ˡⁱᵛᵉ ᶠʳᵉᵉ, 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙

multimuse rp, single-ship. read rules before interacting. penned by jess.

[rvnwiild]

RVNWIILD is  a  tumblr  based  roleplay.  multi-ship,  multi-muse  &  semi-selective.  penned  by  jess ( she / her / 25+ ). gmt-5. discord given upon request.

rules /  muses /  wishlist / opens / prompts / tracker / pinterest / resources

[rvnwiild]

since i'm in esthetics school, i need to know product knowledge, skin types, etc. would anyone be interested in sending me photos of their face and let me analyze their skin? completely free! this is for my education.

first and foremost, you would need to read and sign (typing your name) a consent & wavier form for mine and your safety. i would need to ask you some questions about your routine, products you are using, medications you are on, etc. it basically would be like a client consultation but online.

the photos would need to be in very good lighting (or natural lighting) so that i can properly see the skin and the texture. i would need a front facing photo and then both sides.

if you would like product recommendations afterwards, i can do that but likely only for the usa. i would need a budget range and would ask a few other questions like if you want something simple or a full routine, do you prefer foamy cleansers or not, etc.

if anyone is interested just send me a message on tumblr & i'll give you my discord so we can chat further. again, this is completely free and for my education but it's a lot of work (school is literally a job) so if you are able to, i have venmo and cashapp if you do receive this service and want to give something but it's not required.

[heymickiegifs]

i am currently in need of help — my dad died shortly after my birthday leaving me to pay for his funeral & taking care / providing for my mother ( she cannot work & was denied disability / my fathers ssi ). my older brothers won't help so its sitting on my shoulders alone. i am struggling as is — living paycheck to paycheck — and now i have an extra 200 a month being taken out.

any money i make through donations or selling my designs are going towards funeral cost & providing for my mother. please consider donating — if you wish to donate directly my cashapp is $gaspamouse.

[nouvelis]

maybe it was a foolish decision to stay, but all her life, she had only wanted two things — happiness and freedom. the second seemed too far-fetched for a princess who had to carry the weight of a kingdom within the heavy, suffocating silk of her robes, conforming to every expectation laid upon her, but at least the first one she could pursue. it was a gamble marrying him, not knowing in advance who he was as a person, but up until today, most of their days consisted of memories that could bring a smile to her face. if their lives were simpler and untainted by the corruption of royal power plays, perhaps it would be easier. but she must live with the fact that they’re not ordinary people who led ordinary lives, that he might be a deeply flawed man, but still the one that she was in love with.

and love was such a pitiful, mystical little thing, wasn’t it? something so far from reach for most princes and princesses whose lives were destined before birth, with paths already written for them. she was fortunate in this sense, that despite not having the option to choose her own lover, she fell in love in the end and found someone who would sacrifice everything for her. she nodded as he spoke of his fears, watching the way the dim amber candlelight caught the tears glistening in his eyes. “if i were any wiser, perhaps i would.” she lamented with dark, self-deprecating humor. “you have turned our lives upside down, but we can build new ones.” she doubted it would be easy — not for two spoiled royals who never knew the calloused hardship of true, common life — but with him by her side, they could endure and grow together.

“that’s what i need to hear — that i’ll always have you, and you’ll always have me.” and he kissed her knuckles so tenderly, so much so that she almost found it impossible to associate his hands with cruelty and violence. her red lips curled at his last confession, a wish for the heavens or hell or anyone who would hear them, so devoted that it was enough to bring the prickle of tears to her own eyes. “and whatever comes after it.” she echoed, her voice a delicate whisper. raising their entwined hands higher, she pressed her thumb hard against his, skin to skin, as if to seal a physical pact. “you’d better keep your word or i’ll haunt you until the end of time, zaiyi.”

