#card writes

[bewareofchris]

A visual guide to every fic that Card has ever written in her entire life:

but then,

[bewareofchris]

so when I was younger i had this idea about a post apocalyptic and/or pre-civilization style story wherein a lone narrator was travelling in extreme cold temperatures where it was largely dark all the time, and how they made friends with a light which they thought was just a light but actually turned out to be a ghost.  the ghost/light kept predators away and provided warmth/helped find shelter because of its light, right?

and it ends badly because eventually the ghost uses up all its energy and evaporates and the person (who loves their friend) is left to die in the cold, thus becoming a ghost/light themselves.

and like I loved it but there were two problems with this story:

1. it’s definitely a visual story and I’m not an artist 2. i felt in my heart, in the deepest core of my being, that people would read it and be like YES RELIGIOUS FAITH SAVES, THE LIGHT REPRESENTS JESUS and i seriously could not cope with that thought.

[thatsnicadenic]

The Fundy Harem - Realizations PT1

AKA how our favorite scammer gets a bunch of simps

A/N: Hello! Welcome to the Fundy Harem AU!!! Both @laraspaperbag and I realized that we needed to give Fundy better, so we gave him a harem :D George and Dream harems who? I hope I’ve written these well enough so you guys can tell what time each takes place in haha! Enjoy the show!

His golden medallion shimmered in the moonlight as he jumped from tree to tree to make his way to the much hated black walls. He didn’t know why Dream felt the need to show power through assassination. Well, that was a lie. He knew. He knew all too well.

When Dream told him of his job, Punz had agreed. It was simple.

Murder the son of the general of L’Manburg. The man would mourn, as would his soldiers, and their moral would plummet, they would be weaker. Dream and his forces would be able to plow right through them. It was simple.

Then Dream made the mistake of giving Punz a picture of his target.

A warm smile, amber eyes, ginger hair with touches of cream and black, skin that looked soft to the touch, and dark fox ears combined to give the man in the picture the look of innocence that didn’t belong in their world. He wasn’t looking at the camera, but gods above, Punz wanted those eyes on him, he wanted them filled with affection and focused on his being. He was able to keep it together in front of Dream, but as soon as he made it to his home after being dismissed, he let a hot blush spread across his face as he stared at the image.

Pretty…

The blond sighed as he traced the cheek of the fox, guilt taking its place in his heart after he arrived at the outside of the walls. Oh, how he wished that he’d had more time to get to know where this man had been all his life. Although, he thinks about it, and realizes if he’d known about him earlier, he would’ve never even been on Dream’s side, this beautiful stranger had that much power over him. With a resigned huff and pink on his cheeks, he began to silently scale the L’Manburg wall.

Upon reaching the top, he made himself lay flat on the surface, making sure his figure would be hidden from anyone who sought to check up on these cursed walls. He heard some shuffling from below, and he looked to his left where the noise came from.

It was him. Fundy.

Punz was only a man, how was he to resist the way the moonlight hit his frame so?

He watched closely as Fundy stationed himself next to the lake, seemingly just spending time next to the cool water source. Punz couldn’t help but stare, watching as the water rippled where Fundy mindlessly played with it.

But of course, all good things come to an end. Punz panicked as Fundy sat up, seemingly noticing the presence of someone who shouldn’t be there. The presence of the assassin. He began to look around the walls, searching for whatever gave him this feeling of unease. Before his eyes could land on the white hoodie, however, he heard his name be called by Wilbur, and he sighed and turned in the direction of the caravan.

Punz almost cursed the general in that moment, he was so close to having those eyes on him.

He regained his senses. He was here to kill the owner of those eyes, wasn’t he? With a sigh, he summoned the mentality of his mercenary past, steeling his nerves and taking out his crossbow. It was now or never. He had to take the shot.

Punz brought the crossbow to his eye level, aiming for the ginger. A second passed… Two more passed… Then three more… Fundy was almost to the safety of the caravan.

A total of ten seconds before Punz groaned and put down his weapon. He couldn’t do it. The fox, like the sneak he was, had already stolen his heart. Dream would be pissed, wouldn’t he?

