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the-record · 3 months

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☀️ i see the light ☀️

summary: ellie is just trying to hide from the guards when she stumbles apon a tower and a girl with really long hair.

pairing: flynn ryder!ellie williams x rapunzel!reader

warnings: non me things

a/n: i want to thank the oh so lovely @meowmeowtimw for sending me their gorgeous art, and also everyone who anticipated this fic. thank you so much for the love. also, first time doing a taglist, but let me know if you’d like to be added!

this is going to be done in parts bc my tumblr glitches and i dont want to lose any writing and delay this anymore! i have changed it up a bit from the movie to attempt to fit ellie as a character and not feel like im writing out the script but all the iconic moments will be included

you’re not quite sure how she ended up here. knocked out and stuffed in your wardrobe.

earlier, it had just been you and pascal. your mother out fetching ingredients for dinner, your birthday dinner.

she’d shut down your hopes and dreams of seeing the lights you saw every year for your birthday. she called them stars, made you feel fragile and weak. left with a half hearted goodbye.

thats when the girl showed up.

short auburn hair, climbing the tower with arrows. before you knew it, she was passed out on the floor, a frying pan in your hands.

in her bag though, that was the interesting piece. something gold and shiny, crystals decorating the circle. too big to be a bracelet, too beautiful to be a magnifying glass.

you and pascal jumped as your mother called up the tower, a surprise apparently. when you tried bringing up the lights once more, she’d simply laughed, brushing it off. you tried again, but gave up when she yelled, asking for paints.

she left, leaving you alone again. until you weren’t.

a girl, in your window.

now in your chair, tied up with pascal on her shoulder. he licked her ear, once, twice, three times before she jolted awake with a yell.

“what the hell?”

you took a deep breath, still hiding in a shadow.

“struggling… struggling is pointless.”

she looked around, taking in what was holding her down. was it, hair?

“i know why you’re here, and im not afraid of you.” slowly, you stepped into her view. “who are you, and how did you find me?”

“am i wrapped in hair?” the girl gawked at you, struggling under the wraps. “who am i? who are you? this is insane. this is kidnapping, just so you know.”

your face dropped. “you broke in first.”

“and you knocked me out and tied me up! with hair! who even has this much hair?” she groaned as she struggled.

“so you dont know who i am?” you whispered as you stepped closer.

she looked at you incredulously, “are you joking? of course not. can you let me out now?” you nodded as you stopped in front of her.

only now did you really notice her. short auburn hair, tied up at the back. green eyes that matched yours. freckles lining her nose and cheeks. lips slightly cracked and parted.

“ill let you out, if you promise me one thing.” she rolled her eyes but nodded. “every year, on my birthday, there are these lights. my mother told me they were stars, but ive tracked the stars for years.” you turned away and pulled back the curtain to your most recent painting. “they’re floating lights, and you are going to take me to them.” she hesitated but you quickly jumped in. “and if you don’t, say goodbye to your satchel.”

she sighed and relaxed into the chair. “alright, fine.” she smiled as your eyes lit up and you ran to her. “ill take you. but, we’re going my way.” you nodded excitedly as you untangled her from your hair. “and, im ellie by the way.”

“rapunzel.”

she shook out her limbs before standing. “rapunzel? pretty.”

“so you’ve really never been outside the tower before?”

ellie walked slightly ahead with her hands in her pockets, a small smile on her face. she said she knew a place to stop on your way to the kingdom.

you nodded as you took in everything. “she said it was too dangerous for me out here. that id get eaten alive.”

ellie frowned a bit as you spoke. you were definitely a bit ditzy, but smart. you weren’t naive but you noticed the good in everything you’d seen.

“so,” you pulled up beside ellie, nearly bumping her. “how did you find me?”

“i didn’t actually intend to.” she said, looking at you. “i was running, from… some very bad people, and i stumbled apon a pass in the woods. totally by accident. and when i went through it, there it was. the tower.” she watched as you nodded. “i figured id just, go up. i wasnt really thinking someone might be there.”

“obviously.” you teased.

she rolled her eyes, “alright whatever. i just needed somewhere to wait everyone out. and then you came out of nowhere and tried to maim me.”

you gasped, hitting her arm as she laughed. “i thought you were gonna hurt me! what was i supposed to do?”

“okay, fair enough.” you walked in silence for awhile, side by side, hands grazing.

ellie couldn’t help but feel a pull to you. you were kind, and funny. she hadn’t known you very long, but she knew she wanted to know more. and she couldn’t deny your beauty.

she was knocked out of her thoughts as you pointed to a sign in the distance.

snuggly duckling.

taglist: @urcherrr @onlinelesbo @diddiqueen @pedropascalsbbg @dinaismyfavmilf @madislayyy @ellieswilliamsgf @williamellieslilho @iove-bbb @swxxtbnny

#☀️ i see the light ☀️#ellie williams x reader #ellie williams x female reader #ellie williams fluff #ellie williams fic #ellie willams the last of us #ellie williams tlou #ellie williams x you #ellie williams x y/n #ellie williams angst #ellie williams #ellie x fem reader #ellie x reader

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nyxyxx · 5 months

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Godly Desires - Part 2 -

So yeah here's the second part. A little rough but the next few should get more interesting. I. II. III. IV.

As usual this story will contain yandere themes and religious themes so please proceed with caution.

"For you"

An apple? You blinked twice, confused. You hesitantly reached up towards the mitachurl's hand and took the apple in both of yours. After gazing at it for a while, as if looking for permission - you took a bite of the apple. It was delicious. It tasted so real it almost entirely discarded your belief that this was a dream.

You sat in the hilichurl camp there for a while, as they kept gifting you with seemingly random food and materials, but they seemed overjoyed with it regardless. It was an odd feeling. Despite the fact that they were known as dangerous monsters, they showed such kindness to you. You were almost compelled to just live among them for as long as they'd allow you to stay - but you knew you had to keep going.

You had to continue down the path, to find out how exactly you got here, and why. So, after a long time of playing with the hilichurls, you said your goodbyes, and they said goodbye too - or at least you think they were saying goodbye. You weren't exactly the most knowledgable on hilichurlian.

You walked down along the beach, trying to figure out where in Teyvat you could be. It didn't take very long for you to notice the tip of a very recognizable cathedral. So you were in Mondstadt. That made sense, you supposed. It was where the traveler first woke up, so it would make sense that you would appear here too - except you were on the opposite side of Monstadt.

It would take a while for you to reach Mondstadt just by walking, and you weren't even sure what you should do when you got there, but you might as well start now. You turned back towards the hills and kept walking, resting by trees when it got too dark, or hanging out in more hilichurl camps - where they always seemed to welcome your presence.

It was safe to say that you did not go hungry. Though, you could really use a change of clothes. They were starting to feel all gross. You luckily were by a lake, and well - you might as well take this opportunity to bathe and wash those clothes.

You were a little worried about being spotted, but figured you were in a quiet enough area that it was unlikely. Or if it were monsters, you had little fear of being attacked by them. So you carefully stripped down and submerged yourself in the lake, trying to adjust to the cold temperature of the water.

When you were finished washing yourself - you reached back up to the rocks to grab your clothes to wash them as well, only to find that they were gone. Wait...gone??? Panic began to set in as you realized that you were currently naked and stuck in some lake in the middle of nowhere. What were you going to do...?

You stared at the water for a while, tucking yourself as closely to the edge of the water as possible, as you just thought mindlessly over what you were going to do next. That is, until you heard a voice.

"Excuse me, by any chance do these clothes belong to you?" A voice called out, and you instinctively hid yourself lower into the water. "My bad, I don't mean to invade your privacy. I'll just leave these here." The man said, before you listened to his footsteps get more distant. You slowly lifted your head up to look, only to find the man in the distance standing behind a tree, facing the other way, waiting for you.

You looked back to the ground and found your clothes returned, though in a slightly worse condition, but regardless, you hastily threw it all on no matter how wet they were going to get. Once you were done, you ran over to the man in the distance, who slowly turned his head.

"An animal must have stolen them," he began, "I was out for a walk and saw them on the ground by the grape vines. The animal must've left them there after it realized there was no food in them." He smiled.

You were sure you knew who the man was, but that suspicion was only confirmed when you glanced down, and saw the pyro vision hanging from his belt. "...Diluc?"

"Ah right, yes I'm Diluc Ragvindr, at your service." He seemed a little surprised that you knew his name, but internally, his mind was on fire. You, of all people, knew his name. He could barely contain his joy, although it was nearly impossible to tell from the outside.

"Oh. Nice to meet you. Thank you for helping me there." You said, a little taken aback. at your service? what did he mean by that? Regardless, you felt like you might as well thank him for helping you.

"Please do not mind it, I am only doing what should be done." He said, only showing as slight smile. "If you would like to thank me properly, how about I invite you for a drink?" He asked. He hoped you'd say yes.

"Oh sure. Lead the way then." You failed to notice just how exuberant he actually was that you agreed. It has been a while since you've last talked to - or even seen - someone, so you were a little bit lonely. You also figured that you could get some helpful information from him, so you might as well take this opportunity.

soon we're actually gonna get into the more entertaining parts but that's it for now. The next part is gonna have a lot more Diluc which is nice but also terrifies me I'm so not prepared to write him. Taglist @mmeatt; @iamapotatoe; @clavichordcleffa

#sagau cult au #genshin impact sagau #genshin sagau #sagau x reader #genshin impact x reader #yandere genshin x reader #yandere genshin #diluc x reader #yandere diluc x reader #cw yandere

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3xen · 4 months

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just for you; g. s genji is rushed to your operation room, believing it'll be dr. ziegler to operate on him.

n. wrote this on three hours of sleep w school tmr, and i actually liked it sm! idk yall, im getting back into my game plz bare w me.

c. first meeting, mentions of mercy (angela), lowk crack

“we have a patient in critical condition. he needs to be treated immediately.” god, angela where are you when i need you most? you double-take the patient in the gurney—genji shimada. his name had appeared more than once on your files. but never once was he sent to your aid. dr. ziegler was his primary doctor since she maintained most of his records and regular check-ups.

the assistant rolled the gurney into the room. “please, notify dr. ziegler of mr. shimada’s status. im sure she’d want to know.” i inform, inspecting the patient with a cringe. his visor is damaged with a dent, wires sprouted from his shoulders, and his left lower limb seemed just too far out of place.