[rvnwiild]

the  arranged  marriage  had  infuriated  him  the  moment  he  was  told.  his  mother's  attempt  to  dictate  the  course  of  his  life  had  never  sat  well  with  him.  even  after  meeting  ziyao,  everything  between  them  had  been  painfully  awkward,  and  he  couldn't  imagine  how  the  marriage  was  supposed  to  work.  still,  his  ambition  had  always  been  clear:  he  would  claim  the  throne  one  way  or  another.  an  emperor  would  need  an  empress,  and  one  day,  an  heir.  if  this  marriage  was  to  shape  his  future  someday,  then  he  was  determined  to  make  it  succeed.  to  his  surprise,  it  did.  slowly,  almost  imperceptibly,  they  found  common  ground.  day  by  day,  the  awkward  silences  gave  way  to  easy  conversation,  and  unfamiliarity  softened  into  comfort.  before  he  realized  it,  he'd  fallen  in  love  with  her.  the  man  who  people  feared,  called  cold-hearted,  had  opened  his  heart  to  her.  perhaps  mothers  did  know  what  was  best  for  their  children  after  all.  at  her  words  about  building  a  new  life  together,  zaiyi  let  out  a  quiet  sigh  of  relief.  that  was  exactly  what  he  needed  to  hear—that  she  wasn't  leaving  him,  that  she  hadn't  given  up  on  them.  "you  will  never  lose  me,"  he  said,  his  voice  gentle  yet  unwavering  as  his  fingers  tightened  around  hers.  despite  all  his  doings,  zaiyi  always  made  sure  to  come  back  to  her.  a  faint  smile  tugged  at  the  corner  of  his  lips.  "and  if  you  haunt  me,  then  i'll  still  have  you  near  me."  his  grin  widened  ever  so  slightly.  "i  don't  think  that  would  be  so  terrible."  he  jokes  lightly,  "i  promise.  from  now  on,  it's  you  and  i..  we  will  find  a  home  away  from  the  palace  and  live  quiet  lives  without  all  of  the  constant  chaos  of  the  palace."

[nouvelis]

as embarrassing as it is, what she wants most at this exact moment is to ask him to pinch her. because how can this be real? how is it possible for the secret crush she has harboured to suddenly lean back and claim her? this is the man she has admired as an artist, a colleague, and a confidant — the person who stole countless nights of sleep while she tossed and turned in the dark. before she can stop it, her hesitant smile blooms into a full, radiant grin. her heart behaves like a fluttering animal in her ribs as he confesses things she never dared to hope she’d hear. the heavy, warm pressure of his hand over hers is grounding, the only physical evidence that he is tangible rather than a cruel figment of her imagination.

it is rare for the usually eloquent actress to be completely tongue-tied, but she is. giggling like a fool with a hopeless crush, she gathers her courage, steps into his space, and wraps her arms tightly around him, letting the fierce warmth of her embrace do the talking. usually, she'd act a lot more cautious than this, but her rationality escapes her at the moment as she stays overwhelmed by fondness. “then let’s stop being friends.” she whispers, taking a deep breath of his familiar, clean scent that she has missed so desperately. “i guess you’re lucky my attempts at getting over you failed miserably.” not even the forced, public dates with her new and rather endearing costar had managed to dilute her bone-deep affection for suhyun. “i never thought… i never imagined you’d feel the same way.”

[rvnwiild]

her  smile  blossoms  into  a  radiant  grin,  so  infectious  that  suhyun  can't  help  but  mirror  it.  when  ara  wraps  her  arms  around  him,  he  doesn't  hesitate  to  pull  her  closer,  holding  her  tightly  against  his  chest.  he  buries  his  face  in  her  hair,  breathing  in  the  familiar  scent  of  her  shampoo,  as  though  grounding  himself  in  the  moment.  a  soft  chuckle  slips  past  his  lips  at  her  confession  about  all  the  failed  attempts  she'd  made  to  get  over  him.  relief  settles  warmly  in  his  chest.  he'd  hoped  her  feelings  hadn't  changed—because  if  they  had,  his  own  confession  might  have  ended  very  differently.  "how  could  i  not  have  feelings  for  someone  as  beautiful  as  you?"  he  murmurs,  his  voice  gentle  with  affection.  leaning  down,  he  presses  a  tender  kiss  to  the  side  of  her  head,  lingering  there  for  just  a  moment  before  pulling  back.