And yet, as Punz watched the fox hybrid’s bushy tail disappear into the caravan, he knew that he would endure whatever Dream threw at him just to have another opportunity to see that fox smile.

——————————

Sapnap couldn’t help that he had an obsession with foxes, no matter the result of it.

There was just something about their orange fur, their soot-colored ears, and their fluffy tails that he simply couldn’t get enough of. Don’t even get him started on their eyes or cute little paws, or-

If it were up to him, he would’ve torn himself apart. A savage like him deserved a fate like that, he thought, especially since he knew the other’s claws were capable of such damage. But no, after the duel the fox simply… smiled at him. Of course, there was pain in that smile, he’d just lost so many little friends because of the arsonist, and it wasn’t even just Fundy who’d lost numerous pets from this childish feud.

Regardless, he had been forgiven. Fundy gave up, and Sapnap… Sapnap never realized how well the hybrid could fight. He’d never had the chance to actually fight him one on one during the revolution, and if he had, he’d never noticed which European he was putting an end to anyway. The man was graceful like his patron animal even in battle, quick and clever, maybe almost as savvy as some of the best warriors in their lands. Of course, he’d lost, but the raven-haired boy couldn’t help but let some kind of warm emotion grow in his chest when he thought of Fundy’s determined face in their duel. He thought it was respect.

“Hey, Fundy?”

When the ginger’s ears perked up, he had to squeeze his hands into fists to repress a high-pitched squeal.

“You fought well. My respect, man. That was a good duel.”

Funny’s smile was made friendlier, less out of politeness and more out of glee, and the arsonist felt it strike a chord in his heart. His face flushed. Had Fundy always been this… cute?

“Thank you, Snapmap, as messed up as it sounds… I had fun.”

Sapnap couldn’t even find it in himself to care that Fundy had purposely called him the wrong name. He watched as the fox gave him one last closed-eye smile before leaving with Tubbo trailing behind him.

Sapnap made sure they were far from hearing distance before he clutched at his chest and squealed like a lovesick teenager. He had probably looked like a constipated idiot, hadn’t he? God, he just wanted to pet the shit out of Fundy’s ears and tail, maybe give him a few pats on the head, kiss his nose and then kiss his li-

He froze.

What the fuck-?

Wait, wait, wait-

Well, it’s only natural that he wanted to pet Fundy, right? He was half fox, for fuck’s sake. His obsession with the sly animals would totally make him think the guy was deserving of pats, but… How could he excuse those last two thoughts? In all his years of loving foxes, he’d never wanted to kiss one, that was Wilbur’s thing apparently. Nothing’s changed. He’d loved foxes since forever, hadn’t he…? The ginger had no way of influencing that, the brute thought to himself. Fundy came after his obsession, he had to’ve!

… But that was only true if he excluded the fact that when he’d first laid eyes on Fundy, foxes had become his favorite animal in an instant.

Right then, in the present, the raven-haired savage realized that what he felt for the hybrid was most certainly not just respect.

——————————

George, if you asked anyone who knew him, would be described as emotionally distant. Some would even say he was apathetic. Even with his closest friends he struggled to display the sappiness they could. Whenever he was told that he was cared for, loved, or anything remotely positive, his immediate instinct was to run or lick his lip in a flustered manner. Whenever there were negative tensions in the air, again, he’d rather run and hide, feeling awkward in that situation especially if someone was crying. Simply put, feelings were NOT his thing.

So why was it that whenever he saw Fundy working so hard, or heard him laugh, he felt a wonderful flutter in his stomach? When he’d hear his cries of stress after a meeting gone wrong or when Schlatt and Quackity berated him for making any small, typically unnoticeable mistake, why would he desire so strongly to let the fox curl up into his arms and weep into his shoulder?

Why would worms would fill his stomach whenever he saw the skinny man sob in front of the caravan from which he was born along with a nation that he was supposed to have inherited, why would he feel so guilty knowing that he’d helped the tyrannical ram into the presidency and caused the exile of Fundy’s father and uncle?

