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ghcstao3 · 5 months

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siren ghost and sailor soap?

sort of inspired by the pirates of the caribbean sirens scene because it’s one of my favourite things of that series. also i got a little carried away

Over the many, many years of traversing the Seven Seas for his life’s work, Soap has become intimately familiar with the abundant myths and legends about the ocean and what lies beneath.

Of course, most of these hold no truth. Most of these are only mere stories to quell the anxieties of sailors, or to provide reasoning to strange occurrences seemingly otherwise unexplainable.

Sirens are, unfortunately, the exception.

Ruthless, ravenous creatures—they’re the worst fear of any sailor who knows the worth of his own life, and like most things that make mortal men afraid, they’ve been transformed into weapons.

Soap only knows that sirens are real because of what happens to many prisoners at sea—from the brig they’re moved to rowboats without paddles, abandoned and forced to sing until the sirens appear to lure them into the water, where flesh would be torn from bone with razor sharp teeth.

It’s a terrifying sight. The creatures are like sharks called to blood with the way they appear, like piranhas with the way they feast.

It’s horrifying. Fascinating. And Soap has vowed to never let himself end up on one of those boats.

But alas. Fate has other plans for him.

Soap had been reluctant to join the crew of Captain Philip Graves when presented with the opportunity, but the pay promised had been good, the work simple, and the destination somewhere he’s never been.

But what Soap hadn’t realized is that Graves likes to take prisoners. He likes to engage in unfair combat with other ships, and operates almost like a pirate, though not explicitly enough to be considered one himself.

Soap realizes his mistake far too late when he wanders down to the brig one night, otherwise unable to sleep. They’re two weeks into their voyage by now, and Soap knows there’s people in the jail—but he hadn’t known the state of them.

Most already without a secure amount of food outside their makeshift cell, they’re emaciated, wasting away in the hull of the vessel. They’re barely responsive when Soap knocks on the bars of the hold and pokes someone’s damp shoulder. Someone weakly latches onto Soap’s sleeve and begs for nothing in particular, and he feels awful for not having known about this sooner.

So he begins sneaking them food, brings them drink. Squirrels away what extra he can without anyone noticing he’s stopped finishing his meals.

Except someone must notice. Because, nearing the end of their journey, Graves is waking him in the dead of night and pulling him into the Captain’s quarters.

Soap swallows the pounding heartbeat in his throat as Graves slowly crosses the room to take a seat at his desk. He’s never liked the man, not one bit—but this just feels unnecessary. Taunting.

“A little bird tells me you’ve been keeping our prisoners fed,” Graves drawls. “Even though, from what I recall, prisoners are the enemy. I don’t suppose you really have been helping them out, have you, MacTavish?”

It’s a trap, Soap knows. Only a fool wouldn’t be able to tell Graves’s question isn’t really a question at all. Graves has his answer, and waits on Soap’s response if only to entertain him with the idea of escape.

Soap knows just as well that there’s hardly a point in trying to lie.

He lifts his chin as he looks straight into Graves’s eyes to tell him, “I have been. They’re still people.”

Graves chuckles lowly, rising from his seat. He rounds the desk, sitting back on its edge with his arms folded across his chest.

It might be intimidating, if Soap were anyone else. If he were a lesser man.

“Well, then—since you like ‘em so much,” Graves says, “surely you won’t mind joining them.”

Soap supplies Graves with no visible reaction. He doesn’t fight as Graves calls for his men to throw Soap in the brig, doesn’t put up any fuss as they try to cajole him.

If Soap has to be imprisoned for doing what’s right, then he at least won’t let Graves have the satisfaction of knowing Soap’s internal panic.

Because Soap knows what Graves plans to do with his prisoners. He’s known all along.

He predicts they’re maybe a day from port when they’re shoved off the ship and ordered into the decaying rowboat, left to drift away—not too far, however, as they’re still tethered to the ship. Because once all prisoners have been drowned, the boat will be reeled back and used again the next time Graves and his crew venture out to terrorize the waters.

No one has the energy to sing, to lure their cruel punishment to them. Soap’s half-convinced some of the others might just jump into the water on their own.

But they have to sing. Especially when a bullet ricochets off the boat and splinters the wood as encouragement.

Despite his time spent out at sea, Soap isn’t overly familiar with many shanties. He just follows along with whatever is mumbled in a weak tune, dreading as the volume builds with a second bullet, and the water below begins to churn. Glancing over the edge, Soap swears he sees the flash of a tail.

The first one appears shortly, singing along to the song like she’s entirely familiar with the melody. Soap feels the pull, though perhaps not as strongly as he imagined he would, if ever he ended up in these circumstances.

He wonders, briefly and distantly, if it has to do with the fact that he’s not really all that into women.

Soap snorts. Wouldn’t that be something.

But as more sirens appear, the pull grows stronger. Soap begins to feel swayed by the song, gone from muttered and off-kilter to something beautiful, hypnotic. The boat bobs with the weight of their new company and the prisoners that rush to the sides to get a better look at the sirens as if they aren’t the dangerous creatures they’re known to be.

Still, though, Soap isn’t completely compelled to join them in the water. He stays put in the centre and grounds his teeth—though he does gasp and reach out when the first prisoner is pulled under, and red soon blossoms across the surface of the water.

Then he appears.

The whole world seems to disappear for just a moment, when Soap looks into big, brown eyes.

The siren’s voice is deeper than the rest, soothing, and though Soap’s hindbrain screams at him that hidden behind the enchanting exterior, the porcelain skin and the straw-blond hair, there lives evil—he can’t help but lean in.

As Soap gets closer, the boat continuing to rock as more prisoners fall victim, the siren’s singing pauses just long enough for him to offer Soap a smile, saccharine, close-lipped. He reaches out an arm to Soap, calloused fingers caressing Soap’s cheek, cupping his jaw.

Soap can’t help but melt into the touch, its simultaneous warmth and coolness, subconsciously chasing it as it retracts, eyes fluttering shut with a short, pleased sigh.

But with the singing fading from the others, Soap’s eyes suddenly snap open. The siren still holds him, still leads Soap with that gentle touch and deceptively kind gaze, but Soap resists. He doesn’t know when he’d gotten to leaning halfway over the edge of the boat, but he scrambles backward to the opposite side, as far as he can get from this siren.

Soap comes to the startling realization that he’s the only one left.

“Don’t get shy on me now,” the siren croons. He props himself up on the edge of the boat, arms thick with corded muscle to show the real power of this creature. He leans forward, the boat tilting with his added weight. “I don’t bite.”

Soap glances nervously about the empty rowboat, gaze accidentally straying the bloodstained waters that surround them.

“I beg to differ,” Soap says weakly.

The siren laughs softly before slowly sinking back into the water. The boat sways. Soap shakes.

Everything goes silent for a suspiciously long moment before there’s a disturbance in the water and the siren appears at the side of the boat where Soap has taken refuge. He’s singing quietly again and Soap feels that pull, so he moves away, screws his eyes shut, and jams his fingers in his ears in an attempt to block it out.

It doesn’t work, not when the singing gets louder, and Soap’s attempt is rendered useless.

“Shut up,” Soap growls. “Please just shut. Up.”

The singing does cease, though only to make way for a deep, full laughter that is somehow tugging on Soap’s conscience with more force than any melody so far.

When Soap blinks his eyes open, the siren is perched on the edge of the boat, arms splayed one on top of the other, his head resting over them. He’s smiling, even once his laughter has died down, a glint of something in his dark eyes—maybe not quite sinister, but certainly mischievous.

“They’re not letting you back on that ship, you know,” the siren says, as if it isn’t obvious. “So you can either come with me—“

“And what? Be drowned? Eaten?” Soap snaps. “Thanks, but I’d rather rot right here.”