[mndstom]

continuation from here with @rvnwiild

Sangmin had no other choice but to go to the place he once called home. He hated going back. He doesn't want Minwoo to see he had failed at something again, but he did, and now he's standing in front of the door, his hands in his pockets to hide the bruised knuckles. There's even a bruise on his cheek, which tells he's been in a fight recently. "I already did." The male mumbles, his dark hues turning to look at the brother who has always been there for him. "I don't wanna talk about it." It's something he always says, not wanting to get too into the details of what he's been up to when he moved away.

[rvnwiild]

minwoo's  gaze  lingers  on  the  bruises  scattered  across  his  brother's  face,  then  drops  to  the  way  sangmin  keeps  his  hands  buried  deep  in  his  pockets.  he  recognizes  the  habit  all  too  well—he  used  to  do  the  same,  hiding  every  scrape  and  swollen  knuckle  behind  forced  smiles  and  long  sleeves.  a  quiet  sigh  slips  past  his  lips.  knowing  sangmin  had  been  fighting  twists  something  deep  in  his  chest.  he  knows  his  younger  brother  is  an  adult  now,  capable  of  making  his  own  choices,  but  that  doesn't  quiet  the  instinct  to  protect  him.  as  his  older  brother,  all  minwoo  has  ever  wanted  was  to  keep  him  safe.  stepping  aside,  minwoo  pulls  the  door  open  a  little  wider,  silently  inviting  sangmin  inside.  "are  you  hungry?"  he  asks  as  he  turns  and  starts  down  the  hallway,  glancing  back  over  his  shoulder.  "i  just  finished  cooking."

[rvnwiild]

cont. with @mysticcls

zaiyi  held  her  gaze  as  though  it  were  the  only  thing  keeping  the  ground  from  splitting  beneath  his  feet.  forgive  him.  the  word  settled  strangely  in  his  chest.  he  had  expected  condemnation.  tears.  accusations.  he  had  prepared  himself  to  withstand  her  hatred  long  before  the  guards  had  dragged  them  from  the  palace  gates.  hatred,  at  least,  would  have  been  deserved.  but  this—this  unwavering  loyalty  carved  far  deeper  than  any  blade.  his  jaw  tightened  until  it  ached.  for  the  first  time  since  the  sentence  had  been  passed,  something  inside  him  faltered.  not  his  conviction.  never  that.  he  still  believed  the  throne  had  belonged  to  the  branch  of  the  family  strong  enough  to  seize  it.  history  had  never  remembered  men  who  waited  politely  for  power  to  be  handed  to  them.  it  only  remembered  victors.  he  simply  had  not  become  one. 

his  gaze  drifted  past  her  for  a  fleeting  moment,  toward  a  future  that  had  already  crumbled  into  ash.  no  ministers  bowing  at  his  feet.  no  sons  raised  within  the  palace  halls,  taught  they  were  born  to  rule.  instead  there  would  be  dust  beneath  their  boots,  borrowed  roofs,  suspicious  eyes,  and  a  name  people  would  spit  rather  than  honor.  his  children  would  inherit  exile  because  of  him.  that  thought  struck  harder  than  the  sentence  itself.  slowly,  he  exhaled  through  his  nose.  "you  think  so  little  of  me?"  he  asked,  the  bitterness  in  his  voice  softened  now  by  something  quieter—almost  wounded.  his  eyes  found  hers  again.  "that  i'd  abandon  them  because  i  lost  a  crown  i  never  wore?"  a  humorless  laugh  escaped  him.  "i  have  lost  a  kingdom."  his  fingers  curled  into  his  palms  until  the  nails  bit  skin.  "i  will  not  lose  my  family  too."  the  words  came  low,  stripped  of  the  pride  that  had  once  wrapped  around  every  promise  he  made.  "i  cannot  regret  reaching  for  it."  his  stare  hardened,  not  at  her,  but  at  the  ghosts  of  the  palace  that  still  lingered  behind  his  eyes. 