Why did he feel so bad knowing he was going to aid in the ruin of this hamlet of a country?

George simply couldn’t comprehend this. During the revolution of this land he’d not once cared for any of those who fought against him, so what was it that made Fundy so different to him now? He supposed that perhaps it was the conversations they would have, where the ginger could completely keep up with the pace of George’s mind when speaking about coding, or when said ginger bamboozled him with weird glitches in their world that George would’ve never even imagined could be possible. Perhaps it was the way Fundy, clever as he was, would make some of the stupidest jokes known to man, and George would still be flushed with giggles because it was adorable to see the fox try and figure out the English language. Maybe it was how the ginger did his best to get his job done, determined to prove to his higher-ups that he deserved his position and more, a stark contrast to George’s own work ethic.

Ugh, feelings are annoying.

He chose to sleep whatever those emotions were away. They were too confusing and frankly far too complicated for the brunet to decipher, no matter how much he missed in those stupid meetings they seldom woke him up for.

That in itself was a curse, he thought. He loved staring at Fundy, in the non-creepiest way possible. The fox was certainly pleasing to the eye, in his opinion, and he was glad his goggles were updated with lenses that would let him appreciate the ginger as he truly was, with full colors that really gave him the vibrancy his normal vision couldn’t give him. Although, the Brit thought that regardless of what colors he could see, Fundy could bring life to his sight.

The best part about his goggles, though, was that the lenses had been updated by the fox himself. It’d been at a previous cabinet meeting where Quackity had once again poked fun at George’s color blindness that Fundy suddenly perked up, ears twitching and tail wagging slightly. In a flash of orange, cream, and black, the man rushed out of the building, ignoring Schlatt’s angry roaring of his name. At the time George had no idea what the coder was up to, and he let himself be distracted by his thoughts of the man as the meeting continued. And, around 20 minutes afterward, Fundy darted back into the room, tail wagging with much more vigor, interrupting Quackity once more, with a rectangular box in hand.

“I’m sorry, but I just remembered I had a gift for you, Gogy!”

The baby blue box was handed to him, George’s name written in a dark blue cursive font along the top. He quirked his eyebrow at the ginger.

“This isn’t a glitter bomb, is it?”

His question was responded to with a fervent head shake and a giddy smile.

“Just open it! I wanna see if they work!”

With a sigh, George opened the box and quirked his brow again. Inside was a frame, he assumed it was a placeholder for his goggles since it looked so plain, but that wasn’t the main event, it seemed. The lenses in the frame itself were particularly eye catching, shiny and reflective, and he could tell that they had an iridescent shimmer to them. They were definitely special, but how? The Brit gave the other another confused look.

“What are these for, Fundy? Are my current ones that scratched up?”

And again, the fox shook his head, his smile growing shy as he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck.

“They’re, uh... I messed around with some coding and stuff and these are the results. They’re colorblind lenses.”

George felt his heart soar.

He wondered if Fundy would ever do such a thing for anyone other than himself, and the Brit found himself wanting to be selfish and believe that he only did these things for him, that Fundy wouldn’t help out anyone but him, that the scams would only happen to anyone else because Fundy only wanted him.

On that day, George figured that maybe he could adapt to let Fundy see less of his detached demeanor and more of what the fox seldom received; let him see that when George looked at him, his heart beat for him, and he’d tear down his own walls to embrace Fundy if he had to.

——————————

If Dream was honest, he didn’t know how Fundy did it. His mercenary, his arsonist, AND his king had all fallen for the Dutchman’s charms, and he didn’t even have to lift a finger. Hell, HBomb of all people was into the fox, how does that even happen?! What was it about Fundy that struck these men so hard that they’d stumble all over themselves in order to please him?!

The opportunity to explore this strange phenomenon presented itself soon enough when Fundy asked him out on a date, completely away from the SMP.

To put it kindly, the dirty blond was baffled. He’d basically been the source of all of Fundy’s problems, and the fox still found him attractive enough to ask him to a restaurant/movie date? Either the coder was smarter than he thought, or a complete and utter idiot.

