Hah.

He seems to have no intention of loosening my bindings, a peculiar silence filling the space between me and the nameless man before me. With the blindfold over my eyes, my senses of hearing and touch are my only links with the external world.

His breathing is very light, but with each exhale that leaves his mouth, I sense undeniable danger in the air. I can feel his gaze, like that of a wild predator surveying its prey, as if he would sink his fangs into me in the next second.

MC: Mmn!

Terrified, I duck my head away from him, trying to avoid his touch. Instead, I hear a short laugh coming from the person in front of me.

Mystery Man: Fine. Since you don’t want me to save you, just wait here on your own, then.

With these words, the heated breaths across my cheeks vanish and the man seems to disappear into thin air, leaving no trace. My surroundings are completely silent once again.

He left?

I don’t dare to confirm it myself, waiting where he left me for a moment. Once the sound of birds and chirping of crickets returns to the area, I let out a breath of relief and begin to move once again.

Since I was under constant scrutiny of the bandits, I didn’t dare to do this earlier. Now that there’s no one in the vicinity, I can finally reach for the small knife I had secretly strapped to my waist.

This is the last thing my parents, who died earlier this year, left me to defend myself with.

I carefully feel around for the handle of the blade, wrapping my fingers around it. Because I can’t see and my movements are restricted, the tip of the blade ends up nicking my skin a few times. Gritting my teeth, I bear the pain and work on severing my bindings.

Note from Red: guys this is the mc we need but don’t deserve-

When I finally pull off the blindfold around my eyes, I see that the moon has already moved considerably towards the west.

Apart from the goods the bandits had been carrying with them earlier, I don’t see anyone else when I glance about.

MC: Did those people… really get eaten?

At the thought of the danger I experienced earlier, and might still be in, I couldn’t care less about the injuries littering my body, and force myself to my feet with the support of a tree branch, preparing to leave the forest as fast as I can.

The mountain paths are confusing and complicated, and I feel like I’ve been wandering around in circles for awhile when I finally hear the sound of running water coming from nearby.

MC: That’s great! If there’s water, that means I can clean my wounds!

I hobble towards the source of the sound slowly, but just as I’m pushing through the underbrush, a sound suddenly rings out through the air, causing me to freeze where I stand in fear.

Mystery Man: Don’t panic, everyone has a share.

It’s the voice of that man from earlier!

Before I can react, there’s the sound of flapping wings in the distance, taking my attention with it. Several strangely shaped skeletal birds flap over, and from their shrill, clamorous cries, it sounds as if they’re begging for food from someone.

I turn my head, only to see a young man casually lounging in a rowboat on the surface of a pool, next to a grove of trees. In his hand is a bunch of evening primroses. Under the light of the night sky, their petals give off a gentle glow.

The young man’s long legs are crossed, golden eyes half narrowed lazily as he looks at me. His expression is leisurely and indolent, and I see the petal of an evening primrose held casually between his teeth.

If I hadn’t encountered him in such an unusual circumstance, in the depths of a mountain forest, perhaps I would have thought he was the pampered young master of a rich merchant or businessman.

Mystery Man: Oh, that sentence wasn’t quite right. It should have been ‘every bird has a share’.

As if the skeletal birds can understand what he’s saying, they let out noisy chirps before obediently taking the petals from his hand one by one. The second the petals leave his palm, they dissolve into puffs of black smoke being swallowed up instantly by the skeletal birds.

Mystery Man: Today’s haul wasn’t too bad, there’s so much evil energy about, there’s enough for all of you to gorge yourselves on for a long time…

Mystery Man: Oi, you little idiot at the back, I caught you! Be a bit more honest, you’re not allowed to cut the queue…

Skeletal Bird: Squawk squawk?

Mystery Man: What did you say? Why didn’t I swallow up that little lady from earlier?

Mystery Man: Come on, do I really seem like a scoundrel who doesn’t take proper care of women… yeah, I am.

Trivia from Red: The word ‘scoundrel’ was translated from is the negative of a Chinese idiom 怜香惜玉, meaning a gentleman who takes care of the fairer sex. Shaw referred to himself as someone unlike a gentleman, so that’s how I translated it.

Skeletal Bird: Squawk!

Mystery Man: [clicks his tongue] I was just playing around a little. After I feed the lot of you, I’ll go back and save her, is that cool with you?

At hearing his words, I secretly make a face in his direction, muttering under my breath.

MC: I didn’t need you to save me… I got out on my own...

A skeletal bird suddenly caws in my direction. The young man’s eyes narrow instantly, the light in his eyes intensifying to something swift and fierce, before he turns his gaze right in my direction.

Mystery Man: Whoever’s there, come out.

I’ve been found out!

Note from Red: She, in fact, had been found out.

I subconsciously take a step back, but all of a sudden, the injury on my leg flares up with immense pain. My body loses balance all at once, and I find myself pitching backwards before I know what’s happening.

MC: Ah!

Note from Red: MC then proceeds to black out in typical otome heroine fashion… but let’s cut her some slack she was cool here T^T

I drift in the darkness, countless strange dreams blending together and surfacing before my eyes. One moment it’s the leering grin of the bandits, the next it’s the cawing of the skeletal birds I saw earlier. But the final thing is the long, piercing cry I heard in the forest.

When my eyes blink open, I find myself in an unfamiliar room.

It’s a perfectly normal looking bedroom, and the sheets under me are fresh and clean. Somewhere, I can hear the sounds of a vendor selling his goods and the voices of kids peddling flowers drifting in from outside the window.

Everything is so peaceful, it’s as if everything I experienced before has just been nothing but a dream.

MC: Where exactly am I…

Mystery Man: You finally decided to wake up.

A young man dressed in purple appears at the door in the blink of an eye. Startled, I sit up as fast as possible in shock.

MC: Who are you!?

At my question, he leans against the doorframe casually, and after seeing my expression, the corner of his lips turn up in a smirk.

Mystery Man: What are you being so on edge for? I’m the benefactor who saved your life, you know.

MC: What benefactor, I clearly saw you on that lake earlier…

Mystery Man: You’ve had some entertaining dreams.

Note from Red: o k a y shaw

MC: Huh?

Mystery Man: You, little lady, fainted in the wilderness in the nearby mountains. If I hadn’t just happened to be passing by and decided to do a good deed, there’s no guarantee you wouldn’t have been eaten up by a demon.

What he’s saying doesn’t match up with what I remember, but the way he speaks so smoothly with absolute confidence makes it hard for me to doubt his words, and for a moment I question my own memories.

Could the glowing primroses I saw by the lake… and the skeletal birds… all been some sort of strange dream?

Mystery Man: It seems like you’ve slept yourself silly.

The young man runs a hand through his hair before straightening up once more, and I watch as he steps towards me until he’s right next to the bed, bending down to look at me more clearly.

His golden eyes flash with sly amusement.

Mystery Man: Since you’re awake, remember this clearly: you’re on my territory.

Mystery Man: The name’s Shaw, and I’m your benefactor.

Mystery Man: As for what you should do now, you should carefully think… about just how you’re going to repay me for saving your life.

-

Carrying a bucket filled with water, I stagger into the garden, out of breath.

The only other person in the garden is currently lounging next to a flower bed, legs casually swinging back and forth, the picture of idleness.

MC: May. I. Please. Ask. If. Sir. Benefactor. Has. Any. Other. Instructions.

Since the day I woke, in return for Shaw safely bringing me out of the mountain, I agreed to run errands for him for seven days. Today is already the seventh day.

Upon seeing me puffing and panting, his brow lifts in an amused arch.

Shaw: Hmm, go water those flowers over there while you’re at it, then.

MC: Shaw, don’t take your bullying too far!

Shaw: How am I bullying you? Weren’t you the one who said that you wanted to repay me by running errands? Or perhaps you want to do it by offering your body instead?

Trivia from Red: ‘Offering your body’ is translated from the Chinese idiom 以身相许, which means 1) pledge to marry or 2) have sex with a man of her own will.

I stare at him in horrified shock for a moment, face burning red from embarrassment. Grabbing the gourd dipper, I scoop up a full ladle of water and fling it at him with all my might.

Shaw ducks out of the way at lightning speed, and the spray of water splashes onto the flowerbed he had been lounging next to earlier, catching the light of the afternoon sun and forming a rainbow. Shaw’s laughter rings out clearly.

Shaw: I asked you to water the flowers, not water people. Or is your eyesight so bad you can’t tell a human clearly from a flowerbed?

MC: ...You!

These last few days, whenever we’ve had banters like this, I’ve never won even once. Determined not to fall into the same trap again, I ignore his words and instead ask a question.

MC: The seven days are almost up. Can I leave tomorrow?

Shaw’s smile turns teasing.

Shaw: Your house is opposite this mountain, isn’t it? Are you sure you won’t faint halfway on your journey back again?

MC: I definitely won’t!

Upon seeing my determined face, Shaw grins, opening his mouth to say something again. All of a sudden, however, the smile fades from his face.

MC: What’s the matter?

Shaw: Nothing’s up, I’m just heading out for a moment.

Shaw: If you want to go home, I’m not stopping you.

Shaw: But you’re not allowed to leave tomorrow. Stay put in my house, don’t take a step out of the compound.

MC: Why not?

Shaw doesn’t reply my question, and with a few strides of his long legs, he’s vanished from the garden.

MC: Shaw, wait a moment, you haven’t explained yourself-

MC: He’s gone?

This isn’t the first time he’s simply disappeared like this. With a shake of the head, I shrug off his warning. Besides, after tomorrow, I’ll have repaid my debt to him in full, and we’ll have nothing more to do with each other.

On the morning of the next day, Shaw still hasn’t returned.

I chew on my lip, looking at the doors for the seventh time, slightly hesitant to leave without bidding him goodbye.

MC: Well, it’s not like that rascal is going to bother about it anyway…

Trivia from Red: MC quite constantly refers to Shaw as 那家伙, which is a casual way of referring to a mischievous, rascally guy, and can be interpreted as ‘that guy’, or ‘that little punk’.

Even though I say those words, I find my footsteps slowing on the way out of the front courtyard.

MC: Perhaps I should leave him a letter.

I write him a letter and leave it on his table. Just when I’m about to leave, a painting hanging on the wall catches my eye.

MC: This is…

Taking a step closer to look at it more clearly, I realise that it’s a mythical beast that I’ve never seen before.

On the beast’s lower back are five tails, and on its forehead is a single horn. Just from the painting, I can sense a strong aura of pride and arrogance.

MC: This painting… it kind of resembles that guy.

Curiously, I reach out and touch a corner of the painting. All of a sudden, however, the sound of thunder rumbles outside the window.

I look out of the window, and am surprised to see that the sky, that was sunny just moments ago, is now blanketed with thick grey clouds, looking like it’s about to start pouring anytime soon.

MC: If I don’t leave now, it’ll be bad if I’m caught in the rain.

I fasten my cloak, pick up an umbrella and leave Shaw’s house.

Even thought it’s well into the afternoon, the little town is completely covered in a thick fog, as if it has been completely blanketed by a layer of grey. The little river that runs through the town has little lotus lamps dotting the surface, all of them floating along silently.

Just as I’m about to leave the little town, my mind gradually begins to calm.

MC: This feels a little strange…

The town that Shaw resides in might not have too many people, but on a normal day, it would usually be bustling with activity, the smell of firework smoke in the air.

Yet today, there isn’t a single person on the streets.

Note from Red: gee, i wonder why, mc-

The further I go from Shaw’s house, the faster the sky seems to darken and unease wells up in my heart.

MC: Maybe I should go back and wait for him…

[thunder rumbles]

The clouds seem to descend, and the sky darkens even further. I don’t know whether it’s just my imagination, but the mist seems to suffuse and thicken in the tunnel before me, and I can see the outline of dark shapes moving about inside.

Before I can look more closely at them,  there’s a sound behind me, and I turn around. The moment I do, I can’t help but feel shock race through me.

It’s the skeletal bird I saw that night on the mountain!

The bird hops onto the side of the bridge, cocking its head at me. When it opens its beak to speak, what comes out isn’t the shrill squawk of a bird, but the familiar cool and clear voice of a man.

Bird!Shaw: Finally found you… what are you doing here?

MC: Shaw!?

MC: How are you… this bird is-

In typical Shaw fashion, the bird does not answer my question. Instead, it turns its head to look at the tunnel, and lets out a clicking sound even though it doesn’t have a tongue to do so.

Bird!Shaw: Come with me.

With that, it flies to me, taking my sleeve between its beak and tugging me in the opposite direction. Being pulled along into a run with it, all my words come out garbled.

MC: Wait a moment… What, what exactly is going on? Just now, what was that? And you, what are you?

Bird!Shaw: You have so many questions.

MC: It’s not me who has too many questions! It’s just that you’ve hidden too much from me!

Bird!Shaw: ……

Bird!Shaw: It’s the Ghost Festival today.

MC: Ghost Festival… Hungry Ghost Festival!?

Trivia from Red: The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, is a traditional Buddhist and Taoist festival held in certain East Asian countries. According to the Chinese calendar (a lunisolar calendar), the Ghost Festival is on the 15th night of the seventh month.

In Chinese culture, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day and the seventh month in general is regarded as the Ghost Month (鬼月), in which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. The deceased are believed to visit the living as the realms of Heaven and Hell and the realm of the living are open and both Taoists and Buddhists would perform rituals to transmute and absolve the sufferings of the deceased.

Bird!Shaw: That's right. This is when the nine yin converges, and evil grows easily. It is the day when the Ghost Gate opens, and evil and living souls intersect. It will be more troublesome than a typical day.

Bird!Shaw: I distinctly remember telling you to stay put in my house, who would have thought you’d actually dare to leave and make trouble for me.

As the bird says this, it turns back to eye me. Even though it has no eyes, I can clearly see the words ‘annoyance’ written in its eye sockets.

At that moment, a feeling of unhappiness washes over me, and I can’t help but open my mouth to speak.

MC: All these things… you could have just told me earlier. You made me wait for you for the entirety of yesterday… without so much as an explanation.

MC: Shaw, am I really not worthy of your trust? Am I a burden to you?

The bird stops fluttering its wings for a second before it turns its head, not saying another word.

For a moment, I wonder if Shaw is angry with what I said, but after a while, a small snort of laughter leaves the bird’s mouth, ringing in my ears.

The sound is so clean and clear, it seems like Shaw is standing right next to me.

Bird!Shaw: I don’t think of you as a burden.

