#this is not the first time in the past few days this has happened also LOL

[chilschuck]

Hii!!! I just discovered your blog and i have to say, dude i loooooove the way you write about Chilchuck!!! Absolutely lovely!

If your requests are open, id really like to know your thoughts on Chil intereacting/dating with a reader who's also a hafling? Maybe they're also the shortest of haflings even tho they are an adult? (T^T projecting hard coz I'm 21 and havent grown since 6th grade, literally 4'10 lmfao)

Feel free to ignore if you dont feel comfortable with this ask! Again, love all your works 😭💕

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ WAAAAAH ANON THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! (;;;w;;;) i was so happy to write this because my insert is also a half-foot, so this was fun to do!!! i made this super fluffy so i hope you enjoy it!! <333

— CHILCHUCK: x half-foot reader hcs.

꒰ warnings: ꒱ none, sfw + gn!reader! suuuuper fluffy!!

꒰ wc: ꒱ 562

✦ hope this is okay anon!!! this was so fun and now i’m in such a fluffy mood. (;;;w;;;) just wanna pull him close and give him so much love, waaaaah.

✦ Chilchuck would definitely use the height difference he has to his advantage. When you’ve been dating for a while, I like to think he’d pull you to his chest and rest his head on your shoulder, enjoying the proximity. Maybe he even rests his chin on top of your head when he’s feeling affectionate.

✦ Cuddling with this man as another half-foot is so nice. He’s going to be the big spoon most nights to feel protective, and in doing so he’s wrapping you up in that warm body of his. If you feel like spoiling him, snuggle your head into his chest as he holds you, wrapping your arms around him. He’d probably melt into the blankets.

✦ We know Chilchuck isn’t very affectionate in front of others, but I like to imagine him still pulling you close behind closed doors and burying his head into your neck after a long day. Maybe he comes home and wordlessly kisses your forehead, pulling you into him and sighing. (He’ll probably not talk about anything that happened at work, but at least he shows you he’s there!)

✦ As you’re another half-foot, dancing with him is a must! Especially after he’s had a few drinks in his system. We know from that one piece of official art that he can, in fact, dance a bit, so I can see him pulling you in as well. Any time you two can, dance with him and enjoy how big his smile is when you grab his hand that’s held out to you.

✦ I saw other people headcanon this, but imagine wearing his clothes and having them be a little baggy on you. You enjoy it a bit too much, going through his laundry and finding something of his to wear. Chilchuck will get a little red in the face at the sight of you in his shirts, but he’ll wave it off and mumble how nice you look.

✦ Leaning up to kiss his cheek and pulling him by his belt towards you will definitely get him a little flustered. We know how this man is with affection, but if it’s from you, it gets his heart beating a good bit. Decorate his face in kisses by pulling him down gently by his neckwarmer and watch as he lifts his hands up to shakily hold your waist. Sometimes he even pulls you to his lips to get what he really wants if you keep teasing him like this.

✦ Going back to cuddling, if you decide to share a bedroll with him, he’s the perfect sleeping partner. Seeing as he likes to sleep on his back, you can easily slot up against his side and rest your head against his chest. He’ll wrap an arm around you to subconsciously pull you closer in the middle of the night. (Be prepared to get super warm and toasty while sleeping now!)

✦ Chilchuck thinks your height difference is cute, but he’ll never admit it out loud. You can use it to your advantage too by walking past him and kissing his shoulder. Maybe even wrapping your arms around his waist and kissing the back of his neck. Chil will jump a bit at first, but lean into your touch, especially if you nuzzle into his shoulders. After all, you’re definitely a soft spot for him.

— dividers by @/cafekitsune!! <33

[misc-obeyme]

would u consider obey me a dead fandom?

Um. Nope. I sure wouldn't.

If there's anybody out there who thinks Obey Me is a dead fandom, I would say they're probably confused about what a dead fandom actually is.

I think an argument could be made saying that there is no such thing as a dead fandom. But I'm going to assume you mean that fan content is at an all time low.

Friend, I have been in fandoms where the content was like... you get a fic or two every year if you're lucky. This for a media that hadn't put out any new content in decades.

Obey Me? I get an average of five asks per day about Obey Me. I can queue 10 posts per day about Obey Me. I still average over 800 notes a day on this here Obey Me blog. In the past few months, we've had new artists and writers joining the community and posting their Obey Me fan works. The game is still active and updating. There are two apps even.

So no, I personally would not consider the Obey Me fandom to be dead by any means.

It's certainly been more active in the past. I'll never forget the surge of activity that happened when Nightbringer first came out. My Solomon fics seemed to double their notes over night lol.

But we're also in a bit of a lull right now because we aren't getting new chapters. Every time an event happens, there's another burst of activity. And then things die down just a little before they surge again. That's the nature of fandom.

Another common fandom thing is people coming and going. I've been here for almost two years, but there are others who have been here for four. And then there are some people who've only been in the fandom for a couple months. And then there are the people who were here at the beginning, but have since moved on. Maybe they only stayed for a few months before moving on. Maybe they're only casually in the fandom, dipping in now and again. This is also just the nature of fandom. There's no right way to do it. And it doesn't reflect on whether a fandom is alive or dead.

Hell, we even have plenty of discourse and toxic stuff in this here fandom, too. More of that when there's nothing else to do, I think, which is unfortunate, but also kinda... just part of fandom.

And all of this is just how it is on Tumblr. I know there are active Obey Me communities on Twitter/X and Instagram, too. I'm just too old and tired to maintain that many socials. I actually have accounts on both of those apps but I rarely use them.

And lastly, I'm a big proponent of being involved in fandom no matter how active the community is. By this I mean, if I still have an Obey Me hyperfixation in ten years when the apps are closed down and nearly everybody else has moved on, I will still be here posting fic. Because I won't leave a fandom until I am ready to move on from it, dead or not. (Sometimes this can mean you are one of the few people still creating for said fandom, but you might be surprised at how many people will still enjoy what you create.)

[yoonia]

the bedroom hymns ● chapter xviii

⟶ Chapter summary | Something is amiss. Whether it is the circumstances growing within the fairy tale realm, or the happenings within his Empire. Holding onto the past reminding him of the night his life was turned outside down by fate, Yoongi tries his best to fix everything, finding answers that could help secure the promised future that he wishes to have with you. 

⟶ Title | The Bedroom Hymns: a Bluebeard’s twist ⟶ Pairings | Min Yoongi x female reader  ⟶ Genre | Fairy Prince!Yoongi, Crown Princess!reader, Fantasy AU, Fairy Tale retelling ⟶ Word count | 8,741 words ⟶ Ratings | PG-13, +18 / M for Mature for future chapters; include magic terms, mentions of illness/plagues, classism, flashbacks. ⟶ Story Masterlist: The Bedroom Hymns | ⤎ previous chapter | next chapter ⇢ ⟶ Main Masterlist | Mailbox | Taglist | Feedback | Music Playlist | Ko-fi

chapter xviii. the fairy prince

Yoongi is beginning to regret ever coming home to Emburn. 

The regret doesn’t usually affect him as much when he has to consider the advantages that he has gained by being home. 

Being back in Emburn had not only given him a chance to recharge and recover by being close to the source of his magic, after using his mana for so long while he travelled through the human realm. It has also allowed him to remain close to the Emperor. The time he spent away from home has been filled with too many worries plaguing his mind. Not only for the Emperor’s health but also for his father’s safety, knowing that there may be certain factors present within the empire’s territory that may pose a threat to the Emperor and the throne while Yoongi was away. 

But being home also means having access to his magic portals which he wasn’t able to use back at the human realm. 

If not for his magic portals, travelling back and forth between two different realms would have been inconvenient, and he wouldn’t have been able to travel to many different places in the short period of time that he still has to finish his mission. 

And because of his magic portals, Yoongi was finally reunited with the one that has become his main purpose for a long time. Long before he accepted the duty that the Emperor had given him. 

Had he chosen to remain in the human realm, to stay back and lie in wait in Smotia the same way he had been instead of chasing the path that fate was leading him to, he would have missed the opportunity to find you. He would have been stuck in the same place, chasing your shadows without ever knowing what it would be like to spend time with you. He wouldn’t have been able to receive the blessing of your presence, nor to be able to listen to your voice that sounds like a gentle lullaby to his ears. 

His lips curl to a small smile as he thinks of you. Something deep inside his chest quivers each time he recalls the time he spent with you. No matter how brief and short those moments have been. 

Thinking about you makes him desperately wishing that he was somewhere else instead of being here, strolling down the cold hallways of the imperial palace in long strides and with tense shoulders — as if he is about to go to war. He could have been out there instead, spending his time with you and learning more about you. And yet here he is now, making his way to deal with the one thing that he is dreadful of the most. 

To have a private audience with the Empress. 

Ever since the night Yijeong came to fetch him in the middle of his outing in Grimm, Yoongi has been doing his best to stay away from the main palace. Avoiding his mother, the Empress, no matter how many times she has sent someone to summon him for a private audience with her.  

At first, Yoongi had hoped that he would feel the ripples from the magic portals alerting him of your movement, giving him a reason to escape moments like this. But the portals have been idle. At least, they have been from your side, letting him know that you haven’t been using the portals again for the past few days. And he has been stuck in a state of limbo since. Stuck between worrying about you and feeling disappointed for not getting a chance to run away with you.  

Yet fate has been on his side regardless, giving him enough excuse to avoid seeing the Empress whenever her summons came. Even if it meant having to deal with the dire circumstances that are currently happening in the Land of Far Far Away. Things that had been most overwhelming for him to deal with. 

The turbulence that he sensed since his first arrival to Emburn has been growing more intense as of late. Trouble has risen in various places within the realm, coming in various forms that Yoongi could no longer ignore. It may not have been his responsibility to get involved in this kind of matter — especially when it involves other kingdoms’ business. 

But Yoongi still had to investigate the situation further before these dire troubles would ever reach his empire, and he had the magic portals to help him move around the realm, visiting various territories to find out what has been happening in his home realm. 

And yet, his attempts to continue avoiding this day have come to an end. Things have been quiet lately. No further development nor changes have been found. No news calling him to set out on a voyage. No signs coming from you either to know what he must do to escape from this place to see you. 

