Books I’d Like To Read

Credit: @juliehangart

❤️Ribbons and Heartsongs by jeyhawk

❤️Ribbons and Heartsongs

by jeyhawk

E, 37k, wangxian

Summary:  High Fantasy/Science Fiction AU.

The cot looked like a death trap. It was held together by a bunch of leather straps connected to a metal frame. Even with a mattress put on top it looked like a torture device.

“If I die in the night, I will come back to haunt you,” Wei Wuxian said, eyeing it.

“It is not for you,” Lan Wangji said.

“What? I’m a prisoner. Of course I’m taking the cot.”

“You are a guest and you are taking the bed.”

“I’m not taking the bed. Come on, I can’t let you sleep on that. If you die everyone will blame me.”

“I will not die.”

My comments:  Beautiful story: kind of a mesh between space/fantasy/urban fantasy AUs. Wei Wuxian is an Army deserter (they’d non-consensually made him into a werewolf and then mind-controlled him for 2 years for a bit of additional fuckery) and has been on the run for 3 years when a vortex opens in front of him. Wei Wuxian jumps in, because he is the kind of man who takes leaps. He exits into a circle of mages, one of whom is quietly thrumming with a heartsong that is making his wolf go absolutely bananas.

So he settles into this new world, where magic is real and no one’s heard about the Federation. (Well, he settles in after they let him out of their dungeon.) He’s Lan Wangji’s charge, which is just fine by him. He keeps his wolf side secret, and just learns about this new place and the new people and gets to know his beautiful and intriguing roommate well enough to read micro-expressions.

There’s a mystery, and some danger, and Wei Wuxian gets to divest Lan Wangji of his virginity (which is absolutely gorgeous), after which the mystery situation comes to a head and somehow Wei Wuxian gets sent back across the… universe, alternate dimensions, he really doesn’t know… to the bleak reality he’d only just escaped.

Excerpt: “I like watching you [get ready in the morning],” Wei Wuxian said.

Lan Wangji cut him a look that seemed more surprised than angry. “Why?”

Wei Wuxian shrugged, making the covers slip down his chest. “You look more human in the morning.”

Lan Wangji blinked at that. “I’m always human.”

“I know.”

Lan Wangji’s eyebrows drew together slightly. Wei Wuxian struggled for a way to explain himself.

“You’re less perfect in the morning. Sometimes your hair is even tangled.”

Lan Wangji’s hands flew to his hair.

“Not now,” Wei Wuxian said impatiently. “Just sometimes.”

Lan Wangji stared at him, then it seemed to occur to him that Wei Wuxian was barely dressed because his gaze dropped to his chest for a moment before being wrenched away.

“You’re weird,” he said, seemingly with as much dignity as he could muster, which was more dignity than Wei Wuxian had mustered in his entire life.

“I know,” Wei Wuxian said, unconcerned.

Lan Wangji’s eyes narrowed into perfect crescents, the way they did when he was smiling internally, and Wei Wuxian congratulated himself on a morning well spent. It was worth every bit of discomfort waking at 5-hour brought him if he could make Lan Wangji almost-smile.

fantasy au, urban fantasy au, science fiction au, space au, werewolf au, dimension travel, case fic, loss of virginity, marriage proposal, pining, sharing a bed, anal sex, werewolf wei wuxian, favorite, werewolf mates, biting, (wwx is the one who bites), top wei wuxian, bottom lan wangji, cultivator lan wangji, ex-Army wei wuxian

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french recipes: if you’re not making this in paris then what’s the point. fuck you

italian recipes: use the left leg meat of a pig from one of three farms in this specific area of tuscany, or from this day my grandmother will begin manifesting physically in your house

This is a very random post, but I just remembered this story my mother told me about her mother (my grandmother).

Basically, they were somewhere in France and they just had lunch in this cute little cafe and my grandmother went inside to pay. She wanted to pay with card because reasons, but back in the day, long long ago, paying with card wasn't really all that normal at the time, so she had to ask first.

The problem here is that my (Dutch) grandmother asked if she could pay with a

"card postale"

Which translated to Dutch literally means postal card (which is how you used to do credit card payments back in the day, apparently), but translated correctly means postcard.