Bird!Shaw: I can tell you my true identity, it’s just that at that moment, you can’t be afraid and you’re not allowed to regret it.

MC: I won’t be scared, and I wouldn’t regret it.

Bird!Shaw: Then follow me closely.

The clouds close in on us, and the first drops of rain begin to fall.

It’s going to rain.

I follow after the bird closely, and each time, I narrowly manage to escape every encounter with a dark shape. Just as we’re about to leave the small town, however, it’s as if all the spirits suddenly sense me, and they all turn and start rushing towards me!

Bird!Shaw: Don’t bother about them! Just run towards the exit of the town!

The second it finishes those words, it lets out a caw. As if rallied, a hundred of the skeletal birds suddenly fly over from behind the wall. Like arrows loosed from a bow, they descend on the mass of black spirits and attack them with their sharp beaks and wings, keeping them tightly packed together.

But there is a limit to the number of birds, and the pitch black spirits can’t be stopped.

Understanding that the birds can’t buy me all the time in the world, I grit my teeth and run as hard as I can for the exit of the town.

Even before I can take two steps, pain runs up my leg, as if I’m being yanked back by something. I fall painfully to the ground.

Withstanding the pain, I look down to see a skeletal person grabbing tight onto my ankle, refusing to let go!

No matter how hard I struggle, the person refuses to let go, and only holds on tighter and tighter. Watching the rest of the dark shapes slowly approaching, I yank out something I have tucked in my waist, and bring it down as hard as I can on the person.

Shiing!

A loud wail rings through the air, but the grip loosens enough for me to pry it off. Looking down in my hand, I clasp the dagger that had saved me seven days ago, I’ve never let it leave me even once.

But in the time it took for me to do all that, it’s too late for me to escape the town.

I grip the dagger tight.

The dark shapes draw closer, before they finally rush at me ferociously.

[thunder rumbles intensely]

Thunder rumbles throughout the sky, like the beating of a thousand drums, the galloping of a hundred thousand horses, unceasing. In that second, hundreds of white hot lightning bolts flash through the air before me, bathing the entire sky in bright white light.

Note from Red: that can’t be good for your eyes...

A large hand covers my eyes from behind.

Note from Red: who needs sunglasses when we have shaw’s big hands T^T

Shaw: You idiot, why are you just standing there for? Do you want to keep your eyes or not?

His tone is teasing and lighthearted, but it makes me feel safer than any promise or vow in the world.

MC: Shaw…

Shaw: I didn’t think you’d be able to save yourself, not bad.

Shaw: No wonder I-

The rest of his words are cut off by the rumble of thunder, the flash of lightning. I feel raindrops land pitter patter on my nose and cheeks.

In order to let me hear his words clearly, he leans down and puts his lips right next to my ear when he speaks, breath hot against the shell of my ear.

Shaw: Turn around, open up your umbrella and count to ten in your head before you open your eyes. Got it?

I nod with all my strength.

Shaw releases me and I obey his instructions, opening the umbrella and beginning to count.

MC: One, two, three…

The strikingly familiar cry I heard that night in the forest rings out from behind me, leaving yet another deep impression in my heart.

MC: Four, five, six…

The rain slows to a gentle drizzle, and the oppressive air hanging over the town seems to be slowly fading.

MC: Seven, eight, nine…

Shaw… Shaw…

MC: Ten.

I turn around.

Within the bright flashes of light, I catch sight of a silhouette of the five tailed mythical beast.

-

Evil spirits dealt with and the dark clouds gone, it seems like the town has finally gone back to normal.

Because I injured my foot, Shaw takes me to a small boat, and the two of us drift along slowly on the river. As the boat is slowly carried along beneath a bridge, Shaw, who is lazily sitting at the front, plucks a flower from the side to play with.

The lotus lamps bobbing alongside us glow softly, and what was initially supposed to be a gloomy Hungry Ghost Festival resembles more of a pleasant evening of a wedding night.

Shaw’s purple robes flutter in the wind, and under the light of the lamps hanging from the boat, the horn on his forehead seems to be softened with a soft glow.

The scenery before me reminds me of the time we first met on the lake back in that forest, the only differences being that he’s now missing a few birds, and that I am here with him.

MC: Right, why haven’t I seen any of the other town residents today?

Shaw: You think everyone is like you? I already warned them beforehand not to leave their houses, it’d make way for the souls and I can do what I need to do.

MC: Hahahaha…

Shaw: What are you laughing about?

MC: I’m laughing at you - with that image and disposition, who would have guessed that you’re actually a great immortal?

After hearing my words, Shaw lifts an eyebrow, looking slightly miffed.

Shaw: Then what did you think I was, a monster?

MC: I think that you’re Shaw, that’s all.

Shaw stares blankly at me for a moment.

MC: Shaw, on the day of Qixi, when you brought me out of the mountain, was it you who rescued me from those bandits as well?

Even though my words are phrased as a question, my tone is sure and certain. There’s a flash of surprise in Shaw’s eyes, but he doesn’t reply. He casts his eyes downwards, manner insipid.

Shaw: That isn’t a good memory to have for the Qixi Festival. Just forget it.

MC: I won’t forget it.

What he says is true. The Qixi festival is deserving of good and happy memories, and being by bandits certainly isn’t that, but still…

I look earnestly at Shaw.

MC: But on that day, you also appeared.

All around us, the lotus lamps flicker softly in the night, jade green smoke curling up faintly, the cool sounds of running water in my ears.

MC: I feel like this is the most memorable, and also the most treasured Qixi I have ever experienced.

This world’s thousands of relationships cannot be clearly defined by these dates, but on this Ghost Festival, my heart soars more than it did on the day of the Qixi Festival.

Shaw watches me silently, before he puts down the flower in his hand and leans forward, closer to me.

His hands carry with them the body temperature of one that is not human, fingertips lifting up my bangs once again.

Inch by inch, his finger trails down, as if mapping out my face.

His golden eyes are locked firmly on me, gaze intense and captivating like that of a wild beast, not letting my eyes deviate from him in the least.

This time, I don’t shy away from him.

Shaw: The last time, didn’t you ask for my true self?

Shaw: I’m Zheng, and I consume evil energy as sustenance.

Shaw: I’ve never felt like I’ve done this to help humans, and I’ve never considered myself to be an auspicious sign like the legends say.

Shaw: When I’m hungry, I eat.

Suddenly, my hand is grasped tightly in his, and he lifts it to his mouth.

He bites down slowly on my index finger, sharpened teeth scraping over delicate skin, and slight pain radiates out from where his lips are wrapped around my fingertip.

Shaw: Even if that’s what I am, you’re not going to be afraid of me?

Even though he’s clearly giving off a sense of hidden danger and his words are meant to provoke me into giving him a response, my heart skips a beat at the smile on his face.

MC: I…

Shaw: I… what? Speak louder.

With a self satisfied smirk that looks reminiscent of a cat that got the canary, he nips on my finger again.

MC: I said, I won’t be-

Before the word ‘scared’ can leave my mouth, my finger suddenly slips free of Shaw’s mouth to land on his lower lip. My fingertip softly runs against his lips, breath warm and eyes shining.

It’s clearly… a kiss.

Note from Red: yes mc you get flustered NOW when your finger was on his lips but not when he was literally biting on it priorities on point we stan

In a moment, my entire face burns bright red and I hurriedly pull back my finger.

MC: Shaw!

Shaw grins at me as he releases my hand, his gaze on me filled with an emotion I can’t quite recognise. Having fallen for his tricks yet again, my heart races and I desperately look for something to say, but didn’t expect that Shaw would beat me to it.

Shaw: Shouldn’t you be heading home?

The second he says that, I’m reminded of my original purpose: to bid my farewells to him before leaving for home.

I nod at him for a moment, before I shake my head energetically.

MC: Shaw, I…

Shaw: But today, haven’t I saved you once again?

MC: ...Eh?

Shaw: The timing’s just right. I’ve polished off all the evil energies and spirits here completely, it’s time for a change in scenery.

Shaw: The town near your home… is there anything entertaining?

He speaks so quickly that I have no time to think.

MC: Entertaining… well, not really, but there’s a lot of good food there! Recently it’s been chestnut and lotus seed season, so there should be a lot of confections sold on the streets…

MC: Wait a second, you’re not thinking of following me home, are you?

Shaw: Of course I am. How else are you going to repay this huge favour you owe me for saving you?

His words are bold and upright, but the grin on his face is that of a satisfied hunter.

Shaw: Before you fully repay the favour… don’t even think about escaping from me.

[misssophiachase]

For @klarolinefallbingo “Did you have to upset the goblins?”  

A/N Thanks to @helpfulfairy for giving me some supernatural tips that were so useful to make this happen : ) 

Mission Impossible?

Kol Mikaelson, the youngest prince of the underworld, is being held captive in the forbidden forest by an army of vengeful goblins. Two separate rescue missions are launched. One by a mysterious mercenary hired by the King and the other his older, and very suspicious brother. Who will come out victorious and what secrets will be revealed along the way? 

I

Yes, he’d upset the goblins. 

So much so that the young prince found himself captive in the deep, dark depths of the forbidden forest. 

Goblins weren’t considered a threat in the supernatural order of things but, at the same time, they could easily be underestimated. Although, the possibility they had joined forces with one of their bigger enemies couldn’t be dismissed either. 

“Your highness.” Klaus turned to see his servant mid greeting. Josh was young and inexperienced but at least he’d mastered his technique. “I come bearing news.”

“Well, how about less bowing and more talking. What news do you have of my brother from the capital?” 

The ruling family oversaw the entire realm and resided in the heavily guarded capital. Klaus, however, had recently taken up a posting in the northern region in order to quell rising tensions against the heirachy. 

This latest attack on his brother seemed too much of a coincidence, even if he probably did do something idiotic to deserve it. Kol was the black sheep of the family and their relationship was strained at times. Although, that didn’t mean he wasn’t anxious about his fate given he was missing. 

Abducted. 

Goblin fodder, according to Rebekah. His sister, the princess, never did possess much empathy or tact. 

“The King is displeased it has come to this,” Josh recited. No surprises there given Mikael was never happy and made his sentiments known on a regular basis. “He wants this dealt with quietly and swiftly so has contracted a highly trained mercenary to track down the prince.”

“This is father’s great plan?” He growled. Klaus was trying to remain composed but this latest news was doing nothing to ease his concerns. As much as Kol frustrated him, Klaus had no intention of leaving his rescue up to a questionable stranger whose loyalty could be bought. 

“I understand that the mercenary in question possesses the requisite skills for this kind of mission.” 

“I’ll be the judge of that,” he replied gruffly. “Do you know this mercenary?”

“No, Your Highness,” Josh replied. “All I know is that he is well trained in tracing, combat and speaks fluent Ghukliak.”

The language of goblins. Not many outside their close knit circle could speak it let alone were fluent.

Klaus felt his chest constrict, his instincts telling him he was right to question his father’s motives and that the supposed mercenary probably wasn’t who they purported to be.

Klaus knew someone who fitted that description. 

Someone he loved probably more than he should. 

But it was a she not a he. 

She was brilliant, that much he knew from their time together. She spoke multiple languages and dialects. In fact, they’d met when she worked as a translator at their annual summit which brought together representatives from all supernatural orders.     

He also knew she was handy with a weapon given that time she ‘accidentally’ stabbed him in the foot during an impromptu and mock fencing battle. Well, afterwards she maintained it wasn’t an accident because he was being an ass. Rather than incensing the hot blooded prince it only made him want her more. 

And more. 

But they were from two different worlds, so much so that their possible union would be considered a curse that could bring down the ruling heirachy and everyone they presided over.  

Suddenly, all of the good memories were replaced, not by their wretched circumstances, but by a renewed and sickening fear for her safety along with his brother. 

“Bloody hell,” he cursed aloud, unable to help himself. 

This was not a game, so what was she playing at? 

“I’m sorry, my lord, is there something I can do...”

“Summon Elijah and prepare the horses. We’ll be leaving at first light.” Elijah had been visiting when Kol disappeared, so Klaus figured the least he could do was lend a helping hand, especially given what they faced.

“But the King.” 

“Not a word, Josh, if you value your life,” he hissed, spinning on his heel and leaving the room without a backward glance.  

II

“I think my behind has gone to sleep.” Caroline rolled her eyes wondering not only why she’d opted for a companion but chosen this particular one. The fog was thick in these parts and for once she was glad her friend couldn’t properly gauge her reaction. 

Caroline was trying to tell herself she made the right decision. Katherine Pierce was a revered witch in these parts so was more than qualified for the mission but every minute they rode and every single complaint was telling her otherwise. 

“Luckily you’re not doing the work then is it?”

“I’m doing plenty.”

“Complaining doesn’t count.”

“I’m heartbroken, the least you could do is give me some pity,” she growled. Before Caroline could reply she continued. “In case you’re wondering, that means my most vital organ has been shattered into a trillion, tiny pieces.”

Drama really should have been her middle name. 

Caroline wanted to be that supportive friend who knew the right thing to say. Unfortunately, she’d had her most vital organ broken too and, not that she’d admit it to anyone, still hadn’t fully recovered. Well, not enough to give any helpful advice. 

“He’s not worth it,” she offered mechanically, thinking that line had been thrown at her enough times.

“I beg to differ.”

“You’ve never even mentioned anyone and now suddenly he’s the love of your life?” 

“What can I say? It all happened very quickly.” Caroline knew that feeling all too well. “He’s not my type at all so I wasn’t expecting it to hurt so much.”

“So, who is he?” Her friend gave her a look which said she wasn’t going to divulge his identity anytime soon. “Fine, then you can stop whining and let me concentrate.”

“Why are you doing this?” The question wasn’t completely unexpected but at the same time it was a difficult one to answer. “Not to mention pretending to be some kind of mercenary which we both know you’re not.”

“I have the skills required,” she argued.

“But mercenaries don’t possess loyalty or hold allegiances, nor do they care for anyone but themselves. We both know you are far good to be that way.”

“I might have misrepresented myself, true, but let’s just say I owe someone.” 

She’d been the one to leave in the middle of the night, to flee when their circumstances became too difficult. Caroline knew he would have fought to the death for her and a life together. 

She knew if she couldn’t give him that then the least she could do was help his younger brother. Someone she’d grown fond of in the short time they’d spent together. It wouldn’t fix them but she hoped it would make some amends at least.  

“You gamble? That I wasn’t expecting,” she offered. Caroline wanted to correct her but thought better of it. 