Yoongi is running out of excuses while the Empress is running out of patience. 

Clenching his hands to his side, Yoongi marches towards the Empress’s parlour, where his mother is currently waiting for him. The day is still too early for him to be here, and to be facing this ordeal, but he knows that it would be unreasonable for him to delay this further. 

Two royal guards stand by the doorway to the Empress’s parlour once he reaches the place. The door is closed shut, while the Imperial Aide, the royal butler, stands in front of the door — as if he was deliberately made to wait for the Crown Prince to arrive. 

Yoongi takes a moment to collect his wits. He cannot think of a reason why his mother would choose to have her breakfast in her private quarter this morning instead of using the royal dining room for this kind of meeting. Yoongi can only assume that his reluctance to indulge her would be the reason behind her choices. 

Even though there is also the possibility that it may have something to do with their special guests.

Yoongi grits his teeth as he thinks about the Empress’s guests. The real reason why he has been avoiding seeing his own mother since his return. He can only hope that by choosing to invite him to her parlour, the Empress is keeping this meeting short and personal. 

“I’m ready to see the Empress,” Yoongi calmly announces to the Imperial Aide before him. Neither of the guards shows any reaction to his presence, while the Aide greets him with a slight bow before turning to the door. 

The massive door to the Empress’s parlour creaks as it opens, allowing the warm breeze from the chamber to reach the hallway outside. 

“The Crown Prince has arrived for the Empress,” the Aide announces Yoongi’s arrival into the room, his bold voice echoing through the chamber. 

Without waiting for a response, Yoongi enters the chamber with long, confident gaits, eager to get things done as soon as possible so he can continue with his day. He keeps the thought of you in his mind to help him push through with every step he takes, going straight towards the center of the parlour where the Empress is calmly waiting for him. 

Once he is inside, the warm morning sun immediately embraces Yoongi, making it seem as if he had just stepped outside of the palace and is now walking across the garden instead of entering a private chamber. 

Which isn’t completely wrong, as the Empress’s parlour isn’t made like any other private quarters that can be found in the main palace. 

The door to the chamber opens up to a small foyer that appears like a landing to the palace’s towers. The floor continues not to a set of stairwells leading up to the upper floors, and instead opens up to a spacious room with floor-to-ceiling windows made of shadow glass which connect to a dome ceiling that was built of the same materials as the glass walls. The clear shadow glass above his head allows sunlight to penetrate directly into the chamber, like the glasshouse that most would find in the royal gardens and the public parks across the empire. 

White osnite stone-blocks make up the floor, formed into small pathways leading to the center of the chamber with patches of white-root grass. On either side of the pathway, green hedges lined up perfectly as a guide, each hedges are adorned with scarlet laceflowers and black-eyed tulips — the Empress’s favourite flowers. 

A small dining table is placed under the silver-leave sycamore tree that grows at the heart of the chamber, topped with various assortments and drinks as if it has been prepared for a fancy feast instead of an intimate meeting. 

Yoongi’s mother, Empress Ariane, sits at the table on her own. Barely paying attention to Yoongi as she slowly sips her tea while he makes it across the chamber to approach her. 

“Good morning, Your Majesty.” Yoongi formally greets his mother. 

Lowering her cup of tea, Empress Ariane turns to her son and nods. “Good. You’re here.” Sets her cup down to the table and rings for the palace maids as she gestures to the empty seat across the table, “Sit. We have much to discuss.” 

Yoongi is once again forced to grit his teeth and hold back the retort forming on the tip of his tongue. If he wants to get this over with and keep his peace, he needs to play along. For now. 

With a slight nod, Yoongi merely answers with, “Yes, Mother,” before taking his seat to join her.  

“It bothers me to think of how hard it has been for me just to see my son.” 

Several minutes have passed since Yoongi had joined the Empress at the breakfast table. Minutes filled with tension and silence that even the palace maids tending to Yoongi’s breakfast meal had to move as if they were walking on eggshells. Only once everyone has left the chamber does Empress Ariane start to speak, although she barely acknowledges Yoongi’s discomfort as she keeps her attention on the tea that she is pouring.

Yoongi knows that this is just one of the games that she plays to show him that she holds all control. It is her way of showing him that as long as the Emperor has yet to hand over the throne and she is still the acting ruler taking his place, Yoongi is still required to follow her rules. 

Yet Yoongi has his own game plan prepared whenever he has to deal with the Empress. A plan that even the Emperor himself may not be so fond of, even if he is the force behind everything that Yoongi has been working on. 

“You know there are duties that I must fulfil while His Majesty is absent. You should consider it one of the steps I must go through to prepare myself for taking the Emperor’s place.” 

Lifting her cup of tea, Empress Ariane lifts her gaze at her son. “Hmmm,” she hums softly, barely reacting as she carefully drinks her morning tea. 

“I don’t know why you have to involve yourself directly when you could have sent out someone you trust to do these things instead,” she says after a brief pause. 

It is possible that the Empress might be fishing for a reaction. Knowing this, Yoongi masks his expression as best he can, although the Empress’s comment doesn’t stop Yoongi from wondering if she had somehow learned about what he has been up to, nor about what the Emperor had sent Yoongi out to do. He is quite sure that no one in the empire would have any knowledge of the mercenary army that he built as a front to hide his movements. Even if the people from the empire have ever heard about the brotherhood, Yoongi has made sure that they would never find out about his and Yijeong’s involvement with them. 

But that doesn’t mean that he can remain complacent. 

Yoongi has no doubt that the Empress may have planted spies around his men and the people working around him within the palace. Accepting the tea that the Empress is offering him, Yoongi silently reminds himself to be more vigilant with his actions. Yet his main focus right now is to learn what the Empress is up to and how much that she knows about his deal with the Emperor, or why Yoongi had spent such a long time travelling through the human realm. 

“Why did you have the breakfast setup in this chamber instead of using the royal dining room?” Yoongi calmly asks, choosing to divert the conversation instead of reacting to her snide comment. 

If Empress Ariane is thrown off by his response, she isn’t showing it. “I like it better here. The peace and quiet is a nice change,” the Empress haughtily says, “I also figured if I invited you to meet somewhere else with a formal setup, you would have only refused to come.” 

She turns her sharp gaze to Yoongi, adding, “I also know that you wouldn’t have come to me if you had thought we were having our guests joining us.” 

Keeping his eyes on the Empress, Yoongi takes a bite of his breakfast muffin to hide his playful smirk. “And where are your guests this morning, as they aren’t invited to this special meet-up that I am so privileged to attend?” 

Empress Ariane appears miffed at Yoongi’s comment. The way he is insinuating that he takes no part in welcoming these guests isn’t lost to her. 

“They are having their breakfast in the Lillypad Pavillion,” she says, referring to the guest pavilion that is located near the small lake on the Southern side of the Imperial Palace’s territory. The place which the previous Empress—Yoongi’s grandmother—had deeply favoured before her passing. Away from the main palace, the pavilion is quite secluded. It is the only place within the Imperial Palace’s territory which Empress Ariane rarely visits. 

“The weather is turning cold and the view of the Emerald Lake should be more interesting for them to enjoy instead of being stuck within the cold palace walls and witnessing the Crown Prince’s brooding face.” 

Yoongi barely holds back his sarcastic scoff. “Wise decision.”

As long as you are keeping them away from me, he wonders to himself. Because he would never allow himself to be in the same room with them. Especially not the recently-crowned Emperor of Kosha. Someone related to his father’s former nemesis. 

The fact that the Empress is associating herself with the people from the Kosha Empire is unfathomable. Yet he cannot ignore the fact that it may have something to do with her parentage, as Empress Ariane’s bloodline had come from the Kosha Empire, dating since long before their involvement in the Great Siege many years ago. 

“I take it that today will be just another busy day for you?” the Empress questions him with a sneer, while Yoongi maintains his cool.

“You know this, and yet you still have to ask. I do have my duties, since—much like you do—I am obligated to fill in the Emperor’s shoes as someone who has played the role as one of the protectors of the realm while ruling this empire with his magic,” Yoongi reminds his mother, who wears a scowl on her face. She doesn’t seem to enjoy being reminded of how vital the Emperor’s absence has been, not only for the empire but also for the rest of the realm.

“What was your true purpose of summoning me home, Mother?” Yoongi asks, almost with a challenging tone in his voice, “Aside from forcing me to be the host to your outstanding guests?” 

The Empress’ scowl deepens before she hides it by picking up her cup of tea. “Would it be so wrong for a mother to want to see her son?” she scoffs. Yoongi sees the sight of her jaw clenching for a brief moment, a tension that has been appearing quite often lately, although her edginess seems to calm down with a sip of her tea. 

She always drinks her tea when she is agitated, Yoongi wonders as he tilts his head, studying the Empress closely while she seems to have her mind wandering away. 

He starts to notice how tired and frail she looks, something that he seems to have overlooked during the previous times they spent sharing these terse — and ridiculously intense — conversations. 

“I might have been busy trying to fill in the Emperor’s place until he—” With a sharp inhale of breath, her words are cut short. She purses her lips with anguish at whatever it was that almost slipped out of her lips, and Yoongi cannot help but wonder what might be going on through her mind right now about the Emperor’s condition. 

The Empress's hand trembles as she lowers the cup to the table. “I, too, have my responsibilities to the empire and the people in the Emperor’s absence,” she says with a tight voice which makes Yoongi feel guilty about bringing up his father’s absence in all of this. “But that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t have time to worry about the Crown Prince while he is taking his time away from the empire so much.” 

Yoongi gives her a bitter smile. “How nice of you to be thinking about my well-being. But as you can see for yourself, I am doing fine.” 

The Empress’s hand once again trembles. This time, she barely contains her emotions when she snaps, “You know that your well-being isn’t the only thing that I am concerned about.”  

Yoongi certainly didn’t expect to see the Empress losing her calm. Yet Yoongi remains cool-headed, even though he cannot help but wonder why the Empress seems to be in so much haste in trying to get him to settle back in the Imperial Palace, when even the ailing Emperor himself has yet to show any signs of handing over the crown. 