"if  the  chance  were  placed  before  me  again...  i  don't  know  that  i  would  choose  differently."  it  was  an  ugly  truth,  and  he  refused  to  dress  it  in  prettier  clothes.  "but  i  regret..."  his  voice  caught  for  only  a  heartbeat.  "...that  you  and  the  children  are  paying  the  price  for  my  failure."  failure.  he  had  not  spoken  the  word  aloud  until  now.  zaiyi  reached  for  her  then,  hesitating  only  briefly  before  taking  her  hands  into  his  own.  they  were  colder  than  he  remembered.  "i  swore  i'd  give  you  everything."  his  thumb  brushed  absently  across  her  knuckles.  "instead  i've  given  you  a  road  with  no  end."  his  shoulders  sank—not  in  surrender,  but  in  acceptance.  "so  we'll  walk  it."  there  was  iron  in  his  voice  again,  though  it  no  longer  carried  the  feverish  hunger  of  ambition.  It  was  steadier  than  that.  "i  don't  know  where  we're  going.  i  don't  know  how  we'll  survive.  but  i  will  make  certain  our  children  never  wonder  whether  their  father  chose  his  pride  over  them."  he  squeezed  her  hands,  firm  enough  to  ground  himself  as  much  as  her.  "the  throne  is  gone."  his  eyes  never  left  hers.  "you  are  not."

[veewehchen-blog]

I think everyone kind of wants to have that kind of ship that one feels terribly invested in. Talk headcanons late into the evening, the kind of ship that makes you start doing playlists, aesthetic posts, art, drabbles. Without feeling awkward because you are not sure whether your partner is as invested as you are. I only have one thing to say: be that kind of ship partner. If you want to shiop something, don’t be afraid to approach a mun about it, the worst they can do is say ‘nah thanks’. Don’t be afraid to show how much you love a ship, take way the stigma of being overly interested in ships and doing stuff for a pairing. Go for it, show that you are passionate about it, and you will see it can turn out great. 

[rvnwiild]

✶  ︵  *  dash  game:  knowing  your  writing  partner  can  potentially  make  writing  together  a  lot  easier!

the basics

name: jess

pronouns: she/her

sexuality: heterosexual

three facts

i'm currently in esthetician school and it's so fun but the teachers are so rude

i get inspiration from so many things for characters or plots ?? i'll just be out shopping and the most random thing triggers a plot idea

i'm a homebody, i hateeee going out. give me pjs, a blanket, curled up on the couch watching some tv/movies with my dog any day

roleplay experience

how long: i started around late 2011, when rp wasn't as serious as it is now. most people didn't have oc, you played as the actual person. yikes. there were magic anons and all of that. what a time 😅

platforms you've used: mostly tumblr. i tried twitter and hated it. i do use discord servers for those who like to also do that

best experience: i don't think i have any 'best' experience, but just meeting so many friends all over the world and getting to know them, hearing their experiences and fun things that are different from our countries. i've even had a few that we've sent packages to each other. i've made some really good friends and seen some go

muse preferences

female or male: typically i lean towards writing male muses because i have a hard time finding female fcs that i like (or that have resources) but i've been finding more and more that i like and starting to write them more

fluff, angst, smut: i like anything really. it depends on the plot/characters i think!

plots or memes: plotting for sure! i like to chat a lot about the characters and have somewhat of an outline for them. going off memes is a little harder for me though i have done it in the past

long or short replies: i like both, but longer replies are my fave. i like to pour the characters emotion into it, what they are feeling/thinking, etc. though short replies are easier to get to sometimes

best time to write: usually around 10pm-2am, when it gets quiet. i don't want any distractions

are you like your muse(s): not at all. most of them have way different lifestyles than me, are outgoing, etc. i'm not that way at all. i'm sure somehow they have some kind of reflection of me because i created them

tagged by: @purplemccns @nouvelis tagging: @wolftype @star-paths @tenderlove @mysticcls ; anyone who sees this & wants to do it!