“Suit yourself,” the siren hums.

To Soap’s surprise, he actually disappears back into the water. And despite the waves—the ocean seems to have finally calmed.

Maybe Soap did have the tiny, illogical hope that he’d be brought back to the ship. Maybe Soap did have the tiny, logical hope that this siren would just put him out of his misery.

Either way, now he just sits in silence, listening to waves lap up against the hull as the rowboat rocks lazily with the current. Though the peace surely only stretches on for a few minutes, it feels like hours.

Stupidly, Soap goes to inspect the depths. To make certain he’s really been left alone.

Because that’s when he’s pulled in.

Soap barely has time to yell out before his mouth is filled with the overwhelming, stinging taste of salt, unfamiliar arms wrapping securely around his frame so he can’t wriggle free. His shouts are muffled by the water, and he feels the cold soak into his bones as he’s dragged deeper and deeper. The light fades, or maybe it’s the lack of oxygen.

The last thing Soap sees is the siren’s grin, all fangs and malice before everything goes black.

But then, after an unknown amount of time—Soap wakes up to the slow drip, drip, drip of water on a stone floor.

He’s in a cave.

He’s in a cave, and there’s a light source somewhere, and the siren is watching him.

Soap coughs, clearing water from his lungs. He chokes out, “Why… what did you—“

The siren shrugs. “I don’t eat people I like.”

Soap frowns, still coughing. “You…”

“Call me Ghost,” the siren says, then dives into the pool he’d been wading in at the entrance of the cave, and swims away—long, elegant tail flicking behind him as he leaves.

And while many, many thought swirl around Soap’s head as he gradually gathers his bearings about the situation, the clearest of them all is also the simplest; what the hell kind of a name is Ghost?

If only he could guess.

And if only he could know what’s meant to happen to him next.

#ask #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #soapghost #ghostsoap #ghost x soap #ghoap #alternate universe #writing

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ofallthingsnasty · 5 months

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G, H and Y for Doflamingo? You seemed curious about letter H, I wanna know your thoughts about it and Doffy especially!

Yandere Alphabet

Honestly, H (What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?) made me reblog it... I love lists like that because they make me think + help flesh out characters - and like I said in the tags, that one was so good I had to have it on here haha.

tw.yandere, violence, noncon, minors dni

Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

When is it ever not a game to him? Despite him being incredibly dangerous and cruel, a defiant darling fares well with Doflamingo. He's like a kid watching his pet hamster squeeze through increasingly smaller openings to get out of a box, to reach some treats - it's entertaining until it's not. You might as well be the dirt under his shoes, you're a pathetic little creature that couldn't even break his skin if it tried. Of course your little tantrums and escape attempts are hilarious to him. How cute, you think there is still hope for you. Quaint. Bite, scratch, kick - jump out of the next window if you want, it's all a riot to him. (There is a line here - where exactly, you'll never know. But there are times when your antics do bother him. And when he's in a foul mood and you cross him? Whatever he has in store for you will have you quiet and compliant for several days, trust me.)

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

Well, what's the worst thing you can imagine? That. I think he can get incredibly violent with you - and doesn't really stop. There is no love from this man, just sheer possession, obsession - you have to understand, he owns you. If he says jump, you jump. If he has you tied down and blindfolded, legs spread for random people to violate you because you dared to refuse him the night before, you say 'sorry' and 'I'll never do it again, I swear' and kiss his feet. If he locks you away for days and days on end in some empty room without anything to do and just some water because you wouldn't answer him, you'll never refuse to open up that precious mouth again when he asks you something, right, sweetheart? He'll learn how you work - what you love, what you hate, what you fear - and uses it against you. With others, that one violent outburst might be the worst thing to happen to you or that time they force themselves on you. With Doflamingo, it's like a pink-clad grotesque grab bag of worst experiences, one more horrifying than the next. Fun, right?

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

I think that depends on when he meets you. Pre-Dressrosa? You're perched on his lap by the time he has figured out that he wants to keep you around and not only fuck you - who the hell has time for intricate plans or even trying to court you? He's a busy man with a million things to do. He likes what he sees and the rest can come later. It's not like you'll go anywhere, weak little dog that you are. After the takeover? He can allow himself to rest on his laurels a little - he doesn't need to pluck you off the street like a roadside flower. He can watch. Indulge in some classic little stalker antics. Learn more about you. Wait for the perfect moment to turn your whole life upside down. Doflamingo is nothing if not an afficionado, wanting to enjoy the way you'll beg and cry and plead when the world as you know it is about to be changed forever. He doesn't snap. He lies in ambush.

#that man has terrifying layers to me. fascinating character #omg that was so much fun thank you!!!#tw.yandere #tw.noncon #yandere one piece #doflamingo x reader #/doflamingo #/one piece #yandere alphabet

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crowncrown · 1 year

Text

MORE GENLOSS BRAINROT LETS GOOO

!!!MAJOR SPOILER WARNING!!!

Generation loss’s ending is so incredible I can not STAND IT OH MY GOD I need to write out my thoughts before my brain explodes because I haven’t been able to think about anything else since.

The first episode was an absolute curveball to everyone who’s been keeping up with the spooky ranmail and everything and I’m not gonna lie I was a little nervous about what this show was really gonna be when I was watching it. But the thought process it took behind every detail to make something so goofy actually be horrifying once you understand the context of the next two episodes WAS BRILLIANT. Every piece of the puzzle just adds more and more to the storyline and it makes me want to dissect every detail of the vods for hours.

But I think the most bone chilling part of this-very intentionally I must add- is the final sequence. We witness every one of the characters sacrifice themselves for GL!Ranboo and GL!Slime isn’t any different spending his last breaths being killed by the wire creature (for lack of better words) to make sure Ranboo hits the finish line. But as soon as you feel any level of triumph you realize that Slime is just like Sneeg in the episode before sacrificing himself to ensure the show goes on.

Because it was never about the hero.

Ranboo isn’t special. He’s just another pawn in the game with the illusion of being the protagonist to make it more interesting for the desensitized viewers watching these people die over and over.

He was never meant to win.

And then that leads to us.

The audience.

Given the illusion of choice.

Do you publicly execute this man? Or do you let him live to be tortured the rest of his miserable existence until he is inevitably killed by Showfall for breaking the rules. If you spare him, is it a fate worse than death? We fight with this moral dilemma, trying to decide if it’s our decision whether people live or die.

But he’s a murderer! He killed people and showed no remorse! Showfall metaphorically whispers in our ear that he earned this fate for the terrible actions he committed. But was it him? Did he have any control over the actions he committed throughout the show or is he a victim?

He begins begging to be let go. To just escape from this snare he never asked to be trapped in the first place. The audience heavily leans towards letting him live because maybe being alive in this horrible show is better than the execution. But he knows that was never an option for him. He watches as a cartoony figure jokes about his demise and a audience poll decides his fate. And in that moment he realizes his choices were never his own.

So he gives up.

Begs to just be put down because being part of the cast means he will hurt more and more people the way he’s been hurt. That he will be the cause of more and more pain, and very likely more murderers.

And the audience decides death is the best route for him to take.

Maybe he died believing this is his fault. That the audience decided he should be dead for the horrific things he chose to do. But did he ever really choose?

His story was a tragedy before he could even pick up the pen.

And then there’s Showfall. Once again the ever present voice in our ear. Whispering that we are just the same as he is.

You just chose to murder a man. Is that not any different than him killing the innocent to progress in this game? Showfall now has the audience in the same grip as the man in the guillotine.

Your story as an audience is a tragedy long before you will ever pick up the pen.