“will do ma’am, ill be here if you need me.” the assistant left—leaving a tense silence in the air.

“shimada, are you alright in there?”

“im alright.” his words came out strained, almost as if he felt the physical pain being done to his body. you acknowledged that. as you moved to his side—determining how to treat the damages, he spoke in a soft voice. “is dr. ziegler unavailable?” and it made you wince.

“she’s been transferred to overwatch headquarters in switzerland. i am so sorry.” he gave you a quiet hum—observing you through his visor. you looked attractive, beautiful, and it really intrigued him. you spoke in that angelic voice, had observant and quiet motions—he couldn’t wait to bury angela with queries.

“your cooling system must have been tattered with. the wires don’t usually come out like this do they? reattaching your limb should be easy.. but, your wiring is jumbled—it’ll take a lot of time to install it properly,” in deep concentration, you furrow your brows, crossing your arms over your chest, and then sighed. “and, you must have suffered quite a blow to your face.”

“ah, just a boulder. nothing special.”

operations on flesh and bones were completely opposite of cybernetic and robotic parts. there was really no easy way to work around any mechanical part that ran on a code—not without guaranteeing its success.

you stifled a quiet groan—turning away from your patient. you couldn’t admit to him you’ve never worked on a half-cyborg—actually, no one has in the nepal headquarters!

“doctor?”

“sorry, lets get to work right away.”

you whisked tools in your hands from around the room—useless or not, you placed them on a moveable cart. “we’ll start on your leg, then work our way up.”

as the operation began, you worked attentively. this must have been your most daring task yet.

“doctor,” genji cooed once.

“ye-yes..”

genji cooed again—not being able to make out your coherent words. “doctor.” and it didn’t take long before you sprang up.

“yes!”

“you are too focused. it makes me worry.” wasn’t that a good trait of a doctor? i pulled back, blinking twice at a loss.

“i suppose you are right..” you directed your eyes toward him. “ive never worked on a specimen like you.” you unconsciously lowered your head.

“a cyborg?” you nod.

“only dr. ziegler specializes in those preposterous things..” genji chuckled, causing you to perk up.

“you seem informed about it all.”

“she only taught me a few things. ive also worked on cassidy’s cybernetic arm aswell. thats my only experience.” genji stared in awe—you picked up fairly quick.

when he arrived at nepal headquarters—wounded, he expected dr. ziegler. his visits with her were short—she was a busy woman, he knew. and when he found himself being in a room with someone other than her, he accepted his fate of chaos and disaster.

“how long are you stationed here?”

“about 2 months or so.. they want me back in zurich as soon as possible.” genji nodded in acknowledgment. really, he was intrigued.

#𓂃ᰔ xen writes #overwatch 2 #ow2 #overwatch 2 x reader #overwatch x reader #genji shimada #genji x reader #genji shimada x reader

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anony-mouse-writer · 3 months

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Okay okay okay. This is literally gonna chew on my brain, so.

Here I list the tenets that guide the blooded sword:

I. May all that you face have a fighting chance. Any sword raised to the innocent or unarmed in cruelty is blackened by its shame.

[If he won’t move, move him. This must be done.]

[He could shove Tanguish back against the wall, stun him with the blow, and his sword would be in his hands before Tanguish knew what happened.

II. May your wrath be stoked only by the Saint's wrath, tempered by the Saint's fire, and quenched by the Saint's blood. A fool are they who, gifted the Saint's power, use it in wrath or malice alone.

His body still shook like the innervated sparks of a kicked campfire, but the parts of him that mattered, that controlled his voice and his will, felt so near to nothing it was startling. Transcendent. There was just a simple surety: he was going to make Wels pay for this.

[Do something.]

III. May you meet every adversary with honor, nor despise them for their challenge. May every battle prove your glory, and every accepted challenge prove their equal.

“He’ll make you kneel like that t-too and he’ll kill you, and you won’t be able to do anything to stop him!”

“Then I won’t give him the chance to command me.”

IV. May you be steadfast and know no retreat, for the back turned is once wounded and twice deserving. May every wound won show no proof of running.

V. May you meet every obstacle with courage, for just as all that emits light must endure burning, all the courageous must make a brother of their fears.

Helsknight felt his breath begin to heave, the silent determination of his wrath giving way to something nastier and more desperate.

VI. May your word be law, as binding as chains, and as chains may it drown you when bound in deceit.

“I didn’t promise that.”

“You did!”

…

“Then it's a promise I’m breaking.”

VII. May you seek the counsel of your elders, those more versed in the order and its ways, and respect their word once given, for their communion with the Saint is long, and their wisdom earned.

VIII. May you persevere to the end of any enterprise begun, for the folly is theirs that, through unfinished business, never gain wisdom from deeds done.

“You said we were in this together,” Tanguish said quickly. “Keep your promise and stay.”

IX. May you respect the honor of your fellow helsmet, that none may know you cruel or slave to vice. For no creature, be they sibling of order or beggar or king, is ever deserving of dishonor or pain.

Tanguish was so small, and so fragile. And he was so scared of pain, maybe all he really needed to do was turn around and grab the knife off the table, and then Tanguish would run.]

X. May you treat all siblings of sword and order as your own, held accountable as you would so hold yourself. A villain are they that stray from their tenets, and a villain they that allow it.

- Redstone and Skulk, @silverskye13

…

okay, so now that we’ve gone through all the ways Helsknight broke his tenets this chapter, lets talk about the WoG confirmation that the red text is the will of the his Saint and his accusation that Tanguish is twisting his tenets.

…… yeah I mean, he kind is. He’s admitted to it in the past too.

Like, obviously I am deeply unwell about this series in general, but Helsknight’s devotion to his Saint is so fucking fascinating to me personally. Holding to a code no one else has to is hard as shit and the Saint’s code is pretty vicious. But part of the code also addresses getting help from others and I don’t even know if there are others of the order?

BUT what there are others of, is the champions of the arena. And Helsknight has been forgoing their help for a while and the Hand calls him out on it. Helsknight just now realizing that he doesn’t have a lot of things grounding himself to him instead of Wels (and self-admittedly ignoring several of those things of late) isn’t healthy and he needs to reach out and he needs someone to hold him accountable, either to his tenets or whatever internal logic he decides to replace them with, and I don’t think it can be Tanguish, because I love him, but he’s absolutely a manipulative little shit who will use Helsknight’s code to his advantage in tense situations.

Hels doesn’t get much in the way of happy endings and I’m not entirely convinced that the ideal scenario for Helsknight to follow his tenets to the letter at this moment would be to muster up his allies and a battle plan and then march on hermitcraft to duel Wels or something. Which would be lowkey highkey horrible for everyone involved, not gonna lie. But I also have to wonder reallly strongly about how the red text of the Saint’s will directly violated several of the tenets and what that means for Helsknight going forward.

#rns #no dont mind me its fine im fine #*kicks personal baggage and investment under the bench*#this is a very fine and reasonable analysis #and not at all just me purging the screaming from my head #mcyt #helsknight #the saint of blood and steel #op

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1moreff-creator · 6 months

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Happy Birthday Arei Naegishi!

I am so bad at remembering birthdays I almost missed this one. But it's still the third in my time zone, so I'm still gonna do it! Arei's our birthday girl, and the best character ever (<- her opinion) gets a birthday post too! Spoilers below the cut as always.

-Arei's backstory was revealed in CH 2 EP 5. She was bullied heavily by her sisters, Fuyuko and Natsuko, and we see an example of them doing so by forcefully cutting part of the right side of her hair. You can even see, to this day, she seems to have more hair on her left than on her right. She also mentions "If [she] had to go to the hospital once or twice, then it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience for [her sisters]." Which, uh, huh. That's... quite awful. The point is that Arei hated her life back then, and rightfully hated her sisters as well.

-Despite that, it seems Arei tried to be kind for the longest time. She's far from an innately cruel person, but eventually, she felt the only way out was turning the table on her sisters and starting to bully them. Her secret is "Blackmailing, rumors, lying, stealing, slander. You did everything you could to ruin your sisters' lives" and she confessed that she framed them for everything she could to get them unlawfully sent to reform school. This included planting things in their bags and lying to authorities, as well as driving her mother's car into a ditch and blaming it on her sister drunk driving. Okay so bullying is maybe an understatement but the idea stands.

-And it worked! She managed to get them sent to reform school, and her life improved drastically. Morally dubious queen shit, etc. However, this made her develop a harmful ideology that being kind is a weakness and will get you treated badly. Which is why she acts unnecesarily mean during the killing game.

-However, deep down, Arei is still nice. She doesn't really like doing the things she does, she just feels they're necessary for her to survive. Even right before her secret reveal, she was trying to justify her actions to herself, saying it's normal for people to be like her:

Arei (laughing nervously): You [David] do want to hear my secret after all. As I guessed, everyone has that burning curiosity inside of them to hear bad things about other people. It's not just me.

-Which is why Eden's existence led her to a breakdown. Because Eden is nice and kind and is exactly the type of person Arei thinks would be destroyed in """the real world.""" And yet, Eden keeps going, she's still nice. Eden is what Arei wishes she could have been, she sees her past Arei in current Eden. Which is why she bullied her originally; to "teach her how the world works." Because Arei doesn't want to do real harm, so it's better if she does it than someone else later down the line.

-That doesn't go well. She breaks down in front of David, who comforts her quite successfully... so much so that she seems to forget she wanted to talk to David about his secret oops.

-This is what leads to her apologizing to Eden and promising to be her friend and a better person... and then she died. Well, under the most common interpretation.

-Her birthday lands on November 3rd, just three days after Ace's. This coincides with:

+Fountain Pen Day (Min reference?)

+National Sandwich Day.

+National Homemaker Day.

+Jellyfish Day. (?)

+Give Someone a Dollar Day (??)

+Love Your Lawyer Day (???????)

Among other things. I still have no idea where these come from.

-The roman numeral assigned to her in the LGI MV is IV (4), a number associated with death because yeeeeaaaah... This is: "right now, why do you cry?"