“Maybe I liked you better when you were complaining about your love life.”

“Fine, if I tell you his identity it stays between us.” Clearly they were back to her mystery man and Caroline was immediately regretting her clumsy segue. “Promise?”

Caroline only nodded by way of response, there was only so many theatrics she could take in one day.

“It’s Prince Elijah.” 

Caroline’s head flicked around to face her friend. Now that she wasn’t expecting, even if she did know him. She needed to conceal her surprise. “Well, now it makes sense that prince of the underworld isn’t your usual type. How did this all come about or do I not want to know?”

“We met purely by accident on the streets of the capital. He’s handsome, yes, but it was something else.”

“Let me guess, some imaginary magnet was pulling you towards him.” 

Caroline knew that feeling all too well when she’d been with a certain prince that happened to be his very own brother. 

“And how do you know that exactly?” She’d clearly said too much. 

“Uh, so, how exactly did he break your heart then?”

“He had to leave the capital on assignment. I must admit finding out you wanted help rescuing Kol Mikaelson seemed like a weird coincidence.”

“Does Elijah know?” Caroline did not need that complication. She knew Elijah and that, although they quarrelled, he was extremely loyal to Klaus. If he found out Caroline was on a mission to rescue Kol he wouldn’t let that stand. 

“Of course not,” she replied. “Although I did tell him I had business with you and I could have sworn I saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Do you happen to know why that would be?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Caroline could have kicked herself for being such a bad liar. 

“Okay, so tell me about this debt you owe, it’s the least I deserve.”

This was going to be difficult to explain without giving everything away. 

III

“I thought father said there was a mercenary rescuing Kol?” Elijah asked as they made their way through the forest the following day. 

“Well, if you’re not up to it, older brother,” Klaus responded emphasising the word ‘older’ on purpose.

“I was merely pointing out that it seems excessive given we are currently fighting wars on multiple fronts. But Kol does like to be the centre of attention so will appreciate the added effort, I’m sure.”  

That last part Klaus couldn’t argue with. 

“I’ll be sure to tell Kol you said that after we save his sorry ass,” Klaus joked before growing serious again. Something had been playing on his mind since he found out the possible identity of his father’s chosen ‘mercenary’. “Do you trust Mikael’s intentions?”

“Is that a rhetorical question, Niklaus?” 

“I find this whole situation unsettling. It seems all too much of a coincidence that father has sent us outside the capital and now Kol is missing. You don’t think that he...”

“What? That he Is trying to kill the heirs to the throne and his very own children? Mikael has many faults and he’s certainly not going to win father of the year but I think you’re being a tad ridiculous.”

“I know I’m the cynical one but think my suspicions are justified.”

“And what makes you think that?” Klaus hesitated briefly. He had no intention of mentioning Caroline, not yet, but when it came to her he couldn’t contain his feelings or his composure for long.

“I believe the mercenary father hired is Caroline.”

“Forbes?” He questioned dubiously. “Why would you think that?”

“She speaks multiple languages, a skill the very mercenary possesses.”

“Well, last time I checked she isn’t a mercenary but fallen fae royalty.”

“Watch how you talk about her, brother.” Klaus growled. He couldn’t help the over protectiveness, it just seemed to envelop him when anyone spoke adversely against her. Even after she left him he still couldn’t let her go. 

“Finally,” he acknowledged. “I admit I only said that to incite you, Niklaus, given she was the best thing to ever happen to you.”

“That I don’t need to revisit, brother. But we both know that nothing good could come from our union.”

“Remind me, was that before or after she stabbed you?”

“Elijah has a sense of humour who would have thought that?” Klaus drawled. “Clearly I’ll never live that incident down but right now, given present and urgent circumstances, it doesn’t matter.” 

“I must admit, I’ve been distracted.” That Klaus wasn’t expecting. His brother was the epitome of law and order and not much more. 

“I’m almost too scared to ask.”

“There’s a woman.”

“And here I thought you were celibate for life,” he chuckled. 

“Hilarious, Niklaus,” he shot back. “Although, given our brief discussions, apparently she’s travelling with the very girl you are pretending not to seek.”

Klaus was struggling to control himself. Not just because he wanted to kill Elijah for dropping that clue without warning but because the thought she was close only made him want her more. 

TBC - You Reap What You Sow for @klarolinefallbingo

[urlocalbunny]

.massage - beliath.

heyheyhey! atashi-sama sanjou!!! ahahaha!

hello my little friends! please notice that i’m releasing this after a little break and you shouldn’t worry about the requests you made earlier: I’m going to release them from my grasp. But first, kinktober.

kinktober will end later for me as i started later too. 

Aaron calls Elo baby seal in the portuguese translation so i decided to use it bc i miss him. thanks.

1.656 words of nice fluffy post good ending sex.

warnings: SPOILERS.

Eloise was not immediately happy after turning. There were a lot of things she had yet to learn. 

One of these things was how to fight now that she had enhanced powers. This task wasn't easy, especially if she was training with Aaron and Raphael. They both did not make it easy. Aaron wanted her to have perfect muscular memory. Raphael wanted her to use that memory without seeing jack-shit. That was turning extremely tough. There were a few words, however, that she liked to hear from them.

"That's it for today, baby seal." Aaron mocked, patting her shoulder. Eloise usually would jump around, but she was panting too much to do anything but smile widely. "You should honestly rest up. You have been improving a lot, and you know you can't do too much. You're still learning how to feed."

"Our friend right here is right, young lady," Raphael said softly. "Of course, you don't have the same urges as Ivan because you did not suffer any unfortunate accidents, but you should save energy. Do not let Beliath take too much care of you and fend for yourself as much as you can. You will see that it is a good decision in the long run." He explained, earning a positive grumble from her. "Then I think the three of us friends feel at ease, right?" 

"Yeah. You can take care of the swords, Raphael. I'm dropping this tiny beast off." Aaron said, bidding the man farewell.

"Did I... Did I do good?" She asked airily. 

"Yes, that was impressive, and I'm sure that since you had chalice powers, they are helping your body adjust. But now you should follow Raphael's advice. Take a bath and rest, alright? I don't want to have my ears ripped off." He ruffled her hair like a father, leaving after her good night.

She took her time bathing. Beliath was nowhere. He usually came around to cheer for her, but in the last week, he hasn't been the most lenient boyfriend ever, and that's what she needed. Even so, she understood that he was worried about Leandra's new powers and how she'd adapt to them, and Asmodee dying wasn't that uneventful for his mind. He has a lot on his plate.

She felt him coming down to meet her in her room, but to her surprise, he knocked on the door. As much as she would love some spicier surprise, that was not the time. She was sore. 

"What is it, love?" She asked, rinsing the conditioner off. "I'm a little off today... But the door is unlocked." She said, then she shook her head. He didn't even ask for anything. She was tired and making assumptions.

"You seem off, yes." He replied flatly to tease her and show her remark didn't go unnoticed. She snorted.

"I'm sorry, Bel." She smiled at his antics.

"It's okay. I just came to tell you to get up and dry yourself nicely. Come to my room later, okay?" He knocked twice on the door to indicate that he was leaving as if she didn't feel him.

Eloise sighed. Maybe he missed being so close to her that he knew what she thought anytime he wanted to. Their bond didn't break. It was still inside of them but wasn't the same. Maybe it would become stronger later or simply wash away. That's something only time could tell her.

Speaking of time, she stood up not to waste any and finished what she had to. She didn't even mind putting her dress on. She could walk with her bathrobe, and if anybody had any complaints, they could talk with the walls. 

"Hey, Bel." She huffed, opening the door to find the room candlelit. She giggled. "What is this?" 

"I'm glad to see you're more lively looking at this." He said, lighting the last candles on the floor. She locked the door, taking in the small table with some moisturizer, hair products, and oils for her skin. "I'm trying to make you relax, so I put this together for you in the last few nights. Without further questions, lay down." He said when she opened her mouth to say he didn't need to do all of this. 

Eloise let her robe fall on the ground. He looked at her body instantly, hungrily looking for her eyes then.

"You are simply divine, love." He husked, coming up behind her to kiss her shoulder lovingly. "Don't think about anything else. Let me take care of everything." 

Just with this sentence, her head fell on his shoulder. He widened his eyes a little. 

"Look... Your fangs are out. Are you enjoying this?" He said, observing her mouth eagerly. "Honestly, I didn't think you could look more stunning, but after you turned..." He trailed off, pushing her softly on top of the mattress, pulling the hairband she was wearing.

For a few minutes, Beliath just took care of her face with a few products, even if she wanted to do it alone, and then her hair, combing it and using oils. After a few moments, though, Eloise sensed his body lowering to kiss on her neck.

"I'm leaving it damp, alright? I love it like that." His whisper sent a shiver down her spine that he surely appreciated if the way his hand caressed her exposed back was anything to go by. He said he would be back soon and cleaned his hands. She felt her muscles lock up, but this time from excitement. He was going to work on the knots on her shoulders, maybe.

"I'm back, love," He said then, straddling her back and wasting no time on using a nice amount of oil.

"Is that coconut?" She asked, a knowing smile on her face. "That's a nice lube." "I'm glad you know. But I never used it on you, so, should I?" They giggled, but Eloise's giggle turned into a satisfied moan when Beliath started to drag his hands across her skin softly. His hands began to work wonders on her shoulders, making her let out whimpers of pleasure every time he finished the work on a sore area. He ran his fingers skillfully down her back, massaging every spot. Eloise had her eyes closed, moaning softly.

"Stop moaning like that." He said, smacking her ass. She moaned louder this time. "Or do you like it that much that it's hard to stop?" 

"Hm, Bel, please keep going." She said eagerly, moving her hips to meet his hands. He held her ass, squeezing it between his fingers. 

He got back to his business as if he was not horny. He decided to turn Eloise on her back and keep going, but his restraints we're breaking. He tried to attack quietly to see if Eloise would want him.  

The bottle was open, leaking some oil in the valley between her breasts and then on top of them. Beliath was mesmerized by how stunning she looked. His hands traveled around, massaging her body slow but surely, feeling the way her back arched when his hands wandered closer to her chest. His other half felt her arousal before his eyes and ears registered her moans and expressions. He was looking at her like she was a goddess, an intricate piece.

But it wasn't the time to back off. The demon's hands traveled from the vampire's breasts to the navel, then hips and lower. 

He had two fingers inside of her. Her back arched, a moan left her lips.

"Love, I-"

"I said I'd take care of everything tonight, didn't I? Don't worry about me." He said softly, sitting in front of her, positioning himself so that he could see everything. Her legs opened as much as they could as she pulled her knees up. He hissed, quickening the pace. Her moans we're needy, she wouldn't stop looking into his eyes. No matter how slow he'd go, she wouldn't stop moaning his name. Like she'd have anything he gave her. 

"Hm, Bel, please. Fuck me." Her tiny whisper was just too much for him to handle. He got rid of his clothes so fast that some of the candles stopped burning when he threw them around. 

Beliath wasted no time. She was well prepared, and he dragged all of this out to tease himself, he knew it deep down. He lined up with her, looking at her face when she traced the curve of his waist and squeezed it, earning a whine from him. He started to slide in, feeling the way his hips slid easily over hers, quickening the pace a little. 

"Am I hurting you?" He asked quickly.

"Don't stop. Please." She assured, now caressing his bottom lovingly. He shivered as her hand went up to his back faintly, then down again and back to where they came from, this time digging her nails in pleasure when he set up a nice, slow pace. He found something intense in seeing the way her silhouette moved in the darkness, alluring, delicate, yet nervous. 

"I love you, darling." He whispered, earning a genuine, happy smile from her. The smile he longed to see every day. He giggled when he saw the fangs flashing in the dark.

"I love you too, Beliath. So much." Their foreheads met softly, his pace matching the moment. Her hands shot up to his neck, holding it when he started to speed up. 

Eloise felt relaxed enough to switch positions and wavered on top of him lustfully, caressing his thighs. His moans felt different now, more like a calling. Like he never felt this for anybody else. Might as well have been the truth. When the now strange daylight evidence shined behind the curtains, they moaned in unison as the high hit them. The candles were long gone. 

They both rode it out on tiny promises and giggles. Their fingers intertwined as they closed their eyes.

[blue-lions-baby]

Operation Confession (Dimitri x F!Reader) [Ch. 3] [FINALE]

hi!! well, this is it. the final chapter of operation confession. to be very honest, with everything going on it was quite difficult to write this, but i hope the quality is still relatively the same as my previous chapters! i had so much fun writing this series, and i hope reading it was just as entertaining! thank you so much for sticking with it-- it means the absolute world to me :)

this will prob be my last post for a bit before i head off to college; please rest assured i do not plan to leave this blog or this wonderful community anytime soon! thank you for being patient with me as i adjust to this very new chapter of my life!!

without further ado, please enjoy ch. 3!

~*~

“Hey, false alarm!” Sylvain traipsed back in, hands behind his head. “(F/N) and Felix are actually gonna freshen up a bit before heading to dinner.”

Groans and angry huffs spilled out of the frazzled Lions; the menacing stares that the redhead bore made him squeak, and he cleared his throat.

“Hey, look, I’m sorry! They ran into us while His Highness was changing--”

“While he was changing?” Dedue and Ingrid looked like they were about to have a stroke.

“I-It’s a long and,” Sylvain looked at The Hand, “painful story, but what’s important is that they didn’t see him! All thanks to Yours Truly.”

“You were a blubbering idiot. The only reason why (F/N) didn’t bother questioning you further was because she was too tired to care.” Felix joined in, the permanent scowl on his features deepening.

“Felix!” Sylvain’s countenance lit up joyfully before hazing into confusion. “Wait, I thought you were gonna freshen up before heading to dinner.”

“I don’t need to. Hardly broke a sweat during training.”

“W-What?! How?!”

“I guess you wouldn’t understand, seeing as how your only form of exercise is chasing after anything that wears a skirt.”

Sylvain’s eyes took on a glossy, hollow quality as the Lions hollered in laughter.

“Uh... So Sylvain, where’s His Highness?” Asked Annette, having expected him to walk in.

“Oh, he ran back to his quarters to put his clothes away. He should be coming back any minute now.”

♠ ♥ ♣ ----------------------------------------------------------- ♣ ♥ ♠

After neatly hanging his uniform in his closet and giving himself a quick once-over in the mirror, he gave himself one last pep talk before swinging the door open and--

Seeing the side of your head as you idly engaged in conversation with a fellow student.