#crown drabbles:)#genloss brainrot #genloss #generation loss #ranboolive #looking way too deep into things because it’s late at night #Ranboolive is rotting my brain

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albentelisa · 3 months

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Hi! Here's a really interesting ask. What do you think would change if Barabra had been a wizard?

Merlin does NOT trust Jim in this AU since Barabra was one of the Arcane Order allies pre Killahead.

Jim had to remind the team more than once that murder is illegal, despite Merlin making it tempting.

Morgana still creates the changelings, mostly because past Barabra accidentally gave her the idea while talking about their hatred for Merlin.

So, in this AU Barbara is another shadowmancer and it's another reason for the friction between her and Merlin as she seeked his protection during Camelot times and got no help. However, Morgana took the younger Barbara under her wing giving her some protection.

During the Camelot times, Barbara was really angry with Arthur, Merlin, and the knights. She went to the Arcane Order way before Morgana (as Morgana still tried to appeal to her brother's common sense). However, Barbara didn't reveal her true allegiance at once acting as a spy from within.

Barbara didn't realize the true extent of the Arcane Order's plans - she thought they would simply kill Arthur and Merlin and let Morgana build a better kingdom. So she tried to talk Morgana into switching sides as well. The idea about changelings came when they both lamented how many innocent trolls had no way to escape, which prompted some research from Morgana.

Barbara left the Arcane Order at the same time as Nari because Nari told her about the true plans of the Order. Barbara was horrified because, despite her hatred for Arthur and Merlin, she still wished to stop the unneeded violence.

Barbara was wandering for centuries, just helping people and magical creatures from the shadows. She avoided getting too involved because of the fear of misjudging another faction. Her relationship with James was one she used as a cover (she had a bunch of those before). Jim wasn't planned, but Barbara was happy to have him (as she was secretly tired of being alone).

Jim is a shadowmancer in this AU too. Toby knows his secret and both of them go monster-hunting occasionally (mostly goblins and other small creatures). Ironically, they never stumble upon trolls or Douxie (as Barbara protects Jim with magic which repels everyone too strong for him). Jim also doesn't know much about the magic world as his mother decided to tell him only once he's older.

In this AU, Barbara started dating Strickler after meeting him at Jim's school. She knows that Strickler is a changeling but hopes he will tell her his secret himself.

As for the Trollhunter, it's Claire here. Unlike Jim, she tries to keep it secret from everyone, but Mary and Darci are nosy and find out themselves. Strickler, however, has no idea for a while.

As for Jim, he finds Claire's actions suspicious (not to mention that he senses some magic from the amulet). Initially, he believes that Claire got into some magic-related trouble and wants to help her (as he has a crush on her like in the canon). But first, he needs to know for sure. So there is a lot of tailing - which leads nowhere as Claire tries to be cautious, especially after dragging Mary and Darci into the trouble.

Jim finds out for sure during the Grit-shaka accident, and Claire tells him everything. Jim also shows her his magic.

Jim is the one who exposes Strickler as a changeling during the search. It hurts him a lot as he thinks that Strickler has some ulterior motive to date his mom (like using her magic) because he has no idea that Barbara knows about Walter's true identity.

Barbara knows that Jim sneaks out for monster-hunting, but she has no idea that he became a member of the Trollhunter's team at some point. So, when Jim comes to her and tells her about Strickler, she says that there's no problem as Strickler isn't her enemy. It creates some friction between the mother and son.

Much like in the canon, Strickler takes control over Angor Rot after Bular's defeat. However, here he doesn't use a binding spell as he knows that Barbara knows about his true identity. He even confesses to Barbara that he uses Angor to fight the Trollhunter (as Barbara has no idea who is the Trollhunter and that her son is in that team).

Angor tries to bargain with Claire and Jim, even giving them the shadow staff as proof of his good intentions. Claire is more suspicious, but Jim decides to give him a chance (besides, he's still pissed with Strickler to the point of being willing to cut his finger to get Inferna Copula).

With the Shadow Staff, Jim's magic progress speeds up tremendously (he even starts to wonder why his mother never made him a staff of his own).

Unfortunately for Angor, there is an accident and Inferna Copula is destroyed. Angor goes berserk willing to destroy everything. Barbara learns that Jim was in the Trollhunter's team all this time and that Strickler knew that. She considers the latter the true betrayal and tells Strickler she doesn't want to see him after that.

After Angor's defeat, Claire goes to the Darklands alone. She doesn't know that Jim and Strickler go there too (separately and at different times). Toby, Darci, and Mary are willing to follow their friends, but Vendel forbids them. Blinky and Barbara try to think out a plan for how to get Jim and Claire back (Barbara secretly considers saving Strickler too, even though she is still angry with him).

In the Darklands, Gunmar captures Strickler first. Claire manages to save Enrique and get him out safely, but she goes back at once, after learning that Jim is still there. Meanwhile, Usurna's goons destroy the bridge, refusing to listen to common sense.

As for Jim, he also gets captured and Gunmar gives him the proposal to join his side and start the Eternal Night instead of Morgana. Jim obviously refuses, so Gunmar decides to use mind control. Luckily for Jim, it seems not working as good as Gunmar expected as Jim manages to snap out of it after some seconds. Gunmar is enraged and promises Jim to break his mind first.

Jim ends up in the cell next to Nomura and they bond. They both have no idea that Strickler is also captured as he is kept at a separate location (Claire also ends up there when she is captured). Gunmar plans to keep Jim and Claire separate to break their resistance. He makes a mistake though when he allows Claire to fight Nomura because Nomura tells Claire about Jim (and later informs Jim about Claire). All the captives start to plan their escape.

As for the rest of the team, Barbara uses shadow magic to recover the Killahead and Kanjigar possesses Aaarrrgghh to open the gates (much like in the canon). They save everyone, but Gunmar gets out.

Another horrible consequence of the trip to the Darklands is that Decimaar's mind control actually had an effect, just not the one Gunmar wanted or expected. It allows Morgana to take over Jim's mind every time she wants and she uses it to act independently. Morgana resurrects Angor, contacts changelings she can trust, and gives Gunmar the shelter. Gunmar wants to take over the Trollmarket, but Morgana stops him and asks him to wait until she recovers Merlin's staff. She uses Jim and Angor to track down Douxie and uses him to get to Merlin's tomb. Douxie escapes (together with Merlin who is also awake) and informs the Trollhunters about the state of things. Both Barbara and Claire are furious and wish to go and save Jim. Merlin is against the idea, telling everyone it's pointless. He survives only because Barbara is more invested in saving her son. Claire joins Barbara and they capture Jim together and then travel inside his mind to break the possession. It's more tricky than in the canon because of the Decimaar's influence. Barbara only manages to temporary block Morgana's influence.

Jim is back with the team, but Merlin isn't happy. He believes that Jim is unstable even if Morgana's control is gone for good (which is not the case here). Merlin thinks that Jim might pick the Arcane Order's side like his mother during her young years, so he decides to trick Jim into self-sacrificial scheme which will both deal with Morgana and Jim. And Jim agrees, believing that he is doing the right thing.

Luckily, Mary overhears the conversation and tells the team. That is where the team is on the verge of commiting the murder, but Jim stops everyone.

Claire asks Jim at least wait until she gets Decimaar and breaks its hold on Jim's mind. She travels alone in the hope that no one is hurt, but Jim catches up to her (as he felt she might try something that stupid). They encounter Gunmar and Angor Rot, but Angor refuses to interfere, so Jim and Claire fight Gunmar alone. It's a long fight, but they manage to outwit and kill Gunmar. Now, Jim is free from the Decimaar's control, but it's not the end.