That’s not even to mention the absolute complexity of said date that the fox had orchestrated. The whole restaurant was empty save for themselves and the staff, and the ginger had even bent the rules of their world to create a movie that was only available in few other realms. How could that tricky fox even have half the motivation he did to make this all possible? For him, no less?

As they left the restaurant, he gently grabbed Fundy’s shoulder, making them both stop. He felt his heart skip a beat as Fundy looked at him with those wide eyes full of secrets and surprises. Perhaps Punz wasn’t too far off when he said they could be stared into for literal hours.

“Is something the matter, Dream?”

Curse those eyes, that face, this beautiful human. This was a gorgeous man, one that Dream did not deserve.

“Fundy… Why?”

A head tilt and a furrowed brow.

“Why what?”

He paused, opened and closed his mouth like he was some kind of fish, then spoke once more, voice beginning to tremble.

“Why… all of this? Why the date, why are you spending this time with me? Lord knows I’ve done heartless, unforgivable things. I don’t deserve this kindness, Fundy. Especially not from you.”

I don’t deserve you.

The fox froze and bit his lip in thought. He knew it, he just had to open his big mouth, and now the most fun he’s had in months will end on a sour note. Good fucking job, Dream-

A clawed hand delicately cupped his jaw, the thumb wiping away the tears that began to spill. Oh great, he’d started crying too-

“Dream… It’s true that you’ve hurt me and my people countless times. I completely accept and acknowledge that. But I also know that somewhere in there, you’re just as human as I am. I wanted to take the time to know you, the real you, not the tyrant in the mask, not the demonic monster who kills, just… you.”

With every accented word, the sting in the masked man’s throat did not soften or dull, instead doing the opposite, and his tears soaked the fox’s skin. How could he have sent for this man’s murder? How could he have let his arsonist kill his pets? How could he have let him suffer in a land far from his father? How?

“This world doesn’t deserve you, Fundy.”

Said man showed a slightly hurt smile and his ears lowered. Nonono, why was he sad, what had he done wrong?

“I don’t believe that’s the case… I’ve done things I regret, we all have, my friend. Regardless, Dream, I want you to know that I don’t mind if nothing comes of this. I wanted you to have fun, to laugh and feel free.”

And he had. He wanted something out of this, he so desperately wanted to be selfish once more. He was interested, was so into Fundy.

He wanted to show the ginger how much love he deserved, from himself and so many others who’d fallen for him like they were mere dominoes.

——————————

To be continued...

[thatsnicadenic]

That one wedding fic I didn’t finish in time for the wedding

Fundy is a fox hybrid, he would totally wear a dress, and everyone has communicators. Cool? Cool. :D Oh also this was supposed to take place like… Before the election, like Fundy had already agreed to help Schlatt if he won. I know, I’m the worst.

Fundy couldn’t help it. He’d been pacing in his dressing room, his white satin dress twisting and turning along with him for the past 20 minutes. Dream wouldn’t disappoint him, would he?

Today was meant to be their happiest day, the day they’d be united in matrimony, and the fox hybrid was quaking with nerves, for many reasons of course, but the one taking most urgency in his mind was one simple thing: his soon-to-be husband was half an hour late. He wasn’t in his dressing room, nor on any of the church grounds for that matter. Apparently, he wasn’t home, and he hadn’t been responding to any of the whispers sent his way. What could possibly be so important that caused Dream to be so tardy? Had he been kidnapped? Was he trapped in an obsidian cage? Was he… permadead? The anxiety began to eat away at Fundy’s stomach as he practically burned a figure 8 on the wooden planks that made up the floor.

“Oh gosh, Fundy! You’ll wrinkle your dress!” Niki’s soft tone matched her worried face as she sat the poor ginger down at the vanity. “I know you’re worried, but pacing like this won’t make him arrive any faster.”

Wouldn’t it though? If Dream knew how much unease he was causing his fiancee, would he run to the church in a disheveled manner to let him know he was safe? That he was simply stupidly late? Fundy could only sigh in response.