Oh Sothis, help him.

As quickly (and loudly) as he opened the door, he closed it and promptly went back inside to scream into his pillow. Where in the world did you even come from? Weren’t you supposed to be ‘freshening up?’ Your quarters weren’t even down this hallway; what in the Goddess’s name were you even doing here?

He pressed his ear further into the door, straining to pick up bits and pieces of your conversation in hopes to inform himself on your sudden visitation. Nothing. All he could hear was muffled banter bouncing between either of you-- muffled banter that didn’t sound like it was going to end any time soon. He screamed curses in his head and awkwardly slid down onto the floor, lightly banging his cranium against the solid wooden door.

He desperately wished for someone, anyone to save him.

He sighed while rubbing his temples-- a desperate attempt to quell the arising headache. Dimitri combed through his options, each less viable than the last. After eliminating any and all half-baked ideas of escape, he was face-to-face with the one option he didn’t want to consider.

Sit here and wait until you left.

So Dimitri sat (more like paced) in his room, occasionally pressing his ear against the door in hopes that he didn’t hear your lighthearted banter outside. Why was it the one time he didn’t want to run into you, there you were! Right outside his door. You might as well have come with a giant bow on your head!

The floor beneath him rumbled slightly, pulling him from his thoughts; the even pacing grew stronger and stronger until it stopped just a little ways past his door.

“(F/N).”

Wait... That’s... It’s unmistakable! That has to be--!

“Dedue! Hello!”

“I apologize for the interruption, but I have come to remind you that it is your turn to tend to the greenhouse today.”

A short pause ensued, followed by an audible gasp.

“Wait, yes! You’re right! I’ve completely forgotten, thank you so much for reminding me!”

Dimitri heard muffled apologies and goodbyes sputter out of your lips, followed by light footsteps scurrying away. Your former companion proceeded to engage in very light talk with the Duscur man before quickly excusing themselves from the scene; Dedue, glancing down the hall to ensure that no one else was nearby, approached and gently rapped his lord’s door with calloused knuckles.

“Your Highness, you may come out now.”

The inner mechanisms of the door clicked softly, the hesitancy of the room’s occupant translating directly through the brass knob.

“Oh, thank the Goddess you came, Dedue. Frankly, I had given up any hope of escape.” Dimitri rubbed the back of his neck tiredly.

“I knew something was wrong when you did not return. I am glad that I came.” Dedue gave a curt bow.

“Thank you Dedue. Come. Let us head to the dining hall, shall we?”

“Of course, Your Highness. (F/N) should be preoccupied with her greenhouse duties for a time.”

“Yes... Actually, Dedue, how did you know it was (F/N)’s turn to tend to the greenhouse today?”

“Truthfully, Your Highness, I didn’t. It was pure luck she was scheduled today.”

“You mean--” Dimitri’s eyes widened.

“Yes. That was just a fluke. I have no knowledge of the schedule, other than the times either you or I are assigned.”

“Hah!” Dimitri’s hand landed on his retainer’s shoulder. “What luck! After hearing that, I can not help but feel a bit more confident about tonight.”

“And why is that, Your Highness?”

“If fate is as real as the ground beneath us, I would say that, perhaps, (F/N) and I are truly meant to be together.”

“That is quite a romantic notion, Your Highness.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Dimitri sighed as they crossed the threshold to the outside. The sun was just starting its descent past the hills; the slowly extinguishing rays of light brushed the sky with vibrant hues of vermilion and marigold.

“Despite that, I can not help but feel... hopeful. And... happy.”

“I am glad that this whole experience has collectively been a pleasant one, Your Highness.” Dedue responded as they neared the dining hall. “You deserve to be happy.”

Dedue’s words echoed in Dimitri’s head, ringing alongside Sylvain’s previous sentiment. Guilt wrung his heart until the familiar pangs of remorse pounded in his chest.

“Do I... Do I really deserve such a thing?”

“Without a doubt, Your Highness.”

“Even after everything that I’ve done... Even after... everything... I still... deserve it?”

“Of course, Your Highness. You deserve to be happy, just like everybody else.”

As the duo ascended the stairs and approached the Lions that were all congregated together for Dimitri’s cause, the prince’s features relaxed and-- just for a moment-- the voices that incessantly plagued his thoughts ceased.

“Thank you, Dedue.”

“I am always happy to help, Your Highness.” Like his prince, Dedue’s rough exterior melted away to reveal a warm, genuine smile.

“Hey, there you are!” Sylvain bounded up to them, meeting them halfway across the platform. “We were gettin’ worried about you! What happened?”

After Dimitri and Dedue explained what transpired, Sylvain couldn’t help but laugh at the terrible wonderful luck that Dimitri possessed.

"Dedue really got you out of a tough spot, huh?”

“As he always does.” Dimitri cast a grateful look at his retainer.

“I was shocked when I learned that (F/N) was actually scheduled today.”

“What were you gonna do if she wasn’t?” Sylvain queried.

Dedue paused thoughtfully.

“Perhaps I could have asked her to help me weed the courtyard, or to tend the horses.”

“Fair enough.” Sylvain nodded. “Well, it’s getting late so people are starting to leave the dining hall. Hopefully by the time (F/N) is done tending the plants, you two will be all alone.”

Sylvain wriggled his eyebrows and peered cheekily at the reddening face of the prince.

“Please do not be so nervous, Your Highness. (F/N) will surely appreciate all the effort you had put in.”

“Yeah!” Sylvain propped an arm on Dimitri’s shoulder. “Remember what I told you, Your Highness? You’re the leader of the Blue Lions! Start actin’ like your namesake! You gotta be bold!”

“R-Right. Bold.” Truthfully, Dimitri looked anything but; however, this only prompted a deluge of much-needed encouragement and hype that the two happily supplied-- Sylvain taking a more... fiery approach to his psyching while Dedue slightly doused the ecstatic flames set by the redhead with more grounded assurances.

“Now remember, Your Highness. Look her in the eyes, smile, and tell her that she’s beautiful. Like this!” Sylvain turned to Dedue, who suddenly became an unwilling participant in the playboy’s example.

“Hey, babe. You look gorgeous tonight. I gotta admit, I’m no mathematician, but I can still see you’re a ten outta ten.”

“Please get away from me ... Thank you, Sylvain.”

Dimitri stared at the duo with a confused fixed smile plastered on his face. The gears in his head took their sweet, sweet time to churn and process the cursed pick-up line, but it eventually clicked.

“Hah! I get it now! That’s a great one, Sylvain. I’ll definitely remember that.”

A flush of pride stained Sylvain’s cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Thanks! Oh, here’s another one. This one’s also super popular with the ladies.”

Sylvain cleared his throat and turned to Dedue, who was quietly trying to shuffle away.

“Hey, hun. Do you have a map? I keep getting lost in your eyes.”

“If that is the case, perhaps it would be in your best interest to stop looking at me.” Dedue lightly glared. Dimitri’s eyes crinkled gleefully.

“Ah, these are all wonderful! I look forward to using them on (F/N).”

“Great! But remember Your Highness-- too much of a good thing is a bad thing. You can’t just spout a couple lines like that and expect her to fall for you instantly. You gotta do it tastefully.”

“Tastefully... Got it.”

Dimitri nodded his head, soaking and digesting this newfound knowledge. His eyes suddenly shot up, excitement bubbling out of its watery depths.

“Oh! It appears that I have come up with something!”

“Go for it, Your Highness!”

“I’ve got no taste, but I’d still like a bite of you.”

. . .

. . .

. . .

“Sylvain?”

. . .

. . .

“Dedue?”

. . .

“... Perhaps the map one wasn’t so terrible after all.”

“You said it, Dedue.”

“Wha--! Surely it wasn’t that atrocious, was it?”

“I believe it would serve His Highness well if you taught him more pick-up lines, Sylvain.”

“Sure. Whatever it takes to keep him from saying stuff like that.”

“H-Hey!!!”

♠ ♥ ♣ ----------------------------------------------------------- ♣ ♥ ♠

After sprinkling the few remaining drops of water onto a patch of slightly wilting plants, you dropped the empty watering can with a clatter and threw your arms high above your head, stretching all the bundles and ties that knotted in your shoulders. Your stomach gurgled and a pulse of hunger radiated throughout your core. Perhaps it wasn’t the brightest idea to completely skip your meals.

You placed the watering can in the shed and, making sure everything was as orderly as it could be, stalked out of the greenhouse while still massaging the few stubborn knots that remained tied in your muscles. The sun had long disappeared below the horizon; whatever light remained served only as a prelude to the beginnings of a starry night.

A nippy breeze nibbled your exposed skin, contrasting the slightly humid atmosphere that you’ve grown accustomed to in the greenhouse. Teeth chattering and tummy churning, you hastened your feet to move faster to the brightly lit dining hall.

As you approached the door, you were pleasantly surprised to see that the hall was practically empty, save for some guards and faculty sneaking in a nightly snack-- but even they didn’t linger for long. As you were racking your brain for ideas on what to eat, you walked into the warm building; the ambrosial aroma of succulent, roasted duck caught your attention immediately.

To say that you didn’t shed a small tear from the experience would be a lie.

You scouted and scoured the kitchen for the fowl of your dreams, but it eluded you. Where in the world could this duck--

“A-Ahem.”

You had come dangerously close to collapsing from shock.

Your body jumped and slowly turned around to face the owner of the voice.

“Good evening, (F/N). You look as radiant as ever.”

A young man wearing a white suit decorated with small pins and medals stood before you. Gloved, quivering fingers delicately brushed the lone strands of hair that slipped onto his forehead to the side.

“D-Dimitri...? Is that you?”

“Ah y-yes, it is I. Please forgive me if I had surprised you.”

“N-Not at all!” You replied, your cognitive processes hiccuping at the sight of this magnificent angel. The light from the torch gently surrounded the prince with an almost ethereal quality, rendering him simply divine. The corner of his lips turned up slightly, pulling his handsome features into a half-smirk.

“Please, allow me to escort you to our table.”

“O-Okay...”

He took a step towards you and his eyes flickered down; you followed his gaze and saw his slightly shaking hand slowly reaching for yours.

“May I...?”

Whether it was a simple case of the jitters or the excitement bubbling from within, it didn’t matter much as you enthusiastically clasped your hand in his. Dimitri froze in place, every muscle in his being stiffening at that small point of contact. However, he managed to get his racing pulse (somewhat) under control-- just enough to pull you into a stiff walk at least.

“Please follow me, (F/N).”

The pounding in Dimitri’s heart found its way into his ears, drumming and thundering an aggressive beat. He never knew that fear and glee could intertwine so readily with one another-- until he felt your hand gently press into his palm. Worries and questions and warmth spurred his thoughts into a hazy flurry of emotion. Was he squeezing too hard? Was he holding your hand correctly? Were you at all uncomfortable? Oh Goddess, you look so beautiful when you smile like that--

“Ah! Dimitri, what is all this?”

“W-Well,” Dimitri swallowed what felt like a boulder, “it is our dinner.”

“Our... Dinner...?”

“Yes. Um...” His locked fingers reluctantly separated from yours. “We have prepared a roasted duck, a fine, savory pastry called ‘garlic bread,’ a simple salad, and baked sweets made by Mercedes. I pray this is enough to whet your appetite.”

“You whet my appetite Everything looks so good...” You swallowed thickly, eyes resting heavily on the succulent fowl. “Heh, well... I actually didn’t eat at all today, so--”

“I beg your pardon?!” You blinked and immediately found yourself sitting in front of the palatable entrees. Dimitri’s countenance-- full of concern and tinged with anger-- stared at you from across the sea of food.

“You mustn’t skip meals. That is terribly unhealthy for you.”

“You’re one to talk, Dimitri!” You laughed. “You skip meals all the time!”

Dimitri’s visage fell and his entire face took on all shades of red.

“I... admit, I am not one to berate you on this matter, but regardless, I ask that you still heed my warnings... You should never skip meals.”

Giggling to yourself, you rested your chin on folded hands and your head tilted slightly. That, combined with your killer smile and rosy cheeks, introduced Dimitri’s palpitating heart to a livelier pace.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll do my best not to skip meals.”

“Urgh-- Yes! Please... don’t.”

Your lips curved into a smile and your eyes lustily darted to the food in front of you.

“Well, let’s dig in, shall we?”

You, of course, immediately reached for the duck-- as did Dimitri.

Your hands collided en route to the silver cutlery by the fowl, and a fountain of apologies spewed out of either of you. Dimitri, somehow managing to awkwardly bounce back from the innocent error, cleared his throat and took this opportunity to impress you with his... gentlemanly charms.

“Please excuse me, (F/N). Allow me to cut a slice for you.”

“Oh! Well, um... sure?”

Dimitri’s fingers rounded the shiny handles of the knife and fork before cutting into the tender meat. Delectable smells spilled forth from the bird, eliciting a growl from your stomach-- a... very, very loud growl. A growl that was loud enough for Dimitri to stop and look up.

“Uh... I’d like to apologize...” You mumbled ashamedly, your cheeks growing hot to the touch.

Dimitri chuckled, slipping a thick slice of duck onto your plate along with a small bushel of salad, a few pieces of garlic bread, and some sweets.

“Do not worry, my Beloved. I know you haven’t eaten all day.”

You smiled, graciously accepting your plate filled to the brim with food. You cut the slice of meat into more manageab--

Wait...

‘Beloved?’

It seemed that Dimitri realized his mistake around the same time you did.

“Dimitri--”

“Er, (F/N)! Aside from this morning, how was your day?”

“Huh? I-I mean it was fine, but Dimitri--”

“Ah, splendid! I am glad your day had gotten better. I was really worried when you suddenly left class like that.”

“Dimitri,” you cut in, “did you just call me... your... ‘Beloved?’“

Dimitri simply sat there as his brain was fried and shriveled into a crisp.

“W-Well, uh, I-- You see-- I deeply apologize for-- That was, very inappropriate of me--”

“Oh! No, no, it’s okay... Um, I was just a bit surprised is all.” You brought your cup to your lips in a pathetic attempt to cover the bashful grin that threatened to escape.

“Ah... Of course...” Dimitri stabbed a small tomato with the prongs of his fork and shoveled it into his mouth, his cheeks seeming to absorb the color of the little red berry.

You cleared your throat and thumbed the surface of a macaron with light fingers, a heavy silence blanketing the table. The quietly screaming royal took a bite of some garlic bread, his brain hardly processing the soft, fluffy texture of the dish.