Usurna still starts the conspiracy. Without Gunmar she plans to become the troll empress herself. She contacts Angor Rot and promises him to let him inside the Trollmarket. Meanwhile, Usurna keeps stirring discord, asking trolls if they are ok with living in hiding and letting humans rule the surface. Vendel is against those ideas, but Usurna finds quite a number of allies.

Otto and other changelings infiltrate the Trollmarket and free Morgana. Vendel is injured but manages to get away and warn the rest of the team.

Morgana starts the Eternal Night (she isn't too satisfied with Usurna as her ally, but she thinks it's better option than Gunmar). There is a clash between Usurna allies and trolls who support the Trollhunter. Claire goes to fight Angor, and Merlin attempts to fight Morgana, but loses. Jim comes to help Merlin together with Douxie (mostly to help Douxie), but Morgana is stronger than two of them. Only Barbara's intervention saves the situation. Morgana is upset with her old friend, claiming that Barbara lost her mind, but Barbara doesn't care about those harsh words. Together with Jim and Douxie she defeats Morgana and seals her magic.

#tales of arcadia #toa au #shadowmancer barbara au #wizard jim #trollhunter claire #barbara lake #jim lake jr.#what if scenario #text post #ask box #anon ask

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live-the-fangirl-life · 2 years

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“The legend said it only goes after virgins…so sucks for you I guess.” for elorcan 👀👀

Tell Me S’more

Elide Lochan x Lorcan Salvaterre

“The legend said it only goes after virgins…so sucks for you I guess.”

Halloween Dialogue Prompts

Masterlist | Read on Ao3 | Halloween Collection

Warnings: Language, Scary Stories

2003 words

*******

Elide stuffed another marshmallow on the skewer and held it over the fire. She half listened to the conversations and bickering around her, occasionally putting in her two cents as she focused on getting her marshmallow a perfect golden brown. She hated when the flames caught and scorched it and left it a crumbling charred mess.

On another night, if her marshmallow burned, she could’ve given it, albeit dejectedly, to her boyfriend who for reasons she couldn’t comprehend liked his marshmallows burnt. But not tonight. Tonight, Lorcan was sitting on the opposite side of the fire from her, separated on each side by their friends. Tonight, she couldn’t give him a burnt s’more without the confused or shocked looks from their friends. Because tonight, she and Lorcan had to pretend like they haven’t been secretly dating for a month and a half.

So, tonight, Elide focused on her marshmallow.

“Okay, okay, here we go,” Aelin sat next to Elide and grabbed a flashlight from her bag before turning it on and holding it beneath her face. The light caught on her cheekbones and cast shadows over her skin. “Who’s ready to have nightmares tonight?”

“You don’t need to tell a story for that, Galathynius,” Lorcan smirked. “You’re disturbing enough.”

“I think you mean delightful, Salvaterre, not that you’d know what that is.”

Elide cringed inwardly. This was why she and Lorcan were keeping their relationship to themselves for now. She loved Aelin, and she lo—really liked Lorcan, but Aelin and Lorcan could be at each other’s throats on a good day.

Rolling her eyes, Elide nudged Aelin with her shoulder. “Come on, watch’ya got?”

As her friend began to tell the story, Elide caught Lorcan’s eye. His dark brows had raised a bit at her interjection, and he flashed her a quick wink as she discreetly rolled her eyes at his amusement. She lost track of the story as she kept her attention on her boyfriend. It really was a cruel joke of their own making that she wasn’t sitting next to him, curled up into his side. By the look that flashed across his face, she knew he was thinking the same thing and cursing the fire that separated them.

“Virgins? Really?” Fenrys interrupted, drawing Elide’s attention and earning a glare from Aelin. “That’s so cliché.”

The blonde opened her mouth to reply but Lysandra beat her to the punch. “What, not interested anymore knowing it isn’t coming after you?”

“Fuck off, Ennar,” he scoffed but any annoyance was negated by his self-satisfied grin.

The story went on, and even if the tale itself was lackluster, Aelin had a way of captivating people’s attention. It wasn’t long before everyone was leaning closer to the fire, listening to a story about a horrifying creature that lived in the very woods to their backs.

“A creature that fearsome and bloodthirsty doesn’t need to be clever. Anyone with a lick of common sense may just outwit the monster, but its prey rarely survives long enough to try. It doesn’t have a name. The lucky, or unlucky, few who do escape its clutches are never the same; only lucid enough to recall its jagged claws and gruesome teeth, warning others about the beast that prowls these woods. Don’t go looking for the monster, it very well may be the last thing you ever do.”

Silence stretched out around them as Aelin turned off the flashlight…only to be broken by Fenrys wetly blowing into his palm, eliciting a loud fart noise. “Is that the best you can do?” He laughed as he narrowly missed the flashlight flung at his head.

Elide knew Lorcan was about to chime in and she tried shaking her head but he continued anyway.

“Where did you find that?” He mocked. “From some kiddie Halloween book?”

Elide arched a brow at him and replied drily, “Yeah, ‘cause a kid’s book would have a monster who specifically attacks virgins.”

“Exactly,” Aedion argued, but used her point oppositely, “it goes after all of them. Scary.”

Lysandra nudged his shoulder with an eye roll, “Most of them wouldn’t even know what virgin means.”

“And that’s,” Rowan nodded, “where the story turns scary for the adults who have to bullshit their way through that explanation.”

“That’s convoluted,” Elide scoffed and met Lorcan’s amused stare over the fire.

“Maybe,” Her boyfriend shrugged before turning back to Aelin, “Doesn’t matter though, ‘cause it still sucks.”

Scoffing and crossing her arms, Aelin countered, “Like you could do better.”

“Better than a half-wit monster?” His voice dripped with condescension. “Yeah, I think so.”

Individual voices rose and bled together as everyone chimed in with their own opinions. Marshmallows were thrown across the fire in between insults and laughter, and while everyone else was focused on arguing, Elide found Lorcan’s gaze again. Truthfully, he’d barely taken his eyes off her – she could feel the intensity of his stare on her skin and prayed she didn’t look as flushed as she felt. If she did, she could blame it on the fire.

He was smirking at her and Elide’s eyes darted around the group ensuring no one else noticed. When their eyes locked again, his smirk was impossibly wider. She rolled her eyes, biting back a grin of her own. As much as she wished they weren’t pretending, it was exciting having a secret just between them.

Snap!

A loud cracking sounded from the woods.

The conversation immediately halted, and everyone’s heads swung around towards the noise. Nervous laughter jumped around the group as they shifted uneasily. It was just a story, but it was also dark and Halloween. Murmurs of there’s nothing out there echoed.

Another branch snapped loudly from the darkness, followed quickly by a second, louder snap, once again silencing the group.

“Aelin, are you doing this?” Aedion asked uneasily as he shifted in his seat and side-eyed his cousin. “Did you set this up?”

Lysandra scoffed and lightly hit his shoulder.

“Nah,” Lorcan disagreed, “she isn’t that clever.”

Sometimes Elide thought Lorcan goaded Aelin just for the fun of it… and because he had a death wish. Before Aelin could bite his head off, Elide arched a brow and leaned forward before taunting, “Why don’t you go see what that noise was then?”

Lorcan turned towards her and beneath the annoyance that he wore for show – mostly for show – she could see the heat simmering there. He shook his head, scoffing, “Right, because I’m going to walk into the supposedly haunted forest. I’ve watched horror movies; I know how that ends.”

As if on cue, more snaps and cracks echoed through the trees. This time, they were followed by birds cawing before a dozen or so of them flew out of the forest, their silhouettes visible against the moonlight.

Laughing to herself, Elide brushed herself off and stood. “For fucks sake, I’ll go check it out.”

All eyes focused on her, but no one else made a move to stand.