“Are you worried that I would be neglecting my responsibilities as the apparent heir to the throne?” Yoongi curiously wonders, and the distaste he sees in his mother’s face becomes more evident. 

“How could I not, when you are always away instead of focusing on your duties back home?” the Empress objects, “Instead of dawdling away and creating racket everywhere, you should be preparing yourself to marry and replace the Emperor by claiming the throne.”

Yoongi can barely holds back his emotions after hearing this. The Empress’s comment made him sound like a delinquent who is rebelling against his family and the royal duties he must fulfil, when he has been working hard to fulfil his promise to the Emperor. A promise that he intends to keep if he wants to protect the people of Emburn. 

“Marry?” Yoongi lets out an incredulous laugh when he can no longer keep his calm. “And who, dare I ask, shall I marry, Your Majesty?” 

Looking straight into his mother’s eyes, he taunts her with a bitter chuckle, “Perhaps you are thinking about the Princess that you have been so kindly housed in the guest room so close to where your bedchamber is?”  

Instead of answering, Empress Ariane simply gives her son a look filled with disapproval. “What if that is my intention? What if the purpose of having our guests is to arrange for you to open the path to the Crown?” 

The Empress raises her chin. “Don’t tell me that you still believe that farce prophecy about you having someone betrothed to you since birth.” 

Biting the insides of his cheeks, Yoongi can barely hold back the growl escaping his throat when he retorts back with, “It wasn’t a farce, Mother.” 

“Then tell me, Son. Where is she? Why—if she was the one chosen by the moon—is she not here to claim her place by your side?” Empress Ariane challenges her son, “That’s because the one you were promised to never existed.”

But I have found her. 

It is what Yoongi wishes so deeply to shout at his mother. Because he has found his soulmate. He had found you, after many years of searching until you finally came to his path. 

Yet he keeps his words to himself. Keeping his secret in order to keep you safe. 

“Don’t trust anyone.” 

Emperor Aymon’s words continue to linger in his mind each time Yoongi starts feeling doubtful. His warning serves as a reminder that he needs to be careful who to trust. Knowing his father’s past involving deception and betrayal, and what it did to the empire’s fate, Yoongi knows to listen well and follow his words. 

But how far is the limit? What draws the line between honesty and deceit? What signs should he be looking for in terms of deciding who to trust? 

He hates having to be wary of his own mother. But he understands the need to put his guards up when even the Emperor himself has always been cautious of Empress Ariane. And now, with the Empress openly showing her connection to the Kosha Empire, Yoongi knows that his time is running out.

Trouble is getting near, and the Empress’s actions may become the catalyst of what the Emperor has predicted to happen. 

Yoongi will have to see the Emperor again soon. 

Days have passed since he returned from Grimm. 

Days without any sign coming from the portals to let him know that you are currently on the move. It has him worrying about you when he hears nothing from your side. Yet at the same time, the passing days when he had to remain in the Imperial Palace have allowed him to carry on with his investigation regarding the circumstances transpiring in the Land of Far Far Away. 

To figure out if the turbulences that have been happening all around him have anything to do with Emperor Aymon’s weakening mana and his inability to control his magic. 

This thought had first crossed Yoongi’s mind after the first visit he made to the Emperor when he first came back to Emburn. The barely contained mana that he felt erupting from the Emperor at the height of his fever one night had coincidentally matched the disturbances that he felt rippling through the air. It was also visible in the night sky when Yoongi took his evening walk in the royal gardens, the display of light dancing in the night sky with dark crimson shades that almost appeared like a burning flame. 

At first, he refused to believe that the Emperor’s illness would have anything to do with the signs that he was seeing. Emperor Aymon may have been one of the strongest fairies ever lived long before he fell ill, as the one carrying on the legacy of the Ancient Fairies of the realm through his bloodline, yet there was no possible way that the Emperor’s magic would have been strong enough to affect the entire realm with his ailment. 

It wasn’t until much later, once he was deep in his investigation when Yoongi learned that maybe, there really is a silver lining between what is currently happening in his home realm to his father’s condition. 

“There has to be a sense of balance within the realm to maintain peace,” Emperor Aymon had spoken the night Yoongi came to bring this up to him, “And that balance had been fractured for a long, long time.” 

“But—I don’t understand. What does it have to do with you being ill?” 

“My illness,” the Emperor hummed with a light chuckle. “It is one of a ruler’s responsibilities to protect their kingdom. For the likes of us, we use our magic to keep our empire from falling. To serve as the pillars of our kingdoms. But as always, the kind of magic that we use to do our duty as a ruler comes with a price.” 

As he sat beside the Emperor’s bed, Yoongi recalled everything that he had learned ever since he began taking lectures from various tutors growing up, and the things that the Emperor himself had taught him about being the apparent heir of Emburn. 

“You’ve taught me this a long time ago.” 

Emperor Aymon struggled as he took in a slow breath that seemed a bit too shallow to Yoongi’s liking. “The disturbances that you are seeing now — it has been on its way to our empire, our land, for as long as I can remember. Keeping up with the spells to protect this empire may have cost me a lot more than I had expected.” 

Yoongi leaned closer then to ask, “Is that what’s happening to you?” 

The Emperor responded with a light chuckle, only that his laughter soon faded into a fit of cough that took its time settling down. He didn’t speak after a brief while. Not until Yoongi helped him with a glass of water to help soothe the pain in his chest. “If only that had been the only reason, we would’ve solved this problem a long time ago. Other factors may have come into play in this whole situation,” Emperor Aymon scoffed lightly, “My condition, for one.” 

Emperor Aymon lowered his voice when he continued further, “And those factors may also be the reason why the entire realm is fighting for its survival right now.” 

“Do you know who might be behind this?” 

Yoongi had to bite his tongue to keep himself from asking the real question; “Is there someone who is deliberately making the Emperor ill?”

“I can’t say,” he hummed, almost to himself. Almost as if he didn’t want to say more. 

“But you have suspicions.” 

Instead of answering his son, the Emperor pushed himself higher to lean back against the bedrest, finding comfort so he could breathe better before asking Yoongi firmly, “You need to look closer into what is happening. Find out how far it has gotten. We don’t want a repeat from the past.” 

Yoongi was taken aback. “The past—?” Deep down, he already had a hunch at what the Emperor was insinuating, although he had doubts about it. 

Emperor Aymon fell into another coughing fit before he could finally speak again. “Find out how bad it has gotten, and find the source of this disorder. Find any proof—” Another cough slipped right out of him, and he could barely find his voice to add, “Make sure that you’ll have a clue and an answer before you find her and bring her back home.” 

As always, every conversation that Yoongi shared with the Emperor had always ended with the mention of his missing childhood friend. “You make it seem like Queen Milena is the answer to everything.” 

He always does. It made Yoongi wonder if there was something that he was missing. 

A haunted smile flickered briefly on the Emperor’s pallid face. “She might as well be,” he murmured in a fading voice, and Yoongi already knew that he wouldn’t have his answer, not even when his father whispered as he slowly faded into slumber, “She’s the link to the past, after all.” 

Yoongi may not be able to understand completely Emperor Aymon’s fixation on finding the missing Queen. But he still sees it as his duty. His obligation as the Crown Prince of Emburn. It also helps that he has his own agenda in finding the Queen. Although he has yet to reveal even to the Emperor that he has found the Princess. 

The only person in this realm who is related to the Queen. 

Yet revealing this will only make his work harder. It may also steal any precious time that he can share with you before he would have to reveal everything and involve you in the entire spectacle. The things that you barely have any knowledge of as someone who is still unfamiliar with the realm, and absolutely no clue of your true family lineage. 

Stepping out of the main palace to make his way out into the Eden Isle Gardens — the place where he would always be able to find solace — Yoongi can already sense the heaviness lingering in the air. It might be his own agitation that is making him feel this way, he realises, but it feels unsettling how hard it is for him to shake this feeling off. 

Especially when he notices that this agitation has only been escalating after the unpleasant time he just shared with the Empress. He could barely get himself together when he walked out of the Empress’s parlour. The scents from the wild flowers and the sycamore leaves are still clinging heavily all over him, keeping his thoughts rooted to the conversation that he had with the Empress even as he is walking far away from it. 

Even thinking back to the conversation he had with his father cannot help erase the edginess that is lingering in his chest. If any, it is only making him feel more restless. 

He should be out there right now, to reconvene with his mercenary army and start gathering new information from his men. But he is currently not in the right mind to be acting like the strict captain of the brotherhood that his men have known him to be. Not one that would fit to wear the crest and the disguise of a commoner when his mind is filled with matters involving Emburn and the weight of the crown. 

Yoongi also knows that he won’t be able to focus when his mind is occupied in trying to understand what the Empress is planning to do. He knows that his mother would stop at nothing to make sure that he takes the throne, only that she seems to want Yoongi to do it under her terms. 

It is during times like this that Yoongi feels grateful for having the mercenary army working under his command. Being only the Crown Prince — one with little to no power or enough privilege to meddle with other kingdoms’ business — makes it impossible for Yoongi to directly investigate the issues on his own. 

Not to mention, having the responsibility of protecting his own identity before he could finally take over the throne forces him to hold back from exposing himself the these foreign kingdoms. That includes passing through various borders and entering foreign territories as much as he wants.  

And it’s not like they would easily welcome him had he travelled under the Emburn Empire’s flag either. 

Which is why Yoongi has been sending out his men to investigate on his behalf. Moving around in small groups of army men, the Brotherhood of Jorn has been able to travel through the fairy tale realm to gather all the information that Yoongi needs. 

Hiding under the guise of a mercenary group that isn’t tied to any ruling kingdom, the common people have been able to welcome the men of his brotherhood with open arms. Most would find themselves becoming more open to sharing not only the most current gossip spreading around the land, but also the most confidential subjects that Yoongi and his men from Emburn would have missed. 

As a matter of fact, the day he met you in Grimm was actually one of the rare times that Yoongi had to spend traveling to these places himself. Reports from his men about the situation in Grimm had just reached him, and he decided that he had to witness it himself to figure out what exactly was happening.

And he didn’t like what he was seeing. 

Grimm, among some other places where the most prosperous farmlands existed, was beginning to experience some sort of a peculiar plague. 

