#thank you dear essie! <3 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

person-personified · 2 years

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I posted 2,409 times in 2022

35 posts created (1%)

2,374 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@hattalove

@ttimbradford

@extasiswings

@911bts

I tagged 1,766 of my posts in 2022

Only 27% of my posts had no tags

#911 fox - 708 posts

#evan buckley - 223 posts

#eddie diaz - 216 posts

#buddie - 159 posts

#in the tags - 110 posts

#words - 86 posts

#!!! - 83 posts

#911 bts - 77 posts

#911 meta - 69 posts

#art - 69 posts

Longest Tag: 131 characters

#i gotta think...❤️‍🔥is like. beautiful and aesthetic. but a bit uncommon?i love 💖 especially with some✨✨ but i use 💕 most often.

My Top Posts in 2022:

reeba !!! taylor !!! midnights!!! omg did you have any idea ?!?!?!? it's always out of nowhere i swear aksdfjjj :') <33

hi!! hello!!

no I fucking did not like. she was doing interviews like no I don't have another album in me just yet, I'm so tired, I thought new album would take a few years??

like obviously it's been nearly 2 years since evermore but there's the rerecordings. and also I think I've been spoilt by the folklore/evermore release schedule because I feel...empty that we don't have the tracklist or like we're not getting the whole album + mv immediately after the announcement 😅

it looks so good though! I first saw her red carpet look waking up mid sleep to check something and I thought oh so rep? and then I woke up and my friend was screaming about the new album

the aesthetic looks so gooooood. I might invest in a good eyeshadow palette so I can make her blue eyeshadow look my personality for a bit✨

also hello? louis and taylor having their albums out within a month of each other? louaylor rights!!

4 notes - Posted August 29, 2022

reeba!!! happy new year, my dear ✨🎉!! im so glad to have had so many silly and serious and everything-in-between conversations with you this past year 😊💫💖 i hope the new year brings a million happy moments, exciting opportunities, and pockets of peace for you 💌🥰

essie <333 happy slightly belated new year🎉🎆 I'm so glad YOU reached out after seeing my random tag rambles😭🥺🥺 because I don't think. I would have. and then I wouldn't have an insanely talented friend who's also? so good at getting the weird intangible thoughts and feelings that I am usually too insecure to talk about to most people. we're matching brain waves on a facet of ourselves and I am very very grateful to have known you this past year<3

thank you for all the wishes omg, same for you!! a million happy moments and a sense of fulfilment, progress and contentment with life. and the strength to step out of our comfort zones and reach for happiness💗💖

also I put in fireworks but I detest those irl, considering I cover my ears when balloons pop. so I hope your ears survived intact 😬

4 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

(also, no need to answer, just want to say i see about the flooding and i'm thinking about you <3 that must feel really scary and sad, i hope you and your loved ones are doing okay, sending love <3 <3 <3)

thank you, my area is safe but the country as a whole. all the provinces are effected, so many lives and livelihoods destroyed...it's really bad out there. and videos and constant updates are..emotionally taxing but if you put it in the back of your mind, you just get busy with your life and you forget those people who will need months until they can even begin to start rebuilding there lives.

and of course crops were effected so prices of some stuff are already high and they'll only get higher. and we already have shitty price hikes due to a recent change in government after some political turmoil. but thank God for private non-profits who actually help the people instead of looting donations

sorry this is. a lot. I just wish there was more I could do besides donating. hopefully volunteer activities will crop up after the initial situation has been stabilized so I can do something that isn't limited by my finances

5 notes - Posted August 29, 2022

reeba !!! are you back from the land of the shadowbanned??! also, what track are you claiming off midnights 👀🌙💫

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii essie🥰🥰

I am back from the land of the shadowbanned alright, so back in fact that when I saw half your ask in my notifications saying are you back from the land of... I didn't have the slightest inkling what this could be about and like a perfectly normal person, I wondered, why does essie think I'm in the land of the dead? 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

as for claiming tracks, not to be (more) dramatic, I don't what's going on, idk who I AM? because like I cannot decide a track to claim. like this has never happened in any of the album releases I've been through so far. but like. lavender haze, maroon or midnight rain. like I think I want something s o f t. and side A sounds softer but I feel like the titles are going to be very misleading regarding the vibe? I am CERTAIN that whatever song I claim will not be my favorite. only two more sleeps till we know🕛⏳

How are you faring with this claiming business that I'm pathetically failing at😂

6 notes - Posted October 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

hey hi how are you ☺️✨ (i typed this and my brain went ‘how’s life, tell me how’s your family’ even though i haven’t listed to that song in FOREVER aksjjj but i’m off to rectify that now <3)

hi essie!! ☀️✨✨

to be very honest, I'm just... tired 😅 I'm trying to juggle some uni stuff with a part-time job and utterly failing at time management. like I COULD give up the me time but at what cost? losing my soul? so I'm just sacrificing sleep etc 🥳🥳

oof not back to decemberrrrr. i don't think I've heard it since 9th grade except once with red tv but I remember it all too well🤪

I think that's what the kids these are calling 'core memories'

how are you?? how's life and your family (feline family)

7 notes - Posted March 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #top tags are all 911 are we surprised

0 notes

leothelionsaysgrrrr · 2 years

Note

✨✨✨✨✨ for the OCs! Your choice 😚

✨ A lot of people are surprised to learn that Emma is really not shy at all. She’s quiet and introverted, for sure, but growing up her dads kept her from locking herself inside her own head completely by assuring her she could talk to them about absolutely anything on her mind, and encouraging her - a person who to this day does not have the slightest clue what being embarrassed is or why she should be - to do so often. Now, if she has something to say, she will say it, without hesitation, to whomever it needs said, and more often than not people are just...not ready for it.

✨ Lux loves the idea of using aliases, but is terrible at coming up with them on his own. Usually his efforts stop at changing a few letters in his name followed by the first thing nearby to catch his eye. Some examples: Rux Barstool, Lex Tankard, Hux Table, Bux Streetcat, and Tex Fountain. He LOVES his Inquisition agent alias, Piper, and is in awe of Tulio’s prowess for conjuring himself a new name out of thin air.

✨ Rexus is happy to travel anywhere outside of Minrathous, with the glaring exception of his mother’s hometown of Qarinus, which is just...insufferably boring. At least, he says it’s boring, but what he means is unless he brings someone with him for that purpose, staying overnight in Qarinus means he’ll be sleeping alone. Because there’s a good chance that if he tries to proposition someone, it’ll turn out they’re his cousin. Well, there’s a good chance he’ll proposition a distant relative practically anywhere in Tevinter, but we’re not talking distant cousin any number of times removed here. We’re talking a whole child of one of his mother’s siblings. His mother’s eleven siblings. House Callas, his mother’s family, is notorious for being quite amorous (it’s really no wonder where he gets it) and consequently having a LOT of children. Between his maternal aunts and uncles, Rexus has somewhere between 50 and 60 legitimate first cousins, and who knows how many illegitimate ones. He only really knows a few of them, though, a couple of each of his three living uncles’ children. The useful ones, you know, who he might be able to poke for a favor at some point while leveraging the fact that his mother is their father’s favorite sister.

✨ Tasalin Lavellan and Nicky Hawke both subscribe heavily to the idea that people don’t necessarily need to like them in order for them to do their jobs, but in different ways. Tas knows some of his decisions are going to be unpopular but they need to be made regardless, and he will put a ton of effort into explaining himself so he will at least be understood, if not agreed with, because whether or not it’s necessary he still very much a) wants people to like him, and b) hates to be told he’s wrong. Nicky, on the other hand, says this as a warning. He will do his job, and well, but he knows you will not like him. Doubt him on that all you want, but you won’t. And he will not give a single shit.

✨ After his self-imposed exile from Orlais, Remy struggled to get established as a trader and worked secretly as a smuggler until he was able to save enough money to go legit and open an apothecary for his husband. The experience came in handy later, when he decided a great way to surprise Eynon would be to smuggle his father, Orlyn, who they’d been unable to bring with them when they left and whose fate was a cause of great anxiety to his son for years, to live out the rest of his days in the empty house next door in Starkhaven. Even though he was moved to tears that Remy would go to such trouble to do this for him, Eynon had to laugh; clearly, his anxiety about what had become of his father led Remy to believe the old man was in far worse health than he actually was and had thus vastly underestimated the longevity of a skilled alchemist and apothecary. Emma was six years old when Baba Orly came to live next door, and as of the Inquisition’s disbanding in 9:44 she was still taking him bread and tonics every morning despite his protests that he doesn’t need handouts and can make his own, even work the fields for the grain itself, since he’s always had to fight for his meals. When she and Eynon tell him to go right ahead and do that, then, his response is, of course, that he doesn’t need to prove he’s right.

Got any more?

#you asked leo #random oc facts #ask: emma sparrow #ask: lux #ask: rexus leventis #ask: tasalin lavellan #ask: nicky hawke #ask: remy caron #thank you dear essie! <3

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restmyheadatnightcontent · 3 years

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touching 3 yennskier?

cw: hospitals, mentions of seizures, illness

3. Hiding face in their neck

She is breathless when she finally makes it to the waiting room, eyes frantically searching until she at last sees him slumped in a chair in the corner, head in hands. She quickly navigates her way through the maze of legs and chairs and comes to sit beside him.

He glances quickly to the side before making to return his head to his hands, no doubt thinking her just another unlucky soul waiting for their turn, when he lifts his head again and looks at her properly, and she can see the mixture of emotions that cross his face in a fraction of a second: the relief, the surprise, the tiredness, the fear and the love.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, voice hoarse and she wonders how long he has been left to sit and stew here on his own, with nothing but his worries for company.

“I came as soon as I could,” she answers, reaching up to brush a stray strand of hair from his eyes.

“But Ciri–”

“Is with Triss. She’s fine, looking forward to an impromptu sleepover,” Yennefer cuts in, hand moving down to cup his cheek. “Now, have you heard anything?”

Jaskier had phoned her earlier, more panicked and scared than she had ever heard him, explaining to her that he wasn’t sure when he would be home as he had had to accompany Essi to the hospital after she collapsed at work, and she was going in for surgery and as her next of kin he needed to be there. He hadn’t asked her to come, but hearing his trembling voice through the phone, Yennefer knew she would not leave him to cope with this alone.

Yennefer knows that Essi is like another sister to Jaskier, and she knows that he loves her, that she was his family when he had no other. She also knows that whenever Essi has not been well, it has been Jaskier that has cared for her, a responsibility he has often carried alone. He does his best for her and more, and she knows that Essi deeply appreciates everything he has ever done for her.

But she also knows the toll it takes on him; the frantic phone calls he has received in the middle of the night, the sleepless nights he has spent in hospital waiting for her, the number of ignorant arseholes he has to put in their place whenever they have done anything to make Essi feel like anything other than capable.

Perhaps things would have been different if she had had someone fight like this for her when she was the one trapped in hospital, instead of being pushed and pulled so much by the will of others. At least Essi does not have to suffer the same poor fate as her.

Jaskier lets out a shaky sigh next to her, and she can see the edges of him starting to fray, the minute shivers running through him, the nervous wringing of his hands. Before she got Ciri, there wasn’t really anyone that she would have felt that feeling of fear and helplessness and gut-churning worry about not knowing whether or not they would be okay, and looking at Jaskier now, she isn’t sure how she would fare in a situation like this. She is a practical person, nothing is more terrifying to her than the unknown and she is sure that if she were in his position right now that she would be falling apart, but somehow Jaskier is just managing to hold himself together, barely, but still he is managing.

She is not good with words like him, she doesn’t know what to say, the usual comforting words would just feel flat and empty on her tongue and she knows he would see straight through them. So instead, she simply takes his hands and holds him steady.

Eventually, he starts to talk, voice trembling. “It wasn’t like her normal seizures - it was - I can’t describe but I just know that it was bad and then they took her away and no-one has told me anything and I–” he breaks off with a sob, and she brings her hand up and threads it through his hair, guiding his head to her shoulder, letting him tuck his face into his neck.

“I just need to know that she’s alright,” he whispers brokenly into her neck, his own hands coming to her sides, knuckles white where they clench the fabric of her shirt. “I don’t know what I’ll do otherwise. Because if she isn’t alright then–”

“She will be,” she hushes him, pressing a kiss into his hair. “She will be.”

And she knows that right now he may not quite believe her, but she will believe enough for the both of them.

send me a prompt!