“I know, I just… I wanna see him so badly. The anticipation is killing me!” He slumped in his seat to prove his point. His posture was quickly straightened by Niki as he spoke again. “Do you… think he’s okay… ?”

Niki smiled softly at him as she put back the few strands of hair that came loose in his frenzy. If he looked closely, Fundy would see the irritation in her eyes he knew was directed at the blonde man. He didn’t want to look closely.

“Of course I think so. Maybe he’s just as nervous as you, pacing in his room to the point where he needs to keep redoing his look!”

After a few more reassurances, Niki let the fox boy be, leaving him to his own devices in the dressing room.

Insert something about dreamons, angry Wildad, how no one listens to Fundy, Fears about George b/c he’s Dre’s ex, etc

Yes, Fundy would wait. He would be seeing Dream at the altar in a suit that was sure would look amazing on him, as most things did. It would be worth this anxiousness. He was sure of it.

Two hours later, Niki and Eret found themselves leading a crying Fundy out of the doors of the church and a furious Wilbur trailing behind them. Most of the guests had already left, some staying behind to help clean up the decorations.They’d all gotten the news from Karl. Dream had been found, not permadead like Fundy had begun to fear, but the truth was much more unsettling, in his opinion.

The masked man was with George of all people, lazing about. When questioned, well…

“Oh shit, that was today?!”

Dream had forgotten about their wedding day. About him. All in favor of hanging out with his ex.

Fundy’s dress was now absolutely wrinkled, his fists having clenched around the material harshly when it hit him that Dream was not going to arrive. His veil was gone, laying next to the mirror in the dressing room which he threw it at. With one hand in Eret’s, and the other practically crushing his bouquet, he limply followed Niki’s instructions of stepping down the stairs in his stupidly expensive dress-

“Oh, you.” Eret’s hostile tone was so sudden that Fundy almost stumbled down the last few steps. He slowly lifted his head to see who could have possibly made Eret nearly cause his doom-

His heart caught in his throat.

Blonde locks, his favorite green hoodie, the hint of freckles just beneath the white porcelain mask, and that godforsaken smiley face.

He didn’t even have a suit bag by his side. Fundy bit his lip as he felt the tears increase tenfold. He wouldn’t cry. He wouldn’t cry.

He wouldn’t cry.

“Fundy-”

“Zip it.” Fundy bared his fangs in a humorless smile, his rage finally taking over. “I… I really can’t believe you.”

“Look, I-” Dream was interrupted once more by his angry fiancee.

“You know… I had to beg Wilbur to be here today. You know he hated you, and he’s disappointed in me, and still I begged on my knees because I wanted him to be a part of what was supposed to be the best day of my goddamn life.”

A soft sob.

“I thought I finally had someone who wouldn’t make me look like some childish fool, someone that would treat me seriously and love me like I was always told I’d be loved.” He ripped his hand from Eret’s grasp and began making his way to the blonde.

“I grew up hearing how this world was beautiful, about how much I could find in it, and I learned how much of it could kill me!” He stopped a few feet away from Dream. “I spent years in those fucking walls, told how those beautiful things could be deceiving, how emeralds could turn out to be kryptonite! I didn’t want to believe everything Wilbur told me about the outside world…”

He threw the bouquet in Dream’s face as he wailed.

“But my father was right about you, you two-faced asshole!”

Something about Fundy running away, Wilbur picking dream up by the hoodie and yelling at him, and a time skip where Fundy is hidden in a secret garden in the forest.

Dream was his first crush, his first date, his first kiss, his first everything. Fundy had given him everything he could, every piece of his being was for Dream to take. Fundy wondered if he even had enough for himself now.

A twig snaps. He knows who it is though. He was always watching, like some sort of god. It made him afraid at first. Then he was endeared by the action. Now he only feels irritation. He supposes that Dream wanted Fundy to know he was there. That, or he was too distracted to realize what he was stepping on. Nonetheless, Fundy felt some sick kind of satisfaction in making Dream watch him cry.