“Why does anyone have to check it out?” Rowan asked incredulously

Lysandra pulled her jacket tighter around herself and scoffed as she looked pointedly at Aedion, Lorcan, Fenrys, and Rowan.

“Really? None of you men,” she teased, “have the balls to go in there? You’re gonna let Elide go all by herself?”

Lorcan and Aedion rolled their eyes good-naturedly as Fenrys scoffed, “Excuse you, but as a feminist, I refuse to believe Elide isn’t capable enough to go by herself.”

Rowan added, “And as someone who’s met Elide, I refuse to believe that any monster would stand a chance against her.”

Aelin nodded sagely, “She is small, but she is mighty.”

Rolling her eyes at her friends, Elide rounded the fire and aimed for the woods. She turned to walk backward and joked, “I could be walking to my death right now and you’d all be laughing it up around the fire.”

Lorcan had turned to watch her walk away. “Get back over here, you’re the one who volunteered.”

“After your scared ass refused.” She retorted making Aelin laugh.

Huffing and crossing his arms, Lorcan continued to watch her with raised brows. “I’m not scared of a few broken tree branches.”

Elide grinned. “Could’ve fooled me.”

With his face turned away from the group as he looked at a retreating Elide, they couldn’t see the way his brows furrowed at the sight of her getting farther away, or how his eyes darkened at the amusement on her face, both of which only fueled her more and pulled her grin wider.

“Oh no,” she teased, getting farther away from the group and the fire. “I hope I don’t find the beast and lead it back here.”

If any of their friends were surprised at how reactive Lorcan was being, they didn’t show it. Or maybe the two were too focused on each other to notice.

Elide saw his face twist into a smirk and for a second worried about what was about to come out of his mouth.

“That’s not a threat, Lochan” his words dripping with provocation. “The legend says it only goes after virgins…so sucks for you.”

Elide’s brows shot up in disbelief as trickles of laughter sounded from around the circle. It was true she wasn’t as open about her exploits as her friends, but of all people…

“Mm,” she waited for the laughter to die. “It’s a good thing you aren’t going; the legend says someone only needs a speck of common sense to best it…so that’d suck for you.”

Aelin snorted hard enough to choke on the marshmallow she was eating. Loud laughter trailed her as she finally made it to the forest’s edge.

Just before she could step past the tree line, she heard the unmistakable sound of Lorcan grunting as he rose from his seat and walked towards her. “Let's go.”

She chose to ignore the cheering and whistling that followed them into the woods. They stayed quiet as they stepped over dried leaves and fallen branches, staying careful to not trip over something and end up injured and sprawled on the forest floor. It wasn’t until they’d walked far enough that the fire was no longer visible, and a minute more, before Lorcan wrapped a hand around her hip and pulled Elide backward so that her back was resting against a tree trunk and Lorcan was standing in front of her.

Both of his hands fell to her waist, and she lifted hers to the front of his jacket. One of his thumbs draw light circles across her skin as she toyed with his collar. But when he dipped his head down, trying to connect their lips in a much-anticipated kiss, she pressed on his chest to stop him an inch away from her.

“Virgin? Really?” she asked with an unimpressed raised brow, unintentionally echoing Fenrys earlier criticisms of the story.

“Blame my apparent lack of common sense,” he chuckled low and leaned forward as her resistance lifted, pressing his lips against hers in a way that almost had her forgetting why she paused him in the first place.

When they broke apart, Elide grinned and laughed softly. Lorcan offered her a small smile exclusive to her and tucked a rogue lock of hair behind her ear. She wound her arms around his middle and asked, “Wanna go break some branches and scare the shit out of the scaredy cats?”

His smile turned wicked, and his eyes lit up with dark amusement. “Oh, I absolutely do. But they deserve to worry for a bit; let ‘em stew”

“Good thinking,” Elide’s grin matched his. “What do you think we should do with the time?”

Lorcan leaned his head down so that his lips brushed her ear, bringing one hand up to graze her jaw before sliding around to cup the back of her neck. She could feel his breath on her skin as he spoke, and it sent shivers down her spine. “I can think of a few things.”

*****

Taglist:

@acourtofsnakes @allthebooksunderthemoon @astra-ad-mare @becarefuloflove @booklover41802 @charlizeed @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @danibutterr @doubt-less @emily-gsh @enormousbooklover @foughtconquered @fromthelibraryofemilyj @hakunamatatazz @i-have-but-one-brain-cell @in-love-with-caramel-macchiato @jorjy-jo @lemonade-coolattas @mariamuses @mayhemories @midsizewitch @rowaelinrambling @morganofthewildfire @nerdperson524 @rowaelinismyotp @rowansfirebringer @sayosdreams @sheharahu @sleeping-and-books @stardelia @story-scribbler @superspiritfestival @elentiyawhitethorn @swankii-art-teacher @tomtenadia @westofmoon @whimsicallyreading @moodymelanist @realbookloverproblems @gracie-rosee @julemmaes @yesdreamblog @the-regal-warrior @rowanaelinn @thestoriesyoutell @autumnbabylon @sunflowermoonshinewrites @maastrash @annejulianneh111 @the-lonelybarricade

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calextheneko · 9 months

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Mind Flayer Transformations, the Soul, and the Self

So before we get started, this is gonna be nerdy, breaking down some details about how a monster works and is created in DnD. It's also going to contain some Baldur's Gate 3 spoilers which I will put a warning about once we reach that point.

So Mind Flayers... The opening scene of Baldur's Gate 3 has you have a mind flayer stick a tadpole that crawls under your eye into your brain and yeah that's horrifying. Even more terrifying is the fact that in a matter of days, the tadpole will transform you into a mind flayer, and the person you are now will cease to exist and your new body becomes part of the hive mind.

Now, here's where things get really scary and why the situation is so dire in the game for those who don't know DnD lore. Turning into a Mind Flayer is a fate worse than death. They're like vampires but worse. Vampires need blood but have the option to feed on non-sapient creatures. Mind flayers will literally die of hunger unless they eat the brains of sapient creatures. If you somehow manage to keep your sense of self after the transformation, there is no moral lifestyle you can live. You are an inherently destructive creature that can only survive by brutally murdering other sapient creatures. You can try to go after evil people only but, how much can you trust your judgement? How long till you make a mistake? And do you have the right to act as judge, jury and executioner? Is your own morality so well defined that you have the right to decide who lives and who dies.

Now... Moving on from that, there's an even more terrifying fact. And this is the fact that when you become a Mind Flayer your souls is destroyed. ZIp, gone, poof. Nothing remains. This means the second you become a mind flayer you are barred from the afterlife forever. Which we have multiple confirmed afterlives in DnD so you know... This is something where it is a definite loss. Instead of an eternity of paradise (or punishment if you were evil) you just flat out cease to exist. No reincarnation for you, no afterlife. No soul. Of course, for some evil people, this might make the transformation appealing, seeing it as a way to avoid an eternity in Hell. Because much like lichdom this will keep them from dying of old age and could in theory allow them to live forever escaping punishment for all their evil deeds.

Except there's a key difference between a mind flayer and lich. A lich still possesses their soul. It's simply not in their body, but kept in a safe place that they have access to. This means if a lich is destroyed properly their soul will go face its eternal judgement. A mind flayer has no soul at all.

And here we come to the horrifying implications about Mind Flayer transformations. The transformation is lethal. A soulless body is just a husk, you can see this in this universe in spells that steal a soul and just leave an empty body with nobody home assuming the body isn't destroyed in the process. Your soul is who you are. So what does it mean to not just lose your soul but to have it destroyed and yet still somehow retain your sense of self?