#the witcher #the witcher fic #yennskier #yennefer #yennefer of vengerberg #jaskier #essi daven #my writing #my fic #yennskier fic #prompt fill #made of love verse #thank you for the prompt dear anon!!#i hope you enjoyed <3

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flowercrown-bard · 3 years

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"The artist's biggest struggles..." for the made-up fic title for something Witcher related if it inspires you in any way ♡

ohh i love that title! thank you <3

So this would definitely be about Jaskier having writer’s block. And since he’s Jaskier, he’s complaining about that. Loudly. And Geralt doesn’t want to see him unhappy is annoyed by it, so he makes it his goal to inspire Jaskier one way or another.

At first he allows Jaskier to go on hunts with him and takes contracts on more impressive monsters.

He actively finds fancy parties for them to go to. Geralt hates every second of it, but it's worth it for the way Jaskier hangs on his arm and whispers court gossip in his ear so that his breath tickles Geralt's neck.

He takes Jaskier to fields of flowers, attempts to make a flower crown for him and lets him braid flowers into his hair.

None of it is working. Jaskier still has writer’s block. That is, he stopped complaining about it, but Geralt also hasn’t heard him compose any new song, so he must still be struggling. But he’s also smiling more and he’s looking at Geralt all softly when he thinks Geralt isn’t looking. It’s nice. It’s really nice.

But it’s still not enough. Geralt needs to get Jaskier’s inspiration back because he can’t risk Jaskier leaving him if he doesn’t give him inspiration anymore.

So he takes Jaskier to the coast, specifically to the part of the coast where Jaskier’s dear friend Essi lives.

Of course, Jaskier and Geralt take walks along the shore and watch sunsets and collect sea shells. But most importantly, Geralt asks Essi how to get a bard’s inspiration back. She tells him that it’s really easy. There’s nothing as inspiring as being in love. And oh.

That’s the moment Geralt realises. It’s not as if he hadn’t known all along, but now Essi had practically spelled it out for him: His love for Jaskier truly is unrequited. He had known, of course he had known. But a part of him had also hoped that it could be different. But Jaskier doesn’t write songs anymore, and if he were in love with Geralt, he would be inspired.

Geralt tries to hide his heartbreak, but Jaskier notices. When he asks what’s wrong, Geralt says it’s nothing. Because he still has a mission. He still has to give Jaskier his inspiration back, because Jaskier might not love him back, but damn it, Geralt is going to do everything he can to make him happy.

So he introduces Jaskier to other people. He starts with Eskel. Gods, it would hurt if Jaskier fell in love with him. But Eskel is gentle and deserving of love and if they get together, then at least Geralt would get to keep Jaskier in his life through him. And they do get along. Just not enough for Jaskier to write any love songs about him.

So Geralt has to find someone else for Jaskier to love. He urges him to talk to that nice person who clapped the loudest after a performance. He tells him to take that barmaid up on her offer to share her bed. He gives him a gentle nuge in the direction of the tailor who had given Jaskier’s shoulders a gentle squeeze when he had taken his measurements.

None of it is working.

On the contrary, Jaskier thinks that Geralt has grown tired of him and is trying to get rid of him in a kind way.

He confronts Geralt about it, asking if it is because he hasn’t been singing any new songs.

And Geralt, being the idiot that he is, says yes. Of course, what he means by that is, that he’d rather have Jaskier happy with someone else than miserable with him and evidently he is being miserable, if he can’t write any new songs. What Jaskier hears though, is that without new songs, he's useless to Geralt and he needs to compose in order for Geralt to want him around. In his desperation, he blurts out that he has new songs, tons of them, really. He’s still useful!

And Geralt is confused because he knows for a fact that there are no new songs. He hadn’t heard Jaskier compose in months.

Jaskier, of course, had been composing in secret, ever since that day with the wildflowers. Because those weren’t songs that he thought Geralt would ever want to hear. But now, to prove his point and that Geralt should keep him around, he sings one of them.

Turns out, Geralt is inspiring enough to write the most beautiful love songs after all.

#thank you for the title!#<3 #fic idea i will never write #probably #but also i kinda like it #i might write it at some point maybe?#my writing #not really #my brainstorming #geraskier #geralt #jaskier #witcher #the witcher #ask game

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major-trouble · 2 years

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Made up title for you: A giant made of snow

Oh my dear - you got me thinking. And then a ficlet turned into a WHOLE FIC. So, I hope you like it <3

A Giant Made of Snow

“So there’s this curse - ”

“Seems unlikely.”

“Shut up Julian, your brother’s telling a story!”

Julian rolled his eyes but waved one hand magnanimously for Valdo to continue.

“Thank-you, Essi. As I was saying, there’s this curse on Haern Caduch, where the lord of the castle made a bargain with a mage, and when he failed to hold up his side of the deal, the mage froze the castle and all its occupants, forever encasing them in ice and snow.”

“There’s always a vengeful mage, or a spurned lover, or some such thing,” Julian drawled, nonplussed by the story. “I hardly see how this is supposed to convince us of anything.”

Valdo smirked as he pulled out a scroll from his backpack, brandishing it like a weapon before him. “But I have proof!”

Quickly he moved his arm, lifting the scroll up and out of the reach of Julian’s grasping hands.

“What kind of proof?” Essi asked patiently, smacking their brother’s hands none-too-gently out of the way.

“This is the original contract! I found it when I was doing research in the Kaer Morhen Archives.” He gently unfurled the centuries old parchment, carefully laying it out on the old dining room table as his siblings gathered at his sides. “See? Here’s the signatures at the bottom: Arnaghad, Lord of Haern Caduch, and Phillipa Eilhart.”

They stared at the brown faded ink, eyes tracing the looping scrawl of the words printed at the bottom of the page. The rest of the document was nearly faded beyond recognition; those words that they could pick out, written in spiky cursive, named the castle and part of the terms of an agreement. The lord of Haern Caduch was to provide aid and supplies to Eilhart for reasons lost in the rest of the unreadable words scrawled on the parchment. History spoke of the mage as a liberator of Redania, leading an uprising against the cruel tyrant king and bringing about a time of relative peace and stability in the land. Perhaps this was what the Lord Arnaghad had pledged to do: help her with her campaign.

“What’s a Witcher?” Julian asked suddenly, pointing out several places where the word was written on the page.

Essi shook her head but Valdo looked thoughtful.

“I’ve seen it once or twice before in my research. Some kind of group of warriors, trained since birth to fight against the creatures that live in the Red Forests.”

Everyone knew of the Red Forests. Horrific beasts inhabited the dense woods and it wasn’t until the last few hundred years that they’d been contained behind thick stone and steel walls. It was its own kind of fairytale, told to children now, about how if they weren’t good, they’d be sent to live in the Red Forests, where only brave or foolish folks still had scattered settlements. Soldiers patrolled their parameters, keeping anything from escaping into the cities along their edges. No one really knew how or why the beasts in the forests came to be, but Valdo had read that the Witchers had been created in order to hunt them long ago, before modern machinery and firearms had made it easier to contain them.

“It seems like these Witchers were integral to the contract,” Julian mused, finger hovering over the page as he traced the words intently. Despite his nonchalant airs, he was absorbed in what Valdo was showing him, brow crinkled in concentration as he carefully translated the Old English words.

Valdo knew his brother's degree in history would come in handy: despite his earlier dismissal of Valdo’s story, he was already deeply invested.

“Here, you see? This part talks about how the lord was to provide use of some kind of laboratory in Haern Caduch as well. I wonder what that was for.”

Valdo shrugged. “I’ve no idea. But what was he supposed to get out of this once he’d helped out Eilhart?” he mused, leaning over Julian’s shoulder.

“Wealth, prestige, the usual I suppose… wait. This here? This part says something about wolves? Cats? I can’t rightly make it out. Hmmm.” Julian’s frown deepened as he tried to parse together what he could from the faded brown ink. “Maybe it was for some breeding stock or something? Who knows what people wanted all those centuries ago, honestly.”

It would remain a mystery, it seemed, what Lord Arnaghad would have gotten out of his deal with the powerful mage. Valdo suspected it wasn’t really breeding stock, but he didn’t have any proof to contradict his brother, other than his own intuition, and he really didn’t feel like having that kind of argument right this minute. Instead, he stood back from the table and reached into his backpack to pull out a book, laying it on the table next to the parchment.

Predictably, Julian scoffed. “Really Valdo? A book of fairy tales? What do you expect - “ he was cut off by Essi jabbing him hard in the stomach with a sharp elbow.

“Let Valdo talk, then you can continue being a pompous ass on your own time,” she said sweetly as he squawked at her. Valdo smothered a laugh at his indignant expression and opened the book to the chapter he’d marked earlier.

“As I said before, there’s a curse on Haern Caduch. The snows never seem to melt there, and there are all those snow sculptures in the gardens. They’ve been there a very long time.” As he spoke, he flipped through the pages of the book, the old illustrations telling a much different story of a spurned lover, struck by grief freezing a castle and all its occupants into ice statues. The end of the tale told of the predictable “true love’s kiss” that would break the spell.

“You don’t really think that’s going to work, do you?” Essi asked, glancing doubtfully at the last page, where a stylized woman in a flowing dress was leaning up on tiptoe to press her lips against those of one of the statues, which had begun to melt where they touched.

He shook his head. “No. But all curses - all fairy tales - have some grain of truth, right? We just have to figure out what the right thing to break it is.”

They both turned around at Julian’s soft, “Oh,” from behind them. He was still bent over the parchment, eyebrows nearly in his hairline as he stared at it.

“What?” both Valdo and Essi prompted when he didn’t say anything else for several long seconds.

Julian jumped, seemingly unaware that he’d said anything out loud. “Um. I think I know why there's a curse.”

“What?” Valdo repeated stupidly. “How?”

His brother smoothed his hand over the edge of the parchment before pointing to the tiny scrawl written in the margin. “Here - I think Phillipa was trying to ensure Lord Arnaghad’s cooperation by using a binding spell without him noticing. It says: ‘If thine words be false, or thine intentions undone, thy kin will feel the frozen heart of thee. Nothing shall move upon thy grounds that is touched by sun’s warmth, and only that which melts thine own heart shall move it’. That seems… cryptic at best.”

The three stared at the table as they tried to piece together what that meant.

It was Essi who spoke first. “So, there’s this curse?” she asked, looking quizzically at Valdo.

Julian’s eyes flashed as his head whipped around to stare at his brother. “You want to break a six hundred year old curse?” His voice was a high-pitched squeak, making both Essi and Valdo flinch. Clearing his throat, he continued. “What the fuck, Valdo?”

Running a hand through flame red hair, Valdo nodded. “Yeah. It’s worth a shot, isn’t it? Now that we have all the pieces?”

Essi groaned, dropping into one of the dining room chairs and leaning her head against the back. “I swear to all the gods, Valdo, you are going to get us killed with your ridiculous schemes.”

“Hey, that was one time - “

“It was at least twice,” Julian grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Valdo paused, contemplating. “Okay, twice. But this time, it’s summer. We can drive most of the way there, and if nothing happens, we can come back home and forget about it. Another of your elder brother’s fun adventures.”

Essi groaned again while Julian huffed a laugh.

“Yeah, fun, that’s what we’ll call this. At least there’s less chance of getting arrested this time,” Essi mused.

The next morning saw them packed into Valdo’s SUV, heading through the foothills of the Amell mountains, looking for the entrance to the winding road that would take them to the perpetually snowy castle of Haern Caduch.

Despite their misgivings, it was a pleasant drive that took them through scenic countryside and along the edges of a glacier-fed lake. Once they’d started the long climb on the switch-back road, Valdo began to feel a tension build within himself.

He had no idea what had possessed him to look for information regarding the story of Haern Caduch, nor the supposed curse that surrounded it. He was supposed to be working on his thesis, which had to do with statistics and population data, not centuries old politics and contracts between lords and mages. How he’d even found the contract - wedged in the back of a cabinet that he’d accidentally knocked over when trying to get the door open - had seemed odd and serendipitous. That is, if he believed in those sorts of things.

The thing was, Valdo loved fairy tales. And he loved adventures, as evidenced by the many times that he’d dragged his younger siblings on them over the years. He also had a certain capacity for getting into some ridiculous and dangerous situations. Like when he’d gotten them lost in a legitimately haunted library and had to be rescued by the local authorities. Or when Essi had fallen through the floor of a building in a long-abandoned theme-park and they’d spent a long night trying to shimmy her back out before the day-time security showed up.

So the fact that they were spending the day driving out to an ostensibly cursed castle didn’t phase his siblings. That he was so determined to break this curse, however, made him anxious and a little scared.

Something had settled in his chest ever since he’d first heard the story and had pulled him to learn more, to go there, like he was on a string that led up the mountains to the lonely castle. And the urge to do this, to see it through, wouldn’t let him go. The closer they got, the more he knew that this was where he was meant to be, and that frightened him the most.