Dream was truly a big softie, never liking to see Fundy upset. Although, he again supposes that this fact would have stopped him from hurting Fundy in the first place.

No. No more of this.

Fundy was done.

Shakily, he inhaled and opened his communicator, making sure to broadcast his message for all to hear. No more whispering. No more hiding his pain. For the first time, everyone would hear his agony.

“Schlatt, I… I know I already said I would work for you, but… I will swear my utmost loyalty if, and only if…” -he inhaled, a sob threatening to break from his throat- “... you promise me I’ll never have to see Dream again.”

Silence. Then gasps from all around their little world were heard through one device. Some, like Niki and Wilbur, pleaded for him to reconsider.

But he was far too gone.

He stared at where he saw the sliver of white in the dark forest, a final goodbye as his communicator crackled back to life with a deep, malevolent chuckle.

“You’ve got a deal, fox boy.”

[thatsnicadenic]

No this isn’t the au I wanna create and no I’m not actually gonna write this

this lil ditty takes place after the war and I’m keeping Wilbur alive for it lol

But basically everyone is together tryna make amends, Fundy is still kinda salty because wow lots of bad happening to poor fox boy.

And someone makes the mistake of telling him to calm down.

•“Calm down…? Calm down?!”

•A bitter laugh resonates in his chest.

•“You try keeping it together when your father doesn’t care about whatever you accomplish because of two children that aren’t even his.”

•Flashes of times when Wilbur ignored his son in favor of Tubbo and Tommy.

•“When whenever you talk you’re treated like some fucking joke, and no one takes you seriously.”

•Flashes of Schlatt and Quackity looking down at the ginger.

•“When you have a fiancee who doesn’t even love you and a baby you’re not even fucking sure is yours!”

•Flashes of every time Dream ignored him or pushed him away.

•Silence. Heavy breathing. Then a sob. And another. And another still. Guilt swells in the hearts of those present, finally realizing they’d pushed the ginger over the edge.

•Dream reaches his hand out to his sobbing lover, but all he accomplishes is making Fundy react like a scared animal, fur fluffing up and growling.

•He can’t even manage to keep this facade up, almost immediately breaking down again. He digs around in his pocket, hoping to grab an ender pearl.

•As soon as he does, he whips around and just throws it as hard as he can.

•“No, Fundy, wait-!”

•Dream grabs his arm only for it to dissipate into purple sparks as Fundy’s pearl hits in some distant land. In the background, Wilbur cries, whimpering over the pain he’d caused his poor little champion.

•Fuck.

[thatsnicadenic]

♣️Goodbye For Now♣️

It seemed as though his husband feared him, and try as he might, Brian could not remember anything past the night that he and his Queen had truly become one. He racked through his memories of that day, all the way to the final moments past midnight in which he held his beloved Moo Moo in his arms. Everything had been alright then. They certainly weren’t now.

His husband seemed apprehensive when it came to him. Gone were the kisses he would receive in the mornings, the smiles that often warmed his heart were shaky and forced, and Brock kept his distance as though Brian wasn’t meant to stay. In fact, some mornings his Queen would wake up and seem surprised that he was still there in the room with him.

What happened?

There seemed to be no answers. His husband wasn’t the only one wary of him, either. Both the baron and the male servant had avoided him as well. Any time he saw either in the hall, Luke gave a cool glare and cold responses, whilst the servant (who’s name he could never remember) simply could not look him in the eyes when responding, his tone holding a twinge of sorrow in it. At least he was dressed much more appropriately now.

He at least seems to give me full answers. I should seek him out. He’ll tell me everything, won’t he?

-----------------------------------------

Brock watched Luke approach him in the royal garden’s centerpiece, a beautifully constructed gazebo that was able to overlook the entire view. He sighed, allowing the man with the eyepatch to approach.

“You called, Brock?”

“Lord Patterson… It’s Queen Brock to you now.”

The baron narrowed his eyes.

“Why the change? Don’t tell me you regret what we have. ‘Sides, it’s not like we’ve been doing anything since he woke up.”