Ignoring the intentional mistranslation, this is probably just referencing Arei's breakdown in the playground.

-Color Theory (I'm sorry but I'm done linking that post) assigns her... well, I believe dark blue, so I'm going with that. This is cry, big and the Mandarin laugh (哈哈哈) in the rain scene.

(The good thing about having done this fucking video is that I have all the damn screenshots you could ever ask for in relation to it)

"Cry" for the same reasoning as her numeral. "Big" in this context is "proud", which fits. And the laugh is long to explain, but basically it's the "applause crew" (Cheery David, Xander, Hu, Arei) overwhelming David. Watch that part of the video for a better explanation.

-Arei had an FTE with J, which she starts off by tickling her, later claiming she would, uhm.

Arei: I'll tie you down and force you to wear maid dresses and bunny suits until you change your mind! [About acting girly]

Arei what. This screenshot feels like it should be fake what do you mean it's canon. It's great, don't get me wrong, it just feels extremely outta pocket. Listen, I (aro/ace) don't feel qualified to unpack whatever the fuck is going on here, I'm just gonna leave this to the shippers.

-What I will unpack is the other stuff in the FTE related to Arei. Which is-

Arei: C'mere! I'll tickle you until you laugh so hard that your heart stops! Then I'll defibrillate you and tickle you some more! Tickle tickle tickle!

I said the OTHER stuff

-Mainly, that she feels like being the favorite child would be great (you can figure out why yourself I imagine), and she likes acting girly.

-We also learn she categorizes people based on how she likes to bully them. "Cool and suave wannabe boys" like J (as in, she acts like a boy who tries and fails to be cool and suave), "spineless pushovers" like Levi (she "uses as maids"), "adorably sweet people" like Eden (she """likes""" to make them cry), and the people who don't like her, which would presumably include her sisters, as she says she likes to destroy these people's lives. Foreshadowing!

Fun facts!

-She likes gossip and dislikes being ignored.

-Her subtitle quote in the cast page is "If I tell you a secret, will you promise to keep it?" Which is insane foreshadowing given the chapter she (allegedly) died in.

-Her secret quote is "Because that’s what friends do", which she said to Eden in the trial flashback. The quote associated to her in Mai's page is "She doesn’t like it when her friends fight." Friendship is evidently something of a running theme.

-She likes "cute" food (?), her favorite color is azure (because she's blue), her favorite ice cream flavor is birthday cake flavor (oh, fitting!). Her least favorite color is green because it "looks like puke", which... I wonder if it has something to do with being bullied by her sisters given the apparent hospital visits.

-Her name in Kanji is written 投石【なげ・いし】亜鈴【あ・れい】. Cool! Don't know what any of that means.

-Like most of the cast, her hair color is natural and she's American.

-She's ambidextrous! The only ambidextrous person in the cast, in fact, and the only one apart from Teruko to not be a righty.

Finally songs!

+Candle Queen by Ghost & Pals (literally her song, don't @ me)

+Those Who Carried On by Ghost & Pals (it's sorta a similar attitude to how she felt about Eden, do you see my vision?)

+SCAPEG∞AT by Ghost & Pals (I will make you all listen to Ghost & Pals!)

+Perfectly Sweet by Vane Lily

+Karma by CreepP

+Bad B!tch Magic by HalaCG + others

+i DO what i WANT by KIRA

+Aishite by Kikuo

+It's Not My Fault by DECO*27 (listen Milgram had to bleed into these eventually)

+Teen Idle by Marina and the Diamonds (again I think it works)

+Pyrite Girl by RIProducer / RIP (I think it works kinda at least)

And Happy Birthday! Hope you enjoy some birthday cake ice cream, girl! Go do it!

#drdt #danganronpa despair time #drdt spoilers #arei nageishi #character birthday

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handledwithgloves · 27 days

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two very popular drarry fics that i did not care for and why

in the past however long of my becoming a drarry stan ive read many fanfics and i can say only two had really gotten me so pissed i had to log off

and thats not to say that i never dnf a drarry fic before because i have done that to so many for various different reasons. ive also read plenty dead doves do not eat so… this is saying something i suppose.

and this is no hate at all to the writers of these fics they clearly love what they do and are super talented and no hate to the enjoyers of these fics, like what you like. this is just my person experiences.

first is, harry potter and the welcome to the world of grey. i just gotta say i did not get the hype at all. i hated voldemort so much everything he says to harry is meant to be philosophical and insightful and whatnot and that makes harry question whether or not voldemort is truly evil but mans just talked way too much for my liking. he needed to be shut up and every time harry was tryin to beat on his ass he stopped for whatever reason - i was so pissed. like atp just kill each other istg. and then harry is supposed to be conflicted and all alone and he cant trust dumbledore and he doesn't want to face the consequences of his actions and go to jail for killing someone, well too bad pookie! get tf over yourself you're a bad guy now. not only did you kill twice but both times you killed it was not in self defense but your own willingness to do so. like the drarry was good, in fact so good that i got about 3/4ths way through before i had to quit. the drarry was carrying this story and i understand if drarry stans love it solely for the drarry but if there's going to be other parts of the story i need it to make sense to me. harry and voldemort's characters were just not doing it for me.

second, is the mirror of ecidyrue series. It started off soo well, so well. i loved how all the characters were so in character and everything was cool and draco was powerful and his power was mysterious and bella was scary. i loved how harry met draco and how hermione started trying to befriend him i loved the friendship bracelent draco made her and that snape helped. i even loved jealous harry when draco and charlie were flirting and harry was like 'how old are you again, charlie? 25!? well draco's 14' and charlie started freaking out 'um, 21'. so anyway, strong start! but theeennn... we get later on in the series and for some reason draco starts changing? like yes he gets influenced by the people around him but all of a sudden he's like hyper fem which is not a bad thing in general but definite ooc - i like draco's character so i would prefer him to be in character but whatever i was able to ignore it until they started giving each other nicknames. oh god the nicknames were the worst part. like i get they're cringey kids they do dumb things draco is no exception apparently even though mentally he's like 21 hanging out with 14 yos. so yeah i had to absolutely stop when draco was having sex with 16 yo harry and harry starts calling him dragon in a sexual way... yeah i just had to stop there. i was getting way too much second hand embarrassment that it was pissing me off. i did not like draco lmfao. also i hate that they made lucius abusive lmao.

once again just disclaiming this is no hate to the writers or enjoyers of these fics i just couldnt stomach the stories and thats my own personal fault. i just wanted to share what i thought lol. they definitely made an impression!

#god like to this day! to this day! i still think lunaluna and start dying inside like fy draco!#its just her name said twice but god i wanted to vomit #drarry #drarry fics #idk what else to tag this lol pls dont attack me or tell me i'm being a hater i really did enjoy these stories to an extent but no other fi #made me quit reading them so hard and fast lmfaooo #all other fics i dnf happened slowly like i was reading and then put it away for later then read a bit then put away for later and eventual #just started reading other fics instead

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holly-fixation · 2 months

Text

Fallen Silver: Ch 4

Summary: Sephiroth is MIA. Second Class Rhapsodos and Third Class Hewley are tasked with locating and finding him. The public does not know of this disappearance. No one was prepared for the truth.

No one knew SOLDIER hung on by a thread.

Chapter 4: Relief

Inspired by @altocat 's and @rottenpumpkin13 's posts.

Please enjoy.

The heart monitor beeped at the occasional fluctuation of vitals. Oxygen levels remained steady, blood pressure nearly constant, heartbeat a perfect pattern while the patient remained unconscious. Every attempt to waken the man scattered all regulation to complete chaos. For his own safety, Genesis was strapped down before any attempt at a test took place. Some tests purely examined the floating rods in the Crimson Soldier’s eyes. Others proved the lack of connection between actual vision and what he claimed to see. Even a pitch black room held the phantom he critically begged to escape from.

Twelve hours had passed. The fourth experimental cure was ready. Angeal was the only person allowed in the room as the doctors added the cure to the IV and weaned off the sleep medication. They left as the old friend stood in silence at the side of the bed.

All Angeal could do was wait, watching the slow progress.

The small movements of damaged hands, the soft scrunch of eyelids, the adjusting breath. Once beautiful mako blue eyes opened to the stain of dark rods slowly swimming in both scleras. “Angeal…?” The voice was hesitant, careful.

“Hey Genesis,” He couldn't help the small smile, the small hope, from entering his voice. It was the first time Genesis recognized anyone physically inside the room. “How are you feeling?”

The redhead glanced around the room, every exit, every window, every potential weapon fully taken note of. Then he noticed the restraints and looked up at Angeal desperately. The rods in his eyes jostled with the movement. “You need to run. Get out of here before he comes back.”

“No one's coming after you-”

“He’s going to kill me. You have to save yourself, Angeal. I'll distract him as long as I can-”

“Genesis.”

He stopped.

Angeal couldn’t be more thankful that his friend could finally respond. “It’s not real. Sephiroth isn’t attacking you. It’s an illusion. It was all an illusion.”

Genesis tried to move. “But my injuries-”

“Weren’t caused by him.” Angeal couldn’t tell his friend the whole truth. Not now. “Wutaians attacked in your confusion. Sephiroth dragged you back to our base.”

Mako blues blinked once. Twice. Thrice. “...I-” the rods stirred again, obscuring both irises. His head snapped to the door and he tensed. “Don't come any closer!”

“Genesis!”

“Leave him out of this! He's done nothing!”

The Third was given no other option, reaching for the closed, unlocked IV.

“Don't! Stop it! Angeal, don’t listen to him!”

Drops slowly slipped through the tube.

He bit his own cheek, drawing blood and whipping his head as if taking a blow.

“Angeal, please, you know that’s not true! Don’t listen to him! Don’t do this! Please don’t do-... don’t…… please…….” Genesis fell limp, his eyes closing to trap him in quiet darkness once more.

“I’m sorry.”

The nurses and scientists returned. The Third Class SOLDIER was sent away.

Angeal leaned against the wall and exhaled slowly. He was so close to getting through, but Hollander still had no reliable cure. He didn’t think keeping Genesis unconscious for this long was safe, let alone another few days or possibly weeks if no cure at least brought him back to sanity. He should probably update Sephiroth…

Wait. Sephiroth. His head snapped up. He hadn’t seen the First since Genesis was strapped down. Where could he possibly be?