The rivers were drying. Crops were rotting long before the farmers could get the chance to harvest. Little children and old folks were starting to fall ill. Farm animals have stopped producing and many have fallen into a peculiar sickness which no scholar could solve. 

Yoongi wouldn’t have believed it had he not been there to see it for himself. He had even spent time asking around to find more details from the local farmers. Seeing is believing, and he was beginning to realise that his father might have been right about the realm being affected by the imbalance of nature. 

His investigation that day may have led him nowhere, seeing that he wasn’t able to acquire more information from his visit to the farmlands. Yet he would never be able to regret the long hours he spent that day at Grimm. Not when he gained something good from his outing at the end of the day. 

He wasn’t lying when he said that fate must have had something to do with you crossing his path that day. Because unlike the other times when he had to be sneaky and use magic to track you down, fate itself — and the magic portals — had brought you straight to him for a change when he least expected it. 

Yoongi was in the middle of dealing with the farmers who were confiding with him about the failing crops when he felt a disturbance in the air; the ripples of magic which could have only happened when a magic portal was activated. 

Soon after, before he could make up his mind to find you, you appeared right before his eyes. 

Like a mirage. A gift from fate. The perfect distraction that had come at the perfect time that it felt like a blessing to have you there. 

As Yoongi enters the Eden Isle Gardens, revelling in the subtle ripple of magic welcoming him in his secret place of solitude, Yoongi begins to hold out hope that fate will be on his side again today.

Taking shelter at the center gazebo, Yoongi takes a seat and turns his gaze towards the portal gate before him. None of these portals would lead him to find you, as they are gateways that would only open under the Emperor’s commands. Only the Emperor holds the key to these portal gates connecting Emburn to other kingdoms that are part of an old alliance formed by the former Emperors of Emburn and the Royal Council ruling the empire. 

Yet here he is, sitting at the same place where he always finds himself when he needs a moment of reprieve. The same place where he was sitting that many years ago. 

This is where he would find solitude and peace, embracing the silence as he escapes from reality. To forget his troubles even if for a brief moment, and slow himself to be taken back to the past, reminiscing the events and the conversation that happened and shared on the night fate turned his life around. 

But there is another reason why he finds himself sitting here today. 

The sun is still high, not exactly the usual time that he would normally choose to be hiding away in this place. Yet the energy that has been luring him into the magic gardens has been so strong, just as strong as the memory that has been pulling him back to this place.

Once again, Yoongi finds himself being captivated by the same portal gate that has always drawn his curiosity. The portal gate that has been permanently locked, guarded by the Emperor’s spell. 

On the other side of the portal lies the fallen empire and the barren landscape that was left from the tragedy that happened many years ago. The crawling white mist that Yoongi would sometimes see creeping from beneath the gate is the only thing left of the opulent empire that once was. 

Other times, looking at the portal gate and the darkness beyond had left him with an eerie feeling. An uneasiness that was created not only by the stories that Yoongi had learned about the past, but also from the haunting dreams that he has been getting since the first time he returned to Emburn. 

And yet, for some reason, as Yoongi keeps his eyes on the locked gate, none of the shadows and the dark mist lurking from behind the gate feels alarming. The energy that the gate is emitting feels enchanting, like an alluring spell that makes it hard for Yoongi to ignore. Somehow, the energy feels different today. It feels oddly comforting. A feeling that he has never felt coming from that specific portal gate before, yet utterly welcome. 

What is happening, he wonders to himself as he silently questions why it seems as if the portal gate is trying to lure him in. 

Leaning against one of the lean pillars under the gazebo, Yoongi is suddenly overcome with exhaustion. The day has yet to reach past noon, yet it already feels like he has already had a long one. 

Having no desire to leave this place and let this brief moment of reprieve slip out of his hand, Yoongi chooses to remain here a bit longer. His duties are waiting for him, Yoongi knows this fact well. Soon enough, he knows that he is going to hear from one of his men — or Yijeong — coming with new reports from their investigation through the realms. Yet he cannot find it in him to care. 

Yoongi moves to the small bench at the center, closing his eyes as he reclines back and tries to relax. In the silence that engulfs him moments later, he allows himself to take everything in, allowing the warm breeze to take him away. Into another place where he could imagine himself being with you. 

Somewhere in a place where he wouldn't have to face his future obligations and the entire ordeal regarding the Emperor’s throne, and you wouldn't have to worry about revealing the secrets of your family bloodline. 

“Why do I feel like I’ve known you for a long time? I know it’s weird, but each time we talk, it feels more like I’m talking to an old friend.” 

He recalls that late afternoon in Grimm, when you said those words to him. The day he sat across from you at the old tavern which has become the secret rendezvous spot for him and his brotherhood. The innocent smile you gave him nearly broke every bit of resolve that he had. The truth hung desperately on the tip of his tongue while he spoke to you, and his guilty conscience has been following him since, chastising him for keeping everything from you. 

Because for Yoongi, you weren’t exactly strangers. Not on the first day he came across your path in Narlès. Not even on the days he was secretly following — or, in Yijeong’s words, stalking — you in various places. 

He knows that you wouldn’t have had any recollection of the day the two of you met for the first time. You were still too young, too little, too gullible to the happenings occurring all around you. Yoongi was also nothing more but a mere little child back then, and sometimes he would wonder if the memory that he has of that night is real. That it wasn’t a dream, nor was it simply a vivid imagination which he conjured to feel hope. 

For many years, Yoongi has felt isolated from the world. Isolated by his own memory, as he had no one else who remembered that day as he always did. No one to witness what happened or to hear the conversation that was shared. 

He remembers how difficult it was to even convince Yijeong about your existence. Because the rest of the realm never seemed to know of your existence, nor had they ever become aware of what happened that day between Yoongi, the missing Queen, and you. 

“There was never a report of Queen Milena having a child,” Yijeong had told him that night when Yoongi first revealed to him about your existence. 

It was the night when Yijeong, disguised in his black cat form, came to join Yoongi here in the magic gardens. The first ripple of the magic from the portals started luring Yoongi’s soul, alarming him of your movement for the first time, and he had to reveal to Yijeong why it mattered to him to find you. 

At first, Yijeong remained in denial. He had believed that he knew everything there was to know about Queen Milena and refused to believe that there was something that he may have missed. Even after coming across your path back in Smotia, long before Yoongi had the opportunity to experience such a blessing, Yijeong still couldn’t accept what Yoongi was trying to say. 

“I’ve studied everything there was to know about the missing Queen, ever since you told me to look for her on behalf of His Majesty Emperor Aymon, but never once have we ever heard about a child.” 

Yoongi had first bit his lips, affected by the doubts that Yijeong had about you, only to then make up his mind and remind his friend, “Have you forgotten? By the time everyone had their eyes and minds off of the war against my father’s alliance, the Queen was already taken.”

The silence that fell after was almost deafening. Yet Yijeong’s comprehension was clear when he spoke, “And only you knew about the Queen’s child.” 

Yoongi could sense the uncertainty in his friend’s voice. There was scepticism that followed every word he spoke, yet Yijeong was still open to listening. That alone was enough for Yoongi to continue, 

“And the Emperor. My father was there when the child came to this realm with the Queen for the first time.” 

As he sat at the gazebo that night, looking over the desolated path leading towards the restricted portal gate connecting his home with the fallen empire, his memory brought him back to the past. Just like always. 

Just like now.

It feels like a lifetime ago when Yoongi, still the gullible child that he was, sat down at this very same seat at the heart of the gazebo together with one of his father’s guests. His father, who was still in the process of preparing himself to take over the throne from the previous Emperor, had welcomed some special guests that day. 

It was a meeting between alliances that was done behind the Royal Council’s knowledge. Even the reigning Emperor of the time had no knowledge of what was transpiring prior to Emperor Aymon’s crowning ceremony. Yoongi was too young to understand the reason behind such secrecy. Yet now that he is older, he has begun putting the dots together, even if the Emperor is still trying to keep him in the dark about what was actually happening then. 

Yoongi remembers watching his father strolling down the walkway after the gathering, heading towards the portal gates with the last of his remaining guest — the man whose face Yoongi can barely remember after so many years have passed. At the time, young Yoongi had remained in this very same gazebo, accompanying the Emperor’s other guest, the soft-spoken woman whom his father had claimed to be a childhood friend who was special to him. 

The woman, who was the Crown Princess of a neighbouring empire at the time, hadn’t been alone. It was the reason why Yoongi was made to stay with her, and how he was so drawn to be with her instead of following his father around the garden like he used to.

“She’s so small,” Yoongi still remembers saying those words while being completely in awe, while the Crown Princess, Her Highness Milena, was humming to herself, completely transfixed at something else which had caught her eyes. 

Yoongi had reached out to the small bassinet that was placed next to the Crown Princess, and immediately, he had pudgy little fingers wrapping themselves around his, surprising both him and Princess Milena. 

“How fascinating,” Yoongi recalls hearing her whisper softly. 

“What?” 

Young Yoongi was confused, unable to understand what was so fascinating about a small baby reaching out to grab his hand. 

But Yoongi can easily remember now that it hadn’t been the contact between the two little children which had amused her so. It was the sparkle of blue and silver dust that grew around the entwined fingers which had charmed Princess Milena. A sign that the simple contact had brought forth a flow of mana that was growing so strong while connecting the two of them.

“What is this?” Yoongi sputtered in shock, unable to understand what was going on, while the Princess remained calm.  

“It’s okay, little Prince. This is a sign from Fate,” Princess Milena mused to him as she brought her hand gently onto Yoongi’s to stop him from pulling away in panic. “It means that your souls are connected. This is quite rare to happen, especially in this time of age.” 

Yoongi didn’t completely understand and could only ask her, “What does that mean?” 

A long time has passed since then, yet Yoongi still remembers the fond smile that she gave him as she clasped her hand around Yoongi’s and her baby’s tiny fingers, keeping them entwined together until the sparkles of magic dust slowly faded. 

“It means,” Princess Milena gently said as she turned her gaze from Yoongi’s curious one to her baby’s face, who was smiling goofily at Yoongi, “The two of you are bonded by Fate. Our ancestors call this bond as ‘love-mates’, yet we mostly refer to this as a soulmate bond.” 