When the castle finally came into view - after the road had slowly moved from the warmth of summer to the snows of winter and they’d had to turn the heater on - Valdo was struck by how utilitarian it looked. All sharp angles and auster lines, it wasn’t like any of the traditional castles he had seen in books or in movies.

“That looks ominous,” Julian remarked. “Like a cursed castle should, I suppose.”

Valdo couldn’t help but agree.

Since no one came up here any more, the road didn’t approach the castle close enough to really park their vehicle, so they ended up driving past it and down the road until there was a wide enough spot for them to pull over. The walk to the castle proper took them through knee-high snow drifts that felt like it was freshly fallen. The powdery snow was easy to move through, though they took turns being the one in front, breaking a path for the others.

The castle was even more foreboding up close. Thick stone walls greeted them, though the wooden gate had long rotted away, leaving an opening in the front that they could step through. The courtyard was empty, save for the same powdery snow piled around. Nothing disturbed its surface. It felt like a fairy tale to Valdo, like they were the first living souls there in hundreds of years.

Reasonably, he knew others had been here. Graffiti tags dotted the walls here and there, though they were surprisingly few and far between and faded like it had been years since they’d been placed. As they moved through the courtyard, they were struck by the absolute silence. Nothing stirred, and no wind ruffled their hair as they moved towards the doors of the castle.

Surprisingly - or maybe not, considering - the doors were barred from the inside and no amount of heaving and pushing would make them open. Essi rolled her eyes at her brothers before looking at the yawning openings high up in the walls that might once have been windows, though the glass was long since gone.

She took a running start, leaping up to grip the edge of the door frame and planting one booted foot on the stone wall before bouncing off and gripping the edge of the window ledge. Julian let out a startled squeak as her hand slipped before she managed to get a better grip, hauling herself up and disappearing inside. A moment later, there was a sliding sound and then a loud thump before one of the doors swung out towards them.

“Parkour,” Essi smirked.

“Show off,” Julian grumbled half-heartedly.

Valdo reached out and ruffled her hair good naturedly, earning him a punch in the arm as he walked past.

The doors opened into a great hall, strewn with old benches and trestle tables. Light poured down from a hole in the roof, reflecting off the snow that lay in a soft, unblemished layer across the floor. The three siblings skirted the chamber, glancing up at the rotting remains of huge tapestries hung high on the cold stone walls. There was an enormous stone chair, a throne, at the front of the hall, carved with intricate swirling designs along the arms and sides, made to look like gusts of wind with snowflakes dancing through them. On the back, at the top, was a huge bear's head. Though, instead of what one would expect, with lips and teeth raised in a snarl, this one was carved to look almost wise, like it was there to listen and judge.

That unearthly pull in Valdo’s chest took him closer to the chair, made his hand come up to trace the uncannily life-like fur that covered the carving’s face.

It wasn't until Julian's hissed, "Valdo!" that he realized what he was doing. Snatching his hand away, he hurried after his siblings, down a dimly lit hall that led out to the gardens.

Once, he was sure, the gardens had been beautiful. They still were, in an odd sort of way, and they seemed to go on forever. As far as the eye could see, blanketed in white, he could make out the shapes of plants in the vast flower beds, and the bare branches of trees poked at the sullen sky. A fountain was set near the front, water frozen in its many tiers, the stone here carved with as much care as the throne from the great hall.

But what truly caught the eye were the dozens of statues that dotted the garden, seeming at random. They all seemed to be made of snow, packed so hard and dense as to be like ice. It was hard to make out distinct features, but they could tell that they were old - the style of dress suggested they'd been created hundreds of years ago. It was a mix of men and women, both equally brawny and heavily padded in furs and thick cloaks. Most had twin swords carried crosswise on their backs, a feature that Julian commented must make it annoying to get to quickly.

The statue closest to the front of the garden was the most imposing. It was huge, almost like a giant as it towered over Valdo, but he was drawn to it with the same inexorable pull as the throne, as the castle itself. Its features were that of a man, square-jawed, with longer hair, though that was as much detail as he could see. The swords on its back were massive as well, and probably would have stood nearly as tall as Valdo himself once unsheathed.

He felt himself shiver at the thought.

"So, what now?" Essi asked. Her voice was more muffled here, the snow absorbing all sound, making the enormous space around them seem smaller somehow.

"Now, we test my theory," Valdo replied, dropping the bag he'd been carrying and rummaging around inside. The others came up beside him and did the same and before long they had a relatively big campfire going near the biggest statue.

The curse had said that only the melting of a heart could remove it, and Valdo wasn't sure whether to take that literally or not, so he had a few ideas. First, and most obvious, was the fire. The garden was in the heart of the castle, so he surmised that if they managed to melt any part of it with their camp fire, that at least might fulfil the letter of the curse, if not the spirit.

As they sat around quietly, listening to the crackling of the flames, they waited for something - anything - to happen. Valdo expected something dramatic. A sudden crack of ice or flash of light. When all remained still around them, he noticed that despite the fire consuming the fuel that they’d brought with them, the logs blazing merrily away, the snow under and around them was untouched. The garden was as cold and lifeless as ever.

He sighed. Time for more drastic measures.

“What are you doing?” Essi asked as he stood and moved towards the giant made of snow and ice. “Are you - you’re not going to kiss it, are you?” She sounded downright scandalised.

“Well, warming of a heart can be interpreted in many ways,” Julian equivocated.

Valdo rolled his eyes and ignored both of them. Gingerly, he climbed onto the side of the fountain and leaned into the face of the statue. For a moment, he stared at the frozen features, biting his lip as he tried to rationalise his thoughts. A lot of fairy tales ended this way. Even the book he’d dug out to show his siblings had illustrated a fair maiden kissing the statue to wake it from its cold slumber.

“I’m no fair maiden, but here goes,” he placed his hand on the giant’s chest and pressed his lips to the carved snow.

Nothing happened. He groaned in annoyance and embarrassment as his siblings snickered.

Just as he was about to pull back, the snow under his hand began to melt, a thrumming sensation pulsing up his arm and down his spine. He nearly toppled off the edge of the fountain before he was engulfed in huge arms that wrapped around him and cradled him close to a broad chest, trapping his hand where it pressed close. He could feel the steady beat of heart - slower than his own, but still unmistakable - under his palm through the layers of clothing. When he glanced up, dark brown eyes looked back at him, one brow cocked in question. Valdo’s breath caught as he noticed the slit pupils dilate in the wane light of the sun, the slit pupils rounding.

The man’s voice, when he spoke, was subdued, but Valdo could tell that if he wanted to, the man could make it boom out across a battlefield, invoke courage or fear in all who heard it.

If giants were real, Valdo was certain this is what they would sound like.

“What have we here? A little fox in my gardens? How did you get in?” his eyes racking over Valdo as he asked his questions. Strong arms tightened as he noticed Valdo’s brother and sister. “Oh, there are more of you?”

“Let go of him!” Essi yelled, brandishing a log from the fire. She’d always been the quicker of the three of them, what she would call more brave and Julian would call foolhardy.

A deep rumbling laugh echoed from somewhere in the man’s chest. “While I commend your courage, as you can see, you are in my gardens, and there are more of us than you.”

Essi and Julian whipped around to see that the rest of the statues had melted back to life, some of them looking bewildered, but most with swords in hand as they advanced cautiously towards the four of them.

“Now,” the giant returned his attention to Valdo, a quizzical expression on his face. “I am not as naive as you take me for, little fox. Did Phillipa send you?”

Valdo’s mind reeled as he tried to figure out what to say that wouldn’t get them all thrown in whatever remained of the dungeons of the castle. Or worse, killed outright.

“Lord Arnaghad,” he started, continuing as the giant nodded. “You’ve been trapped here for a very long time. Phillipa froze you in snow. I - I came to try to break the curse.” He wiggled his fingers where they were still pressed against Arnaghad’s chest. “I think it worked?” He didn’t mean to make it a question, but that warm, thrumming sensation was still working its way back and forth through his palm, up his arm, down his spine, settling in his chest and it was making him panic slightly.

For his part, Lord Arnaghad took this all in rather well. He glanced back around at his gathered compatriots before nodding again. Very gently - more gently than Valdo thought possible - he set Valdo back onto the ground.

The ground that was no longer covered in snow and was, in point of fact, instead a soft springy green grass. All around them the gardens had burst back into colour and bloom, insects buzzing through the flowers and birds singing from the branches trees covered in leaves.

Valdo noticed none of this. Instead his eyes were fixed on Lord Arnaghad as the giant - man - rubbed absently at the space on his chest where his hand had rested and turned to address the people slowly crowding up around them.

In the meantime, the fire had been hastily put out by Julian as they waited to see what would happen next.

“This isn’t like anything you read in books, I don’t think,” his brother whispered into Valdo’s ear. “Although, warming a heart with a hand is certainly a new way to break a curse.”

Valdo tried not to roll his eyes.

“It seems we’ve been stuck here while the world turns around us,” Arnaghad addressed the crowd. “Cursed by that thrice-damned mage. She couldn’t hold up her side of our deal, so she fucked us over instead.”

The three outsiders glanced at each other in surprise. That’s not what the stories said. It looked like they really didn’t have all the pieces.

A murmur went through the crowd before Arnaghad raised one massive hand to quiet them again. “I know. But we must move on. There is much to learn about this new world we find ourselves in.” He turned to Valdo. “And since you’ve lifted the curse, that means you’re going to help us figure this shite out.”

The red-head blinked up at him stupidly. “Uh.”

Essi took the opportunity to step forward, putting on her best I’m-a-teacher-don’t-fuck-with-me voice as she asked, “What do you think he can do to help? It’s been centuries since Eilhart overthrew Redania. Mages live a very long time, but I don’t think even she’s alive anymore.”

Lord Arnaghad huffed a laugh. “I’ve no interest in chasing down a dead spectre. No. She imprisoned all the Witchers here, leaving humans to their own devices. The Red Forests are still out there - I can feel it. I only want back that which was truly taken from us - our home.”

Valdo stared at him, stunned into silence. Were the stories about the Red Forests and their horrible beasts made up as well? What else did he believe that was just a fairy tale?

He swallowed, the thrumming sensation in his chest easing somewhat as Lord Arnaghad looked at him in expectation. Whatever had drawn him here, whatever had made him place his hand on the heart of this fearsome man, it must be a magic all its own. He needed to figure out what that meant, too.

“I’ll do my best,” he heard himself say. The Lord nodded and turned back to his assembled people, gruffly giving orders as he moved towards them.

Julian slung his arm around Valdo’s shoulders and grinned. “You said you wanted an adventure, big brother.” He swept his arm out to encompass the entire contents of the gardens. “Here it is.”

Valdo could do nothing but agree.

#my writing #the witcher #arnaghad #valdo #julian alfred pancratz #essi #fairy tale elements #curses and the breaking thereof #answered

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samstree · 3 years

Note

for the drabble thing: “you weren’t there”

maybe post mountain geraskier? i’m in an angsty mood rn but whatever you wanna write will be good :)

Creatures of the Night (2)

It's the night of Jaskier and Valdo's wedding. Geralt needs to do something.

(endgame geraskier, background valdo/jaskier, angst, infidelity)

Previous | AO3

The Oxenfurt Observatory might just be the grandest building in Redania.

The great hall is decorated with countless flowers and candles, giving the ancient walls a soft glow. Through the tall glass ceiling, stars are shining in the clear night sky, the perfect weather for a wedding.

It must be Jaskier’s idea, to be handfasted at midnight, to have his guests slow-dance under the moon and the stars until dawn breaks. Their new life will begin when the candles burn out and the first ray of light spills into the room.

If only there’s a competition for the biggest romantic on the continent. Jaskier could win without breaking a sweat.

The room is being filled up with guests—mostly bards and professors, old schoolmates of the two grooms. After all, both Valdo and Jaskier are Oxenfurt’s children, which means everyone is dressed in the most colorful clothes one could imagine. In another word, the room is being filled up with Jaskiers, and it’s getting loud.

It’s more difficult to locate the bard himself through the din of the room, but Geralt hears him, unmistakably. Jaskier’s heartbeat approaches the Observatory, thrumming with nervousness.

No more nervous than Geralt.

He breathes in, and exits the room in a few strides. And there Jaskier is, surrounded by pale moonlight, with jasmine flowers braided into his hair and pure joy painted across his cheeks. He seems to be murmuring a private joke to Essi, and they both burst into strings of giggles.

Geralt almost backs out.

“Geralt!” Jaskier notices him. “You came! I was worried for a moment.”

“Of course.” Geralt gestures to the outfit he helped pick out. “You look nice.”

“Thank you. Now, Poppet, can you give us a few moments?” Jaskier sends Essi inside with the sweetest smile. She shoulders past Geralt a little too curtly. There’s always an air of wariness whenever Essi regards Geralt, an untrusting side-eye here and there.