[muyuun]

I LOVE. having multiple threads with my rp partners !! it’s like on some days i feel like writing long stuff, on others i feel more like writing short stuff, sometimes i’d rather write some intense situations, and other times i’m more in the mood for lighthearted topics. having several different types of threads with a person enables me to keep rping with them even if i’m stuck @ a reply for another thread we’re having !! it’s great, honestly !? if you wanna have 1 more thread or 20 more threads /w me that’s 10/10 👌👌👌👌 just write that starter or send an ic ask & we’ll go from there or hmu for plotting k man i love threads i love writing all the things

[mndstom]

Despite hearing his questions, she doesn't immediately answer them. She takes another minute to collect her thoughts and focus on her breathing. She even closes her eyes, hand still holding his, and she brings her other hand to hold his hand between both hands. It feels warmer than her cold ones. "He..." Jiyeon doesn't know what to say. The answer is at the tip of her tongue, but the words refuse to come out. "My ex." It's a good start, and she doesn't necessarily have to share more information. She can't bring herself to tell him more. Even when it's been years, she's not ready to open the wounds ( even when it might be helpful ). "He..." She swallows and takes a second to think again about what to say. "He is dead." Some people believe he's missing, but the female knows what really happened to him.

[rvnwiild]

the  words  settle  between  them  with  a  weight  that  seems  to  press  the  air  from  his  lungs.  he  is  dead.  his  fingers  twitch  instinctively  beneath  hers,  but  he  doesn't  pull  away.  if  anything,  his  hand  closes  around  hers  just  a  little  tighter,  careful—like  he's  afraid  the  slightest  wrong  movement  might  make  her  let  go.  he  watches  her  for  a  long  moment,  taking  in  the  way  her  eyes  stay  shut,  the  coldness  of  her  hands  against  his  own,  the  hesitation  that  had  made  every  word  seem  like  it  had  to  be  dragged  out  of  her.  "...i'm  sorry,"  he  says  quietly,  and  for  once  the  words  aren't  a  reflex  or  empty  politeness.  they're  simple  because  anything  bigger  would  only  be  about  making  himself  feel  useful.  his  thumb  brushes  slowly  across  the  back  of  her  hand.  silence  settles  again,  but  this  time  he  lets  it  exist  instead  of  trying  to  fill  it.  "thank  you  for  telling  me."  he  offers  a  faint,  almost  sad  smile.  "and  for  trusting  me  with  something  that  hard."  his  grip  loosens  just  enough  to  give  her  the  choice  to  pull  away  if  she  wants,  though  he  doesn't  move  his  hand.  "i'm  not  going  anywhere,"  he  murmurs.  "not  unless  you  want  to  be  alone."  then  he  falls  quiet  again,  choosing  to  simply  stay  with  her  instead  of  searching  for  words  that  could  never  make  a  wound  like  that  disappear.

[nouvelis]

she was all he had — just as he was all she had. the truth was she had no one here; she was from miles and miles away, entirely entrusted into his hands. right before now, he had taken good enough care of her and tried his best to fill her days with happiness — until a single bad decision made everything fall apart like dominoes. now she had to grapple with the fact that everything she knew before might be taken from her: the comfort and predictability of life in the palace, of knowing what laid ahead every day, and the same luxury she could always fall back on. but if she chose a path without him, she would be completely alone. without the man who loved her enough to go to the ends of the earth for her. she stilled her breath when he stepped closer, the fierce, blinding devotion in his eyes unmistakable, and that was the moment she made her choice. “then i’ll stay with you until the end of our time.” her thumb brushed over his cheek, so warm and tender beneath her fingertips. “don’t do anything so foolish again, or i won’t forgive you a second time.”

[rvnwiild]

he did not answer at once. for a heartbeat, he only stared at her, as though the words themselves had become something too precious to touch. he had prepared himself for anger, for tears, for the sight of her walking away without ever looking back. he had told himself he would accept it if it meant she would be safe. instead, she stayed. the breath he released was unsteady, almost soundless. it felt as though the weight crushing his ribs for days had finally eased, leaving him lightheaded with relief. his eyes slipped shut when her thumb traced the curve of his cheek, leaning into the warmth before he could stop himself. he had always believed himself stronger than this, yet one gentle touch from her unraveled every carefully built wall. his hand rose slowly, covering hers against his face as though afraid she might disappear if he let go. "...i thought i'd lost you." the confession came quietly, stripped bare of every ounce of pride. "i was ready to bear whatever hatred you had for me." a bitter smile tugged weakly at his lips. "i deserved nothing less." his thumb stroked absentmindedly across the back of her hand, reverent, careful—as though he were holding something infinitely fragile.