The Queen turned to Yoongi once more, just as he felt his fingers growing warm with the tingle that came together with the sparkle of mana rising between them. The baby girl inside the bassinet was still giggling and cooing to herself as her eyes found Yoongi again, drawing his attention to her just as the Queen whispered, “You are soulmates. You, little Prince, and my little Princess, my precious lily flower, are bonded for life.” 

Yoongi opens his eyes as the warmth that he feels from his memory begins surging through his hand — the same hand that was clasped under the gentle hold of Queen Milena’s hand and your clutching fingers. The feeling is real, intense, and it goes all the way up to his arm. 

Almost as if the flow of mana has been awakened by his memory.

But as he looks down on his hands, Yoongi knows better than to believe that his memory of your touch is the only reason behind this sensation. This is the sign that he has been waiting for. The sign that can only come from the portals, letting him know that there is someone who is activating the magic to allow them to pass through.

Judging from the way his amulet is also responding to the ripples of energy that are now spreading all around him, he knows that the only person who could be behind this phenomenon would be you.

Dragging his eyes away from the locked portal gate before him, Yoongi turns and hastily starts making his way out of the magic gardens. His heartbeat is racing rapidly in his chest. At the thought of finally being able to see you again, Yoongi feels elated. The funk that he has found himself in all day melts away. Hope starts to rise with every step he takes to get out of this place. 

Yoongi has kept his personal portal gate hidden inside his bedchamber, and the journey back seems so far away. He wishes that he had the same ability as Yijeong — to shapeshift into another form to his desire and grow some wings so he could speed up. 

With fast strides, Yoongi soon arrives at the Lumina Apex Hall, the small private building connecting the magic gardens to the royal garden which is more accessible to anyone else residing in the Palace. Closing the glass door behind him, Yoongi walks past the pond of silver fairy dust to make his exit, only to come to a halt. 

As he turns towards the main entrance door, he finds that the royal guards who were supposed to be waiting for him and guarding the place are no longer present. 

Instead, standing by the entrance door is one of the guests that Yoongi has been working so hard to avoid. 

Princess Celestyna stands between the trailing stickweed vine growing around the archway of the entrance door of the Hall. Wearing a slim-fit, ankle-length day dress in a mix of soft peach and ivory, the second Princess of Kosha Empire appears completely out of place in front of the dark-coloured vines and the smoky shadow glass walls. 

Yet her smile is bright, and her expression starts growing even brighter once her eyes fall on Yoongi who is walking carefully to approach her. 

“Good afternoon, Your Highness,” she greets Yoongi with a formal curtsy, “I am Princess Celestyna of Kosha Empire, here to greet the Crown Prince of Emburn.” 

Yoongi bites his tongue, swallowing down the rude retort threatening to spill out. He dislikes it the most when someone who is clearly uninvited dares to step foot in a place that is considered sacred by his people. Not even the royal guards would dare to step foot inside the Lumina Apex Hall without his orders. 

But the Princess is a guest to the empire — a special guest to Empress Ariane, to be exact. The last thing that Yoongi needs is to have the Empress breathing down his neck about disrespecting her guest. 

Yoongi nods and waits until the Princess straightens back up before asking, “How did you get here?” He looks around, noticing that the royal guards that he assigned to stay close have officially left their station without his knowledge. “Where are the guards?” 

“I came here because I wanted to see you, Your Highness,” the Princess answers gracefully with a coy smile on her face. The fact that she is completely disregarding his question about the guards isn’t lost to him when she continues, “The Empress sent me at my request to see you. I know that you are a busy man, but Her Majesty has also proposed for us to spend time together while we have the chance to so that we can get to know each other.” 

Yoongi resists the urge to groan and roll his eyes. He should have known that expressing his thoughts openly with the Empress this morning would only lead to this. He had known that the Empress was up to something. He just didn’t think that she would be initiating her ploy so soon after their altercation. 

“How splendid,” Yoongi says instead with a bite in his voice that is barely noticeable and a forced smile on his face. “Why don’t we find someplace else to talk? Somewhere that would be more comfortable?” 

Just not here, he muses to himself, as he is eager to get the Princess out of this place. 

“Excellent,” Princess Celestyna excitedly says. While she seems happy that Yoongi agrees to spend time with her, Yoongi himself feels bitter. He says nothing as she steps aside, urging Yoongi to walk ahead. “Please lead the way, Your Highness.” 

Swallowing down his bitterness, Yoongi steps forward to make his exit and lead the way out of the Hall. He has his mind set on taking the Princess to the outdoor patio in the royal gardens — just anywhere but here — that he fails to notice the Princess as she suddenly makes a move. He obviously wasn’t expecting her to match his pace and for her to be sliding her arm around his elbow as she walks out of the Hall with him.

As if they are old friends. Or whatever it is that the Empress is trying to mould them to be. 

Having no desire to cause trouble between him, the royal guests, and the Empress, Yoongi chooses not to push her away and fight it. He keeps his silence as he politely escorts the Princess towards the royal gardens. The arm that the princess is holding feels cold, while the surge of energy that he feels on his other arm grows stronger that he has to clench his hand tightly by his side to stop it from trembling. 

As he continues to walk away from the Hall, going the opposite way from the portal inside his bedchamber that is no doubt already glimmering in response to your magic, Yoongi feels — for the first time ever — the distance between you growing further.

As if he is an entire universe away from you. 

— © 2024 Yoonia, all rights reserved. reposting/modifying of any kind is not allowed. unsolicited translations are not allowed.

[myimaginedcorner]

SCALES OF JUSTICE - BETA TESTERS NEEDED

Hi dear readers,

Thank you for your overwhelming trust and support. The opinions that I've collected over the past few days have finally motivated me to put aside my self-criticism and doubt, and to make the next step towards SoJ's release.

Yes, Scales of Justice is now officially in its BETA-test phase!!

If you would like to help me by being a BETA-tester for my book, please, comment under this post, send me a direct message, or message me on CoG's forum. I aim to take around 20 to 30 people, so we can have a big and productive group that nonetheless remains constructive in its feedback.

If you don't have the time or you don't want to be a tester, consider sharing this post, so it can get to as many of you as possible.

I will be working alongside the testers on improving style, grammar, and other minor details that require polishing as the month progresses. Hopefully, by the end of it we'll have an even better version of this book that will be submitted for approval to Hosted Games!

See you all very soon,

Julia xx

BOOK DETAILS:

DEMO DESCRIPTION:

Scales of Justice is a fantasy game situated in another world, far away from Earth. There are plenty of species living together in harmony, but the human race is currently split in two civilisations: the one known as Hero kingdom, which is ruled by ‘heroes’, and the one named Vannais kingdom, controled by ‘villains’. Both nations hate each other and the fight between ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ here is something that happens on a national level. The game is focused on lore, on character development and your own perception of reality: perhaps, your MC just wants to live a peaceful life... or maybe wants to save the world.

Or even rule it, if you’re into such things.

THINGS TO DO IN THIS DEMO:

Set off on a new adventure towards Neutral Lands, to meet a mythic creature of all answers - The Visionary.

Gather up to 3 companions to help you in your quest - befriend, romance or rival them, the choice is yours.

Buy a horse - we know you want one.

Fight, conjure, support, speak or think - choose your way of handling a tricky situation.

Explore the kingdom of Hero up to Menai's shore, in search for someone - or something - to aid you in your journey.

The DEMO version of the book runs up to Chapter 5 and contains 276K words overall. I will be putting up updated versions of the first chapters as I work my way through them, so expect the DEMO version to become a polished reflection of what the final book will look like!

USEFUL LINKS:

If you want to know a little more about this project and read chapters 1-5, I'll leave the link to the game here -> https://dashingdon.com/play/myimaginedcorner/scales-of-justice/mygame/

If you want to discuss anything on CoG's forum, I'll leave the link for SoJ here -> https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/wip-scales-of-justice-new-project-announcement-and-demo-release/101088/16

If you want to send me a more extensive feedback, here's my email -> feedbackscalesofjustice@gmail.com

Any mistakes, concerns or questions you have, feel free to contact me through Tumblr! I am very excited to share this story with all of you, and I want to make it as good as possible with your help!

RO DESCRIPTIONS:

Shoren/Seile -> Heir to the Hero kingdom's throne, right where your journey starts. Also, your old friend who's very attached to you. Likes to read and practices magic, enjoys adventure and heroic deeds. A recognised “hero”, with blonde curly hair, pale skin and a pair of beautiful blue eyes.

Robert/Reina -> Order's Paladin, defender of Hero and Knight of Fate. Brave and honourable, determined to protect the people of the kingdom. Very loyal to friends and very dangerous as an enemy. Has short brown hair, tanned skin and an athletic build.

Valerius/Venis -> An Outworlder, who was caught by cultists from the Wicked Woods. Gracious, elegant and charismatic. Has long dark brown hair with a silver streak, olive skin and golden eyes.

Arion/Aria -> Leader of Vannais, a recognised “villain” who escaped from Hero and now rules the enemy kingdom. Serious, reserved but temperamental. Prefers action over words and so is always present on battlefields and amidst negotiations, even though never in official manner. Has short blonde hair, pale skin and emerald eyes.

Be careful! These characters have their thoughts and opinions on the world and your actions: if you want them to support you, convince them or take their side… or neither. That is your choice after all!

[zukosdualdao]

i promise i'll do better (i will soften every edge)

zutara month, day 11: "mom and dad are fighting again", @zutaramonth

summary: kya interrupts an argument between katara and zuko.

warnings: reference to (implied) abuse/domestic violence, wrt to ozai's treatment of ursa.

other notes: lyrics from 'light' by sleeping at last. don't ask me how timelines work idk. yes there is a zutara daughter named kya here (separate entity from the lok kya.) she wears her hair in a southern water tribe braid and zuko calls her firecracker and it’s very cute. not really relevant but in this story i’m imagining she’s a nonbender.

“Katara, you know I agree with you.”

Across from him, she crosses her arms, and Zuko sighs. The throne room is empty, save for the two of them, and Zuko feels trapped, claustrophobic in the walls. They’ve made a point of opening up windows in the castle, letting light filter in, getting rid of old, haunting portraits, and making something new and beautiful together. 