“Don’t mind her.” Jaskier waves when they are left alone. “Little Eye is a tad too protective. She’ll get over it.”

“Hmm.” Geralt swallows hard. “Can we find somewhere more private? I want to talk to you.”

Jaskier blinks, but leads them away anyway until they are by the side of the road, the celebrating crowd and the orange glow of candlelight in the distance.

“Here to make sure I end up someone else’s problem, aren’t you? Don’t worry, in about half an hour, I will be legally required to only bother Valdo for the rest of eternity.” Jaskier nudges Geralt in the shoulder, a jasmine slipping by his ear.

Geralt rights it without thinking, his fingers trembling.

Gods, he can’t say it. He can’t. Jaskier is so happy and Geralt will only ruin their friendship. His second chance is too precious to be risked—

“No, actually,” Geralt heaves out a breath, his heart pounding. “The opposite."

Jaskier snorts, “And, my dear witcher, what is the opposite?”

Here it goes.

“I am in love with you.”

The words sink into the silence. Geralt’s world narrows down to the steady rise and fall of Jaskier’s chest and the little hitch in his breathing. In the darkness of the night, Jaskier’s eyes stay in the shadows, his emotions obscured.

“No, you are not.” When he finally answers, it comes out in a snort. “Ha! A good one, Geralt! And they say witchers don’t have a sense of humor, idiots!”

Jaskier lets out another dry laugh, although the waver in his voice betrays everything.

“I am,” Geralt stresses again, “in love with you, Jaskier.”

Jaskier is staring, the upturn of his lips freezing into shock, the rise and fall of his chest picking up into a frenzy and suddenly he’s breathing too fast. “You can’t. You just can’t…” Air seems to trap in his lungs and a salty tang of tears hits Geralt full-force.

“I wish I couldn’t love, like what they say, but Jaskier, I can and I do—”

“You can’t do this to me!” Jaskier shouts, crying openly. “No, no! You don’t get to tell me this now! We had twenty years…”

Geralt wants more than anything in the world to pull Jaskier into his arms and wipe away the tears, but the space between them is too great. “I didn’t know for twenty years, Jask. Forgive me. It was only after the mountain that I learned how important you were to me. I couldn’t go on like this—”

“The mountain?” Jaskier chokes out a whimper. “You realized after the mountain? You mean when I bared my heart to you and you stomped on it like it was nothing?”

Geralt shakes his head, the guilt constricting his chest. “I’m sorry. For all the pain I caused you.”

“For months I thought I was but a mistake to you, that you hated me for two decades and couldn’t wait to cast me aside like dirt stuck on your shoes. Do you even know… Geralt, do you have an ounce of idea what I went through?”

Jaskier sways and Geralt catches him in his arms, placing his head on his shoulders and feeling the uncontrollable shakes running down Jaskier’s spine. The sight of Jaskier hurt because of him, again, pains Geralt more than any monster’s claws or talons.

“I love you, Jaskier,” he vows. “You were never nothing to me. You are everything. I was an idiot. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Jaskier struggles and swats at his shoulders and Geralt takes it all the while murmuring more sweet nothings into his ear. Finally, when Jaskier calms down, it’s with another whimper. “You are an idiot.”

“I am.” Geralt cradles the nape of Jaskier’s neck, running his thumb in circles, soothing the last of the trembling away. “Just one word from you, Jask, I can take you away. You don’t have to marry him. Just give me the word and I’m yours. Gods, I’ve waited for so long for this day. At last, I’m sure of my heart, just as I’m sure of yours.”

He buries into Jaskier’s hair and inhales the grief and the flowers, and something that is distinctly Jaskier, expecting a whispered plea. Just one word from Jaskier and they can start their new life together.

What he doesn’t expect is the way Jaskier goes stiff in his arms and the hand that pushes him away.

The soft moonlight catches a glint in Jaskier’s eyes, and it speaks of determination. “Valdo,” he says, as if in a dream.

“You don’t have to marry him. We can lea—”

“Valdo will be here soon.” Jaskier sniffles and wipes at his tears frantically. His whole face is puffy from crying and there’s no way he can hide it. “It’s almost midnight.”

Geralt’s world comes to a stop.

“What?”

“Get inside, and don’t say anything about this.”

“I don’t understand. Jask, you don’t need to go through this anymore. I’ll give you anything you ask. Just say the words, please,” he begs for the first time in a century, catching Jaskier’s hand.

“I am saying it. Get inside. Sit in the back row and don’t speak to me. Valdo might be able to tell.” With a few deep breaths, Jaskier school his features back to neutral. “Only the gods know how he can read me like an open book.”

Geralt’s blood runs cold. “Do you love him?”

The anguish by the corner of Jaskier’s lips says everything. It remains as he smiles a crooked smile. “He loves me. Oh, Geralt, he loves me. I can’t hurt him like this.”

“I thought,” Geralt looks down in shame. “I thought I knew your heart.”

“I thought I did too.”

“Then why?”

“You weren’t there,” Jaskier shrugs like it’s the easiest explanation. “He was.”

Despite every cell in Geralt’s body screaming against it, he nods and lets go of Jaskier’s hand, allowing his limp fingers to slip from his grasp at last.

Jaskier has asked it of him after all.

He doesn’t know how he got back into the crowd, the warm light only a blur in his vision. Another group is stopping near the hall, among them is the other groom-to-be. Valdo’s worried voice when he sees Jaskier is another blow to Geralt’s chest.

“Oh, Julian, are you crying?”

“Just…too happy.”

There’s the sound of kissing, and Geralt can’t tune it out. He laughs at himself for the masochistic tendencies, but maybe he deserves the torture.

“No more tears. Let’s get married, my love.”

The guests settle, and the music begins.

The happy couple walks towards the altar in the witness of family and friends, and Geralt watches every moment of it.

If the smile on Jaskier’s face is a bit strained as the priest ties the ribbon, no one seems to notice.

---

A big thanks to anon for the prompt! I asked for some one-word or one-sentence prompts and the next thing I knew they were connecting into a whole story.

Each chapter of this story will be based on a prompt, so send in one if you want to steer it in certain directions ;)

Tagging: @wanderlust-t @rockysstupidity @flowercrown-bard @alllthequeenshorses @mothmanismyuncle @percy-jackson-is-sexy- @constantlytiredpigeon @behonesthowsmysinging @kitcatkim3 @endless-whump @rey-a-nonbinary-bisexual @llamasdumpsterfire @dapandapod

Please feel free to tell me if you want to be removed or added to the list <3

#geraskier #geraskier fic #angst #background valdo/jaskier #geralt x jaskier #weddnings #unrequited love #requited unrequited love #valdo marx #endgame geraskier #ignore the fact that glass ceilings weren't a thing back then #also 'Oxenfurt Observatory' looks so nice

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uzumaki-rebellion · 3 years

Text

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 3, Chp. 9″

youtube

"Black Butterfly, sail across the waters Tell your sons and daughters what the struggle brings Black Butterfly, set the skies on fire Rise up even higher So the ageless winds of time can catch your wings"

Deniece Williams – "Black Butterfly"

Disa spotted Pamela in the middle of the floor.

The moment the beat hit her ears, Pamela threw her head back and tossed her ass in a circle letting Disa know it was good to go.

The beginning was always the difficult part of her sets when she was trying to create a montage of feelings through sound. There were peaks and valleys she had to hit in order to hold the audience hostage. She almost lost it halfway through Zana High Life when the host shouted out DJ Geechee Dan standing on the side of the stage. Disa had been trying to find him up in the VIP section and he was right there, less than twenty feet from her watching her cut up a live mix.

It was Erik that saved her from bumbling her set as she focused on him moving instead of Geechie Dan being so near her. He came out of nowhere and she had no idea he could dance so well. The boy showed out and Pamela tried to keep up. It brought a smile to her lips to see him grab her homegirl and dance Pamela around. No one had ever been able to hang with her, and Erik pushed the woman to go all out.

Disa reeled everyone back in when she let Erik's voice quote "Beloved" over the music. He matched the tone of the syncopated beats. It sounded romantic. Dreamy. She took a respite and let the mix play as she watched him dance. So fluid. Like water. She knew he practiced capoeira and decided to go off script and freestyle her set. Dragging down some berimabau sounds, she cued up a Brazilian jam and dropped it on top of her own drumming in time to the stringed instrument. It struck like a thunderbolt on Erik and it shocked her to see him backflip and hold his body in a handstand as his legs moved in slow motion before he crouched on the floor low and swayed to the ancient sounds.

The boy was bad.

Loose hips and expressive arm movement fooled everyone into thinking he was just jamming instead of showing off a martial art. Disa was in awe and almost missed her next transition cue because she was so mesmerized by him. How could that brainy, standoffish, and arrogant man-child turn into a snake-hipped God of the dance?

Pamela jumped back on him and Disa played with them both by skipping her planned closing and taking the two of them to the Black Queer spaces she roamed with Pamela and friends. Punching up the voice of the icon Selvin Mizrahi, aka MC Debra, Disa brought in ballroom beats.

"That shouldn't have been the question," echoed about the space and Pamela stopped dancing with Erik and pointed a finger at Disa.

"Don't play with me, bitch!" Pamela shouted before she dropped to the floor and duck walked like the diva she was. This attracted their other homegirl Tatum who dipped several times making Yamilet stand aside with weak knees. Pamela played with Tatum in a simulated ballroom battle over Erik's attention until Tatum pushed Pamela aside and twirled around the youngster capturing his attention. The audience roared when Erik dropped into his own duck walk challenging Tatum. Erik's friends howled and the entire venue lost it when he dipped three times in front of Tatum making her storm off in a pretend huff as he duck walked after her before spinning on his back and shoulders. He grabbed Tatum's hand and ground on her ass with the closing notes of Disa's set. Loud whistles and claps erupted, and she waved to the crowd before the lights switched over to the next DJ who looked frightened at the prospect of following up after her.

Tatum rushed over to her swiping back long strands of crimped and twisty hair.

"Girl, your lil man was out here giving what he was supposed to give! Is he…?"

"Erik? No, I don't believe so."

"He was putting that thang on me like he wanted a piece of the good, Sis. He grab on me again like that and I'll let him get a taste."

Tatum's dark brown eyes were glossy from drinking and she followed Disa as she carried her crate of vinyl to the green room.

"He's not the type to turn mean if he knows….y'now…" Tatum said.

"He's very open. I don't think he'd trip to know you're Trans."

"Good. Cuz he could get it from any of these women out here. Did you see him move? I know Pamela is butt hurt that she was not the center of the dance universe tonight."

Tatum watched her tuck her crate under a covered table and push them far back with her jacket on top of it with her computer bag.

"I liked how you closed out your set."

"People liked it, yeah?"

"Yeah, but I worry cuz you know how these niggas be wildin' if you bring in the Fam in hetero spaces. Everybody turns into homophobe and kills the vibe for everybody."

Disa's cell buzzed. She pulled it from her back pocket.

"Yamilet and them. She's out by the car now."

Disa dragged her crate back out and Tatum carried her computer bag for her. They headed outside to the parking lot. Yamilet was there with Pamela, and Essie. She opened her trunk and Disa dumped her stuff. The women gave her joyous hugs and high fives before they traipsed back in to catch the other DJs.

Erik ran up to her breathless.

"Hey! I thought you were leaving!"

Disa patted his arm.

"No, just putting my gear away. Erik, these are my friends…"

She introduced everyone, and Erik shook their hands. Tatum and Pamela gave him big hugs and Yamilet snapped her fingers at him.

"Geechie… Hey! Geechie Dan, hold up!" Erik shouted.

Disa's heart dropped in her belly. Erik shook her idol's hand and brought him over to Disa.

"This is Disa Abdullah-Woods, your biggest fan," Erik said.

"My dear, sweet, woman, you are a master class of gifts. That set was-"

Geechie Dan kissed his fingers to end his praise.

Disa held out a trembling hand to him.

"No, that's not gonna do, Buttafly. Bring it in," he said opening his arms wide.

Disa burst into tears.

"Hey, I'm nobody to cry over," he whispered.

Geechie Dan gave Disa a big hug, and she stood there like a blubbering baby. The years that she spent practicing what she would say to the man if she ever met him in person went straight out the window. She used to laugh at people who became overly emotional meeting celebrities, but now she totally understood the overwhelming feeling that surged through her.

She wiped her eyes and Erik rubbed her back with gentle circles.

"I've been a fan since I was a little kid," she stammered out.

"Erik here told me. I told him how much I enjoyed his dancing and he just went in about you."

A crowd surrounded Geechie Dan, but he ignored them, his twinkling eyes on her.