Hojo’s lab, of course. However, all his attempts to enter the highly classified laboratory were completely shut down.

* * *

Why wasn’t it working?

Unbeknownst to Sephiroth, the cure for the toxin hadn’t been touched since the head scientist received the broken gong. He first struck it without any repairs, but the Silver Soldier showed no reaction. Sephiroth was left locked in the exam room as Hojo entered the cold storage containing various cell cultures: bacteria, viruses, and even the preserved Leviathan scales removed from the Hero of Wutai himself.

The first true attempt was filling the crack in the gong with the scales and the same Wutaian bronze as the rest of the instrument. No effect. Then, after calling in a team of engineers, they attempted to extend the rivets and curves on the surface, matching every wave with scientifically perfect accuracy. Again, no effect. Hojo even requested a proper musician to strike the instrument, and though the resultant sound was exponentially better, Sephiroth showed no reaction, not even a wince.

What were they missing?

Despite the frustration, a hidden experiment was also taking place. Sephiroth did not speak a single word since the promise of helping his friend. Hojo kept a simple notification ready for if or when the man decided to speak, perhaps even give hints about who or what he was talking to. Yet this experiment was also a failure as Sephiroth never allowed his thoughts to leave his lips again.

In the days since Rhapsodos’s emergency return, both sections of the lab were useless.

“I have a task for you,” Hojo stated as he entered the room, the addressed man not even turning his eyes in response. “Return to Wutai and retrieve an undamaged gong.”

Slit pupils met black glasses in bewilderment.

“This will continue your progress on the front as we continue developing a remedy for Rhapsodos. Though I understand you cannot accomplish this task alone.”

He looked down like a guilty child. A failure. A disappointment.

“So what will you require?”

After a breath, the Silver Soldier hardened, his eyes flicking ever so slightly as ideas ran through his mind. After a few seconds of silence, he responded, “Four Second Classes with confidential or higher security clearance. And Angeal.”

Hojo nearly groaned. “Him? What can that inferior Third possibly accomplish?

“He is the only one I trust to carry out the mission. We share the same motivation. He is the only logical choice.”

“And if Hewley is captured or gassed, what will you do?”

Another moment of silence. A small shake of mercury. “...I’ll follow my instincts.”

* * *

The flight back to Wutai was silent. The director of SOLDIER informed all personnel of the First’s immediate return, saying the orders were completely above his rank. Sephiroth was granted the extra reinforcements he required. He had yet to discuss the plan with Angeal who already had dreadful feels about this sudden decision. It was difficult enough to leave Genesis in that lab, especially since both Angeal and Genesis refused to return until Sephiroth recovered.

On the dawn after arrival, Sephiroth requested Angeal’s presence on a hill half a mile away from the latest claimed fortress.

“What are you thinking?” Angeal questioned immediately upon reaching the location.

Sephiroth breathed deeply. “Hollander won’t find a cure. Hojo claimed to aid the effort in return for finding an uncracked gong.”

Mako blue eyes widened.

The head of silver turned away.

“We’re doing this to take one back? Does he know what it did to you last time?”

“For Genesis’s sake, it doesn’t matter. Loathe as it is, I’m confident Hojo will identify a cure when he recreates the compound in his lab. I must personally deliver the gong to him as soon as possible.”

“What does he want it for?”

Sephiroth winced.

The Second glared. “Sephiroth. What does he want it for?”

“He’ll run experiments to find the cause of the feeling. Either I grow a resistance to it or Hojo develops a countermeasure,” His words were cold, detached. He flinched, shaking off another thought.

“And what about the toxin?” Angeal tried to back the First into a corner, to force him into abandoning this incredibly dangerous plan before allowing it to leave his lips.

“I’m resistant to it.” His eyes still contained the rods. There was no hiding the simple truth.

“Not immune.”

“...No.”

“Then with all due respect, you should be nowhere near this mission when it begins.”

“I already have a plan.”

“Sephiroth-”

“I will lead the team of Seconds to the next outpost. They are already aware of the secrecy of the matter. I will distract the Wutaians and tell the Seconds everything they see me do is an act.”

“Our troops know that’s a lie.”

“Which is exactly why the team is new.”

“What will you do if they confront you about it? Or if the cadets let it slip?”

“We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it.” Sephiroth’s expression hardened. “When I collapse, I want you and a team of scouts to infiltrate the outpost and retrieve the gong. Anything else you can accomplish will only be permitted if the gong is retrieved undamaged. We then claim the outpost if we can.”

“And what will you do when your ‘act’ ends with you losing consciousness?”

“I’ll tell them I must commit entirely. If Wutai in any way believes I am playing them, they will abandon the post and retreat with the payload.” He suddenly grabbed his head, trying to suppress a noise from escaping. He hunched, blocking his face with his bangs as he turned away.

Angeal’s frustration halted, reverting back to the kind hearted friend they both knew. “What’s happening? Sephiroth, is it the toxin?”

“I don’t care what happens,” He spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t care what happens to me. This was my fault. I have to do this.” Slowly, hesitantly his posture returned.

“I don’t like this…”

“During my capture, how many times did you say that exact phrase to Genesis?”

“That’s different-”

“It’s exactly the same. We’ll make preparations now and leave at dusk. That’s the only way we can help him. It guarantees the payload is present and gives us a solid chance to claim it.”

“Taking risks on the field and torturing yourself are two different things.”

“It’s not that simple…”

“You keep saying that.”

“Angeal-” He cut himself off, turning away and curling in on himself, small, weak, afraid. He didn’t notice his friend whipping around to watch his face. “I have to do something right. I can do this, I swear.”

The Third softly pressed a hand to the black leather arm. He said nothing until Sephiroth relaxed into reality. “You’re not healed. How many times are we going to do this?”

“Until we’re all safe again!” Sephiroth’s snap silenced the discussion. Angeal hugged him, but it felt empty and cold. The silver soldier craved something the friend could never provide, but he did not know what.

* * *

The last orange glow of the sky dimmed as Sephiroth and the Second Classes approached the outpost. Though the Silver Soldier could feel the tension, confusion, and hesitation of the team following him, they dared not speak a word. He focused on forcing one foot in front of the other, despite his survival instincts screaming in protest against every wave of the toxin.

He silently wished the Seconds would speak their mind. At least then something would distract him from the voice.

Even She failed to persuade him.

Know that I am with you always. Cling to my words to spare yourself and your friends.

The moment the firelight of the outpost shimmered his silver hair, the gong rang and he collapsed instantly. The phantom strings of his heart pulled in every direction, desperately reaching for something to connect with even at the cost of agony. He curled on the ground, rocking and screaming without the comforting, fear awakened voice. His body grasped the needle like threads of desperation tightening around his heart like a noose.

No one remained to comfort his despair.

Wutaian forces laughed, mocking the hero and raining down magic at the Seconds defending their fallen leader.

After all, it was just an act, right? He’d get up soon? He’d save them if they were in danger?

On the other side of the outpost, Angeal and the small team of scouts slipped past the guards undetected. Inside, everyone seemed to be enjoying the show. They stayed low and quiet until the gong was in sight.

The scouts claimed the gong and mallet while Angeal dispatched the enemy soldiers. At the muting of the dreadful instrument and the bright red target on all of their backs, the full force of Shinra’s troop attacked.

All except the Silver Soldier who laid unmoving with Second Classes sworn to protect him.

Hours passed before the highest ranking SOLDIER awoke. Only his Third Class friend waited for him. The cadets were scouring the outpost for resources while the scouts called in the payload back at the claimed fortress.

Inhuman eyes opened, ebony rods finally flushed away.

Angeal held out a hand. “You need to see this.”

Sephiroth took it and rose to his feet. “Lead the way.”

At the heart of the outpost stood a mausoleum. However, Wutaian culture would not allow a final resting place so far from any public gravesite, so perhaps it was only a front. Sephiroth’s assumption was proven correct as they opened the door, an ornate staircase descended, lined with patterns of silver scales, not a shred of gold in sight. He rushed down the stairs despite his instinct to run away. Stone and marble statues of the Wutaian water god constricted the room. Its scales surrounded them like a victorious snake. Altars, fountains, torches, candles, shackles, ritualistic weapons.

Beyond the silver, it was all the same

“This was for Genesis…” Sephiroth’s words left breathlessly.

“Two with one is unpredictable,” Angeal quoted. “They’re trying to take down the top three SOLDIERs.”

“Or all three of us.” Sephiroth met his eyes. “We promote SOLDIER. Even though you haven't made Second yet, if all three of us fall victim to capture or toxin, no one will enlist and the program will be deemed a failure.”

“And the Wutai’s war would finally end.”

Inhuman eyes fell. “Or Shinra creates a new weapon to destroy their entire country without a second thought. At least with the war, some of their people will survive...”

Something hid in that statement, but Angeal chose not to push. “Let’s head back to the fort. Get some real rest before transport arrives.”

Sephiroth nodded. “I’ll call in an excavation team.”

* * *

The gong cured the toxin. That was what Sephiroth told both scientists when he arrived in HQ with the instrument in hand but lacking the black rods in his eyes. Hollander immediately attempted it without a second thought. Genesis did not react. However, neither did Sephiroth. Again the science department summoned a percussionist. Apparently the reaction required proper technique.

Sephiroth watched through observation glass at the second attempt. In Genesis’s room, the musician rang the gong. The Silver Soldier fell to his knees, gloved hands clawing at the glass and uncontrollable groans leaving his lips.

The Crimson Soldier remained perfectly still. One quick look from the scientists proved the instrument was a failure. Sephiroth was told to seal himself in an experimentation chamber before Hojo injected the lab-grown remedy.

Of course, Hojo’s cure succeeded. Genesis finally came to, surrounded by scientists and nurses, not a single friendly face at his side. Sephiroth was long gone, and to Hojo, the less he knew the better.

Within The Drum, Sephiroth paced, his arms crossed and his head down. Waiting. Preparing. Fortifying his emotions. Praying they could contain the resonant emotion.