Dimitri’s eyes widened inconspicuously, his mind flashing to the one thing that could save this dumpster fire of a date from certain demise--

His pick-up lines.

He could only pray that you were a fan of such things.

He cleared his throat and borderline slammed his fists onto the table, rocking a handful of mini cupcakes from their tiered seats. You quite literally jumped in your seat and got caught in the fierce stare of your house leader.

He can do this.

Come on, Dimitri! Remember your training with Sylvain!

He can do this.

Be a lion! Be bold!

He can do this!

“A-Are you ten? Because y-you look lost and I’d like to bite you.”

. . .

. . .

. . .

If-- in that moment-- Dimitri were to suddenly be thrown onto the path of a charging chariot, he would make no effort to move.

Simultaneously, you were well on your way to combusting into open flames-- if your swiftly coloring cheeks were any indication of that.

Neither of you spoke for a long time, gawking at the other in a silent, unconscious contest to see who could reach strawberry red first.

And Dimitri was the unwilling winner.

“I--”

“You--”

“I am so--”

“What did you--?”

“I am so, so sorry--”

“You want to bite me--?”

“Oh Goddess, I am so sorry (F/N)-- I can explain--”

“U-Um, perhaps it would be best for me to go...”

“Wait!” Dimitri shot out of his seat with a clatter. “I-- um--”

“Goodnight, Dimitri.”

You made a mad dash for the door, leaving the flustering royal a metaphoric fish out of water.

“(F/N)!”

He tailed after you, the delicious food that he and all the other Lions labored to prepare becoming a distant memory.

The sun and any trace of it had all but vanished from sight, replaced by its nightly counterpart. You were speed walking to the stairs when your wrist was snagged by a firm grip.

"(F/N)...!”

“Dimitri, listen, I really appreciate the food and everything, but I really should get going now--”

“Wait, please! I...” He gulped, finally throwing caution to the wind. “I love you.”

Your heart had stopped beating altogether and your lungs ceased operations. Your clenched jaw prohibited you from speaking, and you simply stared at him as those three simple words resonated in your mind.

“Er, that is to say...” He sighed, resignation taking hold of his features. “Can we... talk about this please?”

He loosely pointed to a nearby bench shaded under a tall tree. His hard grip softened, moving to interlace his fingers with yours as he led the two of you to the secluded spot. He sat with a deep exhale and pulled you beside him.

“(F/N).” He gazed at you steadily, his fingers rubbing shallow circles into your hands. “It is no exaggeration on my end to say that you mean everything to me. I-- along with the other Lions-- labored to make tonight the best it could be. Though truthfully, I never imagined my confession would turn out like this. But alas...”

Dimitri chuckled tiredly then sighed.

“I’m afraid I can’t hide my feelings for you a moment longer. I love you, (F/N). With all of my being. You motivate me to work harder, train harder-- to be a better man. You are so kind, and smart, and... absolutely mesmerizing. I can not keep my eyes off you, really.”

He laughed at your sheepish response then continued.

“You mean the world to me. So... I humbly ask that you... Um...” He cleared his throat and lowered his voice to a husky whisper. “Be mine.”

A gentle breeze swept through, carrying his small plea along with it. He stared at you, intensely and unblinkingly, with bated breath.

“Although,” he added, pain thinly veiled in his eyes, “if you do not feel the same way, I understand. I promise I will not hold anything against you. If it’s not too much trouble, I... I hope we can still be friends after all this--”

You dove straight into Dimitri’s arms, effectively knocking his words and the air right out of him. You felt his muscles tighten and the thumping in his chest blared loudly in your ears. You nuzzled your face into him and looked up, smiling.

“I love you too, Dima!”

D-Dima...?!

Poor Dimitri looked like he was about to choke. The little streams of moonlight that slipped through the holes in the trees reflected off of the prince’s reddening face; for a long time, all he could do was stare at you-- cheeks darkening and eyes widening.

Finally, the Goddess re-granted him the ability to speak.

“R-Really...?”

“Yes! Yes, I do!” Your arms moved from his torso to snake around his neck, pulling him a bit more to your level. “I love you, Dimitri. I’ve loved you for so long...”

You drew him into a hug again, burying your face in the crook of his neck. The crisp, sharp scent of his cologne flooded your senses, sending pleasant tingles and goosebumps throughout your body. You felt the prince’s arms wound around your frame, pulling you closer to his racing heart.

“If this is a dream, I wish to never wake.” He muttered into your hair, thankful that he could appreciate the light apple notes that came from it to the fullest.

“This isn’t a dream, Dimitri.” You whispered against his skin, causing a sweet shiver to run down his spine. “I love you, Dimitri. I love you so, so much...”

“My (F/N)... My Beloved...” He pulled away from you slightly, cupping your cheeks in his hands and brushing it gently. He could hardly contain all the love and pure adoration he held towards you; the way that you and only you reflected in his beautiful eyes showed that. With a gentle smile he pressed his forehead against yours, relishing the moment.

“May I... May I have the honor of kissing you, my love?”

His hot breath tickled your sensitive skin and you couldn’t help but laugh at the sensation, in addition to his endearingly adorable politeness.

“Yes, you may.”

Dimitri’s eyes flickered to your slightly parted, wet lips and leaned closer, his eyes fluttering shut. You followed suit, guided only by the synchronous beating of your hearts. A warmth like no other blossomed upon your lips, melting any and all tension into nothingness. Your lips engaged in a clumsy yet heartfelt dance, eliciting an airy chortle out of you.

Dimitri’s chest rumbled with a chuckle of his own and he parted to catch his breath. Not a moment later, his lips found yours again and again, more ravenous than the last. Each kiss left your head spinning faster and your heart wanting more, more, more. His teeth nibbled your bottom lip, drawing out a gasp from you; his fingers found residence in your hair as he slipped his hot tongue into your mouth. He explored your wet cavern excitedly, every one of his senses wracked with newfound pleasure. Your moans and sharp breaths intertwined heatedly, sending your thoughts into a frenzy and numbing oblivion all at once.

The chatter of guards and metal boots clanking against cobble spurred warning bells in your head, and a painful reminder of how exposed you were for any curious passerby. Dimitri reluctantly leaned away, still pressing his lips to yours until the last possible moment.

“Ahem... M-My apologies... I got a little too excited just now...” Dimitri panted, a dazed yet elated expression on his face. You, panting as hard as he, shook your head in response and pressed a chaste kiss on his forehead, down to his nose, his cheek, and finally stopping at his flushed, pink lips.

“Not a problem, Dimitri. I know you mentioned you wanted to bite me.” You gazed at him teasingly.

“T-That’s...” Dimitri sighed, burying his face in your neck to hide his blush (though how hot his skin felt against yours was all the confirmation you needed). “Please don’t tell anyone what I said...”

You snickered and patted his head, smiling when you felt him relax into your touch.

“Okaaay, I promise.”

“Good. Thank you, (F/N).”

He pulled away from your neck and adjusted himself into a more comfortable seating position. He securely placed his arm around your shoulder and you both sat in comfortable silence for a long time.

“It’s getting quite late, no?” Dimitri mumbled out of the blue. “Allow me to walk you back to your room.”

“Actually, Dima... Do you think we can go back and finish dinner? I’m still really hungry...”

“O-Oh! I have completely forgotten about that! Yes, of course we can. Although... Regrettably, our food would have gotten cold by now.”

“That’s okay. Being with you warms my heart anyways.”

“Ah-- Um--” Dimitri coughed, looking away. “I confess that your teasing will take some getting used to... But it is a pleasant thing nonetheless.”

You giggled as he stood up and helped you to your feet.

”Hey, Dimitri?”

“Yes, my Beloved?”

“I love you.”

Dimitri planted a soft kiss on your forehead and stared fondly into your eyes.

”I love you too, (F/N).”

bonus: despite swearing to himself that he would *never* use pick-up lines ever again (its powers being too great for any mortal to fully wield), dimitri would still indulge a line or two for you if you asked him hard enough (and swore on your life you would never divulge what he shared with you to anyone else). and yes, when you two eventually got more comfortable with each other, he did get a bite of you from time-to-time but that’s a story for another day.

[inkrabbit]

The Lighthouse

This was something else I had brought up in my group chat, and I decided to write it cause I could. Little AU where my trio transforms (save for Lorcan) into different mythical creatures from their homeland. I don't like it, but I wasted time writing it, so it's getting posted.

Summary: When the trio split up for their monthly transformation, Richard decides to go on a little hunt to find each Irishman and make sure they're safe for the rest of the night.

Word count: 2,978

Even if he didn't have the date marked down in his calendar, he would've noticed the signs. Jeremy's exhaustion, Dan's growing hostility, and Lorcan was already starting to drink more, his accent getting thicker to the point it was hard to understand him. The operatives tried to make sense of it all, but there were words that slurred into others and sounded like complete gibberish. By the time he had vanished from the safehouse, no one was able to even give Richard a hint of where the man went.

He was lucky he knew the general location of his whereabouts, and Kate was nice enough to tell Richard that she and her husband was watching over the man in one of the arenas. She had even sent him a short video, and it was always a surprise watching Lorcan knock back shot after shot. His face is already red, and Richard can't even make out anything he's saying.

Still, he makes his way down to the bare knuckle arena, pushing past the bouncer and entering through the old, metal door. The music was loud and obnoxious inside, voices overtaking one another. The building is surrounded with Clan Kelley members, and they all eye him suspiciously, some even trying to stop him. The only reason why he got past the large group that had started to form was because Lorcan had caught sight of him and screamed his name. He could barely walk upright, stumbling over his own feet as he made his way over, reeking of alcohol that made Richard crinkle his nose. He had to wrap his arms around the man and hold him upright, leading him back over to the little table Roger and Kate were sitting at. The woman sat in the criminal's lap, her arm wrapped around his shoulder as she greeted Richard with a smile.

“He started early,” she tells him when he drops Lorcan back in his seat, “The other two already gone?”

“Unfortunately,” he sighs, straightening his tie. He looks down at Roger, the Irishman letting out a soft hum as he takes a sip of his own drink.

“He's been talkin' 'bout Crawley?” A soft laugh comes from Lorcan as he rests against the tabletop, a large grin on his face.

“Bhí sé ag iarraidh a bheith sa choill,” he slurs. This makes Richard pause as he looks down at him. He had never heard Lorcan speak Irish. From what he knew, he wasn't fluent in the language.

“Said somethin' 'bout wantin' to be in the woods,” Roger translates.

“You understand him?”

“'Course I do. Hard to, but I can make it out.”

“Dan's ag an uisce!”

“Dan's by the water.”

“By the water?” He scoffs. “I'm sure he doesn't mean anywhere in London.”

“Well, I'm guessin' Jeremy's out by Crawley, then. You can still get 'im to talk, can't ya?”

“If he's feeling up for it.”

Kate promises they'll watch Lorcan until he finally passes out, and that they would even drag him home, much to Roger's dismay. Still, the Kelley member agrees and the couple wish Richard farewell, with Lorcan drunkenly calling out to him as well. It's still sounding like gibberish, but it's enough to pull a small smile from the man.

Lorcan was always the easiest to find, especially now since he found comfort in drinking in the arenas. But the other two enjoyed hiding, especially Dan. At least Jeremy still stayed within a fifty mile radius of London, just wanting to find solace alone. Dan, on the other hand, enjoyed venturing out farther and hiding away somewhere. He hated that their optiks malfunctioned whenever they would transform. No, he didn't have to go on a wild goose chase to find them, but he always felt better if he did, knowing they were safe.

Getting around the city was decently tricky, but getting out was even harder. He had Bagley change his whole profile, sure, but his face was easy to recognize. So every month, he would abandon his familiar suit and wear an old jacket he had tucked away in his closet, drawing the hood up and keeping his head down. The woods by Crawley. The trio were often close, always telling each other where they were going, especially when the full moon would decide to rear its ugly head. He supposed it was in case one of them never returned.

Still, driving out of the city always made him feel anxious, the worry that someone would recognize him always looming over his head. Anytime he would pass by an Albion cruiser, he would always avert his eyes and lower his head. He was lucky they never questioned him. Hell, maybe they just glanced at his profile as he drove by and decided to not pull him out of the car.

He supposed the drive was nice. He didn't have to be locked up in the safehouse, and he was finally able to see more than just the normal every day life in the city. The two always seemed to be in similar areas. Jeremy was always found in fields, lounging around in the shade underneath a nearby tree. For Dan, however, he always needed to get the precise location from the youngest of the trio. He was the one who liked to travel around the most.

He knew of some decently wooded areas near Crawley, and he was familiar with Jeremy's tastes enough to know where he would be hanging around. Always off the old, beaten paths and hiding away where he thought no one would find him.

“Jeremy!” His voice was always loud enough to carry throughout the woods, knowing that the younger man had better hearing in this state. He walked through the greenery, looking around at everything that made sound. Once more he calls out for the Irishman, brows furrowing.

“Malik?” There's that voice. He turns in its direction, peering up to one of the trees. Sure enough, he's greeted by the sight of the púca, his back against the trunk of the tree as he sits on one of the thick branches. His black fur helped him hide in the shadows, though Richard could easily see his glowing eyes, blue and green as he peered down at him. His paws were folded neatly in his lap, and his piercings still shone even in the shadows.

“There you are,” Richard sends a smile his way, the rabbit-like creature twitching his ear at him as his long tail swayed in the soft breeze. It always amused him, seeing the magenta colored tuft of fur atop his head. Even transformed, he still retained a lot of his original looks. “How are you fairing?”

“Fine,” He stretches out his legs, ears folding back. Even like this, he retained his height and build, his clothes intact, albeit a bit dirty. “Ya found Lorcan already?”

“I have, and he was drunk by the time I got to him.”

“He got an early start,” Jeremy chuckles softly. “So did you.”

“Every time I try to get you three rounded up, you always manage to get away.”

“We're fine, Rich. We know what we're doin'. Why do you always come find us, anyway?”

“I suppose I just worry.”

Jeremy finally moves, sitting forward more. His tail continues to sway back and forth as he looks out beyond the treeline.

“Dan's by Eastbourne,” he tells him, “Said he wanted to go relax in some lighthouse. Suppose you'll go find him next?”

“I will. Will your uncle be coming to get you?”

“Aye. Should be here by sundown? Or just some time after work.”

“Give him my best regards.”