Simple, you're not yourself. You're dead. You no longer exist. But, the mindflayer is a newborn. If they were just born, and are not connected to the hive mind through an Elder Brain, then the only thing they have to go on about who the are would be the memories storied in the brain that was used to create them. In short, when you become a mind flayer the real you dies. What is left is a mind flayer that believes it is you because it has all of your memories and experiences so concludes that must be its identity. This is sort of like Buffy vampire rules. When someone becomes a vampire, soul is gone and a demon inhabits the body that can retain aspects of the original person's personality but is still just a demon wearing their face. That's what a mind flayer with a sense of self is. Just a demon wearing the face of the person whose body they stole and soul they erased.

And this is why the stakes in BG3 are so high for your characters personally. You're not just trying to stop the transformation and survive. You're trying to avoid being completely erased from existence.

And now we start the actual spoilers.

There are a couple of 'friendly' mindflayers you can meet throughout the game who claim to be the original selves. As stated earlier, without a soul this isn't possible. They would be beings who simply believe themselves to be the original, unaware themselves that their creation erased the original from existence. It's like... If someone made a clone of you then killed the original you, the clone exists and claims to be you but the real original you is gone.

And there are signs.

Let's discuss the Emperor first. At first glance, he seems to be helpful. But, he's also extremely manipulative and is all take and no give. He stresses the need for trust, but never actually trusts you while demanding you trust him unconditionally. If you try to keep anything secret from him he will force his way into your mind and pry out the secret from your mind. Throughout the game he will show a complete lack of empathy for your situation, a complete failure to understand why you might take any issue with the morality of his methods, excusing it as pragmatism which he does some pretty evil acts. He's keeping a a person imprisoned for all eternity so he can siphon their power. And they're aware of it. That's messed up.

But it gets worse. If you decide to go evil, and at the end of the game decide to hijack the Netherbrain and take over the world. If you do so with the Emperor's assistance, he reveals he had already considered the idea. His reasons for being against it aren't on any moral basis. No, they're because doing so would put you at war with the gith that would only end when one side was wiped out a war he's not sure he could win. In short, self-preservation is the only reason he doesn't want to take over the world. If you convince him you can win, he will enslave the Netherbrain, but not stop there... He will transform you and your party all into his thralls completely under his control despite insisting he was a friend. Even if you romance him. There's no morality here, just a monster who needs pawns outside the prism he's in to survive, and would gladly become the main villain himself given the chance. In fact, should you not 100% agree to go with his version of the plan, he will immediate betray you join the Netherbrain and show up in the final battle, dominating your forces to serve the Netherbrain. This is a far cry from the hero he was before his transformation in attitude. And brings into question a lot of things you know.

Furthermore... You can get some interesting bits out of him should you anger him enough. His previous lover... If you make him angry enough you can get him to admit he actually made her his thrall. And if you argue with him a lot he will specifically refer to you as his puppet. The Emperor doesn't understand morality. He has no soul, how could he? He understands what he needs to survive, and so long as that equation include you then he will keep you on your side.

Next up, I forget his name... But there's the mind flayer you meet in the Underdark. Now, we don't get to know him as well but he says a lot of rather scary things if you take the time to think about it. When you ask him about how he survives his hunger, he talks about how he had an arrangement with a lich.

"The lich needed souls and I needed brains."

He helped feed souls to a lich to acquire brains. And while he says the agreement broke down because of moral disagreements.... Like, feeding a lich souls so you can then eat the brains is already crossing the moral event horizon.

Now he says he feeds on those who act against the interest of the Society of Brilliance while working on a way to find a way to survive without brains. Now this might sound good at first... But remember the Society is... kind of terrible. And has official experiments like... Let's kidnap an unborn gith child while they're in an egg so we can raise them away from their people and see what happens. So, if you're morally opposed to kidnapping unborn children. Congrats, you're acting against the interests of the society and now free game to be a brain snack. The Society is a group of scientific discovery but not one restricted by morality. This means a lot of innocent people can wind up dead simply for refusing to participate in experiments. After all, if you get the gith egg for the Society you'll most likely have to kill off all the caretakers in the nursery to get it.

Now, there's also your player character if they become a Mind Flayer. So... Again, they act like themselves, but again no soul, you ceased to exist. At this point you are someone who thinks they are you because they have their memories and your original character is gone. Can even see some hints of this in the ending with possible dialog options where they think about ending themselves... Or completing embracing what they are and eating all the brains that they can want.

Finally, Prince Orpheus himself, the Comet Prince, last hope of the Gith. And probably the closest thing we have to an actual moral mind flayer should he transform. The second he does, as established Orpheus is dead, what stands before you is an Orpheus clone with his memories and thinks he's him but isn't.

And some may ask well what's the difference. And I point back to the clone point earlier. If someone makes a copy of you and kills you, the copy going on to live doesn't mean you live. Just a copy. So, Orpheus like all mind flayers his original self is dead and someone with his memories is born.

The reason I say he's the most moral. All of Orpheus' memories point to him seeing mindflayers as the ultimate evil, things that should be destroyed on sight. Since he believes these are his memories and personality. He kills himself once the final battle is over. His memories recognize the urges he feels and recognize him as a being of pure evil that he's become and so he ends his own life rather that allow that evil to exist. If anyone else without such strong memories and thoughts about how evil mind flayers were and how uncontroillable their urges were, things could end much worse... Like some endings with a player character mind flayer and like what the Emperor becomes.

So... Yeah... There is no Mind Flayer version of you after the transformation. You're gone. Freaking Jergal himself confirms mind flayers don't have souls. Wait, I mean Withers. (Spoiler alert, Withers is Jergal) And as the original god of the death who has domain over all souls he's a bit more in the know about what does and doesn't have a soul than a mind flayer. So much so that he mocks the Dead Three in the ending for their plan being flawed from the start. Talking about how their plan was self-defeating. They hoped to control a bunch of souls by infecting them with mind flayer tadpoles and collecting those souls for power. But since the second the mind flayer transformation occurs those souls cease to exist, their plan would not result in them getting an ounce of power to bring themselves back properly or act out future plan. There's a reason I prefer to call them the Dead Twats.

So um yeah... This conclude my Ted Talk on Mind Flayers and why no, you do not want to become one, because doing so is instant death. Thanks for coming, and have a good one.

Edit:

Oh shoot all my post are DnD and Baldur's Gate related but one right now. I better start posting some Pathfinder lore and content posts before people mistake me for a 5e Player.

#DnD #Dungeons and Dragons #Baldurs Gate #Baldur's gate 3 #Baldur's Gate III #Mind Flayer #Mind Flayers #The Emperor #Orpheus #Jergal Knows What He's Talking About he's Freaking Jergal #Oops I Meant Withers #But I mean come on it's obvious

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cheesecakethots · 2 years

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the boogeyman - yandere johan (monster) x fem!reader

implied sa, kidnapping, yandere behaviour, others tws in tags.

potentially a part 2 to this, but can also be read as a standalone

writing for johan is hard so it may seem ooc. not 100% sure i like how this turned out but i want to push something out rn lol

kinda based around @stupid-sloot-headcanons own johan thots because i love how they write for him

even as a child you never believed the silly stories your friends and family had told you about monsters lurking in the shadows of bedrooms in the dead of night.

you giggled and snorted at the idea of a boogeyman of all things, a creature that waited to gobble sweet little girls like you up so that you would never be seen again.

it had seemed so unbelievable to you at the time, the mere thought of something stalking and taking you from your small and quaint town. everything about your life felt safe and protected as a child. now, you can’t help but frown at the memories of your complete naivety.

for you have come to learn that monsters, much worse than those that hide under beds and in closets, do exist.

and sometimes, monsters can look as pretty as angels, or at least in johan’s case, they do.

he’s woken you up again. it’s not like it’s really his fault, as your body, even in an unconscious state, seems to sense his gaze on you.

no feeling can compare to the one you have when he so much as looks at you. fear? anger? hate? you don’t know anymore, and you don’t even want to think about the emotions in him when he stares at you with such a blank face, and yet sometimes with such startling expressive eyes.

he seems to do it a lot, considering now there’s nowhere for you to run.

you shiver under the porcelain white duvet without realising it, only to hear him shift from beside you.

your bottom lip trembles when unnervingly cold fingers brush against your cheek.