So anyway, you have this annoyed feisty lady practically yelling that she would like to pay for her food with a postcard and a very confused waiter who tried to explain that you cannot pay with postcards for food and my grandfather who was just laughing real hard.

So long story short, my grandparents are fucking hilarious.

Guuuuys, okay, what if after Arthur is put to rest, Merlin puts himself into internal sleep. Merlin not wanting to live in a world without Arthur but also not wanting to have to see his friends and family leave him. He will only wake when Arthur returns.

So there is a legend of a man that does not age laying forever sleeping in the catacombs of the to be Camelot's castle. Some tour guides will mention the rumor, "They even say that Merlin still rests below these very grounds. Waiting for his king to return again."

Queen of Camelot, Guinevere, was left with with this secret and respected Merlin to let him sleep. And forever on, Merlin's secret was passed on only to the next to reign over Camelot. Then onto today whoever reigns over England.

He is unmovable by his magic. The room is sealed and can not be worn by time or natural disaster. It effectively keep the castle persevered through wars and extreme weather.

On tours it is a fun pitstop to ask if anyone wants to see if they are the one and only true King of Camelot. As the door to Merlin's tomb will not open unless it is Arthur trying to open it. Since it is unopenable most tour guides just assume the room is collapsed on the other side so it is really just a jest to them.

On one of the tours they don't even mention the door but one guest stops in front of it and asks, "What's through this door?"

The tour guide perks up at the question. "Oh, well that would be Merlin's tomb. Where sleeps indefinitely until his King returns." He bravos and the blonde guest just takes in the door. His dark haired sister shifts on her heels behind him.

"It's just a door. I bet the room is just rumble." She remarks and the tour guide gets defensive. "No, Merlin is really in there! King Arthur just hasn't come to open his tomb yet!" Yeah, he's bluffing but theres kids in the group, so theres no need to kill their imagination.

The woman scoffs while the blonde makes no comment, still just admiring the door.

"Maybe you should give it a try. Maybe mom and dad named you Arthur for a reason." She teases to her brother and he rolls his blue eyes. "Yeah and maybe that's why they named you Morgana."

"Would you like to try? Theres no harm in it. Just pull on the handle." The guide instruction and Arthur really stares at the worn but almost pristine handle.

"Try! Try! King Arthur!" A kid cheers next to her parents and he sighs. Uncrossing his arms he reaches for the handle while mumbling. "This is ridiculous."

He grasps the rusted handle and pulls.

Nothing.

There's a beat and he stands in almost disbelief. Like something in him knows the door should've opened for him and only him.

Morgana breaks into a hysterical laugh that is way too loud in the tight stone hallway. Something about her teasing makes him feel like he's left out of some joke that's being played on him.

"Aw, I guess Merlin won't be waking this time. Will anyone else like to try.

Arthur grits his teeth together and braces his other hand flat on the door. Whispering unknowingly to himself he prepares to rip the door right off its old hinges.

"Your late Merlin."

He pulls again, rougher this time and the door shifts in its lock. The tour guide cautiously puts his hands up.

"Sir, please it seems it won't open." He says afraid that Arthur might just break the door to a room of no actually suprises.

Morgana has calmed down and crossed her arms with a smirk. "It'll open." She says confidently and the guide pales. Because of course this blonde man is pissed and will get this door open even if it means destroying it.

"Please-"

Arthur rolls his shoulders and steps back. Them again with a whisper to no one, "Sleeping in are we? Not suprising."

He slams his shoulder into the door with a bang. Then reels back for another.

"Wait till I get in there."

He mumbles and pushes and oulls back.

"Sir, your damaging historical property!" He tries to stop him and the kid from before jumps in excitement. "King Arthur! King Arthur!"

He steps back on more time and Morgana snickers. "He sure is stubborn, isn't he?"

"Not helping." Arthur grunts and Morgana is holding her abdomen and tilting her head back with laughter spilling out of her. He tries again and again and nothing but hard thuds against the woods. She wheezes out, "He must me angry Arthur." Then wiggles her fingers with a ghostly howl, "Oooooooo."

Now Arthur nows she is just egging him on not because she truly thinks he's king Arthur, no, she's just an actual witch but with a "b" instead of a "w".