With a nod, the two share a goodbye and Richard makes his way back through the woods. So long as Jeremy had someone to come get him before the night's end, he felt better. Lorcan had the Daly's to take care of him, and Jeremy had his uncle. He knew that by the time the moon rose high in the sky, the trio would be at their peak. So long as they had someone to watch over them, he was sure they wouldn't get into too much mischief. But as for Dan, he knew he was all alone, and he worried about the possible outcomes. The stragglers that would trespass, and the kids that would love to terrorize what they thought was a dog. Even if it wasn't to terrorize, he knew Dan wouldn't be too welcoming of new faces.

He travels southwest, towards Eastbourne like Jeremy had said. He had seen the old lighthouse the couple times he had visited, off in the distance by the rocky shore. Last month, Dan had ended up out in Courtsend, and he was in Thorney Island the month before. He supposed it wasn't unnatural for the man to be near water. Perhaps it reminded him of home? He always did say he liked the lake.

The drive towards the lighthouse would only take an hour, but he saw the sun slowly starting to set. Lorcan would probably be close to passing out by now, babbling his gibberish in the arena, and Jeremy would soon be headed home whenever Robert got off work. He knew they were in good hands. He didn't have to worry. Come this time tomorrow, the three would probably be fast asleep until the next morning.

The smell of the ocean was potent. Off the beaten path once more, Richard drove the little car until he couldn't anymore, the thick brush too much to handle. He tries to park the car somewhere more hidden and away from potential prying eyes. Waves crash on the rocks nearby, a soothing and more peaceful sound than the bustling of the city life. Maybe this was why Dan always preferred being by the seaside; just to find peace. He knew the man loved silence. It was evident in how quiet he was.

“Dan?” The old door creaked loudly when he pushed it open, coughing a couple times when the dust kicked up. He lets the old door slam loudly behind him as he makes his way for the stairs, the rusted metal creaking beneath his weight. Cobwebs hung in the air, and the dust made him choke. Still, he could hear the soft growling that came from upstairs.

The first bark got his heart racing and the adrenaline coursed through his veins. He picked up his pace, his hand gripping the old railing. He knew the stories of the result of three barks from a cú síth: certain death if anyone within hearing range didn't get to safety. He knew he wasn't safe, the racing of his heart was evident of that. The second bark was more powerful than the last, and he felt like he couldn't get up the stairs fast enough.

“Daniel, stop!” He can't remember the last time his cries were so loud. Then again, he couldn't remember the last time he was so close to dying, especially to some unseen force. He didn't want to know if those stories were true.

He's heaving by the time he gets to the top, honey eyes locking onto the shaggy looking dog. Putting his hands up, Richard tries his best to calm himself.

“It's just me,” he pants, taking shaky steps towards the animal. The growling slowly dies down as Dan's braided tail starts to thump against the dusty ground, his dark green fur dirtied by the grime. He lets out a sigh of relief as he crouches down, reaching out to gently run his fingers through Dan's fur. It felt soft, albeit shaggy and dirty.

“You're always the most difficult to find,” he sighs softly, his thumb stroking the braid that always formed. Those hazel eyes always seemed to brighten up, glowing in the dimly lit room. A small huff comes from him.

It was the first time Dan had decided to take refuge somewhere with a roof over his head, but he still spotted the Irishman's clothes neatly folded up, tucked away in the corner. Unlike the other two, Dan was the one who went through the most change, and he wasn't able to respond to him. He always grew during these transformations, and Richard had joked more than once that it was the first time he had to look up to the man.

“A lighthouse, hm?” He slowly sits on the ground, allowing Dan to rest his head in his lap, his tail still softly thumping against the floor. “Lorcan was in one of the arenas this time. The Garage, I believe. He was already drunk by the time I got there. None of you ever told me he spoke Irish...” Dan looks up at him, lips curled back in something similar to a smile. “Yes, very funny, I suppose.”

He stays silent for a bit, admiring the old room. The wallpaper was falling apart, and the bed in the corner was rusted and torn. A soft hum escapes him as he looks out the small window, the sun slowly starting to set.

“Suppose Jeremy is home by now,” he continues, “He said his uncle would pick him up after work.”

Once more he runs his hand through Dan's fur, gently tugging at the knots and earning a soft growl. He smiles, giving him a soft pat.

“You're the only one who's always alone. Surely you trust oneof the operatives enough to watch over you?”

Dan lifts his head up, shaking wildly and making Richard frown. He lets out a yawn, ears pinned back.

“You're so difficult,” he huffs. Sitting upright, Dan stares down at him, shaking slightly to get the braid in a better position. “Why the lighthouse?”

Hazel eyes flicker to the dirty window. Slowly standing up, Dan stretches the best he can in the small space before he gazes out towards the sea. A small smirk tugs at Richard's lips as he stands upright, dusting himself off and joining the canine.

“You like the water that much?” He's given what he can only assume is a nod, watching his head jerk down. If he was correct, France was on the other side of the ocean, a country he hadn't visited in years. “Have you ever been to France?” A shake of the head and he smiles. “Perhaps we all could go visit when London quiets down.”

Another nod and Dan moves away from the window, laying back down on the floor with his head atop his paws. The soft thumping starts up again as Richard crosses over, dusting off the old mattress before taking a seat on the edge.

“I suppose we can't get you back into London looking like that,” The canine stares up at him. “By the time the sun comes up tomorrow morning, you should be fine. But in the meantime, I don't want to hear any barking or howling.”

There's a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, and Richard groans softly when Dan lets out a bark. Whether it's because he finally feels safe, or because so much time has passed, he's pleasantly surprised when he's still sitting upright and not meeting some horrible demise. He reaches out, gently smacking Dan's muzzle.

“You better behave,” he chastises, “We don't need any silly causalities because you can't keep quiet.”

The growling starts up again, but it doesn't last long. Dusting off the rest of the mattress, Richard removes his jacket and lays it down before resting on top of it. He curls his arm under his head, using it as a makeshift pillow as he looks down at Dan. His braided tail is still wagging, even if he won't look at him.

“Suppose I'm the one that's meant to look after you,” he comments, “Then again, I believe I'm the only one who could actually handle you. You're quite the nuisance.” Another growl. “I better not find you any farther out next month! Honestly, I feel like you do this because you know I'll come looking for you like I do the rest.” Dan picks his head up and cocks it slightly. “Oh, don't give me that look. You and I both know what would happen if anyone caught sight of you or Jeremy.”

He had a good idea of what would happen to the two. Scary looking monsters roaming around? They wouldn't last a second before the police were called to deal with them. At least Lorcan could pass for a drunk. The thought pulls a small smile from him.

“Your friend got lucky,” he continues softly, “The creature he represents already looks human. It's why I don't worry too much about him. The Kelleys seem to be happy to keep their prized fighter protected while he drinks, and they don't even question it!”

A soft huff escapes the canine and Richard slowly closes his eyes. They would leave right after he woke up, and he would get Dan back to his flat so he could rest and regroup.

“Promise me you won't go out and cause trouble,” he mumbles softly. Another soft huff and he takes it as an agreement. It takes some time, but he finally hears the canine start to shuffle, the soft squeaking of Dan's leather jacket making him groan softly. It almost jumps when he feels the heavy material lay on top of him. It makes him stir a bit, but by the time he's opening his eyes, Dan is laying on the floor once more with his back towards him. With a small smile, he pulls the jacket closer to him as he closes his eyes once more.

[bittybattybunny]

You know what? This has been on the back of my mind for awhile, but PLEASE EITHER POST A LINK TO YOU GOING OF ABOUT YOUR SOUL EATER WORLD BUILDING HEADCANONS, OR RAMBLE AWAY HERE BECAUSE I WANT TO HEAR YOU TALK, ESPECIALLY SINCE PART OF ME WANTS TO KNOW WHY YOU LOVE THE TRASH SWORD!!!!!!???????

KLFSJKFJKDSFKFD

THIS

THIS IS NOT THE ASK I AS EXPECTING TO GET

UMM

UUHHH

I DONT HAVE IT ANYWHERE ONLINE ABOUT WHY I LOVE HIM UM

I NEVER

THOUGHT SOMEONE WOULD ACTUALLY WANT TO KNOW??? UM UM IDK IF I CAN PUT IT ALL IN LIKE ONE POST??? IT'S UM

well, I have a lot of headcanons but the long-short is I just think he’s neat.

Um alright so since you specifically asked tho about Excalibur I can ramble a lil on my thoughts on him??

Alright buckle up; I have no idea how long this will get. Please understand I have been a member of the soul eater fandom since yen plus started translating it into English.

I do not really interact with the fandom (not really sure why I never did/do. I guess it’s just cuz when I got into the fandom I didn’t really have access to fandom spaces and by the time I did I wasn’t really sure about it.)

however, I have cosplayed as both Eurka Frog (and I met Todd Haberkorn!!! I chased him to an elevator and threw a fanart at him and then ran away. I did get him to sign a piece the next day. he’s super nice. I am very distressed I missed a chance to get a signed piece by Troy Baker and I really cannot express how upset I am by this. Like honest to god I am so upset. I had been in line I was ready I was so pumped-- and then my friend was like hey let's go he has a thing tomorrow you can do it then and like an idiot, I did and guess what wasn’t the next day? a troy baker signing. Sighs. He’s not been at any cons I've attended since so I’m so disheartened I will never get my annoying sword autograph) As well as Maka Albarn (IDK if I posted photos or not but I think it’s on my cosplay blog or on twitter)

Anyhow onto Excalibur and why I think he’s a pretty neat character.

We’re going into a read more cuz this is LONGGGGGG

Also Obviously I am going into spoiler territory

I pull info from both the anime and manga when it comes to my personal SE HCs. This is more evident in my Shinigami-Sama/Kishin headcanons but I’ll save those for another post if there’s actually an interest in it (as well as my Chrona is a Genie hc. that one is a shorter HC but yeah.) My friends who’ve sat and listened to me (and my sister who knows the show but isn't invested like I am. Like fun fact is even tho I don't do much fanart; anytime I see soul eater cosplayers or merch I like to get it.) say I’m pretty convincing so lol.

So Excalibur as a whole is set up to be this hella annoying, talks over you, egotistical, member of the great old ones, warlord of anger, most powerful weapon.

(ﺧ益ﺨ) 

in both the anime and manga he’s shown to always seem to stick to the same points when he talks. His legend begins in the 12th-century blah blah.

And his ridiculous list to become his meister.

Which set him up to be as you put “trash sword”

But I think it actually helps open something up.

So I, myself am a rambler when I’m nervous or excited. I will reiterate points when I’m frightened or upset (for my I tend to ramble on stupid factoids like octopus or my chronic illness)

And I kinda see this in Excalibur. Not a nervousness per se but that he’s purposely putting up a barrier between him and others.

He’s lonely.

He’s willing to cut down on the list of requirements for Kid and Black Star. Even with Ox he was asking to be taken. And He did partner with Hiro for a time.

He’s been in that cave for a long time. Since Asura pretty much.

How does a weapon who can pair to anyone and is as powerful as he is get shoved into a rock and left there just because he’s “annoying”

This always bugged me.

More so when we get moments later on when he’s like chatting with Death or Kid and he’s actually really serious. Like there’s no pretense, no interrupting. Like yes he does slightly interrupt when they aren’t listening or say something dumb but for the most part you see a completely different side to him.

This is what cemented in my head the fact the whole “annoying” bit is an act he does. He’s capable of emotions. He shows attachment to things like his legend.

Specifically that bit always made me think he really misses King Arthur. Like why else would he always fixate on that? like his legend begins sure but there’s more to it right? he never talks about his time with Shinigami and the old ones. Only his legend and then how he was such a wild child. but it lacks substance. The guy is over 800 years old there should be more he can ramble about.

So here’s where my headcanon takes a weird turn

but I think Excalibur.

Is the sorcerer Merlin.

A man born with a Grigori Soul and the ability to use magic. It’s shown Eibon and Excalibur tended to not get along. and Eibon based the demon weapons on Excalibur but wouldn’t tell him.

Excalibur isn’t counted as a demon weapon. he’s a holy sword.

There is no other record of a weapon like this.

I think Merlin, in an attempt to help his dear friend Arthur with his battles, turned himself into a powerful weapon to aide him. He’s an old one with the power of Madness of Anger. Anger can take many forms including possessive love. Wouldn’t it make sense for someone who knows they are strong to do everything they can for their loved one? I know I’ve been angry enough to kill for the ones I love. Like nothing makes me angrier than someone hurting someone i care about.

I think he was heartbroken to outlive the king. Clearly he doesn’t age and is super focused on the 12th century. I think it really hurt him.

Moving to another point

he’s selfish. Egotistical. but i think it’s another front. Like yes he has some pride obviously. But all his stories involve other people. Shouting fool at anyone who who deems worthy of the name.

People won’t care if you get hurt if you’re a dick.

You can’t get hurt if you aren’t close to people.

If not evidenced by my AHIT oc Eclipse and my baby Kai; I’m a sucker for self sacrificing in the name of love because you don’t see yourself worthy or love. (this is more self projecting than anything but I’m not gonna unpack that here)

I think Excalibur is the same way. he demands to walk in front of people. he wants to be the center of attention. But he won’t get close to others. He’ll take the burden on of being annoying and strong so people focus on him and others can sneak around.

So to sum up my personal headcanons:

Excalibur is a sorcerer named Merlin who had a powerful grigori soul and turned himself into a weapon to aide the man he was close to (and yes I’m 100% suggesting he had romantic feelings for Arthur. but Arthur was for Guinevere so he stood to the side and let them be) He plays up being an asshole because he doesn’t want to lose another person since he outlived Arthur.

Also i didn’t clarify the reason I say he has a grigori soul is due to the facts we know about them. Wings, Halo, purifying, rare. these traits are shared by Excalibur when he’s wielded. I think it’s a pretty cut and dry reason for why I say this ya know?

So Why do I like him?

I think he’s a character who gets written off as a joke superficially but when you sit and reread the manga or rewatch the anime and pay close attention to him; there’s actually a lot there to unpack and enjoy. I think he’s a deep character who puts up a front to protect himself but slowly warms up (I mean heck he’s clearly running around by the end of the manga. and people aren’t screaming)

So thanks for coming to my ted talk I love Excalibur and I don’t care if I’m the only one who does.

Also if curious, my fanstory “Fuller” which has my oc Mira and Excalibur as the main focus actually takes place post Manga and stuff.