“No, it’s nothing like that! I just… You were an amazing lover, but… My husband is back. He loves me, Luke. He has loved me, and I never knew. He’s finally giving me what I wanted for so long… I cannot continue whatever is going on between us.”

He knew Luke was not going to take this easy. For as soft as Brock’s demeanor was, he was not blind to the longing glances and loving smiles Lord Patterson had sent his way, just as he was not blind to the same glances that servant boy had sent to his husband. He almost felt bad for both men, having been caught up in the drama that he and his King had made.

“So that’s it? You’re running back into the arms of a man who brushed you aside for so long?” Both winced as the words hung in the air. The Queen couldn’t help but get defensive.

“He wasn’t himself, Lord Patterson. You and I both watched that thing escape his body.”

Luke tensed up at his words.

“And?! What if that thing hasn’t left?! What if he’s just luring you in to hurt you?!”

“Since when do you care?! You, Baron of the Clubs, have been known by the name of ‘The Black Heart’ for taking and breaking hearts left and right if they were not satisfying you! Why am I no different?!”

“They aren’t you!!!”

Silence.

“... Lord Patterson, I-”

“I don’t wanna hear it. I have been there for you since you fell to your knees in that hallway, and now I’m not even worth a first name basis?”

Brock bit his lip and looked away. After a year of his husband avoiding him, he had finally cracked and began to cry and wail the King’s name in one of the castle’s many halls. He was unconsolable, that was until the Baron had come to his aid, knowing exactly what to say in order to calm him down. From there their friendship, and eventual relationship, blossomed. He snapped out of his memory upon hearing a shaky scoff from the bearded man in front of him.

“I always knew love wasn’t for a man like me.”

Brock could only watch, heart clenched with guilt, as Luke stomped back into the castle.

-------------------------------------------

Frantically, Ryan filled his travel bag with any and every piece of wearable clothing he could. Unfortunately, for all the things the King had given him, clothes he could wear in public without question were not really an option. Ryan almost laughed through his tears at the thought.

Fuck, how pathetic can I be? Loving a man that never loved me in the first place…

He wiped his eyes as he placed the final shirt into the bag.

“You seem pretty adamant on leaving, huh?”

Ohm turned around, frightened at the idea that the King had found him, but it was only the Baron, who looked like he too had been crying. He turned and closed the bag, whimpering softly.

“There’s nothing here for me. I was here to be a concubine, and nothing more.”

“Thought you were the Castle Songbird?”

“He lied to me. He liked my voice… But not in the way I imagined.”

“Royals, huh?”

“Yeah…”

Both shared a sad, meaningless smile before Ryan picked up his pack.

“You can come with me if you’d like. I imagine it’s not… ideal to be in the situation you’re in right now.”

“Don’t say that like your pain isn’t worth feeling, boy. Just because you’re lower in rank doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to feel used.”

Trembling, Ryan choked back a sob.

“My lord, I’m but a servant. I was born to be used. It is my purpose in life.”

Luke stared at him in disbelief.

“Have you always been treated like that?”

“Well… Excuse my impudence, but duh. That’s what the number on my hand means.”

Luke hesitated, allowing Ryan to speak again.

“In any case… Are you coming or not?”

“I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. I’ve got my own duties here, I can’t just leave.”

“I’m going to the garden tonight a few minutes before midnight. I’ll meet my ticket out of here then.”

“Okay…?”

“If you change your mind, you’re welcome to join me. However… If this truly is where we part ways, I’m glad I met you, Lord Patterson.”

“Please, call me Luke.”

Ryan gave the man a small, friendly smile that almost distracted him from his tears.

“Ah, then… Goodbye, Luke. Perhaps we'll see each other again some day.”

And here, my students, is where the story ends... For now. Go home, rest. I assure you we will continue another day.