He glanced up at the observation chamber, some part of him attempting to see through the solid force field of indigo hexagons. He hopes the scientist would at very least reveal the instrument to him before the training began.

Step by step he begged this to work.

The chamber blocked out all natural light, adjustable fluorescent bulbs illuminating endless stasis. The pulse of the force field gave the illusion of measurement, subconsciously counted by the Silver Soldier.

Mid step, the gong rang, and all attempts at resistance shattered as he clung to his own body, his shouts echoing off the walls. Any thought of progress and control collapsed.

Hojo watched, fascinated and disgusted by the effectiveness. Sephiroth was stronger than some musical instrument. What occurred to cause such a reaction? Despite his desire to immediately take samples, he decided to indulge a different desire. He contacted his assistant and ordered them to find more musicians.

How long could the First survive on his own?

To be continued…

Thanks for reading!

Chapter List

#ffvii #sephiroth #final fantasy vii #ff7 #final fantasy 7 #jenova #genesis rhapsodos #angeal hewley #ffvii hojo #hojo ffvii #ff7 hojo #hojo ff7 #professor hojo #god there are a lot of ways to tag hojo lol

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unlimitedtrees · 10 months

Text

making character sprites as a one-person indie game developer

(huh. turns out this post on cohost didnt have a “read me” section”. o well. i will put the read me section Here, before any of da actual text. click it if u dare !!)

so, i've been meaning on making a Big post talkin all about how i actually Make my games and my processes n such ,but also ive been procrastinating on making it for so long that i thought i might as well just make One part of that post now .. and its about making the Character Sprites for my games .

So. these images are the (mostly) full sprite sheets of the three characters from my game UNITRES Dreams, taken directly from the big giant 'charactersprites.png' image that i used for nearly every sprite for Most of the game's development. some quick things to make note of: First off, Trees (the first one) was one of the earliest things i made for the game, and had their sprite sheet redone Twice since then.. this first picture doesnt contain the latest sprite sheet as the new sprites were done on aesprite and im too lazy to make a sprite sheet out of them right now.

Secondly, the Second character (the pink one), had two different designs, being completely redesigned as i didnt like their first design all too much. their redesign's animations was done in aesprite, but i made a sprite sheet out of em before so i was able to just put them here. Lastly, the Third character (the blue one with the big silly hat) remained mostly unchanged as their original sprites and design were pretty good, but they needed to be cleaned up and given better colors so i ended up polishing all of their sprites.

Anyways. it's going to be hard for me to explain my actual process, as i am Bad With Words, but i will try my best.. So. for Most of my time as a game dev, I've used Paint.NET for Everything. This includes backgrounds, tilesets, and every animation ever in all of my games. For my character sprites specifically, i usually start with making the color palette (which is a whole different process where i mess around with the RGB values until i get a specific color that i think looks pretty ... its hard to describe). When making a new character, i usaully start with an Idle animation, just so i have a good base to make all the other sprites on. I just make a sketch of the character, then i do the flat colors (as my games dont have line art), and once i have the colors i start doing the rendering , where i try to pull off a sort of Sonic CD-esque , celshaded style while Also including a bit of anti-aliasing and other modern pixel art techniques to give the sprites more Depth and make them look Sharp. Idk. it's hard to describe my process in words ... i Did make a video Years ago showing off my process, but its old and my editing in that video isnt the Greatest.

So., that's my process Lol . the only thing thats really changed is that Now i use Aesprite for making the Actual Animations , as making animations with Paint.NET is Really Difficult and Annoying , as i have No Idea how the animation will Look until it actually appears ingame .. which results in the early versions of each character's animations looking a little weird (such as Trees' first two versions, the first version of the Pink character, and the Blue character's animations.. .though the blue character isnt as bad as the other two and i kept their animations mostly the same in the final game LOL).

Something that people have kind of criticized about UNITRES Dreams' animations is that some of em dont exactly ... Look Good. a lot of animations are pretty Inconsistent , with characters like Trees having inconsistent sizes in some animations and the movement in animations such as the Pink character's walking animation and various other animations (Especially the ones made in Paint.NET) looking Unnatural.

And Well .. here's the thing about making animations and sprites for something like this. When you're the Main person making an indie game, you have Tons of different parts of the game that need to be worked on while having Very little time to work on others. On Top of making every single animation for UNITRES , i had to make every single Tileset and background for every single level, On Top of making the Level Layouts , Programming , and even making sprites for things like the UI. And you have to constantly Test the game to make sure everything works and things Look good.

So. i had very little time to work on the sprites, and i Knew this. Something you have to consider is that, not only are you making the animations for the main character , you Also have to make Tons of animations and sprites for Literally Every Other Aspect of The Game . this includes Enemies , Level Gimmicks , NPCs, And the UI .. so you end up having to work on Thousands of sprites by yourself in such a short time.

I ain't the best animator , nor the best sprite artist . But , for this game I chose an art style which is Kinda simple and comfortable for me, which made making things like tilesets and backgrounds so much easier for me. The character sprites specificially only use a few amount of colors ,but also i tried my best to give them as much depth and make them as Colorful looking as i could. Also , something you might notice is that all of the playable characters dont actually have a whole lot of animations .. each of the characters only have the Exact amount of frames and animations necessary for them to Look Good moving around the levels. Aside from a few Gimmick Specific animations that arent in the sprite sheets i posted , there arent many Extra animations or animations with Tons of Frames that i wish i could have added .. and it Kind Of Sucks . Having to split my time across Three Different Characters , i had no time to make any animations Too Crazy or Too Smooth , and i couldnt include any extra animations that could add a bit of personality to the characters ... In Fact ,the Idle "animation" isnt an animation , its just a still frame. I didnt have time to even make a simple waiting animation !!

It Is What It Is. For what its worth , Ithink Im pretty proud of the animations i did for UNITRES Dreams. while i think ive become a much better artist and animator since then, i still think some animations and some of the frames look really good ..just looking at some of the still frames is really nice .. so i think i did a good job, especially for a game that was made in 2 years and is Free. And Hey, while the animations in UNITRES Dreams may not be the best or have the most smooth animations , i Did get to experiment with making more smooth animations for TREES' ADVENTURE. while ,now, i think some stuff could use some work, i am Really Proud of how some of the animations look .. ididnt get to make Too Many extra animations (there still isnt even an Idle animation), i Did get to make some cool extra animations , such as individual animations for your Jump that are based on how fast you're moving . (the original post on cohost had a buncha gifs of da animations but im Too Fuckin Tired 2 post em here LOL !!!)

So Yea . the moral of the story: making video games is kind of hard and time consuming , Especially when you're like , the Only one working on them. just make sure to plan ahead and try not to overwork urself .. make what you can and do it when you can. Thats what i think , anyways.

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thesherrinfordfacility · 6 months

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I mean this in a gen way, but saying Crowley avoids responsibility feels incredibly unfair, bc as far as I can recall, of the two he's actually the only one who has ever apologized for anything?

hi anon!!!✨ more than happy to explain (as best i can, anyway) where im coming from on this!!!✨

so to my recollection, crowley has essentially said he's sorry twice in show canon; s1, when he tries again to get aziraphale to leg it with him, and s2, with the dance. however, imo, i think it's questionable as to how much he means either of these.

s1 apology to me is worded in such a way that, at worst crowley is purposefully inauthentic in his apology, and at best, just simply doesn't know what he's apologising for - but in both cases just wants to get aziraphale on side so they can escape the apocalypse by fleeing to alpha centauri:

the key part here for me is, "whatever i said, i didn't mean it...", because to me that feels an awful lot along the lines of 'im sorry you feel that way', rather than accepting responsibility that what one may have said may have caused the upset.

now look, i realise crowley is under a lot of pressure in this scene - he's come straight from being directly threatened by hastur, and that makes the rushed, poorly worded apology understandable - but id personally argue that, regardless, it's not a genuine apology. the argument itself isn't brought up again, it isn't discussed, and it isn't resolved. (once again, the plot doesn't really allow for a heart-to-heart to occur, but i doubt it was ever addressed in the interim between s1 and s2. that being said, i can only go based on what we're actually shown, as opposed to any supposition of what did or did not happen/was or was not discussed in the missing four years!)

as for the apology dance; i think it's fair to summarise that crowley walks off, out of the bookshop, believing that he's fully in the right. he might later regret how the whole argument went down, but with the context of gabriel's words from s1 in mind, it's fair that crowley would consider that he doesn't have anything to apologise for. arguably, neither of them have anything to apologise for (from aziraphale's perspective, he's also in the right - essentially, the argument isn't as black and white as that!), but when crowley then learns of the BOL threat, it's then that he comes back to the bookshop.

again, look - im perfectly prepared to accept this entire exchange, the wording within it, as one big shared idiosyncrasy, and one that works for them. but there's a couple of things that make this not quite ring true to me.

the way crowley says the first line, offering an apology, suggests that if he were to say sorry, he wouldn't mean it. says it in a way that's very guarded, but also seems snooty and lofty, like he's above the act - and that it would be a reluctantly-given gesture

when aziraphale states that that's in fact what he wants, an apology, crowley doesn't actually say sorry. he admits that aziraphale was right - but that doesn't take accountability for his part in the spat, and even then he says it again like it pains him to say the words

there was a marvellous meta (by @esthermitchell-author!!!) that summed it up, that i'll link back when i get my hands on it, but the way that aziraphale says 'with the little dance' suggest that the dance is additional to an actual apology, that they're not one and the same. now, i personally see the dance's meaning a little differently - maybe? - that the dance is the thing to break the tension (ridiculous concept altogether but that's another post). in that context, crowley only does the dance, not the apology. that being said, aziraphale seems to accept the dance as the apology, so maybe that's that and nothing more to be said

ive said it before, but the way aziraphale rattles off the years where he's done it, and crowley immediately says that he 'doesnt do the dance', suggest to me - and pure speculation here, admittedly - that aziraphale has historically been the one to always apologise. we could see this as aziraphale having always been the one that's in the wrong... but i somehow doubt that to be the case. instead, it seems to be that aziraphale is pissed that he's always been the one to bend, to apologise, to keep the peace, to break the tension, and this time crowley can 'bloody well do it'. the way aziraphale performatively straightens his clothes and cocks his head suggests that crowley doing the dance is a novelty, and he's going to savour it... but i digress-

all of this to me feels that crowley, again, is dancing around accepting any accountability or responsibility for his part in the argument, and therefore the apology - if we conclude that aziraphale does accept the dance itself as an apology - isn't completely meant. take into account the context of why crowley flies back to the bookshop, it can also be seen that crowley will do whatever he needs to ensure that he can help aziraphale shelter/hide gabriel, and therefore protect aziraphale in the process; a means to an end, essentially.