"i cannot promise i will never make another mistake." his gaze lifted to meet hers, steady despite the remorse that lingered there. "i am only a man, and a flawed one at that, but i swear this to you," he drew her hand from his cheek only to press a lingering kiss against her knuckles. "i will never again decide your fate for you in the name of protecting you. i will never gamble with your trust, no matter how terrified i am of losing you." his voice lowered, firm with conviction. "if hardship comes, then we face it together. if the road before us is uncertain, then i will walk it at your side." his forehead rested gently against hers, the smallest smile finally breaking through the grief that had shadowed him. "you gave up so much to be here. the least i can do is ensure you never have to wonder whether you have someone." his fingers intertwined with hers, holding on with quiet certainty. "you have me. until the end of our time... and whatever comes after it, if heaven is kind enough to allow it." a faint, almost sheepish laugh escaped him as he looked into her eyes.

[purplemccns]

though tonight was a busier one than normal, it made cleaning up at the end of the day that much more satisfactory. her last couple of staff members were finishing up with their rounds as she moved to wipe down each and every countertop to ready for whatever tomorrow would bring. the femme had to do a double take when she looked up, ready to let a customer know that they were unfortunately closed when her eyes instead widened in a happy surprise. dropping her rag on the table she'd ended at, violet hopped up onto the same surface to swing her legs around and meet her husband that much quicker. "but don't you still have one more show in macau?" she beamed, reaching her arms up to wrap around his neck comfortably nonetheless.

[rvnwiild]

a small grin tugs at his lips the moment he notices his wife let the rag slip from her hand, hurrying across the room to him. he meets her halfway, wrapping his arms tightly around her and pulling her as close as he possibly can, as though making up for every moment they'd spent apart. jaeho presses a trail of soft kisses across her face before lingering on her lips in a slow, affectionate kiss. when he finally pulls away, his forehead rests against hers, a contented smile settling on his face. "yes..." he murmurs, his voice warm with relief. "but i needed to see you and the kids. i was going crazy."

no matter how exhausted he was after each show, he could never truly rest without his wife beside him. years of marriage had made her presence as essential as breathing. he'd grown so used to the warmth of her curled against him, the familiar weight of her head resting on his chest, and the way she'd absentmindedly tuck her cold feet beneath his legs in the middle of the night. even the constant chatter and laughter of their children had become part of what made a house feel like home. without them, the silence felt unnatural—too still, too empty. no amount of success or sold-out arenas could compare to walking through the front door and finding the people he loved waiting for him.

[purplemccns]

🌙 || starter for @rvnwiild from trace kang

trace hadn't been over at hailey's for too long before the two ended up tangled in one another, the man's breath catching as he pressed his lips along the curve of her jawline — bated breath dancing against soft skin. a crooked smile hooking at the corner of his mouth as his gaze fell back on her once more, "so i have a question." the homme waited for her focus on him before he continued further, "were you serious earlier? about never having..." and while his words cut off, his eyes pointing down towards the button of her jean shorts before locking with her own once more. "you know."

[rvnwiild]

hailey kept her eyes closed, tilting her head back just enough to bare more of her neck for trace. his mouth pressed warm against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine. when he pulled back slightly, she felt the weight of his stare before she even opened her eyes. blinking up at him, she caught the shift in the air between them. his question caught her off guard. heat crept across her cheeks, turning them a soft pink as the meaning sank in. "i wouldn't lie about that," she admitted, her voice quiet and shy.