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[thatsnicadenic]

♠️Sacrifice For You♠️

Scotty punched the dummy, letting his frustration out. What was it about him that wasn’t enough for Anthony? They’d been through thick and thin, it was because of the knight that Anthony had even gotten to the castle in the first place. The more he thought about it, the more rage consumed him. He couldn’t seem to calm himself down, and even then, why would he want to? He believed he had every right to be so angry, no one could call him odd for experiencing these feelings. Then, he heard a voice. It was deep, dark, and it echoed as though it came from the deepest parts of the void itself.

“This is very unbecoming of a Spade Knight. You disappoint me, Sir Scott. Why don’t you calm down and tell the shadows all about it?”

Scotty gasped as all lights in the room went out, and felt as though the darkness seeped into his body. He saw red and blue flashes of a figure, but before long, he couldn’t see anything at all.

Someone, anyone… Save me, please!

---------------------------------------

“Absolutely not, Smit! It’s out of the question!”

Still, the boy held his ground. “You know it would be best for all parties, Evan.”

“Yeah, all parties but you! I’m not going to put you in danger just for someone we consider a friend!”

“Delirious doesn’t deserve the fuckery you dealt him! If you were going to switch with someone, it should have been me!”

“I didn’t even know where you were at the time! For fuck’s sake, Smitty, I thought you were dead!”

“He will be if you don’t do something! He’s lucky the queen is basically a lie detector, or he would’ve been killed on the spot!”

“I’m not going to do it, and that’s final.”

Smitty felt his lip begin to tremble, his voice coming out softer than he expected.

“This whole thing is a mess we inherited, our whole existence is a mess we inherited. You can’t bring anybody else into this. That was our parents’ mistake. We’ve already caused so much pain, Evan, please!”

A moment passed.

“... I’ll tell him what I’ve done. Then I’ll ask him if he wants it. And whatever he decides will be his fate.”

Taglist: @miss-oli, @fluffy-papaya, @beesucculent, @books-bring-you-to-wonderland, @clopinki, @mynameishibou, @heck-damn-so-i-draw (Lemme know if you wanna be added or if I’ve forgotten you!!!)

[thatsnicadenic]

♦️A Hero, A Villain♦️

John, for as much as he thought, realized that perhaps he didn’t really think at all. Of course he didn’t regret his attack. Revolutions, especially those in the history of all the kingdoms, were always bloody, it was simply how those who wanted change could be heard. He couldn’t really remember much, after all, the old man who used to educate him and so many other children in the village hadn’t been able to teach them much after his death. Come to think of it, he was the one who started the fire in me.

But he wasn’t going to reminisce. He’d blocked those years off for a reason. In any case, the talk of the town was the “Wedding Bells Incident”. Perhaps now the king wouldn’t turn a blind eye to what he had been doing. After all, it wasn’t their fault the queen had disappeared.

Speaking of queens, this is where his train of thought had started. The news of the Heart Queen’s disfigurement spread quickly throughout the Diamond land, many people of all different standings believing he had not deserved such a fate. John knew it was really the broken hope in their hearts that motivated the outcry. Many of the lower class now thought that the young ruler had been the key to their salvation. Now, they blamed whoever was the cause of the attack for ruining any chance they had in being heard. It was a good thing no one suspected him or Nogla. How could they?

That didn’t stop his heart from cringing when he thought of Nogla. The man was in absolute agony after they made their escape from the crumbling building. He screamed how he would never be forgiven, neither of them would be, that they would be hunted and killed for the attrocities they had committed. And then, after many days of hearing his cries though the temple’s doors, there was silence. It was as though Nogla had simply disappeared. At first, John thought that he’d been discovered, that Nogla had been killed silently, but the temple still remained clean, just how Nogla liked to keep it. The doors, however, remained closed, and many of those who frequented the place worried for their local clergyman. Perhaps he was naive to have made David participate in their war. Clearly, he’d been affected by it more than John could have imagined.

Sighing, John slipped his apology and message under the temple doors. Nogla would show up, he hoped.

Taglist: @miss-oli, @fluffy-papaya, @beesucculent, @books-bring-you-to-wonderland, @clopinki, @mynameishibou, @heck-damn-so-i-draw (Lemme know if you wanna he added or if I’ve forgotten you!)