(now of course anon, if there is an apology ive missed or something i haven't taken into account, please come back to me - these are just the two instances that i can recall off the top of my head, and my personal interpretation of them!!! but im always open to thinking about things differently).

there are also other instances where he's... rather poor at accepting his own accountability, but tbh it's LWA that's analysed and summarised this better than i ever could, so definitely worth having a root around in those asks too, for some extra reading!!! (link in my masterpost)✨

#good omens #ask #crowley meta #s1 meta #s2 meta #edit: ive only just realised that ive focused on crowley here which is pretty biased (gen didnt mean to oops) but happy to address #aziraphale thoughts re: accountability if needed!!!#further edit now that i found the link to the meta i was referencing: i love the take in it!!! maybe mine is a little bad faith -#and ill accept that - but the alternative that the op puts forward is heartbreaking and i also see it this way too!!!! really great reading

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the-ninja-legacy-whip · 8 months

Note

so ive been curious what are the elemental and nrg abilities for the other elements and do the essences have elemental and nrg abilities and if so what are they

Let's Refresh! Cuz I'm pretty sure everything I mentioned about Elemental/NRG Abilities has only been in passing, so let's round it all up into one post!

Elemental Ability: An ability that’s (usually or at least partially) present in an Elemental Master even before/without True Potential, and partially remains even after Post-Potential.

NRG Ability: An ability that does not unlock until after a Master has achieved NRG Mode at least once, which is usually during True Potential. After doing so, the ability can then be accessed even outside of NRG Mode.

Essences do not have either, although you could argue that Lloyd's Master Building counts as an "Essence Ability", though it was not intended as such ;P

Kai- Elemental Ability: Fire Breathing (Ability to inhale/exhale flames and persist even in overheated environments) NRG Ability: Pyroportation (Ability to warp/travel quickly along trails/plumes of fire created by himself)

Jay- Elemental Ability: Electrostatic Levitation (Ability to suspend oneself up off the ground—i.e., fly. Jay could've done this to a small degree Pre-Potential if he had more confidence in himself) NRG Ability: Teleportation (Ability to warp oneself from one place to another near-instantaneously)

Cole- Elemental Ability: Super Strength (Ability to lift heavy objects + withstand forces of great pressure. Becomes twice as potent Post-Potential) NRG Ability: Earth Punch/Lava Arms (When activated, enhances his physical capabilities + increases attack power)

Zane- Elemental Ability: Psychic Visions (Ability to see glimpses on the future. In Zane's case, these happen sparingly, but are guaranteed to come to pass) NRG Ability: Ice Armor (When activated, enables him to tank one drastic hit with no repercussions + increases defensive capabilities)

Nya- Elemental Ability: Marine Communication (Ability to converse with + summon sealife) NRG Ability: Hydromorph (Ability to submerge with any body of water and temporarily become like water itself -> a move that should be used sparingly + very difficult and risky to master)

Lloyd- Green Elemental Ability: Energy Shield (Ability to manifest an indestructible protective lifeforce field. Can be manually summoned Post-Potential, but otherwise tends to activate on its own) "Gold Essence Ability": Master Building/Breaking (Ability to create and destroy at will, even with other Elements, but can only create with something "already destroyed" and destroy with something "already created") NRG Ability: [REDACTED]

Jesse- Elemental Ability: Inverse Anticipation (Ability to entirely mask his presence and catch people off guard, but inversely other people can do that to him as well, depending on his own levels of anticipation) NRG Ability: Random Roulette (When activated, ensures that whatever Effect/Trick used next will be guaranteed to surprise the intended target…with the trade-off being that the move is also a surprise to Jesse as well)

Skylor- Elemental Ability: Elemental Empathy (Can detect the presence of other/nearby Elemental Masters. The sensations get stronger and more personalized towards the opposing Element as she gets physically closer to them. Like a living, actual Elemental Compass haha) NRG Ability: Convergence (Ability to absorb/mimic two Elements at once and use them in tandem)

Tox Ikita- Elemental Ability: Toxin Immunity (Immune to any and all kinds of toxins, venoms, and poisons...including alcohol. Also cannot get sick with illness nor disease) NRG Ability: Poison Purge (Ability to expunge other individuals of toxins that are currently plaguing them...including alcohol)

Karlof- Elemental Ability: Vibration Tracing (Ability to trace/follow the source of vibrations within metallic objects, and occasionally earth itself) NRG Ability: Ferrokinetic Mimicry (Ability to turn one's whole body into metal)

Chamille: Elemental Ability: Heightened Adaptability (Ability to analyze and adhere to situations/circumstances in a heartbeat) NRG Ability: Vocal Imitation (Ability to perfectly replicate another individual's vocal patterns, even when not transformed)

Viz Paleman: Elemental Ability: Beacon (Ability to make those around him more relaxed, and drop opponents' guards with ease) NRG Ability: Photokinetic Mimicry (Ability to turn one's whole body into light)

Griffin Turner: Elemental Ability: Accelerated Perception (Enables faster reactions time, quicker evasive maneuvers, and occasionally registering the world as going slower than it actually is) NRG Ability: Speed Booster (When activated, increase the resulting force of speed-based movements, attacks, and defenses to have devastating impacts near-equivalent to Superstrength)

Ash Grey: Elemental Ability: Smoke Immersion (Ability to completely vanish within smoke itself. Very useful when you're an assassin and carry smoke bombs) NRG Ability: Typhoportation (Ability to warp/travel quickly along trails/plumes of smoke created by himself)

Jacob Pevsner: Elemental Ability: Echolocation (Ability to locate objects/determine location via reflected soundwaves) NRG Ability: Amplifier (When activated, enhances his own already-generated soundwaves, or increase/decrease the sounds of others)

Gravis Mikhail: Elemental Ability: Gyro Immunity (Balance and sense of direction is never affected nor thrown off, no matter what orientation the body is in) NRG Ability: Gravitational Barrier (Ability to generate a repulsive or attractive gravitational field around oneself, at the cost of enacting the same force on others as they do unto him)

Shade Vespertine: Elemental Ability: Umbrakinetic Obscurity (Ability to become invisible/undetectable whilst in shadows/darkness) NRG Ability: Shadow Warp (Ability to leap from one shadow to another; shadows do not need to be created by him to accomplish this, but locations/destinations are limited)

Neuro Logi: Elemental Ability: Emphatic Prediction (Ability to predict what people will say/do before they even do it—with or without reading one's mind) NRG Ability: Mind Control (When activated, can temporarily overtake another's mind, but only for the duration of one action at a time)

Bolobo: Elemental Ability: Vegetation Communication (Ability to communicate with plants) NRG Ability: Photosynthesize (When activated, increases one's abilities when among a natural environment)

Morro Wu: Elemental Ability: Aero Sensitivity (Ability to detect the direction of the winds and the shifts they'll take as well) NRG Ability: Stormcaller (Ability to summon wind storms, which can accumulate in the form of a tornado or typhoon, depending on level of attunement)

*Time Twins do not have an EA/NA due to the split of their Element between them both

#ninjago #the lego ninjago movie #tlnm #legacyverse #the ninja legacy whip #i'm only tagging the main group rip #kai smith #jay walker #cole brookstone #zane julien #nya smith #lloyd garmadon #oc: jesse marvell #skylor chen #tox ikita #and tox cuz she's cool

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aninag · 1 year

Text

Lonesome

Series: FGO

Merlin x gender neutral reader

Warnings: blood, angst, memory loss, references to death, reader isn't a master, Merlin is sus but when isn't he sus, wounds

Word count: 4.9k

Strange things have been happening, but you're the only one who seems to take notice. Even your dearest Merlin seems to be oblivious.

ii.

"Darling, are you alright? What are you doing sitting here in the dark?"

You blinked. The setting sun cast long shadows on the table. There was still light out, but darkness had started to creep in the corners of the room. You rubbed your temples, trying to dispel whatever it was that had distracted you earlier.

A pair of warm arms engulfed you, followed by the sweet scent of flowers. You closed your eyes and leaned against his warmth. It felt as if you'd been running nonstop at a breakneck pace. The tension in your body eased as you snuggled closer.

"Sorry," you mumbled against his chest. "I was waiting for you and I guess I just got lost in thought... I can't even remember what I was thinking about."

Merlin ran his fingers through your hair before he pulled back. Even in the dim light, his purple eyes still shone bright. A fond expression filled his face, which made you smile back.

"Ah! Did you miss me? Was that making you worry?" He waggled his eyebrows before pressing a kiss to your cheek. "Silly darling. I'll always be here with you. You have nothing to fear."

He suddenly stood, carrying you out of your chair in one fell swoop. You grabbed at his shoulder to steady yourself as he lifted you out of the room.

"Now then, shall we get started on supper? I've worked up quite an appetite!"

He stepped out of the threshold, laughing at your halfhearted protests. A half-finished cup of tea sat abandoned on the table. As the light from the fading sun dimmed to red, one could hardly see the blood streaks on the teacup.

iii.

You always rose just before dawn. The farmstead was small, but you preferred to get most of the work done before high noon so you needed the early start. Most days, you'd wake before Merlin did. You'd prepare breakfast in the kitchen before the smell of coffee and food dragged him away from his slumber. He'd stagger in, yawning and grumbling all the way to the table.

On rare days however, just like this morning, you'd find yourself tangled up in his arms and pinned down by the weight of his body. His warmth, the slow rhythm of his breathing, and the softness of the bed; all of it tempted you to go back to sleep. On days like these, getting out of bed seemed an impossible task. It would have been so easy to just cave in and surrender, to just sleep in.

"Darling," you muttered against his ear, "I need to get up."

You heard him grumble before he tightened his grip around you. "You don't need to get up, you just want to."