"It has been a long time since I've seen a DJ create a set with so much intention behind it. You have something special in you, young lady. Never lose that gift."

Disa's mouth seemed to lose all ability to work. All the things she wanted to say stalled in her throat. He was there in the flesh. Standing in front of her.

"Disa has a radio show you should go on," Erik suggested.

"Oh yeah? Give me your number. I'll call you up and we can chop it up."

Geechie Dan pulled out his cell and Disa gave him her number, her voice a soft shell of its usual assertive tone.

"When I get some free time, I'll hit you up. Excuse me, they want me back up on stage. Amazing set, Disa. Keep spinning!"

The man shook her hand with both of his and his entourage and promoters swept him away.

"She's still in shock," Yamilet said waving her hand in Disa's face.

Erik's bright smile attracted her attention. Had he not spoken to the man, Disa may very well have missed her opportunity to meet him, let alone remember to ask the man for a radio interview. Her mind floated with the surreal nature of the experience. Her cell buzzed.

Here's my number. I'll be in New York in a few weeks, would be open to an in-person radio interview.

Geechee Dan's personal cell number. She had it. In her palm.

Disa reached out and grabbed Erik's shoulders. She planted a big fat kiss on his lips.

"Damn, what was that for?" he said.

"Being here," she said.

He wiped his lips and smiled.

"Erik…"

Chloe slinked up and slipped her arm in Erik's, tugging him towards the dance floor. Disa watched him enter the thick crowd of swaying bodies to dance once more.

###

Her night was a dreamy success.

Disa stayed in a popular hotel with her friends, and they hung out in the bar. Erik strolled into the lobby with his friends. In a tipsy stupor, Disa walked over to him with a fresh drink in her hand. "Didn't know you were staying here too," she said.

He took the drink from her and sipped it down.

"Hey… you can't drink this here out in the open, you're underage!"

She snatched it away from his lips.

"Nah, it's after midnight… I'm twenty-one now," he said.

"Oh, shit. It's your birthday? Today?"

"Yep."

"Happy Birthday, Erik!"

She hugged him tight and gave him the glass of liquor.

"Enjoy," she said.

"What room are we in?" Jace asked.

Erik's dorm companion looked sleepy along with two other guys.

"301," Erik said handing Jace a key card.

Disa's friends called for her to return to the bar counter.

"Come celebrate with us," she said pointing to her group.

"I'm beat, to be honest. Thanks for asking me though."

"If you change your mind, we'll be down here."

"Good to know."

"Thanks for everything, Erik. Tonight was really special and meant a lot to me. Especially with you hooking me up with Geechie Dan."

"Glad to make your dream come true."

His eyes penetrated hers.

"Okay grown-ass man, go to bed," she said pushing on his arm playfully.

"You're drunk," he teased.

"A happy one at that," she said stumbling off to join her girls.

Three more drinks later, after a heated discussion with a group of men who hovered around them trying to interject their unwanted opinions about dating, Disa leaned over the bar counter and asked for a special birthday cocktail for Erik. She went to the lobby restroom, collected the drink afterward, and excused herself from her friends. She took the elevator to the third floor and found Erik's room. The fruity exotic drink had a lot of strong liquor in it. Knocking on the door, she waited for someone to answer. She could hear a tv on and talking going on inside.

Kelvin, a cute nerdy string bean answered the door.

"Is Erik up?" she asked.

Kelvin's eyes nearly popped out looking at her.

"You were so good," he yelped.

"Thank you… um… Erik?"

"He's not here."

"Not here? Did he go out?"

"No, he's in that room," Kelvin said pointing across the hall to room 302.

"Thanks," she said.

Kelvin closed the door and Disa did a one-eighty and rapped her knuckles on the new door. She toyed with the blue umbrella and pineapple garnish on his drink. Erik answered. Shirtless and wearing tight gray boxers.

"Hey," she said.

"Um… Hi. 'sup?"

"Birthday drink. A proper one."

She thrust it out to him and tried to brush past him, but he held an arm up in the door jamb blocking her. Her brain failed to register that he didn't want her inside, and she bumped against him, her breasts touching his chest.

"I can't come in?"

"I have someone here," he said.

Her eyes cut behind him. Chloe was draped in nothing but a sheet, the tops of her breasts threatening to spill over her arm that clutched the covers.

"Oh, snap. I'm sorry. I thought you were staying with the guys over there. Didn't realize you had your own room. Here, enjoy the drink," she said.

Erik took the bulbous glass, and his expression was full of embarrassment. He stepped into the hall and closed the door behind him. Disa stepped back from him and fumbled with her hands.

"Handle your business. It's time for me to get to bed myself… get some sleep. Have fun!"

She tried to sound jovial, but something in the back of her throat made her voice accusatory. As if she caught him doing something behind her back. For months she thought of Erik as her little pet. He was her loyal puppy, and she had to admit she enjoyed all the fawning he did over her. But he was also a young man with needs. She tried not to look at the package that was hanging in his underwear. The outline of it was showing off. God forbid if he was a grower too.

"Me and Chloe kinda got this thing going on now…"

"New girlfriend and good birthday sex is a blessing. Night Erik."

She turned to leave and pivoted back to him.

"Can I put on a birthday dinner for you and your family? I know you're planning on eating at Toulouse, but I would love to host your birthday party at my place."

"That's too much Disa. I have a lot of people coming in from all over."

"How many?"

"Fifteen—"

"Pfft, boy, you've been to my dinner parties, you know how I get down. Fifteen is nothing for me."

"The cost alone will be crazy—"

"Let me handle that. You deserve a special day. You made my night amazing, let me show my appreciation. What would you like to eat?"

Erik's eyes grew thoughtful, they dropped to look at his drink.

"I love your Confit de Canard,"

"Aw, I see. I finally got you to give in to duck meat."

"It's gonna be hella expensive."

"Don't worry about it. Let's say six sharp on Saturday, three courses and Turkish coffee with a birthday cake."

His eyes lit up.

"I'll let my people know."

"Tell them to dress up. I'll plan a splendid evening with games afterward."

Erik grabbed her hand and pulled her in close.

"Thank you," he said.

"Better get back to Chloe. Don't want her chewing my head off for keeping all of this out of the bed."

She smirked at him and wandered down the hall.

###

Chloe had a frown n her face when Erik walked back into the hotel room.

"What did she want?"

"Birthday gift," he said holding up the fancy drink.

He sipped it, and the liquor was too strong for his tastes. It would knock him out before he had a chance to smash Chloe. He put the glass on the nightstand and pulled off his boxers. His dick was already at half-mast.

"Why is your dick like that already?"

Chloe sat up, and the frown on her face deepened.

"Looking at you gets me excited," he countered.

Hopping into the bed, he pulled back the sheets and swiped her nipples with his tongue.

"You're attracted to her."

"Disa? That's my homegirl—"

"Everyone knows you have a crush on her. You turn into a puddle whenever she's around."

Chloe folded her arms over her breasts blocking his access.

"If your dick is getting hard for her, maybe you should get some birthday sex from her instead!"

"Chloe. Stop trippin'. I'm giving this dick to you."

He rubbed the hardening length against her thigh. She slapped it.

"Wanna play rough?" he said.

"Was your dick hard for that Trans chick too?"

"What?"

"Disa's friend. The one with the long fluffy hair. You didn't know?"

"No. She fine as fuck though."

"You'd fuck a Trans woman?"

There was disgust on her face.

Erik sat up. He'd been around Trans women and Trans men all his life, especially in Brazil. He had a Trans play uncle in Sao Paulo who used to babysit him and his play cousin Marisol.

"A woman is a woman. She got titties I can play with and a hole I can fuck, I don't see a problem—"

"Ohmigod! You really would fuck her."

"That ass was amazing."

"I can't believe you're serious!"

"Are you a queerphobe? Cuz if you are, that's not gonna work for me."

"No… I just… I can't picture you being like that."

"Like what?"

"Accepting. You're like a man's man—"

"A Transphobe? I wasn't raised like that. My mother would never let me treat people like shit who didn't deserve it."

Chloe stared down at her hands.

"I'm glad to hear that, actually."

"Yeah? Why?"

Her eyes welled up.

"My sister… she's transitioning… he's becoming my brother and I worry about him going up against guys like you."

"Guys like me?"

"Y'know overly masculine. He's coming to visit me in a few weeks and I wanted you to meet him since he's interested in capoeira."

Her eyes met his.

"I didn't mean to be accusatory about Disa's friend. She's beautiful. Prettier than me."

"You're the prettiest woman in this room right now."

She slapped his hand and smiled.

"But you do like Disa. Right?"

"She's my friend. I had a big crush on her when I first arrived on campus, but now… she's like a mentor… a big sister. We're close and she teaches all kinds of cool stuff. I probably do act all goofy when I'm around her—"

"It's cute… really. I just… let's forget about it."

He kissed her. With guilt. Disa meant more to him than just a big sister or a mentor. She was the ultimate woman. But she would never see him as a man.

Chloe wrapped her lips around his dick and rolled a condom on his shaft after she plumped him up to complete hardness. She presented her backside to him and he sank into her walls and pumped, enjoying her soft sighs and cries of passion. He took off the condom much later as she allowed him to fuck her raw in the ass and dump a hot load in her anal walls. She kept his mind off of Disa and those lush breasts that truly made his dick thicken and visibly tell Chloe the truth. Disa was his dream girl. Everyone could see it.

###

The large package arrived at Disa's house the day before Erik's birthday party. She called him on his phone to tell them that a big box with a D.C. return address and B. Dunduza written in black block letters was sitting in her living room.

He drove over to her house, and Disa watched him tear it open. There was a note on top of the bubble wrap.

"Kept these in storage for you. We wanted to wait until you turned twenty-one to have them. Cherish them as we cherish you."

Uncle Bakari and Auntie Shavonne both signed it.

Erik removed the layer of bubble wrap and his heart nearly stopped.

He fingered the old dark brown leather, and a breath shuddered out of him.

"Erik? You alright?" Disa asked.

She put a hand on his shoulder as he lifted the leather-bound journal from the box.

"These are my father's journals," he whispered.

Opening the first journal, he recognized the careful Wakandan script written by his father's powerful hand. They taped a small piece of bubble wrap on the page. Erik unraveled it and gasped before falling on his backside.

"What is it?" Disa asked, rising concern coloring her voice

Opening his fingers, Erik stared at the wondrous gift.

His Baba's ring. Attached to the chain his mother bought for him as an anniversary gift. The chain his father wore the night he was killed by King T'Chaka.

His family birthright.

Now his.

Chapter 10 HERE

###

Tag List:

@fd-writes

@soufcakmistress

@cherrystainedlipsbaby

@tclaybon

@thadelightfulone

@allhailqueennel

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@childishgambinaax

#Black Boys Bloom Thorns First #Volume 3 #Killmonger Fanfiction #Killmonger Fanfic #Black Panther Fanfiction #Uzumaki Rebellion #N'Jobu

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alison-anonymous · 4 years

Text

I Want to Write a Mikayuu Series

Okay.

So um.

If you're reading this, HELLO. All of you long time ONS fans probably don't know me, but I'm Alison and I'm a hardcore Mikayuu, Mitsunoa, Gureshin, etc shipper. I've been in the ONS fandom for almost a year and dear god. The amount of people telling me that Mikayuu is queerbait is just making me really sad 😅 I'm a writer, and I'm the type of person who honestly feels like the author of a series should have the ability to choose how a story ends without influence of their readers. I mean, if it's their story, then it should be their ending, right? However, I also do have some qualms when it comes to how this "love triangle" between Yu, Mika, and Shinoa is being portrayed. This is entirely my personal opinion, but I feel like Shinoa seems to be forcing herself to love Yu. I honestly don't think she cares for him in a romantic way, but more of a very deep-rooted admiration or even envy that she's trying to convince herself to be romantic love. And Yu has said multiple times that he values Mika's life above his own, that he doesn't know what he would do without him if he were to die again (I mean the fact that he suffered seeing his best friend and potential lover die a first time was definitely scarring enough, PLEASE STOP TORTURING OUR POOR BABIES). And it's basically confirmed by now that when Mika said I love you in the manga, it was in the romantic sense. Even though I wish, I hope, I dream, and I pray that Mikayuu will become canon, I honestly can't say for certain what I think will happen. I think it could sway any way, with Mikayuu becoming canon, Yu and Shinoa becoming canon, or it being one of those ambiguous endings where it's heavily implied but nothing actually happens. And in order to make myself feel better when stuff like this happens, I tend to rewrite the entire story with the ending that I would have liked to see ;)

You're probably wondering where the hell this stranger is going with this. Well, I want to write a book. A series, actually.

One that's inspired by Seraph of the End.