“ah. did i wake you, my love?”

his voice is light, soft, even. it does nothing to soothe you.

some part of you wishes he would just yell at you, fucking hit you, or do anything than treat you with his horrifying attempts at kindness that serve more to make your bones rattle and knees shake than actually calm your nerves.

at least if he broke his demeanour you would be able to tell what he wants from you, if there’s anything more he can take from you.

the only hints you have are in the occasional bursts of emotion in his eyes. nothing you see in them calms you.

you open your own eyes, and they quickly widen at seeing him leaning over you, a soft smile on his lips.

“shh, don’t cry,” he airily voices, the thumb from the hand on your cheek slowly moving to wipe away tears you hadn’t even felt drop.

you almost flinch, as despite how clean and proper he appears to any outside viewer, you know the truth.

you know that the same hand against your face has aided in the deaths of an unknown number of people. you know that the same voice whispering to you with such gentleness has convinced others to do terrible, terrible things to both themselves and others.

“there’s no need to be afraid. i would never hurt you.”

you know he’s being honest. despite how many tantrums you threw, how many times you tried to escape from the seemingly desolate house he keeps you in, he’s never raised his voice to scare you, or his hand to hit you.

you still can’t calm the shivers to your body, shivers you and he both know are not due to the cool night breeze.

his hands move to your waist, gently grasping at the flesh that’s covered by the silky nightgown he gave you to wear.

slowly, as though approaching a startled deer, he raises his head to press a tender kiss to your forehead.

“i love you very dearly,” he whispers, his own forehead moving to press into your own so he can continue keeping his watchful gaze on you, this time precisely on your terrified eyes.

you do not know why. he never explained whatever fondness he has for you, never took the time to tell you on the night he stole you like a child in the stories of the boogeyman you were once told about, why he didn’t instead just place a bullet in your brain.

eyes clenching shut and head rolling to the side, you raise a pair of shaky hands to press at his chest, not even bothering to push.

he lets out an amused breath of air, probably the closest thing you’ll hear to a genuinely happy laugh.

“you are everything to me. my other half; my better half. the only thing left to keep me whole.”

a hand strays from your waist and slowly crawls beneath the bottom of your nightgown. the cold fingers that brush past your thighs and higher make you simultaneously shiver and freeze.

“allow me to indulge, allow us to become one.”

as his touches grow less innocent and more akin to some sort of gentle depravity, you think again on your childhood self.

you were right; boogeymen and evil in the shadows don’t exist. nothing is going to hide under your bed or in your closet, waiting to grab you and drag you somewhere no one will ever find.

some part of you wishes it had been a boogeyman to gobble you whole. crunch, crunch, crunch.

as now, you’re left with something worse than any inhuman shape lurking within the shadows. you’re left with something that doesn’t need to hide when watching you. something that doesn’t have to stay away as soon as the sun rises. something that is going to keep you alive, no matter if you no longer wish to be.

you’re left with a monster, and that of one you truly cannot escape from.

#tw yandere #tw.yandere #yandere #yanderecore #yandere monster #yandere johan #yandere johan liebert #yandere monster 2004 #.johan #.monster #tw kidnapping #implied sa #implied assault

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tangled-shoelace · 11 months

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Barely coherent spawn ramblings about his relationships from the eyes of an aroace person

My brain is oatmeal and I suuuck at expressing things but I desperately want to talk about Spawn because he’s my all time favourite character any media has ever produced. These are things I’ve observed solely from the show and sparse lore reading because I have not read any comics yet lol. I’m getting the first 5 soon though so yay yippie!

Note: I only included the fact I’m aroace because I feel that seeing his relationships unfold through that kind of perspective has made it far more interesting for me to think about. I’m a lot more analytical of relationships like this, and I find myself appreciating them in a way that’s different than most people. I guarantee this will be me mostly gushing :3c

Spawn is such a fascinating guy when it comes to developing friendships. I am partly aware that this is bc of the whole female love interest thing, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot. The main message this show tries to get across is that Spawn is a creature who ruins the lives of those he wants to get close to, but he still tries nonetheless. It’s a deep, primal desire for closeness, even in his worst moments. It’s the most tragic part of him. He believes he needs to earn his humanity back, but in reality, his humanity was there the whole time. He just didn’t really know it, whether it be because he was being suffocated by nightmares or believing he was a monster for the things he was doing. Which is partially true. I’d love to touch more on his monstrous portrayal musically and visually sometime

The scene where Wanda saw him for the first time shattered my heart. Seriously. Her screams of fear were muffled, as he reached out to her and spoke her name. He couldn’t hear it. He didn’t want to hear it. Until finally we hear a loud, clear scream of sheer terror, followed by spawn crying out her name as she drives off. He finally realised she doesn’t recognise him, her husband, and that she’s horrified by him and his actions as a monster. He did whatever he possibly could to get close to her, even through very questionable actions, trying to escape the inexorable reality that he can’t be with her. Not with the way he is now. Any chance of a relationship with her is long gone, but he refuses to accept it.

He fears closeness, but he yearns for it you know? With his deteriorating mental state, it wouldn’t be hard to believe that he genuinely doesn’t know how to process his feelings to develop stable relationships. I sure wouldn’t if I was being haunted by intense nightmares and constant misery. He’s just drawn to anyone who shows him kindness, someone who can make him forget the pain. It’s a humanly desire. His sliver of humanity. A character like Jade is more than a love interest. To me, she wasn’t really one to begin with. It’s genuinely hard for me to describe. The kiss scene is one of my all time favourites. His nervous breathing and hesitation to let her hold him made me kind of teary eyed.

This isn’t me trying to woobify spawn I promise. There’s a difference in that and simply appreciating his more emotionally messy side. He’s genuinely a wreck and I enjoy it. So sorry if this is barely cohesive </3 I promise I’m not a total idiot I just have a hard time putting my thoughts into words. Spawn makes me emotional

#basically spawn is the poorest meow meow #i genuinely can’t stress enough how amazingly complex his character is #spawn #todd mcfarlane's spawn #spawn show #rambling #aroace #i promise I’m only partially incompetent #i hope someone sees my vision

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seriouslysam8 · 1 year

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Hi Sam, I’ve noticed in the HP series there seems to be a lack of female friendships, why do you think that is? For example Lily is said to have friends in her 5th year but we don’t know who they are and was she close to Marlene or Alice? Why didn’t any of them reach out to Harry? Ginny is said to be popular but who are her friends? Because there’s nothing mentioned. Then there’s Hermione (I know you don’t care for her but hear me out) who is only friends with Ron and Harry, I find it odd that she didn’t connect with any other female in her year or her dorm mates. Tonks too, like didn’t she have any friends she could talk to about her problems besides Molly? I love Molly but I find it odd she went to her and not her own girlfriends. Also, Luna… besides Ginny and her being somewhat friend, did she really not have any friend at all? Like no one else who was intrigued by magical creatures bonded with Luna? Or appreciated her blunt answers? Because she’s fucken hilarious and so damn loyal. That brings me to the last person, Molly. Just because she’s a stay at home mom of 7, doesn’t mean she didn’t have any friends or female friends. I know not women has a big group of female friends but at least one or two girlfriends to lean on would have been nice. Especially since we see a lot of male bonding and friendships throughout HP series.