Um I guess tho if you want to hear my two cents on anything else soul eater you can ask too I have a bunch of other theories like how Kishin are actually a race not just demonic souls and how soul types show there’s more in the world than we get shown (like look at Free. He’s an immortal werewolf. what’s up with that? and Maka had a Genie hunter during a resonance which means those exist and then there’s teh thing with witches and then blair is a weird existence and just. look. I have a lot of feelings for this even tho I don’t post much on it.)

I just love soul eater okay

[x0401x]

Hi there! Just want to thank you so much for translating for the VE fandom! I've been looking through your VE posts and noticed you mentioned how anime!Gil is completely different from LN!Gil. I agree with you and was wholeheartedly disappointed in the anime. I was hoping you could elaborate more on your thoughts, where you thought anime!Gil and anime!Violet went wrong and how they were different from the anime. Sorry if you've already made a post on this previously. Thanks again!

Hi! You’re welcome!

This reply took me long enough, lol. I haven’t gone too much into detail, or else I’d just end up writing a bible. It still turned out long as hell, though, so I’ve put it under a cut.

I really didn’t know how to begin with this. “Where they went wrong” kinda implies that those two were going right until some point, and that’s just… not the case. They were a trainwreck from start to finish. And it’s kind of impossible to really discuss this without touching upon the massive fails in the writing of the entire show. It does try to convey important messages to the viewers, but mostly with visuals and repetitive lines, never with the actual plot or the characters. You get an inkling of what the story was attempting to do with them, and that initial idea is what seems to stay with most people, because there’s nearly nothing beyond it.

As director Ishidate has stated more than once before, he made changes to the story because he thought the novel was, in his words, “too orthodox”. But watering it down meant watering the characters down too, Gil and Violet more than anyone else. And this results in a show that ironically fails to grasp its own themes and cast — the personalities and conflicts get lost in the details and have to be patched up with excuses that end up displaying how little the show trusts its own audience. It keeps spelling out plot devices and character traits in an almost robotic manner, with very scarce effort put into actually showcasing them in the situations and dialogues. Everyone is too one-dimensional and the main plot line is repeated over and over instead of being alluded in parallels or even just slightly more intelligent exchanges. Animators like Ishidate have grown dangerously used to committing a grave narrative suicide: to give vague and unconvincing reasons for things to be the way they are and expect the audience to take it all as is simply because it was stated there. Everything is oversimplified because they clearly want the viewers to get invested in the emotional baggage of the show, and only the emotional baggage, because they think that’s all we get invested on. They forget that details are necessary for the whole experience.

These problems are recurrent in Violet and Gil, and they never stop. I’ll start with Gil, since he was mentioned first.

Gilbert Bougainvillea is a very complex, humane and multi-faceted character in the novel. What’s interesting is that he doesn’t look like it at first, so he surprised many readers in volume 1 with how caring and endearing he can be. And I mean caring for real. Anime!Gil seemed like a poor excuse for what he was supposed to represent, which in turn made him into a walking contradiction. In the novel, Gil is by far the person that emphasizes the most with Violet, because the two of them are two sides of the same coin. This is where the anime falls short most frequently. They at first look like polar-opposites, but are absolutely not, yet the show portrays them as such. Novel!Gil is gratuitously kind and righteous, and he’s brave and pure-hearted enough to stand by his values no matter what. He’s used to giving up everything for the sake of other people, but he has morals that he holds to the roots of his very being, so he always chooses to donate himself to what he deems as good causes. And once he has his mind set on an objective, he doesn’t mind playing dirty to achieve it, as long as he’s not hurting anyone. That’s exactly the same as Violet, and Gil isn’t the only one who sees himself in her — Hodgins and Dietfried also notice how alike the two are. Novel!Gil relates to Violet on a spiritual level, and he knows first-hand how she must feel. He’s been there and done that. And that’s why she’s his number one priority. His purpose in life is to protect her and keep her in a healthy lifestyle within a blessed working environment and a loving family. Quite literally, all he wants is to make sure that she’s happy, and he’s active and vocal about it. He’s also an unapologetic and unabashed feminist, so he completely approves of her doing anything for a living — she doesn’t need to live her life like an ordinary woman and whatever she wants for herself is fine, as long as it’s not too dangerous.

Apparently, his personality is one of the book aspects that Ishidate believed to be “too orthodox”. He depicts Gil the way you’d expect any male creator to depict a man — a brooding martyr figure who only has a heart of gold in fleeting moments that get replayed again and again in flashbacks to serve as justification for Violet’s undying love. He makes very little strides and there’s a lot of flawed reasoning behind his affection that makes it oddly disconnected, which is the fact that said affection is barely ever there. Gil hardly treats Violet like a person, let alone an equal. Violet is ready to give her life for him anytime, and as we see in the last battle at Intense, he’s ready to cling onto that to save his own life. Ishidate doesn’t shy away from making very evident that he thinks it’s okay for Gil to do only the minimum to earn Violet’s respect and trust, like it’s a given and all he’s required in order to earn her love is to exist. This is very visible in scenes like the one where they first met. Gil seems to shield Violet from the abuse of his brother, but shows next to no distress or even interest over it as he doesn’t even question where she came from or why Dietfried was treating her that way. There’s also the scene where he takes her to one of his family’s residences, and she has his jacket on, just like in the novel… yet he’s letting her walk barefoot in the snow without giving a single flying fuck. He then leaves her side as soon as he instructs the maid what to do with her, not looking back. I also hate that scene where he gets back home and she bumps into him and falls on her butt. He just stares at her and makes no effort to help her back up. But the one I hate the most is that festival scene where he nearly thanks Violet for fighting so well in battle. I mean, she’s killing people for him. She, a literal child, is in the frontlines of a long-lasting war, risking her life and committing mass murder for his sake. That’s literally nothing to be grateful for. Especially not when he’s supposed to love her. And I despise that he only stopped himself from finishing the phrase because he noticed the bruises on her.

Another major defect of the anime was changing Gil’s backstory. Anime!Gil was, by the looks of it, just a rich kid who enlisted simply because that’s the family tradition. And if you take away Gil’s backstory, you take away the viewers’ reason to empathize with him. Why? Because that means he’s morphed into someone who can make choices. Erase any factor that binds Gil to doing what his family and his superiors make him do, and what you have is a grown man with his free will intact. And he uses none of it to help Violet. Anime!Gil was always given the opportunity to say no. He could’ve said no to Dietfried and sent Violet straight to the Evergardens, he could’ve said no to his superior officer and not taken her into the military, or he could’ve at least said no to assigning her to the men’s troops. He didn’t because there would be no story otherwise. Novel!Gil is always attempting to save Violet from the war and from herself, while anime!Gil’s actions beg to differ. And so, anime!Violet’s obsession with Gil stems from the fact that he was the first to treat her remotely like a human being and that, for a long time, he was all she had. None of that fate thing, because it’s also “too orthodox”. But without the fate element and without Gil having no control whatsoever over how he feels about Violet, he’s straight-up a pedophile. If he feels regular romantic love for Violet, who is in her mid-teens, that’s pedophilia right there. This one is my biggest beef with anime!Gil, and I don’t take criticism for it.

Now Violet. Not to be rude, but I see so many people talk about how interesting her anime counterpart is, yet I rarely ever see anyone going in-depth on it. It’s like the way the fans talks about the show. Literally every single person who comments that they liked it always says the exact same thing: “I cried during every episode”. I sort of feel like most of them are just reproducing what they see other people say out there, which is probably what got them interested in watching it in the first place. I don’t mean this with ill-intent; it’s just seriously the impression I get from looking at the tag. I’ve accompanied it since the novel came out all the way back in 2015, and when the show was running, believe it or not, I didn’t really see much of those comments. It started becoming a habit to say it after episode 10, which seems to be the highest-rating episode (the irony being that it was the closest the anime ever got to the novels). Hence why it feels to me like some people just say it on automatic, and I get the same vibe from the fans of anime!Violet.

I’ll just be blunt here: the main difference between anime!Violet and canon!Violet is that canon!Violet was made to be liked by girls and women, and anime!Violet was made to be liked by men. I have already said this before, but Violet is the very definition of independent professional woman in the novel. She’s educated, confident, strong, reliable, altruistic and overall well-versed in at least a little bit of everything. Half of it is due to luck and half of it is her own merits, but all in all, she was created not just to be relatable but also a character that people could look up to. Meanwhile, anime!Violet was clearly made to be waifubait.

I can’t really stress how little thought was actually put into her portrayal and development. We never truly see her internalizing the lessons that she supposedly learns in each of the self-contained episodes. We only ever witness her displaying sudden significant hints of emotion at convenient times, paired to her either repeating what she was told earlier by one of the characters or taking an extremely obvious conclusion to a question that was already half-answered by someone else. Because of this, Violet’s growth process has an unsteady pacing in the anime and mostly feels disjointed. In comparison, novel!Violet is usually not the point of view — she’s often in the role of observer, and we notice through the solutions she comes up with for her clients’ issues that she does have a very humane connection with them. We also notice through the clients’ opinions on Violet that she shows subtle changes at certain specific points, such as smiling just a little when she manages to not only accomplish her duties but also help solve their problems. This makes her more real and believable because, unlike the anime, it presents no abrupt alteration to the essence of her person. She’s growing in her own way, but it’s still easy to tell. It’s also very clever to have Violet be disliked or misunderstood by her clients at first because she’s so aloof and apathetic-looking, but then she grows on them after they actually understand her, and the readers can absorb that from them. I’ve seen many people complain that they can’t really empathize with anime!Violet, but in the novel, the author takes care not to let this happen, and it really doesn’t.

What upsets me the most is that anime!Violet is overly infantilized. We all know that director Ishidate loves her like a father loves a daughter; it’s been said by himself and his colleagues quite a lot. That’s cute and all, but it made her depiction extremely shallow. The biggest problem was making her 14 in the anime. I still struggle to understand what would’ve been so bad with keeping her as a 17-year-old. Sum that up with removing many of her merits and adding forceful childish traits, such as being okay with changing clothes anywhere in front of anyone or pouting when she’s frustrated, and you have the perfect recipe of what waifu junkies like to be spoon-fed with. In my opinion, anime!Violet was a downgraded tragic heroine played in a cheap and boring way to attract tearjerker lovers.

I hope this has covered enough of my take on the matter. ✌️

[m1smatched-starsigns]

How many fics have you started/completed and which new fic will you post next? Love your work.

Hello! Strap in because I’m the queen of unfinished fics! :D

My very first fic was titled C-H-O-I-C-E-S, and it was a Bluestar/Oakheart AU (I’d just finished Bluestar’s Prophecy for the first time and was deep in my feels). It revolved around Oakheart joining Bluefur in ThunderClan and helping raise the kits so that Bluefur could still become deputy.

My second fic was called Hollyleaf’s Second Chance, and it was an AU in which Hollyleaf lived through the Great Battle. After my Hollystar AU got so much positive attention, I’ve started thinking about reviving this one! It wouldn’t be anything like my original fic because that idea needed a lot of work lol.

The third fic was Thistles in the Snow, an AU in which Snowfur saves Thistleclaw from being killed in the Great Battle, but accidentally reincarnates them both as ThunderClan kits. Snowfur remembered the past but Thistleclaw didn’t, so she makes it her mission to keep him on the straight and narrow this time around. I’ve always had a soft spot for this fic and I’ve considered reviving it before, but I don’t see it happening anytime soon. 

The fourth fic was Dark Shadows, a Blackstar/Russetfur AU. I think I made it to chapter 15 before I quit writing for about a year, and when I picked up the pen again I couldn’t stand to look back at old chapters, so it was deleted as well. A lot of longtime readers actually discovered my account through this fic and sometimes they reference it in reviews, and it always warms my heart. Also, the first time I ever got fanart was because of this fic!

The fifth fic was F-R-A-M-E-D, a Mousewhisker/Minnowtail murder mystery AU! It took place shortly after the Great Battle, when Mousewhisker’s apprentice is murdered and he’s the prime suspect. He is banished from ThunderClan so Minnowtail convinces Mistystar to take him in while they work to prove his innocence and solve the case!

(this is where everything becomes foggy in my head)

My sixth fic is The Impossible Life of a SkyClan Warrior, which is still alive! I’m in the process of revising it for the third time but I’m determined to complete this one! Although I didn’t publish the first chapter until 2017, it was one of the very first ideas I ever had. It’s very sentimental to me which is probably why I’ve made so many changes to it, but I think this is going to be the last time I make any major changes.

Oh look, fanart!

Rebel was my seventh fic and a real roller-coaster ride for a lot of readers! It was an Icecloud/Smokefoot AU and basically followed Icecloud going through her teenage rebellion phase lol. I deleted/revived it at least twice and it became very popular, but I would fall in and out of love with it too often to ever complete it. However, it did serve as inspiration for my next fic…

My baby, Dawn Frost! Oddly enough I went into this fic with the mindset that I would probably delete it after a few chapters, and it didn’t receive any reviews at first so that was discouraging, but right around chapter four I found my stride and couldn’t stop writing. It slowly gained popularity until completion, and to this day I still get reviews/messages about it. I learned a lot from DF and I’m still so proud of it.

Dawn Frost also has some lovely fanart that you can check out here and here! The coverphoto is also fanart but I can’t seem to find the link rn!

The ninth fic was How to Come Home, a Breezepelt/Heathertail redemption AU! I published the first chapter just a few days after completed Dawn Frost and I went into it thinking I would complete it, but five chapters deep I felt like I wasn’t doing Breezepelt justice. I had his character in my head but I couldn’t seem to translate it to paper, so I deleted it. I fully intend to revive it one day, and I still have all of the old chapters saved in a doc, but I don’t want to tackle a complicated character like Breezepelt until I’m confident that I can handle him :)

I believe Written in the Stars came next. Of all of my ideas, I’ve daydreamed the most about this monster. It’s very close to my heart and for five years I thought I would never publish it, but I took the plunge in 2018 and it’s still alive! I actually took a break from revising it to write this post, but I’m halfway done with revisions now. Once those are complete I’m going to do a second, more thorough round of edits and then I’m going to redraw the outline again. Hopefully everything I’m doing now will prevent me from revising the entire fic/outline three different times!

Fic number eleven is actually a one-shot collection titled Five Truths! I started this collection as a way to shine a light on the characters who didn’t necessarily get one in the main series. Honestly, it’s just a way for me to share my headcanons lol.