Now, if you're interested in hearing me out, then feel free to keep reading. But if not, continue on with your scrolling, no hard feelings. But if you do, and I really hope that you do, give me a chance to explain.

I want to write a series inspired by Seraph of the End called Bloodsucker (working title, obviously). And this series is going to be a reimagination of ONS with an ending that I would have loved to see in the anime and manga. I plan to have three main characters (please keep in mind that I'm going to have name changes): Yuichiro, Mikaela, and a brand new character, Epic.

Now, I would begin this series a bit before the anime and I'm assuming the manga begins. I'd start with introducing our main three characters as they meet in the orphanage (yes, Epic would be a part of this orphanage as well) and how Epic and Yu try to make moves to run away only to be stopped by Mika and Akane.

I plan to include a scene between Epic and Akane where Epic tries to run out in the middle of the night only to be stopped by Akane, and this is what caused Epic to develop a crush on her (Epic is a girl btw). Then I would begin the whole shit with the vampires and how they set the world on fire and shit, but instead of the apocolypse, I'd make it so that most of the adults died in the fire while the kids were taken alive (because young blood is better and whatnot). This includes our little Hyakuya family. The directors would have tried to trade the kids lives for their own, and due to their selfishness, the vamps killed them and took the kids anyway.

This would begin my first story arc: the prewar.

Epic, Akane, Mika, and Yu would all be living under the vampires at this point along with the rest of the kids in their orphanage. I plan to include lots of moments of bonding that heavily imply Epic loves Akane even though she doesn't know it yet and Mika loves Yu, but Yu is fucking oblivious. The four begin to plot their escape, but while Mika and Akane (yes Akane too) are making deals with the vampires to help out with their family, Epic is constantly finding herself getting dragged along to visit Queen Krul. The pink haired vamp has a soft spot for her for some reason and often tells her that Epic and her family are "special" or sum shit. And she's super confused and semi grossed out. But none of the vamps ever dare to hurt her so she thinks it's fine. Then one day they all plot their escape and it's much more planned out and lengthy and less rushed than it is in the anime. Things almost seem to work out until the vampires stop them

And Mika and Akane DIE.

I know. I'm horrid.

Epic is standing here in shock as she watches the love of her life die before her and Mika BEGS for Yu to take Epic and run while they can. So while in the series only Yu survives, he obeys Mika and both him and Epic survive this. They're found by Guren (a new character I haven't come up with yet lol) and Yu is super protective over Epic, not wanting anyone to take the only piece of his family he has left (he's a fucking mess without Mika let's just be honest) and Guren ends up taking them under his wing.

Now we hit the second arc. Still with me?

The War.

Hold onto your hats everyone because this is where shit is about to get complicated. So I do plan to have a bit of a time skip into the current spot where Yu and Epic are attending school with Guren as their father figure and they've become very close. So close that Yu refuses to work with anyone else but her. They end up getting onto Shinoa Squad (obviously going to be completely different in my version) and they get put onto the battlefield. But here's the catch. Well, two catches.

Yu and Epic do have demon weapons. I do plan to try to incorporate that into this. BUT the backstory is different. I plan to make it so that the vampires obviously see the humans as fies. Insignificant things that are more playthings than threats. And they didn't want to have to deal with killing all of them, so they sent demons in their place to handle it. But the humans were able to form deals or "contracts" with the demons and therefore turned the vampires' own secret weapon against them.

Now, catch no. 2

So, Epic, Mika, and Yu aren't seraphs in this. But they are something else. I'm going to try to explain this as simply as I can, but each of them (besides Mika since he doesn't have a demon) have 3 souls inside their body:

Soul 1 is their current soul, the one that identifies as Mika or Epic or Yu.

Soul 2 is their demon soul, like what Asuramaru is to Yu.

And soul 3 is their archangel soul (I might change that name later on).

So I'm just going to come right out and say it. In this series, Epic is the villain.

Yes.

You read that right.

Epic is the villain. But she doesn't know that she is. These Soul 3s were reincarnated into the current bodies of Mika, Epic, and Ari (and I know that's not exactly how it works but screw logic this is just a fucking concept) from their lives centuries ago.

These souls existed way before vampires existed and Epic (or Essie) was very close friends with Yu (or Aytigin). Aytigin was in love with Haru (Mika) but for one reason or another, they couldn't be together. Essie wanted to do something, willing to do anything to make the two of them happy. So she made a deal that brought the vampires into creation so that Haru and Aytigin could be happy. She was willing to sacrifice everything that they stood for so that the two of them could be in love together.

She had good intentions, but of course Haru and Aytigin were furious because now the vampires were turning against the humans and they all basically died. Until they were reborn respectively, but unknowingly.

Now picking back up in the present, Yu and Epic are fighting in one of the main battles and the two are very confused when the vampires make a very deliberate attempt not to hurt Epic. They're unsure as to why, but Guren tells them not to worry about it.

Suspicious bastard.

Anyway, it's revealed finally that MIKA IS ALIVE

BUT HE'S ALSO DEAD

Yes he is a vampire. And Yu falls in love all over again upon seeing him, and after a bunch of struggling, Epic gets kidnapped. At first she gets strangled by Lacus and then she gets kidnapped by Ferid who doesn't kill her surprisingly.

Oh and uh... Ferid is nice in this. He's still a fucking creep, but he's a lot nicer than he is in the series. I plan to make Queen Krul or whoever I turn her into be the villain.

Anyway, they take Epic back to the vampire palace or whatever and Queen Krul and Epic are reunited! And Krul is the one who reveals to Epic exactly who she, Mika, and Yu are and this is what sparks Epic's fall to insanity.

I mean, she's the killer. She's the one who brought them into this world. She's responsible for every death the vampires cause.

I would go crazy too.

So, she manages to escape (partially thanks to Mika) and the two join Yu and the others again and it's revealed a second time exactly what is going on. And while no one actually blames Epic on the Shinoa Squad, that doesn't stop people like Kureto and even herself from blaming.

And this causes her demon to go haywire.

She begins losing her marbles, almost killing her teammates and trying to kill herself, all while the three begin to experience dreams or visions of their Soul 3s.

While all this shit is going on, there's heavy romance between Mika and Yu because these two lovers just got reunited and FUCK did they have glow ups but yes -

Oh. And there is another spark for Epic, even though she doesn't think she's worthy of love.

Okay. I'm just gonna say it.

Lacus falls in love with Epic. Yes. You read that correctly too.

I plan to make the two of them get trapped together at some point and they have to work together to escape. It's during this time that Epic realizes he's not all that bad and has some form of self control and he realizes that she's the most interesting thing he's ever met in this disgusting and boring life and damn do her eyes look pretty-

But yes. She forms a permanent alliance with him that he jokes about as marriage and they meet on other occassions too, but lol yes.

Anyway, blah blah blah, more fall to insanity, the Soul 3s take over their bodies on multiple occasions and there's a lot of bonding and fighting and Epic and Mika somehow manage to get some of the vampires on the human side.

And in the end, Epic and Yu basically sacifice themselves to save the human race and kill Queen Krul. It's a very rough ending I haven't quite perfected yet, but Yu has a moment like he did with the King of Salt. But though he inflicted a lot of damage, it's not enough. So while the team is worried about him, Epic takes this opportunity to fix her and Essie's mistakes.

She allows both Essie and her demon to take control of her body and dies on the battlefield. Queen Krul is eliminated. Most of the vampires are gone. The humans won.

Horray.

Epic is dead.

Kinda. Yu and Mika take her back home and this is the preview to the last arc where everyone's in the hospital and Epic's in a coma. Mika and Yu barely ever leave her side and it's only when Lacus of all people comes to visit that she fucking wakes up.

Okay. Are you still with me? Now come with me to the final arc.

The Post-War.

No my friend. It doesn't end there. Because Mika and Lacus are still vamps and life still sucks and I drank too much coffee this morning.

No it's not over yet.

So flash forward a couple years and Kureto and Crew are working as the heads of this city. Stuff is being rebuilt, people are settling down in homes, Lacus and some of the other "good" vampires find jobs, and Mika, Yu, and Epic get a house together (in case I didn't mention before, Epic is pansexual. She loved Akane dearly and I plan to include scenes where she sees her in her mind and dreams like Mikayuu so she's never truly gone, but she falls for Lacus too when he's not being a sadistic asshole). Things are going strangely when

BAM. Epic and Yu come up with a cure for vampirism.

How, you may ask? I don't fucking know, I haven't read about it in the manga yet but before we come up with an idea for it, imma say they came up with it through a spell. They share their findings with Guren and soon all vampires are being cured, most notably Mika, Lacus, and even Rene.

BUT and there's always a but, Kureto passes a new law claiming all vampires to be property. That any vampire or previous vampire or even vampire supporter/owner that tries to disobey these new laws is to be killed immediately. Now Epic and Yu are in jeopardy because their ex-vampires are in danger (Epic and Lacus have been hanging out a lot more and he's proven himself to be a decent guy. Contrary to popular belief, I headcanon him as not really knowing what to do when he actually cares about someone since he's been a heartless vamp for so long. So when he turns to Mika and begrudgingly asks him for LOVE ADVICE of all fucking things, Mika is ready to die). So basically, Mika and Lacus end up getting locked up along with the other ex-vamps (including Ferid which was a pain in the ass) and did I forget to mention that there's a proposal?

Oh yeah, Yu proposes to Mika and the blond still has yet to give him an actual answer because poor baby is still having a hard time accepting that Yu can love a "monster" like him.

But anyways, now Epic and Yu are furious and SHINOA SQUAD IS BACK IN BUSINESS. With the help of Guren and Shinya and everyone, they form a sort of rebellion and blah blah blah they manage to get Mika and Lacus and everyone out and blah blah blah they all get separated and Lacus begins to get INSANELY protective of Epic and ends up confessing his feelings to her before he nearly dies and blah blah blah did I forget to mention that I'm making Mitsunnoa and Kimizuki x Yoichi canon and blah blah blah.

Epic kisses Lacus as an instinct. Lacus kisses her again. Mika accepts Yu's proposal then almost dies AGAIN. I kill off some characters for emotional tugs and after a ton of more fighting and revenge and psychological breakings later, Kureto is killed. And Guren (or someone else haven't decided yet) is the new head of their city.

Epic, Mika, and Yu finally let Akane and the kids go. There's a lot of Shinoa Squad bonding but this is a summary so I haven't included much besides the main three. Epic and Lacus becomes canon. Mika and Yu get married. Guren and Shinya get married. Shinoa gets pregnant.

And everyone gets the FUCKING HAPPY ENDING THAT THEY ALL FUCKING DESERVE BECAUSE FUCK

I do plan to be slightly ruthless like the creator and include a lot of heartbreaking scenes, but it's going to be much different than ONS but I still want it to hold on to some core relationships.

I just want them to be happy. And I just want to make other people happy because fuck I JUST WANT TO BE HAPPY

So. Yeah.

That's Bloodsucker...

So my question to you is... if I wrote this shit.

If I sat down and typed about 30 books roughly inspired by Seraph of the End and Mikayuu and Mitsunnoa and shit...

Would anyone read it?

♡ a.a.

#mikayuu #yuumika #mika x yuu #yuu x mika #owari no seraph #owari no straights #owari no serafu #seraph of the end #seraph of the gay #Mitsunnoa #i wanna write a book #reimagination #fml #send halp #lacus #new character #akane #what am i doing with my life

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chyrstis · 4 years

Text

WIP Thursday

Now that things have stabilized a tiny bit (or at least some of the stress has), I really wanted to see about taking part as a bit of a treat to myself, especially since @starsandskies was kind enough to send a tag my way yesterday (thank you! <3) I’m also really hoping to be more present as I start to figure out the right kind of work/life/fun balance I want to nail here.

Tagging: @writerofblocks @cobb-vanthss @amistrio @shallow-gravy @kerryseurodyne @jackiesarch @painterofhorizons @ma-sulevin @foofygoldfish @teamhawkeye @guileandgall @redroci @geronimo-11 @proudspires @faithchel @risenlucifer @tomexraider @unlikelynick @fluttyseed @sneaky-apostate @baeogorath @fadedjacket @princess-underthemountain @strafethesesinners @lilwritingraven @sapphicvalhallas @ofravensandgenesis and anyone else that’s interested, this is totally a free tag!

First, Hana’s no good very bad day continues in the Trap fic though future days are certainly going to give her a run for her money

---

“Good. This moment won’t happen again. Decision made?”

He nodded. That’s when he dragged her up, his grip tight on her upper arm, and Hana tried to find her footing fast. Needed it in case another opening came even with the two watching her, but nearly lost it when he made her face the door and pushed.

The woman easily caught her, standing her up straight as she gave her a quick once-over. Then slapped a bag over her head, tying it tight.