But the throne room doesn’t have windows to open. On a day like today, at times like these, it’s all too easy to remember the staunchly severe figures both his grandfather and father made here, walling themselves as they did behind high, towering fires.

Maybe they shouldn’t be having this talk here. It's too late now, but something to note for the future.

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

“Of course I want to increase reparations soon,” he insists. “That’s the plan, and that’s always been the plan. But we have to be smart about this,” he tries to remind her. “We can’t do it all at once, or people will try to block—”

“Oh, so now you’re all about thinking things through! Those instincts could have served you well years ago, you know.”

Zuko closes his eyes and runs a hand through his hair. The words are biting, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. Things have been tense again in the Fire Nation lately. Better than ever before in some ways. Worse in others.

The first years after the war were a turbulent time in the Fire Nation—riots from those not happy with the changing of the old guard, strikes from workers contesting the need to pay reparations to the other nations, whispers of loyalists to the old regime plotting to get either Ozai or Azula back on the throne. A few assassination attempts, all handled efficiently but reason enough for concern.

Ten years past the end of the war, though, and things have started to stabilize. The plan has always been to increase reparations once the Fire Nation’s economy has improved, and Zuko intends to keep his word. But part of the system he’s trying to build means that there are representatives from all over the Fire Nation, as well as the other nations, and they each have their own agendas. It’s a tricky thing to navigate; he has to take all of their concerns seriously, of course, but also act according to his own principles. To live up to the promises he made years ago, and that he’ll continue to make for years to come.

Katara looks at him with a combative raise of her eyebrow.

It’s taken a strain on their relationship. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, they’re both a little too good at lashing out, both a little too good at saying the thing that will hurt, even if they immediately regret it.

But usually, by the end of the day if not before, they can remember they’re on the same side, for all that their perspectives might differ.

“Can we pause?” Zuko asks of her, and her features soften. “Just—try to hear each other out? Katara, I understand…” but before he can finish, the large door to the throne room creaks, and Zuko watches as one of the serving maids guides their daughter into the room.

“See?” Kya points to them, eyes wide with alarm and lip quivering. “Mom and Dad are fighting again.”

Something in Zuko’s stomach drops. He doesn’t want her to worry about this. About them. He’d had to worry about his parents, to worry about his mother, Ozai looming over her, and sometimes Zuko was pretty sure he saw fear in her eyes where there should have been love, and then—

She’d been gone. And he’d drawn his own conclusions, quietly and with little reason to question them.

“She coudn’t sleep,” Hina says apologetically, and Zuko only waves a hand. “She was asking for you both.”

“Thank you for bringing her.”

“Oh, sweetie, don’t worry,” Katara says, walking over and lifting Kya up onto her hip. “Things are just tense right now,” she says, with a guilty sideways look to Zuko, who smiles weakly. “It’s not anything for you to worry about.”

“Promise?”

Zuko walks over to join the huddle and places a kiss atop her dark hair, which is twisted in a braid. “Promise, little firecracker. Mom and Dad are just trying to figure out the right way to handle something.” He meets Katara’s eyes and tries to impress the sincerity of his words on her. “But we will figure it out. We always do.”

Katara smiles at him and uses the hand not keeping Kya secure on her hip to touch the small of Zuko’s back in a gentle gesture. The three of them stand huddled together, and for the first time in… weeks, probably, Zuko feels his body relax, just a little.

He smiles back, a little exhausted but a lot relieved—to have Katara with him, there to both challenge and support him, to have Kya with them, creative and funny and quick as a whip as she is, and at only age four. He’s glad to have his family.

They are okay. Right now, they are okay. Whatever else may come.

[auncyen]

what I meant to write: mIrabelle as the one looping having a crying breakdown in the equivalent of act 3 because I thought of it a few days ago and it's been stuck in my head (Panic! at the Dinner Table).

What actually got written: can you imagine how terrible it'd be for another looper to start suspecting Siffrin did something WELL

-

Siffrin has been suspicious for several days.

(Odile might say 'days' is inaccurate, but it's close enough, you think! You start in early afternoon on one day and then, when everything goes well, see Euphrasie in late afternoon of the next day, so it's around a day--sometimes over...many times under. Also, calling them days feels...better. Maybe it's a 'cycle' or 'loop' for everyone else caught up in this, with them always being reset to the same places, the same lines until you start changing things, but you are moving through time. You're Changing.)

(You're changing, aren't you?)

(For the better?)

--Siffrin has been suspicious for several of your days. They still act like their friendly self--they've even gifted you a flower sometimes! (You suppose other times you might have been too abrupt in waking them up. And sometimes you haven't woken them up at all, because you realize they'll come to the Clocktower anyway. They all will, it's where you're staying. You couldn't come up with anything more creative than a sleepover?) But...something's off.

You first realized something was strange about Siffrin--well, a lot of things are strange about Siffrin. You're more worried about his memory than ever now. Whenever you go into that secret room for the stash of tonics, Siffrin starts talking about a time he ran away from home, only to suddenly stop and look confused. You've tried encouraging him to continue by reminding him of everything he said up to that point (Isabeau applauded your thorough recitation with the most lightheartedness he could muster while still looking Siffrin over with his own concern), but it doesn't jog anything. You've tried guiding Siffrin to tell the story a different way with questions, but it seems like he loses the thread even faster that way. Lately you've just...cut him off from telling the story by laughing as soon as he brings it up and mentioning how mad his parents must have been when he returned. Siffrin still looks confused and lost for a terrible moment when you say that, but then he grins and agrees, and surely he's agreeing because that's what actually happened, isn't it? He said he was playing a prank. He played a silly prank for an hour or two, and then he went home, and probably he got a scolding for it but everything was fine.

...You still. Would like to avoid that room in the future. To not see that scared, lost look on Siffrin. Maybe you're strong enough now that you don't need the tonics?

But, but, you need to focus. Siffrin's memory problems are strange and worrying, and you really wished they'd said sooner how bad it is instead of letting you all tease them about it, but what's suspicious is their connection to the King.

You're not entirely sure what it is. When you go to the King, he always singles Siffrin out. "Bright One...do you remember?"

Obviously, with the already-mentioned memory problems, the answer is No. You've tried asking Siffrin if they know the King in any way, but of course he says no? Even if they knew each other once, Siffrin could have forgotten him the same way he can't remember what happened when he went out on the ocean in a boat to prank his parents? You imagined a tragically doomed romance between a villain and a hero with partial amnesia from an injury earned in one of their past scuffles (why is Siffrin's memory that bad???) for all of ten seconds before you realized that if Siffrin could forget the King, he'll surely forget boring, stagnant Mirabelle as soon as he leaves. After that you were too depressed to imagine anything between Siffrin and the King, which was probably for the better. Especially considering...

One time, the King singled out Siffrin in a different way. A terrible way. The first loop--the first day after you defeated the King and got to see Euphrasie for a glimpse of happiness before being sent back--you'd lost your temper a bit. You'd pushed everyone to go through the House faster than any time before, brought back to your senses at the end of the second floor by Odile dryly commenting on her tired feet while giving a pointed look at Bonnie, who was obviously getting worn out. You'd apologized over and over, and chewed your nails off at the second snack break to let them take all the time they needed to recover their energy, and went through the third floor without saying anything to rush Siffrin. You'd kept your temper in check until you saw the King again, and then you'd accused him of being a cheat, an unchanged loser who couldn't accept defeat, and he'd let your venting wash over him with a calm indifference ("I do not know what you speak of, Housemaiden") until you told him exactly what you were speaking of--the time that kept turning back, again and again, the days the loops the returns--

His face is mostly obscured by his long hair, but you could tell by the way his head turned that he'd directed his attention to Siffrin, and you knew it was with a glare by the cold fury in his voice. "What have you done, Bright One. The Universe's will is with me."

And then

the king struck

and Siffrin--

You don't speak to the King anymore. You don't let him talk either. You're pretty sure he told you everything you'd want to know from him. He can use Time Craft, but he isn't the one holding you in these endless days. He thinks Siffrin can use Time Craft, which sounds ridiculous, but since then you've talked with the Change God (you'd wanted reassurance you'd wanted a sign your statue was the only one unbroken in the whole House and you touched its face in reverence and the Change God spoke to you) and they'd told you three things:

you're their favorite!

they're put out by Dormont being stagnant and unchanging, but they're excited to see how exactly you change (maybe being their favorite isn't good. Your favorite characters go through some awful things, after all)

Siffrin isn't not responsible for this???

So it makes sense that Siffrin had a hand in this somehow! After a few more days which let you reach Euphrasie, you realized the time reset at the end only happens while Euphrasie is talking to Siffrin! That's suspicious! And, and, you've tried preventing it by keeping Euphrasie from talking to Siffrin, but she is so insistent she'd like to talk to them, and everyone starts looking at you strangely the more you protest, and you just...can't stop it.

You can't stop Siffrin from ruining things.

You hate that you're even suspicious of him, but he won't admit to using Time Craft when you ask, and surely even with his terrible memory, he'd remember that? He doesn't forget everything! But if he's lying, then...

Then you don't know what that means.

You don't know what to do.

--

...What Siffrin did: show Mirabelle how to wish and be an islander recognized by other islanders and not particularly liked by the Change God

[lostfirefly]

Baby, baby when you're looking deep in my eyes, I know you're seeing past my make-up

I know everyone has a story like this, but I decided to write my version too. I also have the same theme planned for my OC, but it will be a completely different tone. English is not my native language, errors may occur. As always, feel free to share your thoughts :)

Buggy and F/GN Reader - Masterlist is here.

Description: Buggy asks you to help him apply makeup.

Words: 2524

Taglist: @gingernut1314, @operationroots

The title is taken from “All That I Got (The Make Up Song)” by Fergie.

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

“Captain Buggy, the love of my life, I was on deck now and one of your freaks handed over some kind of box.” You entered your shared cabin and froze at the doorway. 

“Nine, ten. And a couple more for luck.” Buggy was wearing only pajama pants and doing push-ups with his fists. “Eleven. Twelve. Four times twelve, I'm still pretty good.” 