You huffed. "Fine. I want to get up so I can get started on our breakfast. Could you let me go?"

"Don't you want to relax for once? Just sleep in with me for a bit?"

You smiled at his petulance. "Tempting. Very very tempting offer, my darling. But if I do that, Bessie, Gertie, Clover, and Dixie will go hungry in the barn. If they get grumpy they might not give us any milk or eggs."

He clicked his tongue. "The animals can survive a few hours. They'll understand if you need to get some rest. Just stay with me for a while?"

His eyes remained resolutely closed, but his brow was starting to furrow. You pressed kisses against his face until his face relaxed again.

"Thirty minutes. After that, we're both getting out of bed."

iv.

Hunting for the eggs was your favorite chore. Your two hens always made it a challenge. They kept picking small nooks and crannies to lay eggs in, and they rarely picked the same spot twice. Today however, both hens seemed to have it out for you. You'd been wandering the farmstead for an hour now and you didn't have a single egg to show for it.

The cows watched indifferently as you walked across the field. You'd checked the barn and the coop twice over. You'd even looked near the farmhouse but had only come up empty. The only place left to look was the tool shed. Hopefully the hens had just enough mercy for you that they wouldn't lay their eggs on the shed's roof.

You peered among the metal tools, looking for a splash of white or brown to clue you in. It was still early in the day, but the shed didn't have any windows to bring in the light. It was cold, dark, and musty. All you had to rely on was the stream of light from the doorway, so you clumsily felt around.

"Aha!"

You spotted a small brown egg tucked away behind a sickle. As carefully as you could, you reached out to grab it. Thankfully you didn't nick yourself with the sickle, and you carefully placed the egg inside. Before you could start looking for another egg however, a strange object caught your attention.

Your chest felt tight. Cold sweat formed on your brow. Dread pooled in your stomach. The object unnerved you yet you couldn't gaze away. It entranced you, pulling you closer and closer. With a trembling hand, you reached out to grab it. Your fingers grazed the cold metal surface, turning your dread into terror.

White robes filled your vision. Warm hands rubbed your back and stroked your hair. In your terror, you hugged him tight. Merlin brought you out into the sunlight, but the chill had settled in your skin. Your teeth chattered as he looked you over.

Worry was a strange expression on his face. It was never he that worried, it was always you. Right? He was always the one that brought sunshine and flowers to your gloomy days. He'd always be the one to console you, to tell you that everything was fine, that it was alright to just slip back to sleep-

"You're hurt!" you gasped.

Bright crimson streaks covered his white robes. His pristine face and white locks were flecked with red. Panicked, you rifled through the rest of his body, trying to figure out where he was bleeding from. His clothes didn't look torn. There were no obvious wounds on his hands or neck. But there was just so much blood! How could anyone be alright with that much blood coming out of them?

"Shh. Shh. I'm alright. I'm not hurt," he said. Gently, he guided your arm in front of you. "You must have gotten hurt inside the tool shed, darling."

Your arm was drenched in blood. A large gaping wound wrapped around your forearm, slowly dripping blood on both of you. The scent of copper hit you like a wave, overpowering the usual scent of flowers your darling always carried. Strangely enough, there was little to no pain. All you felt was an unnerving chill.

"I must have gotten nicked by the sickle..." you muttered. "I was looking for some eggs then-"

You pursed your lips. A confusing tangle of thoughts prevented you from recalling what happened. All you could remember was a dark shape, coupled with dread and terror. You couldn't move. You couldn't scream. All you could do was watch as it moved closer and closer, until the cold metal pressed firmly against your chest and-

"Shh. If it's too much, don't think about it anymore darling." Merlin hugged you tight. The combined scent of blood and flowers was almost nauseating. You bit your lip to keep yourself from gagging. "Let's get you all patched up and change into some clean clothes."

You nodded and let yourself be carried back to the house. He was right. What would dwelling upon it achieve at this point? You got hurt, so the next step was fixing yourself up. What did it matter if you couldn't recall exactly how you got hurt?

As he carried you across the field, your blood dripped down on the grass. As the blood fell, the once vibrant green shoots faded and shriveled up. Patches of grass started to die and crumble, revealing the dry cracked earth.

"Penny for your thoughts, darling?"

You snapped out of your daze, but a high-pitched ringing remained in your ears. It was so persistent that you could have mistaken them for sirens in the distance. But that wouldn't have made sense. There were no busy cities or towns nearby. There was no reason for sirens to ring here in your peaceful, quiet farm.

Frustrated, you sat up and started rubbing at your ears. The sudden movement knocked off the throw wrapped around you. The air around you was warm enough given that you were curled up in front of the hearth. The cheery fire gave more than enough light to light up Merlin's features. Mischief and adoration danced in his eyes, and his mouth was upturned in a familiar smirk. He reached out to cradle your cheek.

"I hope you're not thinking of some other person while you're cuddling up to me, darling. My fragile ego can't take that hit," he teased, squeezing your cheek fondly.

You leaned into his hand and pressed a soft kiss in apology. "Sorry darling. I've just been drifting... I can't remember what I was even thinking so hard about... What were we talking about earlier?"

The corners of his eyes crinkled and he shook his head. "Nothing important. Don't worry about it darling. All that matters right now is that we're both safe here."

You grinned back. "Where else would I go?"

His smile remained, but the light in his eyes seemed to dim. His eyebrows knit together. The sounds of the fire seemed to soften and the air turned cold. Fear seized you. Your chest began to pound and your body tensed up. Your mouth ran dry and your tongue felt too heavy to move. Everything felt wrong.

You looked imploringly at him for answers, but he remained silent. His smile was colored with so much sadness that you felt like crying. You wanted to reach out, to hold him and comfort him. But you remained still, rooted to your spot by your dread fear.

He pressed a kiss to your forehead before everything faded to black.

"Where else would you go?" he muttered.

vi.

You shivered in the crisp spring air as you watched Merlin work in the field. The sun was high in the sky, but the rays were still too weak to combat the cold. You wrapped your jacket tighter against you and cradled your mug.

In the field, he tended to the crops with his staff. He'd forgone his white robes, choosing instead to work in his black shirt and pants. He spun his wooden staff, sending small clouds of rain to water the rows of wheat. He waved at you when he caught you staring. You waved back.

While he rose later than you did, he would almost always finish his chores quicker than you. He made tending to the crops look so easy. With a flick of his staff, meters of farmland would get fertilized and watered. What would have taken you several hours to complete would take him mere minutes.

The only reason you finished ahead today was because your chores revolved around the cows. The chickens were gone. Merlin opined that they must have escaped through a hole in the fence. It must have been a small hole since the cows hadn't run off, but it would be best to repair it soon. Chickens were easy enough to replace but cows were expensive. Perhaps you could ask him to help you repair the fence after he finished tending to the crops. You could grab some tools from the shed first and-

You dropped your mug. Cold, deep, nauseating fear sank deep in your bones. You looked at your arms, running your fingers on the smooth unblemished skin. There was no cut, no scars, no redness, no hurt. It was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!

You had a cut here yesterday! You were sure of it! It couldn't have possibly healed that quickly. And even if it had, such a large wound would have left a scar on you. It would have left a mark to remind you that something happened.

You grasped at your sleeves, rolling them up to expose more skin. Perhaps you had been mistaken on where the cut had been? Maybe it was further up your arm! Then you'd find it and have a good old laugh about how silly you were being. Maybe you'd tell Merlin too, and he'd have a grand old time teasing and laughing at silly old you.

You'd rolled up your sleeves to your shoulders, but you could only find unmarred skin. There were no wounds, no scars, no blood, no blemishes. Just skin as smooth as it had been the day you were born.

"Darling?"

You turned to see Merlin walking towards you. Worry seemed to be present more and more often on his face. His brows were knit and his mouth pressed into a firm line. Behind him, the weather seemed to take a turn for the worse. Gray clouds rolled from the horizon, blocking out the warm rays of the sun. Both of you needed to move. You needed to run back to the house before the rain poured.

As you moved your feet, you slipped on something slick. When you fell to the ground, the familiar scent of copper hit you. You were stuck in a large puddle of blood. Blood now covered your arms, your legs, your body. You tried to push yourself up, but it was as slippery and sticky as mud. The more you struggled, the further you sank.

You screamed and reached out for Merlin. He was running towards you now, but he was still so far away. Why was he so far away? You were sinking fast. The pressure of the puddle against your chest made it difficult to breathe. You gave one last cry before you were pulled under.

You lay in an ocean of light. Scorching heat blazed against your skin. You screamed out in pain, but you heard nothing. You tried to move your body, but everything felt so heavy. Even keeping your eyes open became difficult. Your throat started to burn, but something deep inside you knew that you needed to keep screaming. That, as bad as the pain was, something worse awaited you if you stopped.

So, scream you did. You kept screaming even as your head began to pound. You screamed as your eyes fluttered shut. Even in that dreary darkness, you continued to call out.

"....! Aaaa-!?"

You stopped. How long had it been since you heard your voice? How long had you been in that silent hell? Cautiously, you opened your eyes. A bright sky strewn with hues of orange and pink greeted you. There was nothing else in the sky: no sun, no clouds, no stars, no moon. It looked beautiful, but oh so lonely. Oh so empty. All around you was a sea of flowers as far as the eye could see. Their petals danced and swayed along to a breeze you could not feel.

"Lovely, aren't they?"

You whirled around in surprise. A man with long white hair sat behind you, twirling a flower in his hand. His gaze was fixed on the blossom, and he watched it as if it was the most amusing thing in the world.

"I've always been curious to learn what they're called," he mused. "I looked them up in every book I could get my hands on but there's not one mention of them! It's like nobody else had seen them before. How strange. How sad."

His purple eyes found yours. A feeling of foreboding washed over you. You felt pinned in place as he looked you over. He seemed so familiar, so near and dear to you, but you couldn't remember his name. His bright purple eyes held a strange glint. It unnerved you but you couldn't bring yourself to look away. In the end, he was the one who broke away. As soon as he looked aside, you felt dizzy. Everything seemed to go out of focus. A distant ringing filled your ears. Your body felt like it had been sapped of all its strength.

"Now, now. Don't push yourself too hard. It must have been quite the journey to wind up here."