This was bad. Well and truly beyond fucked as Hana sucked in a breath, and jerked away at the first touch to her shoulder. The grip that closed around her arm was a vice as she was guided forward, however, and there was no dragging her feet here as she was pushed out of the room.

Voices came from her left. One to two as she moved across the floor, paired with laughter.

Sinner. Look at you!

Did they know who she was? They had to have known, seeing as she’d cycled through as many red flannel shirts as she could get her hands on, and never bothered to change that up once. If someone had a punch - or heaven forbid, a knife - she’d never be able to dodge it like this, and idly wondered if anyone was nursing a grudge strong enough to risk it.

Then she heard names. The man’s - Ben, Benji, both were used liberally - and the woman, which sounded like an Essie or Esther, almost. But they didn’t slow down. Just kept her moving, even when mention of the Herald sent a chill running down her spine.

“So much for running! Wait’ll John gets his hands on you, and tears you wide open-”

She twisted in the VIP’s grip to headbutt the heckler and actually made contact. Felt something crack and give, and that was satisfying. Even if it stung like a motherfucker, and she was nearly knocked flat for it. Still, the woman holding her kept her up. Even when Hana snarled and tried to fight it.

That got a laugh. More than one as the voices came closer now, bearing in on her.

---

Next, a little Faith and John conversation that I’d really like to add more to soon, maybe? This hit while I was fighting off a cold and failing, and I really couldn’t complain about a potential shot at some interaction between these two.

---

“She's warm. You should hear her laugh.”

“Laugh?”

John watched Faith smile as she remembered it. Saw that fondness settle over her as she tilted her head towards him, and extended her open palm.

“She worries a lot. Many do, but I could see that weight fade from her. How much happier she was, lighter, and the minute it happened, I didn't need to take her hand. She reached for it.”

John stared her outstretched hand down, and watched her fingers slowly close around air, nothing more.

“We all know that the bliss shows you what you want to see,” he replied, going back to his drink. “Are you sure you weren't suffering from a little wishful thinking yourself, dear sister?”

Faith frowned. “…Only a hair, but is it so awful to want that too? Peace for her and for us? If only you could only see how beautiful she was. Maybe next time I can show you?”

The glass stressed under his fingertips as he set it down with a clatter. “She'd be no better than a drunken idiot,” John snapped. “I want her lucid. Aware. To make choices for herself, and the more you expose her to it, the less she'll be able to come back from it. You know that.

“Joseph wants someone to reach her. To reach all of them. If your way doesn't work, mine might. It doesn't matter who gets to her first as long as she comes to us.”

“Willingly.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. She’ll choose,” Faith said, smiling once again. “She’ll make that choice and decide just who to give that smile to.”

---

And a little No Cult AU, b/c I’m missing it dearly. There’s a little tacked onto here from the previous section I posted a while back, but it’s really too much fun for me to want to chop it up any further.

---

“What are you-” Sighing deeply, John pinched the bridge of his nose. “Charlemagne, I can count the number of people I know on one hand that regularly deal in flammable items and explosives. People that I know personally, and would borderline even consider allowing within a foot of these things, given their past history.”

“Well, you’ve seriously gotta give me their info, ‘cause I could’ve sworn I had a handle on all of that shit in the county, and yeah, I don’t got a business card, or a phone number to call, but moving in when they know someone else’s got that down? That goes against common courtesy, man. Like, we’re breaking potential pyro bro codes left and right. You don’t just-”

“You! You are the person I know!” John shot, throwing both hands up as he gestured towards him. “You would be the one I’d hire! How you could even think otherwise is beyond me!”

The sound of a throat being cleared made both of their heads snap towards the front, and Sharky nearly did a double-take when it became clear who it was.

“I’m not interrupting, am I?” Joseph asked, looking between them.

“Joseph.” John paled, but slapped a smile onto his face in record time as he stood up straighter. “We weren’t-it’s fine. You weren’t interrupting anything, just business.”

The guy really had to be some kind of bible-based ninja or something, because he wasn’t standing right at the door, but within a few feet of the table they were by. Meaning he’d opened the door, closed it, walked well within viewing distance of either of them, listening as Sharky had struggled to put two and two together to make five, and John had all but-

Wait, hold up.

His thoughts skidded to a halt.

John wanted to hire him? Him, outside of this, whatever this was?

Looking his way, Sharky didn’t even give a damn that his mouth was hanging open, because holy shit, he’d said those exact words, and hadn’t taken them back or corrected them.

John was focused entirely on Joseph at this point, hands moving as he explained away, and didn’t dismiss him even at that point. Just kept on talking. So, Sharky kept on staring at him all while he kicked that fact around back and forth, and felt a smile start to creep onto his face.

#don't mind me #posting this probably way too late but it feels good to have something down and to post here again #and if I can sneak in some more work on any of these between slides this weekend I'll be absolutely thrilled

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sometimesiwrite · 3 years

Text

Steady As She Goes

Summary: Lambert begrudgingly insists on escorting Essi through Velen on her way to Novigrad. On their three days' journey, an unexpected bond is formed as the unlikely traveling companions encounter one another in new light. But will they get through unscathed?

Part 1 — Part 2 — Part 3

Dear Lambert, Thank You

Links above take you to the original blog posts; content warnings are included in each. Please take note.

#Housekeeping #Lambert #Essi Daven #Lambert/Essi #Essbert

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abluescarfonwaston · 4 years

Note

You mentioned once that Dandelion knows Geralt pretty well and canonically managed to read him pretty well in at least one scene (the one before Geralt says Dandelion is uncomplicated.) Could you elaborate on that? I havent read the books yet and Ive got a point to prove to one of my friends

There are two sections where this is a big thing (in the short stories). The first one is in Posada (POSADA- VALLEY OF FLOWERS. THEY JUST MET) after Geralt agrees to look into the devil problem. Even though he just turned down a bunch of ‘jobs’ because the monsters don’t exist. And Devils don’t exist either.

“Knowing you a little as I do, I take it you haven’t abased yourself so as to get us bed, board and lodging, have you?”

“Indeed.” Geralt grimaced. “It does look as if you know me a little, singer.”

The other section is- well its kinda the entirety of A Little Sacrifice but the section I was talking about was this. I’m going to paraphrase cause it’s seriously two pages long. [oh wait i only paraphrase the first 3 paragraphs. I swear these boys but this is literally the scene your asking about so i don’t feel terrible about putting it all in.] There is SO MUCH DIALOGUE WHEN BOTH GERALT AND DANDELION ARE CHATTERBOXES. Thank the other iterations for saving my poor hands by making Geralt quiet. Note: They’re in bed together during this sequence.

“Hey Geralt. Essi is like a little sister to me. Don’t be a dick to her cause she likes you. Admit it, you like her too?”

“Even if I did like her I wouldn’t talk about it! Or write songs about it. Thanks for your words cause maybe you did save me from a stupid mistake. So drop it! GOODNIGHT.” [direct quotes after this point]

Dandelion lay motionless for a moment, saying nothing, but Geralt knew him too well.

“I know,’ The poet said at last. ‘Now I know everything.’

‘You know fuck all Dandelion’

‘Do you know what your problem is, Geralt? You think you’re different. You flaunt your otherness, what you consider abnormal. You aggressively impose that abnormality on others, not understanding that for people who think clear-headedly you’re the most normal man under the sun, and they all wish that everybody was so normal. What of it that you have quicker reflexes than most and vertical pupils in sunlight? That you can see in the dark like a cat? That you know a few spells? Big deal. I, my dear once knew an innkeeper who could fart for ten minutes without stopping, playing the tune to the psalm Greet us, greet us, O, Morning star. Heedless of his - lets face it - unusual talent, that innkeeper was the most normal among the normal...

“What does this have to do with Essi Daven? Could you explain?”

“Of course. You wrongfully thought, Geralt, that Little Eye was interested in you out of morbid, downright perverted curiosity, that she looks at you as though you were a queer fish, a two-headed calf or a salamander in a menagerie. And you immediately became annoyed, gave her a rude, undeserved reprimand at the first opportunity, struck back at a blow she hadn’t dealt. I witnessed it, after all. I didn’t witness the further course of events, of course, but i noticed your flight from the room and saw her glowing cheeks when you returned. Yes, Geralt. I’m alerting you to a mistake, and you have already made it. You wanted to take revenge on her for - in your opinion - her morbid curiosity. You decided to exploit that curiosity.”

“You’re talking rubbish.”

“You tried,” The bard continued, unmoved, ‘to learn if it was possible to bed her in the hay, if she was curious to find out what it’s like to make love with a misfit, with a witcher. Fortunately, Essi turned out to be smarter than you and generously took pity on your stupidity, having understood it’s cause. I concluded this from the fact you did not return from the jetty with a fat lip.”

“Have you finished?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Goodnight then.”

“I know why you’re furious and gnashing your teeth.”

“No doubt. You know everything.”

“I know who warped you like that, who left you unable to understand a normal woman. Oh, but that Yennefer of yours was a troublemaker; I’m damned if I know what you see in her.”

“Drop it, Dandelion.”

“Do you really not prefer normal girls like Essi? What do sorceresses have that Essi doesn’t? Age, Perhaps? Little Eye may not be the youngest, but she’s as old as she looks. And do you know what Yennefer once confessed to me after a few stiff drinks? Ha, ha... she told me that the first time she did it with a man it was exactly a year after the invention of the two-furrow plough.”

“you’re lying. Yennefer Loathes you like the plague and would never confide in you.”

“Alright. I was lying. I confess.”

“You don’t have to. I know you.”

“You only think you know me. Don’t forget: I’m complicated by nature.”

“Dandelion,” The Witcher sighed, now genuinely tired. “You’re a cynic, a lecher, a womaniser and a liar. And there is nothing, believe me, nothing complicated about that. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Geralt.”

It’s worth noting that everything Dandelion says in this section appears to be accurate to what we witness happen between Essi and Geralt although his motivations for acting that way (like a jerk) aren’t stated. I mean. A huge part of Dandelion’s character is explaining Geralt’s motivations to the audience. I mean it happens again when the doppler turns into Dandelion during The Eternal Flame. The doppler as Dandelion Explains why Geralt won’t hurt him. After having been Geralt.

“You’re right, Geralt.” [the doppler said transforming out of Geralt’s form] “I took over your thoughts. Only briefly, but it was sufficient. Do you know what I’m going to do now?”

[Transforms into Dandelion]

... “I’ll go on my way... I’m going. And you, Geralt will not even try too stop me. Because I, Geralt, knew your thoughts for a moment. Including the ones you don’t want to admit to, the ones you even hide from yourself. Because to stop me you’d have to kill me. And the thought of killing me in cold blood fills you with disgust. Doesn’t it?”

Like A. this scene is very gay but more importantly B. the Doppler understands Geralt's thoughts (because he was him) and then turns into Dandelion to explain them. Because its safer. Geralt’s self loathing is so bad he did get a little murdery about seeing his own face looking back at him. Because Geralt wouldn’t hurt Dandelion. But also because Dandelion understands what’s going on in Geralt’s head and has explained Geralt’s motivations to him before. (Although this story happens before A Little Sacrifice. I think. TIMELINES) And Because Dandelion is his main teether to what’s right and Good. To his own moral compass. (Despite being a thief and a spy and a liar and a cynic and a cheater.)

I mean Geralt asks him what to do during the Dragon hunt because everyone is telling him Kill the Dragon. Kill the Dragon. Yennefer literally gets all teary eyed asking him to do it for Her even. And for a moment Geralt wavers and isn’t sure. So he asks Dandelion.

“And what’s your opinion about all this, Dandelion? What do you think?”

“What does it matter what I think? I’m a poet, Geralt. Does my opinion matter at all?”

“Yes it does”

“Well I’ll tell you then. When I see a reptile, Geralt, a viper, let’s say or some other serpent, it gives me the creeps, the vileness disgusts and terrifies me. But that dragon...”

“Yeah?”

“It... It’s pretty, Geralt.”

“Thank you Dandelion.”

“What for?”

Also (not to circle back to something that’s literally a page ago but) his comment on Yennefer,

“I know who warped you like that, who left you unable to understand a normal woman. Oh, but that Yennefer of yours was a troublemaker; I’m damned if I know what you see in her.”

and how she made him feel not human also seemed very accurate from their section together in A Shard Of Ice. (which Dandelion was not present for in the books but seems to have gathered well enough) So the fact that Dandelion knows Geralt Really fucking well is. Well its Canon.