“Geeez! You should've warned me about this. I walk into the cabin, and there’s such a sexy picture. You’re half naked and doing push-ups.” You smiled and raised your eyebrows.

 “Like what you see, huh?” He chuckled. 

“I don’t just like it, I’m delighted! My love, the box.” You shook the package slightly.

“Wait. I'll do three more push-ups. One. Two. Three.” Buggy stood up from the floor. “The seduction program is completed, right, pumpkin?” He kissed you on the forehead. “Why are you looking at me like that?” 

“I love you, bastard! How did it happen that you took me to your ship? I remember my mother was screaming, “Y/N, he's a clown, stop, what are you doing”, while you grabbed the essentials from my closet and then carried me up the stairs on your shoulder.” You kissed Buggy on his cheek.

“See? I liked you.” Buggy wrapped one arm around your waist, and lightly poked your nose with his other arm’s finger. “I came.” Poked again. “And got you.” Poked again. “It's simple.”  

“Yes, just like a real pirate!” You giggled. 

“Hey, I’m a real pirate! We are on my ship, Y/N. I have my own flag and the crew.” 

“Oh, I'm sorry, my love!” You rolled your eyes theatrically. “How could I forget? The scariest crew in the whole world! And you are the most formidable of all the pirates! And you will definitely become the king of the pirates, and you will be feared in all parts of the world. But until that happens, look at the package. The new boy with grey hair who joined your crew a few days ago gave it to me. Said it was sent by some bearded guy.”

“Oh, this is my new set of cosmetics.” Buggy grabbed the box from your hands. “Listen, no one has seen or knows that I’m without... well... without makeup.” 

“No, I made sure no one saw.” You pecked him on his nose. “You know, this is even great. Can you imagine that I’m the only person in the world who sees you without makeup in the morning? I’m the happiest girl. Open up!” You clapped your hands. “I want to see what's there!”

Buggy plopped down on the bed and opened the box. You sat on his lap, began stroking his back and kissed his temple. 

“What's here? Shadows, powder, eyeliners. Lord, why do you need 50 lipsticks?” Your eyes rounded.

“We won’t be able to moor in the near future. I need supplies.” Buggy was taking cosmetics out of a box. 

“But not fifty lipsticks, Buggy!”

“I need this, because one cute pumpkin uses my cosmetics too.” He took one of the tubes out of the box. “Look! New mascara! Waterproof! So if I fall into the water, I'll at least partially remain handsome!” 

“I won’t let you fall into the water! I still need you in this life.” You took the mascara and twirled in your hands. 

“Okay, I need to go out on deck and go check on the fucking crew. But first I need to do my makeup.” Buggy looked at you and winked. “Can you help me, pumpkin?”

“With great pleasure, my love!” You kissed him on his lips. “I’m the luckiest girl. And you made me this, remember that.” 

Buggy stood up from the bed, holding you in his arms, and carried you to the dressing table. It was a huge wooden table with a large mirror and several bright lamps located around the perimeter of the table.

“I love doing this, to be honest!” You said happily. “Watching my Buggy turn into Buggy the Clown, but even under a layer of makeup I see the real you!” 

You stood up from his lap, took his makeup bag, placed it on the table and rubbed your hands. “Let's start! First the white powder.” You took a round black box and a large fluffy sponge. “Close your eyes!”

Buggy widened his eyes. “How should I look at you? No, pumpkin! It doesn’t work like that!” 

“Holy moly!” You rolled your eyes and threw up your hands. “It's starting again! Close your eyes, I'll try to make it faster.” 

“Okay! But I hope that when I open them, you'll be naked.” Buggy smiled widely. 

You dipped the sponge into the powder and began to gently apply it to his face. “Ouch, Buggy! Stop pinching my butt!”

“Sorry, Y/N, I couldn't resist. You're seducing me with your clothes.” He moved his hands to your tailbone.

“I can't seduce you! I'm wearing jeans overalls, Buggy! And I look like a garden gnome.” You said, continued applying the powder. 

“Have you seen yourself? This is one hell of a jumpsuit. Your ass looks fucking amazing in it!” Buggy clicked his tongue. 

“Asshole! Don't distract me!” You bit your tongue and tried to stay focused, running the sponge over his face. “And there you go... Done! Now for the eyeliner.” 

You picked up the black tube, unscrewed the cap, and carefully looked at the brush. You examined Buggy’s face from all sides, choosing the best angle of the light. “Oh, there! Don't open your eyes!”

“Have you undressed yet, baby?” 

“God, you're unbearable sometimes. Don't move!” You started to run the brush along his lash line when your hand twitched. “Stop pinching my butt! Otherwise, I'll poke you in the eye one day.” 

“Oh, if you will be naked at the same time, I’m not against such sacrifices.” Buggy smirked and opened his eyes. 

“Close your eyes! You saw me naked at night, calm down!” You squinted and drew a thin black line with eyeliner. 

“It was a long time ago, Y/N. I’ve already forgotten everything.” Buggy exhaled sadly and stretched his back a little.

“That was two hours ago, Buggy! Sit still!” You ran the eyeliner over his other eye and carefully examined the result of the work. “It turns out beautifully! Why is that all? Because I have a handsome canvas.” You pecked him on the lips, and he visibly blushed. “My Captain got embarrassed.” You giggled. “What's next? Bones or eye shadow? Let's draw bones.” 

You picked up a pencil, white paint and a sponge, and sat on his lap. “It will be more convenient.” You wrinkled your forehead and nose slightly. 

“This is too much, Y/N! Why are you doing this?” Buggy opened his eyes and placed his hands on your waist.  

“I do nothing.” You bit your bottom lip and began to trace the outline of the bones. "I'm just drawing." 

"You're sitting on me, biting your lips. It's kind of a turn on." 

“What's wrong with you today? You can't calm down.” You gently ran the brush down to his eyebrows. “Eyes, Buggy.”

“I'm a dirty pirate, pumpkin!” Buggy closed his eyes and began to lower his hands to your hips. “I never calm down.” 

“Yes, I noticed. Sit still, please!” You slowly began to move the brush from his eyebrows to below. “You have wrinkles. I like it.” You dipped the brush into the jar and felt Buggy’s hands begin to stroke your thighs. “If you don’t stop doing this now, I will tear off your hands and put them in the chest. Sit still, otherwise everything will be crooked. I can’t allow the captain to come on deck with crooked makeup. The ocean is calm and we can’t blame the storm.” You slapped his hands and continued drawing. “Hah, a little more and I will be able to do all this with my eyes closed.”

You grabbed his chin with one hand and turned his head in different directions. “Looks good. Look.”

Buggy opened his eyes and made a displeased face. 

“What's happened?” You asked, looking from his face to the mirror. 

“Not what I wanted. The bones should be bigger, Y/N. What is this? It looks more like the bones of a fucking dead quail than part of a Jolly Roger.” Buggy looked at his reflection in the mirror. 

“Oh, my God. How much more?” You rolled your eyes. “Should I draw something all over your face? I did bones as usual.” 

“No, not as usual. It’s different.” Buggy made a sad face. 

“Okay. Now I'll redo it a little.” You growled, erased the ends of the bones, and began drawing again. “Buggy! Stop it!”

“I do nothing!” He shrugged, answering calmly. 

“You're stroking my neck. Don't distract me, asshole.” You drew an outline for a larger drawing.

“It’s not me. It’s you sitting beautifully on me.” 

“You are unbearable.” You ran the brush a little more and squinted. “Look now, capricious boy. Are you happy now?” 

Buggy looked in the mirror for a long time, tilting his head now to the right, now to the left. “Now it is better.” 

“Hurray for me! Now I’ll cover them up for you and start working on the shadows.”  You dipped the sponge into the white paint and began to paint over the bones, humming softly. “It’s getting better and better. If you hadn't been fidgeting and pawing me, the whole process wouldn't have taken so long. Little mischievous boy.” You kissed his nose. 

“I'm not a little boy. Little boys don't do what we did this morning.” Buggy giggled idiotically and placed his hands on your waist. “That was so-o-o good! I like hearing your voice screaming my name loudly.” 

“Shit, I hope no one on the crew heard me.” You carefully ran the sponge over the white layer of paint again. 

“Fuck them! Let them hear. I’m the captain, and even if anyone says anything bad about you, I’ll throw him overboard.” Buggy wrapped his arms around your waist and looked at your concentrated face. 

“Thank you, my formidable protector.” You pecked him on the lips. “I love you!” You looked at his forehead again. “Okay, I'm done with the bones. Now for the shadows. ” You took a box of blue shadows and a brush. “Oh, I remember how at the beginning of our relationship, you were dying of jealousy when I helped your entire crew with makeup.”

“I wasn't dying of jealousy. I just didn't like it.” Buggy slowly rubbed your back. 

“Close your eyes. I'll draw you your blue things.” You looked down at him and saw him shaking his head negatively. “You don't want to close your pretty eyes? But you have to, Buggy. I promise, when you open them, I’ll be here.” 

Buggy exhaled sadly, closed his eyes and raised his head a little.

“Up, down. Wider here, narrower here. Blue here and here” You lowered the brush into the shadows and continued applying them to his face. “The perfect combination with the color of your eyes and hair. What are your plans for the evening? If you won't be too tired, maybe we will sit on the deck with wine and will look at the stars? I love it when we spend our evenings like this.” 

“Sounds great.” He slightly nodded. “Moreover, I bought you some bottles of wine when we landed on the island.” 

“Thank you, my love!” You pecked his lips again. “Done! So. Look. Do you like it?” 

Buggy squinted and looked at himself in the mirror for a long time. “Not bad.” He exhaled.

“You don't like it, right?”  You stroked his hair. 

“Well, Y/N.. You know, it all needs to be brighter.” 

“But it's still so bright, Buggy.” You looked in the mirror and then at his face.

“Not bright enough, pumpkin.” Buggy shrugged.

You glanced at his upset face. “Okay. I'll fix it now.” You stood up from his lap and began rummaging through his makeup bag. “Where is the glitter? I can't find it.”

“I moved it to the second drawer from the bottom yesterday.” He pointed to the drawer.

“Ok.” You leaned over, heard a giggle from behind you, and glanced at him. “Did you do this on purpose, clown? Did you purposely move the jars down so I could bend over, and you could look at my ass?” 