Cracking his neck he hisses to himself, no, to Merlin, "Okay come on Merlin. No more games."

Taking a breath he retracts from the door and his grazes the doors grain until his eyes reast on the handle.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me-" Arthur curse outloud and just turns the handle with a click. Morgana falls to the floor and starts crying laughing not even realizing Arthur had open the door.

Arthur huffs hidding his embarrassment.

"I-it's a turn handle." He informs everyone and takes in the room. Morgana now doing the same from the floor. Everyone slient with anticipation and jaws slack.

Morgana sits up with her elbows and look at the door.

"Oh shit, you opened it." She says what everyone is thinking then stands up in shock. "Holy hell you actually opened it!?"

Arthur shrugs and fully opens the door to see a dark stair case. "I guess so." Then he turns to the guide. "You gave it to me right? Undid the lock or something?"

The guide slowly shakes his head in disbelief, "N-no its impossible. N-no one has ever...."

Arthur grazes down the dark stairs and his feet start to move without thinking.

"Go King Arthur!" The kid cheers breaking the slience and the rest of the parton start to cheer as well.

"King Arthur!" "King Arthur!" "Long live the King, Arthur!"

Morgana stares at them then to the back her brother starting to disappear down into the darkness. She moves to follow him but the door slams shut on her. The harsh sound of the slam shuts everyone slient.

The guide falls to his knees in shock.

Arthur spins around for where the light once came and has now gone. But really with it being completely black he honestly has no idea if he is even looking the right way.

"Shit, of course..."

Turning back around, towards where the stairs descends, he thinks, he grabs onto the wall.

"Merlin some light would be nice before I break my neck and die before I get to you, again."

He attempts, successfully, to take a few steps before an familiar orb of light floats to him.

"Hello again." He greets it and continues down. Then it hits him, who has he been talking to? Merlin isn't really. He's but a story, a rumor.

Then he stares at the orb guiding his way futher down into the catacombs. "What in the hell is that thing and how do I know it!?"

He's voice echo distressed back to him against the stone walls and he hears a groan that doesn't belong to him respond back. Then his feet are flying down the case and almost running after the orb.

Swepting around a corner he feels he's at sometime he's down before stops to watch the orb fly up into the cieling then disburses to light the room.

The flash has him wincing.

Blinking his eyes back open the room is lit and he sees him.

A man laying on a stone mantle with hands intertwined on his stomach. Dark short hair, pale skin, red fabric tied around his neck in contrast to his fair features, a red he knows unwillingly well.

He remembers this shade. He remembers this man. His features.

How could he forget.

He could never forget.

Merlin.

His guardian. His friend. His very much horrible servant.

Merlin.

With hands on either side of Merlin's head Arthur leans over him and smiles down at him.

"I'm not going to kiss you awake if thats what your waiting for, Mer~lin."

Merlin's face scrunches up from peacefully to wanting to break out a laugh. He peaks an eye open at Arthur. "It was worth a try." He says and they both break into a laughter.

Arthur lettting his head fall onto Merlin's shoulder to muffle his laughter. Merlin lets his hand settled on the back his blonde hair.

Their cheery laughter echoing loudly in the dusty space.

They are happy to see each other. They are relived that they really got their second chance. They think this is crazy and absolutely ridiculous but wonderful.

A blessing.

A harsh bang against the door upstairs echoes down to them. Then Morgana's muffled voice barely audible but loud enough to hear.

"Give my brother back you demon! Uther and Ygraine will kill me if I come back without him!"

Merlin snickers again and Arthur comes up to give him a knowing glance.

"Want to mess with her?"

Arthur mocks a gesture as if thinking on it.

"Well she was quite the menace in my past life."

Merlin and him stare at each seriously for a minute then break once more into smiles.

"Yeah, lets go mess with her."

Arthur agrees and grabs Merlin's hand to race together back towards the door. The orb closing up and following after them.

Finally, a sane celebrity who doesn’t bend the knee to feminist bullshit.

Source

If these scenes aren’t brought to life in the Winter Soldier and Falcon show, then what’s the point?

Cred: mechinaries on Twitter