#hope this helps you win your argument #god fucking damnit #long post #writing #reading the witcher #why do yall keep doing this to me #the witcher #Also oh fuck. Geralt is So hard on himself and his appearance during the eternal fire #which is just after A Shard Of Ice #where Yennefer cheats on Geralt. Abuses him.#No wonder he's so mean to himself #and wavers in his convictions #look if the way the Dragon mountains ends means we don't get Shard of Ice then I'm happy #I don't want the 'geralt gets abused for 6 months' by Yennefer plot. It fucking sucks #I might not be huge on their netflix relationship but its the fucking healthiest one they've got!#look i just want good things for all of them i'm sorry

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person-personified · 3 years

Note

also I put in fireworks but I detest those irl, considering I cover my ears when balloons pop. so I hope your ears survived intact 😬

#reeba's asks #my post #mine #mutuals #essie☀️

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mordoriscalling · 4 years

Text

The Second Waltz (pt. 5/5)

(Part 1&2 Part 3 Part 4)

Wanda Pankratz observed the centre of the ballroom with rapt attention, her cornflower blue eyes glistening. She watched the two figures dance to “The Second Waltz” with astounding harmony. Both men were dressed in whites, black and blues, and they had eyes only for each other as they waltzed. Two other pairs danced close to the newlywed couple – two beautiful, blonde ladies with their witchers, one of them from the school of Griffin, the other from the school of Wolf. The Countess the Lettenhove’s lips curled into a tearful smile as she watched them. She then looked at her husband, who stood by her side and appeared just as moved.

“Oh, Alfred,” Lady Pankratz sighed, “we threw our children to the wolves.”

“But, my flower,” Lord Pankratz answered, “Coën is –”

Lady Pankratz tsked. “He’s an honorary Wolf!” she replied, “Please don’t spoil my delightful joke, dearest.”

Her husband chuckled but didn’t argue, then returned to gazing at Priscilla, Julian and Essi and their witchers together with his wife. Both their hearts swelled with love and ached all at once. Their children were happy and excited to begin travelling the country with their partners, yet this also meant that they would start their own lives and not visit home often at all.

Well, a year would have to pass before Essi departed for the Path with Eskel, which was due to Jaskier’s insistence. The Viscount had had a serious conversation with the Wolf witcher, and the rest of the family agreed with him on the matter, so Eskel couldn’t really object to Jaskier’s restrictions, no matter how much they upset Essi herself. The youngest Pankratz sibling had chosen a stage name for herself – Little Eye – and was already impatient to begin their partnership, and if it would bloom into a romantic relationship, then that would surprise precisely no one. Everybody could see how much the two admired each other already.

Priscilla renewing her partnership with Coën had certainly been a surprise. The Griffin witcher had of course been invited to Julian and Geralt’s wedding, for the Wolves treated him like their brother, yet no one had expected the reconciliation between the two to go quite the way it had.

When Priscilla and the witcher had been left alone in the room to discuss their issues, their conversation had quickly turned loud enough that everyone could hear it. The two had quite a set of lungs.

“Pris, you almost died!” Coën had cried, “You almost died and I couldn’t protect you!”

“You almost died,” Priscilla shot back, “because you threw yourself between me and that damned wyvern!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have followed me there like I told you to do!”

“And perhaps you should’ve understood when I told you I’d follow you everywhere!”

“No, I don’t understand it, Pris! You deserve so much better than just... me and the Path!”

“It doesn’t get better than you, Coën!”

After that, Priscilla’s family couldn’t hear anything more even if they strained their ears ( and they just so happened to be close), until the pair emerged from the room in high spirits. Although their hurt wasn’t mended, they were willing to travel together again and repair their relationship. As everyone observed them interact before and throughout the wedding, it became clear that they had been lovers after all.

The most surprising of all, however, was the fact that no one knew for certain whether Julian Pankratz and Geralt of Rivia had been lovers before their wedding or not, even though the possibility of it being true seemed to be high - the two always conversed in a very lively manner and their gazes lingered on each other. However, those who had seen their actual first dance were aware that the pair was just... like that.

When the White Wolf and his bard Jaskier danced their second waltz on their wedding day, it was a sight to see. The witcher led for the first half of the dance, then gave the lead to his husband, and the waltz ended with them kissing in a way quite inappropriate for polite company.

Attracting attention and scandalising everyone around seemed to become their trademark when they departed for the Path. The charismatic, colourful bard and the brooding, white-haired witcher made quite a pair. Curious looks followed them everywhere they went and Jaskier always took care to put on a show either by giving a great performance or showing affection for his witcher spouse unabashedly. The public definitely had a preference for the former – Jaskier was indeed an exceptional performer. He gathered great crowds and made them sing his songs all over the country, which resulted in the redemption of Geralt’s name and witchers having coins thrown at them.

Yet, there was no other occasion when Jaskier and Geralt captivated and shocked more than when they danced together. They didn’t frequent balls often, as such parties were too overwhelming for the witcher’s senses, but when they did, it was certain that they would steal the show.

“Husband,” Jaskier would address his witcher spouse sweetly, for he knew that Geralt couldn’t deny him anything when called this name by his betrothed, “dance with me.”

Geralt would agree of course, allowing to be led by Jaskier, or being the one to lead. Jaskier protests regarding the latter grew few and far in between over the years, and he let his witcher do a lot to him on the dancefloor, including the twirls up in the air.

The way the two of them moved together was always full of harmony and passion, which would make them gain both people’s admiration and scorn. Geralt and Jaskier didn’t particularly care for either in the moment.

(Especially that they were capable of so much more. They had their “private” kind of dance that couldn’t be witnessed by anyone, as it involved their bodies moving against each other heatedly, their hands wandering everywhere. The sole purpose of it was to lead them to undressing and engaging in another kind of vigorous activity).

What mattered to them during a dance was the irreplaceable feeling of connectedness – the pleasant, comforting sensation of their bodies and minds becoming one as they immersed themselves in the music and motion.

“Still like your favourite pie?” Geralt would ask in a low, warm rumble on moments like this.

Jaskier would smile and answer, “Always, dear heart.”

END

***

A/N: @siriusly-the-best-bi @sometimesiwrite

What I imagine Jaskier and Geralt's "private" dance is a slow kind of tango... The thought of these two doing that makes me *combust*. Anyway, thank you for reading! Writing this was super fun and I hope you enjoyed it as well :D

This fic is also available on AO3.

#myfic #geraskier #geralt x jaskier #arranged marriage au #Regency AU #the witcher fanfiction

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mahalkitajohnnysuh · 4 years

Text

Couple Things (Part I)

I know this can be a part of the Sugar and Fluff series, but it’s quite long to be a part of the compilation. Hence, another mini-series is born that focuses on Johnny and Essie’s life as a couple.

How can she, or anyone else, not resist the charms of this giant cutie? Right? As always...

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: This piece is inspired by another prompt, which I’m not sure if it came from the fluff generator or a friend of mine. It goes like this:

Essie is sick with a cold and can't sleep. Johnny wakes up from Essie’s twisting and turning and has to entertain Essie somehow until they fall asleep.

POV: 3rd person because I believe I wrote it earlier this year.

Word count: 1,200 + words

Warning: Although this piece was written before the coronavirus outbreak, I do not recommend sleeping with your partner or loved one when you are sick. Please do not follow Essie even if she has a drop-dead gorgeous boyfriend.

Recommended listening: I will list down the songs mentioned in the story, which I hope you’ll like.

–––

Essie insisted to sleep beside Johnny even though she was sick.

“It’s just the colds, nothing serious,” she grumbled, lying down on the right side of his bed. “But baby, it can be if you don’t recover from it soon,” was the reply of her boyfriend who looked down at her from the foot of the bed.

The girl snorted before burying herself in the blanket. “Whatever, I’ll sleep here,” she said, shimming herself further into the soft fabric on top of her.

Johnny groaned at his girlfriend’s reaction before he went to his side of the bed. He made sure there was a reasonable distance between them because he didn’t want to get sick as well.

As much as he wanted Essie to sleep in her bed and check on her from time to time, she insisted that she’ll sleep beside him so he wouldn’t be standing up now and then just to see how her condition is.

“I don’t want to be a burden, so I’ll just sleep beside you. I’ll keep a respectable distance, so you don’t get sick too,” she chuckled, flashing him a small smile.

He wasn’t able to respond as she grabbed her medicine, water tumbler, and blanket from her room and placed it on his right bedside table.

\\\

It was two in the morning that Johnny realized he couldn’t sleep properly. Essie kept on twisting and turning on her side of the bed to the point that she was about to fall.

Once he heard a loud thud on the floor, he got up immediately and saw his girlfriend tangled in her blanket.

At first, Essie didn’t react, but when she rolled towards the cabinet, she hit her head against a stray shoe, and she cried in pain.

Johnny stifled his laughter at the scene but shook his head afterward to get back to what he was supposed to do. He picked up Essie from the floor, dusted off her blanket and body from germs, and placed her back on her side of the bed.

As he did so, he heard her mumbling something. “What is it, baby?” he whispered, looking at her face that was mostly obscured by her curls.

“Thank you, daddy,” she mumbled, raising her arms in the air before curling them around his neck.

“So, I’m daddy now?” he chuckled, brushing her hair away from her face. He frowned when he saw how red it was and how sweat pooled on the corners of her forehead and temple.

“Baby, do you feel sticky?” He slipped his hand underneath the blanket and felt for her back. It was damp with sweat. “Oh no, you need to change your shirt.”

The girl groaned before she sat up on the bed. “Can I borrow a shirt, please?”

Johnny was quick to answer her question by plucking a clean shirt from his closet. He handed it to her, and she gestured him to turn around as she changed her shirt. A few seconds later, the sweaty shirt was discarded on the floor, and Essie buried herself deep into the comforter again.

He sighed at the sight of his girlfriend still wiggling under her blanket, thinking that it was better to take care of her when she slept on her bed.

\\\

At 3:30 in the morning, Essie was staring at the ceiling and humming to herself.

She found it hard to sleep again after Johnny picked her up from the floor. She glanced at her boyfriend, who was able to sleep after that incident. But after checking up on him for the fifth time, she was surprised when she saw him looking back at him.

“Youngho!” She cried, slapping his forearm, “Don’t scare me like that.”

“Why are you not asleep?” He asked, his eyes never leaving her face.

“I find it hard to sleep again after I fell. Thanks for picking me up again, by the way,” he acknowledged her words with a nod, “But now I can’t sleep. Sorry if I woke you up. Was I humming too loud?”

“It’s fine. So, how do I make you fall asleep again?”

“Why do you want me to sleep, John?”

“Essie, you need it so you can get better quickly. Don’t be such a brat.”

The girl whined and kicked her legs on the bed as her response. The guy rolled his eyes first before facing his girlfriend seriously. “Baby…” he said lowly, one of his hands gripping her forearm.

“Please make me fall asleep then,” was her calm and collected demand.

Oh, brother. This is going to be hard, he thought, removing his hand from her arm.

“What do you want me to do then?” He started to peel off the blanket from her upper body so he could see more of her.

“The usual, with some singing,” she chirped, clapping her hands together in glee. He moved closer to her – damn it if he gets sick later or on some other day – and ran his hand through her hair.

Essie closed her eyes as Johnny detangled the knots from her hair with his hand. He saw her smiling as he massaged her scalp, leaning her face closer to his hand. She closed her eyes as her cheek pressed against his palm, contented with his action.

He couldn’t help but smile at her reaction and used his free hand to caress the sides of her face. It was warmer than usual (since she was sick), and he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Please sing for me, my love,” she mumbled after his cool lips left her.

He thought for a moment, stroking his chin and looking up at the window across him. The girl peeked at him, and he caught her looking. “Essie!” He whined, squeezing her sides gently before he laid down on the bed again.

Johnny sang his version of The Beatles’ ‘Martha My Dear’ by replacing the name with hers.

Hold your head up, you silly girl

Look what you’ve done

When you find yourself in the thick of it

Help yourself to a bit of what’s around you

Silly girl

He heard her giggle, making him peck her on the nose. “That song fits you well,” he commented after he was done.

“Hmph, that song was about Paul McCartney’s dog,” she said, opening her eyes to look at him. “More, please?”

Johnny was in deep thought again as he tapped her outer thigh. Essie closed her eyes again, and this time, she felt sleep was finally beckoning to her.

For his second song, he didn’t sing – he did his version of Yo La Tengo’s ‘Our Way to Fall’. It was technically a song but the lyrics were done in a spoken word manner instead of being sung.

So try and try even if it lasts an hour

With all our might, try and make it ours

Cause we’re on our way

We’re on our way to fall in love

He felt sleepy when he was about to recite the last verse. But he persevered until he reached the last word. When he did, he heard Essie softly snoring with her mouth slightly ajar.

The baby princess brat has finally succumbed to slumber.

He sighed in relief and gently removed his hand from her face. When she didn’t wake, he shut his eyes and drifted off immediately.

–––

FIN

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