A gentle hand gripped your shoulder. You tensed up, but let yourself be supported until you could sit up on your own. Once your vision started to clear, you glanced up at him.

He was a strange man. He wore white robes adorned with flowers. By his side he carried a large staff decked with colorful ribbons. His long white hair swayed alongside the flowers in the field, subject to a breeze you couldn't feel.

But the strangest part about him was his face. His eyes were filled with gentle amusement and his mouth arced in a serene smile. Ordinarily, you would have called his face beautiful. It was the sort of face that anyone would have wanted to gaze at. But the perfectly sculpted lips, the high cheekbones, and those beautiful purple eyes made you want to flee. It was a face too perfect, too flawless, too... inhuman to fully trust.

And yet, there was a part of you that did trust him. He was dear to you despite being a stranger. It felt like he knew everything about you despite you knowing next to nothing about him. It felt like you'd lived a thousand lifetimes beside him, even if you were certain that this was the first time you'd met.

"Now then," he whispered against your ear. His voice was honeyed and comforting. He leaned in closer, brushing your face with his soft white hair. "Want to tell me what you've wished for?"

vii.

The first thing you noticed was thunder rumbling in the distance. Rain fell heavily on the roof and against the window. You sat in a dimly-lit room, with your hands clasped on a wooden table. Across you sat your darling a familiar stranger. His countenance was subdued, and he seemed determined not to glance at you. His gaze was fixed downward as he slowly stirred the contents of his mug.

Questions swirled about in your head. Where were you now? Where had you been before? Who was this man to you? How did you get here? But one question burst through all the others and came stumbling out of your lips.

"Am I dead?"

That familiar sad smile danced upon his lips before he shook his head. "No. You wouldn't be able to stay here if you were."

You bit your lip. "Am I dying?"

He closed his eyes. The world stood still. The sounds of the rain and thunder ceased. You held your breath.

"Yes."

All the dread, terror, and panic you'd bottled up burst out of you as nervous laughter. You laughed hard and loud. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes, but you held them back. You laughed for as long as you had breath, ignoring the morose expression on his face.

"So what's this then?" you rasped. "One last dream before I die? I can't fucking believe this. I dreamt up a farm, a FARM right before I died! The one thing I wanted to do before I died was manage a fucking farm!?"

You slammed your fist against the table. It made a satisfying thud, but you didn't feel any pain from the impact. You dug your fingernails into your palm. Crescent-shaped depressions formed on the skin, but you registered no pain.

You glanced up at the man in front of you for answers, but he was still determined to not meet your gaze. He looked at his infuriating mug as if it held all the answers in the world. Growling under your breath, you knocked the mug aside to force him to look at you.

"Who the hell are you and why did you do this to me?" you snapped. "What made you decide that it was alright to invade a dying person's dreams and force them to adore you?"

You'd expected guilt on his face, not abject heartbreak. It was the look of a man who had his last remaining hope crushed in front of him. The rage you'd felt evaporated like foam, leaving only guilt and an overwhelming need to comfort him. Still, you grit your teeth and held your ground.

"My name is Merlin," he said. " As punishment for sins that I'll never be forgiven for, I've been exiled here in Avalon, the garden of dreams at the end of the world. I'm not allowed to leave. All I'm allowed to do is watch over humanity until the very end."

"I'd been bearing my punishment patiently for hundreds of years, mind you," he continued. "I've never questioned or tried to go against it. I've been content with watching both humanity's triumphs and failures from the comfort of my tower."

"That is, until you wound up here in Avalon." He finally glanced up at you. His mouth was pressed into a firm line, but his eyes were still so kind, still so soft, still so adoring.

"It was so strange to find someone else in Avalon, you see. It rarely ever lets souls pass through. Rarer still to let them stay long enough for me to come across them. So when I saw you, I decided to grant you a small reward for making it all the way to Avalon. I wanted to give you a good dream to carry with you as you passed on."

He let out a chuckle before draping his hand above yours. He squeezed your hand slightly before he continued.

"You were wrong, by the way. You didn't wish for a farm. The farm was a happy sort of accident that we just went along with. What you wished for was something much, much simpler."

He entwined his fingers with yours and looked directly into your eyes.

"You wished for me to hold your hand as you died. You wished for someone, even a complete stranger, to stay by your side while you lay dying... just so that you wouldn't be all alone in the end."

"So I built you a wonderful little dream. I couldn't hold your hand outside of Avalon, but I could at least keep you company inside a dream. I let you design and build everything, just so you'd be happy and safe. Everything happened and appeared according to your will. The only condition I applied was that the dream would be free of pain. Outside of that, my only purpose in the dream was to be someone who you could talk to."

Hot tears pricked at your eyes and your nose started to feel stuffy. "If that was the case, why did you do this to me? I-I hardly know anything about you but my mind is telling me that you're the person I adore the most! Why are you both familiar and unfamiliar to me?"

His free hand cradled your cheek and swiped away at an errant tear. His touch felt achingly familiar, but your memories came up blank. Still, you chased the comfort and leaned your face against his hand.

Instead of answering your question, he sent another question your way. "How long do you think we've been inside this dream?"

"...A couple of weeks? Maybe a month?" you hazarded a guess. The details were a blur but you were fairly certain it hadn't been that long.

"Ten years."

"No... No!" You drew back, shaking your head as you went. "If... If it's been that long why can't I remember?"

"I didn't think you were going to keep going for that long either," he mused. "I thought maybe a couple of months or perhaps a year if you were determined enough. But you just kept the dream going. You dreamt up new days, new adventures we could both go on without any signs of stopping."

"And I suppose...with how many years we spent by each other's side it was inevitable that we grew fond of each other." He smiled a sad little smile. "For my part, I can't say if it's love or not... I'm much too inhuman to feel emotions in that way. But I do care about you."

"So why... why can't I remember any of it then? All I remember is this farm!" you sobbed.

"Human minds were not made to sustain dreams like that for years on end. You held strong until about our fifth year in. Cracks were starting to form in the worlds you dreamt up. To help you cope with the strain in your mind, I persuaded you to scale down our adventures. We narrowed our scope from continents, to countries, to provinces, to cities."

"On our seventh year, you told me that you wanted to settle down." He gazed fondly out the window. "It was such a strange request that it made me laugh when I first heard it. Settling down and relaxing seemed uncharacteristic of you. You always seemed to keep going to new places, to keep experiencing new things."

He laughed. "Then again, perhaps a part of me recognized that it signified that the dream was coming to an end. That desperate part of me probably wanted you to keep going so I wouldn't have to say goodbye."

He leaned across the table and wiped away at your tears. His touch was cool and comforting. "So we wound up settling down here, in this farm. I think we were happier here... even more than we'd been on our adventures. Even if we did nothing but talk by the fireside, we were content."

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against yours. He took a deep, halting breath as if bracing himself.

"This year, you started to drift. You'd stare blankly in the distance for hours on end. Midway through our conversations, you'd stop responding. You started to forget about our old adventures. Your usual chores confused and frustrated you. The names you gave the animals kept changing. You'd forget what day it was." He took another deep breath. "But I only started to panic when you started bringing in things related to your death into the dream. You were starting to say goodbye without even realizing it."

"So the blood, the cuts, the gun-"

"Was your subconscious reminding you that you were dying... and that it was time to let go."

The terror, the dread, the anger left you. You collapsed back onto your chair. There was no logical reason for you to believe anything Merlin said. He could have been spinning you a tale to take advantage of your supposed memory loss.

But as you gazed up at his face, you could find no lie in his eyes. All you found was an expression of complete surrender. Gingerly, you held out your arms towards him for a hug. He held you in his arms and settled his face in the crook of your neck.

"So, is this the end of the dream?" you asked. The howling of the wind outside seemed to get stronger. Thunder and lightning crashed and boomed overhead.

"I'm afraid so," he murmured. "You can delay it for a while, but the edges of the dream have already started to collapse. I'm sorry I can't do anything to help."

You shook your head. "You gave me ten happy years. You've given me more than enough."

The window shattered. Cold air and wet rain blew into the room, putting out the lanterns. The room was plunged in darkness, punctuated only by brief flashes of lightning in the distance. You hugged Merlin tighter.

"I-I'm scared." You buried your face in his hair, taking in the scent of flowers, hoping that it would ground you. "I-I know that it's coming so I won't run... but I don't want to face it alone."

"Shh. Shh. I'm here. I'll always be here beside you."

The sounds of the rain and thunder suddenly stopped. You were plunged in impenetrable darkness. You couldn't even see your hand in front of you. You flailed around in your panic, crying and shouting and stumbling. You kept calling out Merlin's name in desperation.

A warm hand gripped your own.

"Merlin?! Are you there? I can't see you!"

You felt around and strained your eyes but all you could sense was his hand. You squeezed it tight, gasping in relief when you felt it squeeze back.

"I'm here darling, don't worry."

"Don't go! Please don't let me go."

"I won't. I'll be here for as long as you need me."

The darkness seemed to grow heavier. It pressed on your chest, making it more and more difficult to breathe.

"Merlin? Are you there?" you gasped.

"Yes my darling. I'm still here with you." His voice sounded faint. You tried to squeeze his hand again but you could barely summon any strength to move your fingers.

"Merlin? Are you there?"

You heard him chuckle. "Yes my darling. I'm here. Are you there, darling?"

"Yeah. I'm here." You could barely string words together now. "Merlin, are you there?"

"Yes my darling. Are you there, darling?"

"Yeah. Merlin-?"

"Yes my darling?"

"...Merlin."

"Darling?"

"..."

"Darling, are you there?"

---------

pain.exe

First non-explicit work on this account, and something highly experimental too!

I really adore Merlin! I enjoy reading works that center around him but most of the time he's played for laughs. (which isn't a bad thing! A huge part of his character in-game is playing around and teasing other people after all) I wanted a slightly more serious and sad story around him.

I wanted to explore the dream-generating aspect of Merlin's some more so I toyed with the idea of him granting someone a good dream before they succumbed to their death. I kinda had to push and tweak at his base personality for this story, but I hope he didn't come across as too ooc.

#merlin x reader #fgo x reader #fgo merlin x reader #aninag writes

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