Fic number twelve is a two-shot called If Wishes Were Falling Stars. It’s nothing special, just a fluffy two-shot about two cats falling in love. It focuses on young Hailstar/Echomist from Crookedstar’s Promise and features Best Boy Shellheart, Not Evil Rainflower, and Oblivious Timberfur.

Alone on the Water is a one-shot that started writing on a whim in History class, and I published it two hours later. It’s a Mousewhisker-centric fic following the Great Battle and the PTSD that nobody talks about. I’ve never struggled with PTSD but I talked with somebody who has, because I wanted to get it right. I never thought I would be confident enough in my skills to portray something like PTSD, so I’m proud of it.

Lucky number fourteen is The Trouble with Soulmates and I deleted it after two chapters. It was originally meant to be a lighthearted Blackstar/Russetfur AU, but as I was outlining it I realized I wanted to make it a darker, behind-the-scenes sort of AU. So this one will definitely be revived in the future, I’m just not sure when!

I started my fifteenth fic, SHATTERED, on a whim and deleted it two days later lol. It’s been my brain baby for a few years but it’s not quite done cooking, so this one will likely be revived sometime in the future!

My most recent work is another one-shot collection titled S H A D O W S, and it’s entirely Blackstar/Russetfur centric! The name is a reference to Dark Shadows, and it’s to hold me over and stop me from starting another fic about them.

As for any future works, I’m not sure what I’ll publish next. I really want to focus on Written in the Stars and The Impossible Life of a SkyClan Warrior, and ideally, I would like to complete one of those before I publish anything new. But I think my track record proves that I have no restraint lolol

There is one fic that I’m actively working on, and that’s Only in Dreams, a Windflight/Poppydawn fic. I’ve got the first five chapters sitting pretty in a doc, waiting to be published, but I’m controlling my impulsive urges for as long as possible! Of all of my fics this one is the most personal, so I’m hoping to do it right the first time and not have any revisions down the road! 

If you actually read all of this then you’re probably judging me already, so drop by and tell me what your favorite title is! I think my personal favorites are How to Come Home, The Trouble With Soulmates, and Only in Dreams

[johannesviii]

Top 10 Personal Favorite Hit Songs from 2009

20 to 21 years old. And so the 2000s end, not with a whimper, but with an explosion of upbeat, great pop songs.

Only one third of these lists left to make!

Disclaimers:

Keep in mind I’m using both the year-end top 100 lists from the US and from France while making these top 10 things. There’s songs in English that charted in my country way higher than they did in their home countries, or even earlier or later, so that might get surprising at times.

Of course there will be stuff in French. We suck. I know. It’s my list. Deal with it.

My musical tastes have always been terrible and I’m not a critic, just a listener and an idiot.

I have sound to color synesthesia which justifies nothing but might explain why I have trouble describing some songs in other terms than visual ones.

First to second and final year of my Master degree in Contemporary History. Also got two summer jobs that year. I was basically only researching and writing my master thesis at this point and trying to survive on a 50€ per month budget to pay for transport, clothes, driving lessons, and food apart from one meal a day. Needless to say, some corners had to be cut and my health wasn’t the best. I was also trying to register to pass some concours d’Etat to be a government worker considering there was 0% chance I’d be able to find a job otherwise with my qualifications and my mother had been trying to find an excuse to throw me out for more than four years at this point. Basically I was broke, stressed out and in panic mode.

Thank god, the music was mostly energetic and upbeat on the radio. I can’t imagine what my mood would have been like if the charts had been as horribly depressed as in 2018 or 2019.

This was also the year when my favorite music reviewer ever, Todd In The Shadows, started to make his first videos, so you might think his lists are going to influence mine, but as it turns out we have very, very different tastes for the most part (I mean come on, the guy hates Depeche Mode), so... not so much. But he helped me discover a lot of songs I would have ignored otherwise, so yeah, godspeed, Todd.

It should be mentioned that the two songs that I wanted to put at the top of this list before looking at the actual year-end lists turned out to be non-elligible and that is extremely frustrating. Obviously, as I mentioned in the previous post, there’s Life In Technicolor II by Coldplay, which has an incredibly fitting name since it’s one of their most colorful songs ever. But I’m not even sure I would have put it at #1 since this was the year of Mika’s second album, and oh my god, We Are Golden was FANTASTIC. It’s my absolute favorite song from the guy, the music video is incredibly fun, and I listened to that shit on a loop as soon as it dropped.

I usually don’t put such large links for non-elligible songs but the fact this isn’t elligible is nothing short of criminal. Check it out if you’ve never heard it.

As for albums from bands I liked... eh. Lacuna Coil dropped Shallow Life, which was not as good as KarmaCode, Pet Shop Boys dropped Yes which wasn’t nearly as good as Fundamental, Depeche Mode dropped Sounds of the Universe which was DEFINITELY not as good as Playing the Angel (I liked Wrong, though. But it’s not elligible), Eminem released Relapse which was joyless and pretty bad and he was kinda dead to me at that point (even if it wasn’t as terrible as Encore AND he had that song with Drake that was very good), Placebo released Battle for the Sun which was pretty great but still not as good as their previous two albums, Paradise Lost had Faith Divides Us Faith Unites Us and basically same thing there, and Indochine had La République des Météors which is imho their worst record in the past twenty years, by far.

Long story short, every single one of the bands and artists I loved who released an album that year let me down (except Placebo, maybe).

And then VNV Nation released Of Faith, Power And Glory, I listened to it, and suddenly I had a new favorite band, and everything was good and beautiful in the world again. Album of the year for me, hands down.

With that out of the way, a few honorable mentio-HOLY SHIT HOW MANY OF THESE ARE THERE, WTF

Replay (Iyaz) - A perfectly good and innocent little earworm.

Run This Town (Rihanna) - I don’t like the original very much (Kanye’s verse is atrocious) but I've had a mashup of it with Bach’s Tocatta & Fugue in D minor (yes you read that right) on my mp3 player for years now, so this has to count. The mashup is called Run This Town In D Minor. It’s one of my favorite mashups ever. I even made fanart of it once! Look it up if you can, the original video has apparently disappeared.

Circus (Britney Spears) - You know it’s a good year for pop when even Britney Spears makes music I like.

Magnificent (U2) - Wait, even U2 was making decent music? I had zero use for them since at that point Linkin Park had more or less taken over their ecological-musical niche of “mainstream epic-sounding pop-rock music with tortured vocals and Emotions(tm)” but that one was still kinda nice.

Même Pas Fatigué (Magic System & Khaled) - I’ve said that before and I’ll say it again but they always bring a smile to my face and I don’t get why it’s ‘cool’ to hate their songs in my country. Yeah, they often sound the same, but I’d listen to ten similar-sounding Magic System songs in a heartbeat whereas you’d have to pay me to listen to ten similar-sounding Nickelback songs.

Day n Nite (Kid Cudi) - This had a tendency to get stuck in my head, but not at all in an unpleasant way.

21 Guns (Green Day) - Much better than I remembered.

When Love Takes Over (David Guetta), Stereo Love (Edward Maya ft Vika Jigulina), Evacuate the Dancefloor (Cascada) - That year was full of catchy, stupid, energetic songs, wasn’t it?

Greenlight (John Legend) - If I had better taste, this would be on the list. Alas, you’re reading the top 10s of someone who once put Blue (Eiffel 65) in a #1 spot, so yeah.

In Your Hands (Charlie Winston) - Same thing, basically.

Like a Hobo (Charlie Winston) - “Like a hobo from a broken home, nothing’s gonna stop me”, said this very useful song. Now is a good time to remind you that my nickname at the public university was The Hobo. So yeah. I liked this song a lot and I still do.

Forever (Drake) - Drake and Eminem are both amazing on this track. Unfortunately there’s also Kanye West and Lil Wayne on it. But. Like. “I'm Hannibal Lecter so just in case you're thinking of saving face / You ain't gonna have no face to save”. Dude. Duuuuuude.

You Found Me & Never Say Never (The Fray) - Did I mention I really, really liked this band. I think I did. Several times.

Paparazzi & Love Game (Lady Gaga) - Would both have had a chance to land on the list without the incredible amount of great, catchy tunes that year had to offer.

C’est Dans l’Air (Mylène Farmer) - Mylène Farmer had THREE singles on the French year-end list and this is the ONLY one I like. Good electro, mediocre verses but a great chorus (and a weird and kind of hilarious music video). Basically a song saying we’re all going to die and she can only sing about it. It’s strange, it’s a bit dark in a fun way, but it’s sadly not enough to land on the list, and it was the last cut from it.

Phew. Making this list was like a Hunger Games of catchy, upbeat, stupid songs to find which one was the best. It’s not #1 but I’m still shocked I had to put it so high.

But first, the runner ups.

10 - Fire Burning (Sean Kingston)

US: #33 / FR: Not on the list

Yes, ALL these honorable mentions were kicked out to give the last spot on the list to this guy and a chorus that goes “somebody call 911, shawty fire burning on the dance floor, WOAH!”.

The fact that I don’t feel bad about it means this was the right pick for that spot.

9 - Rain (Mika)

US: Not on the list / FR: #22

Anybody else thinks Mika looks like the Fourth Doctor on this screenshot from the music video or is it just me?

Anyway. So yeah, as I said, We Are Golden would have topped this list if it had been elligible. Sadly, it isn’t, but Rain is. I don’t like it nearly as much as We Are Golden, but what can I say. It’s still Mika. I’ll take whatever I can.

8 - I Gotta Feeling (Black Eyed Peas)

US: #4 / FR: #17

I lost about 80% of the respect I had for this song the day I realised its untouchable, marvellous beat was very probably stolen from Take a Dive. I still love it though. Had a few actual parties in 2010 and early 2011 and this was garanteed to make everyone dance, even people like me who don’t know how to dance.

And then the dancefloor died instantly anytime anyone tried to put Boom Boom Pow on because it’s impossible to dance on that one. But that’s another story.

7 - Poker Face (Lady Gaga)

US: #2 / FR: #5

Needless to say this was absolutely everywhere and overplayed to death and beyond, and the fact I still wanted to listen to it and put it on my playlists really tells you how good I thought it was (and still is).

6 - Ça m’énerve (Helmut Fritz)

US: Not on the list / FR: #1 (...yes.)

This is a novelty song with a singer pretending to have a thick German accent, complaining about various things in France, like the fact he doesn’t fit the dress code for a club, that he wanted to buy a sweater with “Rock” written on it but it’s out of stock, that some girls can fit in a size 34 blue jean and not him, that there’s a queue of people trying to buy macarons at the Ladurée shop, and so on. And every time he concludes “that gets on my nerves”, said in a very flat tone. Here’s a translation.

It was overplayed as f█ck here. Think Despacito levels of overplay. But the beat is great and it’s still hysterical after having heard it about a hundred times that year.

Fun fact, while I was making this list and relistening to this song, my s.o said “haha that sounds great! What is it?” and I stared at him in disbelief. Somehow, he was completely serious. That’s like someone escaping the Great Macarena Onslaught Of 1996. What happened. How.

5 - Waking Up In Vegas (Katy Perry)

US: #36 / FR: Not on the list

Again, I must remind you that my s.o is a Katy Perry fan and that I’ve heard this song even more than the average radio listener did at the time, and it’s STILL #5 on this list. What can I say. It’s a ton of fun and one of my favorite songs from her.

4 - New Divide (Linkin Park)

US: #61 / FR: Not on the list

Is this their best song? Not by a f█cking mile. I thought it would be much lower when I started to make this specific list, but what can I say. Linkin Park is like that one old friend that you kept no contact with for years, and once you meet them again, it’s like they never left. Who cares if that wasn’t nearly as good as Numb or In the End? Not me, that’s for sure.

Also, “In every loss in every lie / In every truth that you deny / And each regret and each goodbye / Was a mistake too great to hide / And your voice was all I heard / That I get what I deserve”. Holy shit, dude.

3 - Good Girls Go Bad (Cobra Starship)

US: #43 / FR: Not on the list

BEHOLD. THE ONLY SURVIVOR OF THE 2009 ‘CATCHY UPBEAT STUPID SONGS’ HUNGER GAMES. THE CATCHIEST, UPBEAT-IEST, STUPIDEST OF THEM ALL. HERE IT IS AT LAST.

The thing I love about this is that it’s a song made by nerds for nerds and that the singer looks and sounds completely non-threatening. As Todd said in his own list back in the day, “that guy couldn’t make good MILK go bad” and that’s what’s so endearing about the song, I think.

Also yes, this is, in fact, placed above Linkin Park.

2 - Use Somebody (Kings of Leon)

US: #14 / FR: Not on the list

This was my #1 at first. I LOVED it. I even bought the album, even though, as you know, my funds were very low that year. That music is soaring. It’s majestic. Well, the lyrics aren’t that majestic and soaring, it’s about loving someone and trying to catch their attention, but the rest? Damn this is intense. It was also elligible for the 2010 list, by the way, where I ALSO wondered if it should be #1, but in both cases, it wasn’t meant to be.

And so this list of 2009 hit songs comes to a close.

It began with the forging of the Great 2009 Upbeat Songs. Three were given to the Punk Rock hits. Seven to the Dance Tracks. And nine, nine songs were gifted to the Radio Friendly Pop Songs, which above all else desired power.

But they were all deceived, for another song was made. Deep in the forgotten land of Synth Pop, in his Parents’ Basement, the Dark Lord Adam Young forged a master song, and into this song he poured his joy, his talent and his will to dominate all charts.

One song to rule them all.

1 - Fireflies (Owl City)

US: #60 / FR: Not on the list (76 the next year)

I know. It’s a meme nowadays. But still. Have you any idea how satisfying a song with an initial beat that looks like small pulsing yellow and blue lights in the dark ACTUALLY titled “Fireflies” is? How gentle it all sounds and looks, even when the music soars? The number of drawings and paintings I made just based on the colors of THAT song? It’s like a synth pop version of one of my favorite Mike Oldfield tunes ever, Weightless.

And then, on top of all the rest, how relatable was that guy’s body language and general attitude?? Before even knowing he was on the spectrum I was like “oh BIG mood.”

Also following his twitter was one of the best decisions I ever made.

So yeah. I would have loved to put Coldplay or Mika in that #1 spot, but I’m not too mad about it thanks to this wonderful little song and its author. Such a shame Deer in the Headlights and Alligator Sky aren’t elligible for the 2011 list.

Next up: Johannes finally moves out and finds a great job and starts living a little, plus here’s a #1 that will be difficult to justify