“Yeah.” He nodded contentedly, without a trace of regret on his face. 

“Idiot!” You laughed and shook your head. 

“What? You have a nice ass, Y/N and I like looking at it.”

You found the glitter and sat back on his lap. “You're lucky we're far out to sea and I can't escape from you.” 

“So that’s why I took you far out to sea so that you couldn’t escape from me.” Buggy hugged you and kissed you on the lips. “It was a strategic move, baby.” 

You rolled your eyes and dipped your brush into the glitter. “Now I will make my bright and handsome clown even brighter and more handsome. One. Two. Three. Look. What do you think?”

“Perfect, Y/N.” He snapped his fingers.

“And now, mascara.” You took the mascara in your hands, unscrewed the cap and looked carefully at the brush. You carefully placed your fingers on his cheekbones, pursed your lips and swiped mascara over his eyelashes several times. “Now your beautiful eyes look more expressive. Okay, we only have lips left.” You took his makeup bag and took out lipstick from there. You unscrewed the cap and unscrewed the lipstick spout. “Put your sweet lips closer to me.” 

“I heard something similar this morning from myself.” Buggy chuckled again. 

“Shut up, idiot.” You swiped the lipstick over his lips a few time. You set it aside and running your fingers across his lips, beginning to smear it around his mouth. “Damn, I think I overdid with lipstick today. See?” You showed him your red hand, which was smeared with a thick layer. 

“Oh, I know a way to deal with this!” Buggy hugged you tighter and pressed his lips to yours. You just squeaked something through the kiss, lightly patted him on the shoulder, but realizing that he wouldn’t stop, you wrapped your arms around his neck.

“Yes, that's much better.” You answered quietly, wiping your lips. 

Buggy looked at you, exhaled heavily and buried the top of his head into your chest. 

“What's wrong, my love?” You stroked his head. 

“Nothing, Y/N. I’m gathering strength for the day. I don’t want to go anywhere, but...” He muttered under his breath. 

“Captain’s affairs won’t take care of themselves.” You said quietly. 

Buggy nodded silently. You got up from his lap, watched him get dressed, periodically glancing at you. 

You helped him with the bandana and kissed him before leaving. “If you feel sad in the middle of the day, just find me. I’ll hug you, and you’ll feel better, agreed?” 

Buggy nodded and kissed the top of your head. 

“Have a nice day, my Captain Buggy. I love you!” You stroked his shoulders. 

“I love you too, Y/N.”

[irawhiti]

managed to accidentally combine welsh, te reo, english, and german in a sentence with only seven words in it while typing something out in my notes before rereading and saying "wait what the fuck am i even talking about" so that's how my day is going

[mqonlighting]

real talk in the tags for a second because i have a crush on a girl and i. a hehe. ahehehe.

will be burying this in reblogs and never touching on it again

[magentagalaxies]

girl help how do i prioritize (not actually asking for advice just ranting). i have a performance tomorrow that's technically part of my final but also the Events of the last week on campus it's technically optional. but that being said i really want to be memorized for that performance and put the time in to make it really good bc even if it isn't graded it's still an opportunity for me to test out new aubrey material (and i'm definitely gonna film it and send it to bellini). i have to turn in a "final" for my independent study which is just my way to get credit for the buddy cole doc, but that final is editing a ten minute piece out of my tour footage and because of the Events i think i will get more grace if it's not a great edit but i need to turn something in by wednesday. i have a final for my history class that's just a presentation and i've already made the powerpoint and researched so i'm confident i can improvise (it's fairly low stakes) BUT i still have to do a quiz for my history class that was due last week but i somehow missed and i haven't been able to get to it bc stressed about finals and also the Events but since it was assigned before the Events i don't think i'll get the same grace as post-Events assignments, and this quiz is worth like 10% of my grade so i need to turn something in like even tho i currently have an A in that class and Cs get degrees i still don't know what grade i'll get on my final so better safe than get a zero on the quiz but i have no motivation since it's not a final like the rest of my stuff (even if the aubrey thing is lowkey not graded??? even before the Events that class had a unique grading system so i already know i've got an A in that class regardless this is just like an optional showcase). and i also have a zoom with bruce tomorrow for the buddy cole doc which i'm very excited for but also will have to plan around the amount of hours in the day i have left to get things done lmao

anyway it's wild being in finals week bc half of me is like "i just wanna go hoooome alreadyyyy" but the other half is like "holy fuck there is too much to do i need an extra week to get it all done"

but anyway less than a week from today i'm gonna be done with my penultimate semester of college (graduating in december!!!) and i have literally zero plans for the months of may and june rn so like. i know i'm going to get incredibly bored super quickly but like one of my favorite inspirational quotes is that tumblr post that was like "in two weeks you will have different problems" and yeah that sure is true

[onsunnyside]

👁👁

[hooved]

i know everyone's told me to rest because i'm sick but i just can't. it doesn't feel right. i need to do everything i can rn because i'm scared that any second we'll be told to get out NOW

[cyphertaehyungie]

✨☁️💌🌙💫

[coridallasmultipass]

.

[arolesbianism]

Thinking abt the random card au again. Why must it go so crazy hard I miss it sm

[secretmellowblog]

People who try to analyze what happened on Tumblr on November 5th, 2020, often really overstate how much it was actually “about” Supernatural. As someone who has never been in the supernatural fandom ever but dID join in on the hysterical destielposting—it was really more about the stress of the pandemic and the 2020 presidential election.

The two biggest Youtubers I’ve seen try to dissect “what happened that November 5th” in video essays both weren’t American—- and I think that explains why they both tried to explain the hysteria primarily via analyzing the Supernatural fandom/the original show, rather than through the lens of the election. And while those videos are cool, valid, informational, and make lots of really well-considered interesting points— I can tell you that me and almost all my mutuals had literally no knowledge or interest in the fact that “oh supernatural had made nods at the ship in the past but the creators were adamant that I wouldn’t be canon” or etc etc etc etc. the first time I learned about any of that context was way later, watching videos where people claimed that fandom history context (that I did not know anything about) was the actual reason for the hysteria.

But the reality is that people latched on to the Destiel stuff because it was a piece of big useless inane zero-stakes fandom news in a time when we were desperately waiting for serious high stakes election news. We were latching onto a “positive “ piece of inane stupid fandom news in a time of great stress, with all the desperation of a drowning man who latches onto whatever piece of wood will keep him afloat.

The core of the hysteria was that Americans (who make up a huge chunk of tumblr’s userbase) were currently glued to their laptops watching the live presidential election vote counts come in. These vote counts were taking an extended amount of time due to the pandemic causing high numbers of mail-in ballots, resulting in a constant state of Election Day Stress for multiple days straight.

This was also during the height of the Pandemic. People had predicted Trump’s presidency would be bad; no one had predicted it would be this apocalyptically bad. No one had predicted pandemics and lockdowns and hospitals overflowing with bodybags. remember Trump spreading Covid lies and conspiracies?? There were so many Qanon conspiracies about democrats being Satanic child traffickers who had to be put to death, and coup threats were mounting from the right wing side. It seemed like this election was a choice between ‘centrist democrat’ and “apocalyptic right wing conspiracy theory authoritarianism,” in the midst of pandemic conditions that people feared would never ever improve— and it seemed like a close election.

Another major point was that Trump voters were more likely to be antimaskers/Covid deniers, while Biden voters were more likely to take the pandemic seriously— so Biden voters were more likely to send in mail-in ballots instead of risking the in-person voting crowds, which meant their ballots would take much longer to count. And so, in many state electoral vote counts, it would initially seem like Trump was very far in the lead— only for Biden to slooooowly build up an agonizingly small lead as the mail in ballots came in, and then defeat Trump at the very end.

So you’re just watching these news sites giving live election updates, refreshing the page every 2 minutes to see if you’re going to live under a spineless centrist democrat or a literal Qanon Dictatorship. And then you go on tumblr to distract yourself, and there’s more election posting, and more agonizing over the votes, and more stress and despair—-

And then it’s been days and we’re right at the crucial tipping point where it’s anyone’s game and the next few hours will determine whether Trump will win, so you need to keep your eye on the vote count, because the next hours will determine the future of the pandemic and your country and your plans for your entire life—

And then stupid Destiel becomes canon! And it becomes canon in the silliest way possible!

If Destiel had become canon at any other time, it would have been a big goofy tumblr celebration? But we wouldn’t have gotten the insane explosion of hysterical interaction.

The entire core of it was the contrast between the inane meaningless stupidity of fandom news vs the actual stressful election news you wanted to hear! It really is best conveyed in that meme where Castiel says “I love you” and Dean indifferently responds with a piece of important election news.

It’s about the contrast between the low-stakes inanity of fandom and the massive life-destroying stakes of a terrifying election. There really was no reason it had be Supernatural specifically, except that Supernatural was a thing everyone knew basic things about from dashboard osmosis— it could’ve been any other equally huge silly fandom ship news about a ship everyone *knew of* but might not necessarily be invested in (ex. Stucky becoming canon, Johnlock becoming canon, Kirk/Spock becoming more canon somehow, etc etc etc.)

I think it’s true that people who weren’t paying agonizingly close attention to the American election news got swept up in it, and that non American Supernatural fans also were extremely excited for purely fandom reasons — but the entire reason it blew up to an unprecedented degree was because of that core of stressed out terrified Americans glued to their computers watching election results and suddenly receiving stupid fandom news instead, and deciding to just hysterically parodically hyper-celebrate this absurd useless zero-stakes news.

I think it was also all elevated by the fact that, as I said before, this happened at the crucial “tipping point” of the election where the next few hours would determine the winner. The fact that Biden began to slowly develop a lead in the hours after made it feel, hysterically, as if the hours after Destiel became canon was somehow the turning point where he began to win; so celebrating Destiel felt like celebrating that slow turn towards victory.

The tl,dr is that it’s so important to Remember the Fifth of November …..in preparation the inevitable hysteria that will happen in the presidential election on November 5th of next year. XD. Personally I’m rooting for Johnlock or Frodo/Sam to somehow become canon in the eleventh hour right before the democrats win