[snowfalledits]

𝖣𝖨𝖭𝖦 𝖸𝖴𝖷𝖨 𝖠𝖲 𝖬𝖴 𝖲𝖧𝖤𝖭𝖦 | 𝖫𝖮𝖵𝖤 𝖦𝖠𝖬𝖤 𝖨𝖭 𝖤𝖠𝖲𝖳𝖤𝖱𝖭 𝖥𝖠𝖭𝖳𝖠𝖲𝖸

EP 18

[nouvelis]

her hand instinctively pats his head with a nurturing gentleness when he buries his face in the crook of her neck — it feels instinctual by now, to comfort him when he’s upset now that they have come so far from the beginning, where they could barely look each other eye to eye. so much has changed since, so many memories written together as they began facing the world as a team. he pulls back from the embrace, and the question he voices fazes her. “that’s a good question, actually.” what would it entail if she stays with him? she might not only be risking her own life, but that of the new, budding life she might or might not be carrying within her. she blinks, trying to clear her thoughts, caught between her cold logic and her nonsensical heart. “but i’m all you have left.” she cradles his cheek, looking at him with a kind of quiet pity she has shown to wounded strays before. “and you’ll do anything for me…” her voice dips low, uncertain, “right?” she knows she should be wiser than to trust a man who was coldhearted enough to murder his own family, but she wants so terribly for him to convince her he is worth staying for.

[rvnwiild]

his gaze fell for a brief moment at her question, weighed down by the truth it carried. he couldn't blame her if she chose to leave—not after everything he'd done, nor for what lay ahead. she would be trading the safety and comfort of palace walls for a life steeped in uncertainty, where each day would be a fight simply to survive. his eyes lifted to meet hers again just as her hand came to cradle his cheek. her touch grounded him, and with it came the quiet realization that she truly was all he had left. it had always been her. he'd shared something resembling kinship with a few of his siblings, but none of those bonds came close to what he had built with ziyao. she was his home, his solace, the one constant in a life that had taken everything else from him. he would become whatever she needed him to be. he would sacrifice anything for her without hesitation. the same could never be said for his siblings. "i would go to the ends of the earth for you," he murmured, closing the distance between them. his eyes never left hers, burning with a devotion so fierce, so unwavering, that it had only ever belonged to her.

[nouvelis]

she listened as he spoke, his voice laced with a heavy regret that couldn’t be faked. she might not know what to believe anymore, but she could recognise the profound sadness that hung over him like a heavy cloak, weighing him down as he talked about how he regretted killing his oldest brother. her arms ached to wrap around him, her hands ached to cradle his cheeks — but this wasn’t up to her to tell him that it was okay, because none of it was. it was terribly cruel and selfish what he’d done to his brother and his family — how he took away their beloved father and kept them completely in the dark.

but she was somewhat comforted by the fact that he could still feel remorse, that there was a semblance of the man she thought she loved left inside him. yet, the questions wouldn’t stop ringing in her head — did she know him at all? or did she only know the man he pretended to be? how much of what he had shown her was a fabricated lie, and what if she was the next lamb to slaughter?

“oh, zaiyi…” she whispered, before taking a single step closer despite her lingering doubts. her arms wrapped around him instinctively as if he were hers to protect — when it was the world that should be protected against him. “maybe it’s a good thing we’re forced to leave…” her heart sank at the bitter weight of reality, “we can start something new.” away from the chaos and violence, and everything ugly that came with the boundless, insatiable pursuit of power.

[rvnwiild]

he doesn't expect ziyao to wrap her arms around him. after his confession, he'd been certain she would walk away—perhaps even return to her family and leave him behind forever. instead, she embraces him. the gesture catches him completely off guard, but it's the kind of surprise he never dared hope for. he pulls her into his arms without hesitation, holding her close as though letting go would shatter the fragile miracle before him. zaiyi buries his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her familiar, comforting scent. the tension that's gripped him for nearly two days finally begins to ease as he closes his eyes for the first time since everything unraveled. "…you mean…" his voice is quiet as he reluctantly pulls back just enough to meet her gaze. his eyes search hers, equal parts hopeful and afraid. "…you'll stay with me?" the question comes out almost like a plea, as though he's terrified she'll change her mind the moment the words leave his lips. "i promise," he says, his voice steadier now. "i'll never try anything like that again. from now on… my only focus will be our family."