Honestly, I don’t know why. You see it a lot in fanfiction too, especially writers who eliminate females altogether. Lily and Ginny seem to be being erased in favor of Jegulus and Drarry. In fact, the amount of times I’ve seen Jegulus raise Harry (which makes zero sense) is just disappointing. How can you love the series when eliminating the one ship that made it all happen?!? You rarely see writers writing about Lily and her friends (though I guess I’m guilty of this too because I love those Marauder boys and I have yet to do a Lily POV and I don’t know why I haven’t.)

I can say that Ginny deserves and would have a great girl friend group. Which is why I gave her one in Brumous because so many people don’t because there’s no definite named girl characters in her year. But she’s social and funny and she definitely would have a girl friend group and I’m so excited to show their antics when I get to that part.

Lily too deserves a nice friend group as well. Some girls who helped her see how awful Snape was (because there’s no way she didn’t start to feel disappointed in their friendship and the way he treated her slowly over the years). She needed a good group in Gryffindor to be her supporters. I like Marlene, Dorcas, and Mary being her friend group. I don’t see Alice. She was an Auror, not a trainee or anything like that, so I always assumed she was older than the Marauders era. Having Marlene and Dorcas dead explains why they never came around for Harry. Mary, well, I don’t know. While I never read ATYD, I’ve seen enough TikToks about it to know that Mary Obliviates herself at the end to forget the pain of everything that happened. I kind of like that. In Petrichor, I have her moving away to another country to escape (though I don’t think I ever explicitly said that but it’s in my notes).

Hermione and Luna I could see not having a girl friend group. Hermione’s personality isn’t really desirable. I never would be her friend as a teenager or as an adult. She’s just freaking annoying and not the best person. Luna, while I would be a friend of hers because she’s quirky and fun, I could see teenage girls snubbing her and picking on her. Girls are mean. Especially teenage girls.

Tonks probably has a lot of guy friends given her job as it’s probably very male oriented. Plus it’s not like she could say “hey, I’m having issues with this werewolf I’m crushing on” because most people would be horrified given how people treat werewolves in the series.

Molly was raising 7 kids so that’s hard to meet and maintain friendships. Plus, it’s just hard making friends as an adult. Or maybe that’s just me. It’s exhausting and you have no time and I want to be a hermit at the end of the day. So I imagine after raising 7 kids, she’d just want to curl up under a blanket and relax after a long day of parenting.

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lycanlovingvampyre · 1 year

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MAG 156 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: baking something in the kitchen, most likely with apples again... xD

MARTIN: "You know, I- I’ve been wondering about your batteries. Like, could I just take the batteries out each time one of you appears, and just- have an infinite supply of batteries?" Lol, I wonder if this was just Jonny and Alex joking around about the tape recorders and then decided to put it into the podcast...

MARTIN: "Also, I know there’s every chance that you don’t even have any, and it’s just empty, and, well… I’m not really sure that’s something I want to confirm. Or, I open up your compartment and it’s like- meat, or maggots, or something." There's probably a little spider in there running inside a hamster wheel to get the power going xD

MARTIN: "I guess I technically have the power to make it not quiet, to, to talk to people, but like- you know, I, I also have the power to clean out the fridge, and it’s still a mess." Executive function is a bitch, isn't it?

There doesn't seem to be a Bright Lake amusement park in "our" Colorado... I looked for the name online, nothing. I looked for abandoned amusement parks in Colorado, also nothing that sounds similar or would have a similar closing year. Hm, idk, did I miss something?

"You will forgive me if I withhold his name, as I have all the verification I need to be sure he’s telling the truth, and I find it hard to believe any followup you would be interested in doing would be beneficial for him. He’s earned his anonymity." So is Adelard protecting the statement giver from getting the Archivist nightmares? “earned his anonymity” doesn’t sound like this is necessary about him still being followed by this manifestation.

"Based on his description, I would have called it a rave… but when I said so, he looked at me like I didn’t understand what he was talking about." Okay boomer xD

Hmm, there was only one other instance of starvation being addressed, right (MAG 58)? It is rather rare in our privileged first world, but there are so many countries were this is a very real threat to the people. Let alone that this is very real in the animal kingdom as well and fear of all living creatures counts. Adelard seems to be contributing all of this to the Flesh, but is a bit surprised by the level of famine itself...

"It was a scream from the roller coaster, but not the joyful cry of adrenaline and mock terror, but a dreadful, piercing wail, flying through the air. It seemed one of the riders, unable to properly benefit from the safety bar, had been thrown from the height of a loop, and was sailing through the air, landing on the unforgiving ground of the main avenue with a horrendous crunch." Oh no, Martin of all people has to read this when just a few weeks ago Simon playfully threatened him to throw him off a roller coaster...

"Our interloper had to look away, or risk being sick at the sight of so many spindly bodies swarming, biting, rotten teeth and swollen gums tearing at the still-twitching body of the unfortunate soul from the roller coaster." Oh that sounds horrifying...

"He tells me he was suddenly very aware of just how much flesh was on his body." Meat is me!

"If you do try to follow up with my source- and I know you have your own ways of finding him, should you wish- please be careful. He told me, near the end, that he had recently been worried he’s being followed. He keeps catching glimpses of a thin figure in the distance, or disappearing around a corner, and I can’t quite get past the detail that there was no reflection at all in the mirror he used to return." Ah, the same as in MAG 134 though. The statement giver has seemingly escaped, yet there's still a lingering manifestation following them.

Peter seems so cheery joyful and Martin only sounds tired, annoyed and resigned :/

MARTIN: (more subdued) "Right." (beat) "Will I be coming back?" PETER: "You’re not going to die, if that’s what you’re asking, but- no. If all goes well, you won’t be." So if Martin would have gone through with this, taken Jonah's place, he would have been tied to the Panopticon I guess. Like Jon in MAG 200 when he took his place as pupil of the Eye.

@a-mag-a-day

#a-mag-a-day #mag 156 #tma #tma spoilers

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vaugarde · 1 year

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aita for taking what’s rightfully mine?

okay so i (M20s) was really fascinated with my ancestors and their artifacts growing up. they all left the place they created most of our heirlooms a very long time before i was born, so i never got to see it for myself and mostly just read about it in books. i ended up really loving this ship they left behind that was meant to take them to all these wonderful places, as well as this crown that was meant to be grant power and good luck to those who wore it! if i had that, then id become as powerful and successful as my ancestors would’ve wanted

so i did what anyone in my shoes would do and i went to my ancestors home, found their ship and became a really good pilot for it, and almost found their crown! but it was being guarded by these horrifying creatures who wore the crown and fused into one being! they attacked me and destroyed my ship! I was devastated! I barely escaped with my life and ended up stranded on land i didn’t know at all! i couldn’t believe it! those creatures obviously just wanted my crown for themselves and liked the power trip.

anyways, i was really upset about that, but luckily i was found by four friends who saw my ship crash. (M10???, M11???, M40s, M50s) we actually became quick friends and they decided to help me repair my ship so i could go back. they actually worked really quickly and we had a ton of fun repairing my ship and playing in some of the areas i hadn’t explored yet. it was really nice!

but- here’s the kicker- they were STRONG. they defeated all these powerful people without much effort at all! and i was still really really sore over being attacked, so i did what anyone would’ve done- i asked them to come back to my ancestor’s home with me, we got attacked by the creature, and told them that it was on a rampage that they had to settle, all so i could take the crown for myself in the end and take the power i knew was destined for me this whole time so that I could take control over my friends’s world! (i mean they helped me and it seemed like they needed some help managing it)

well, to be honest, and i’m fully to admit i messed up, the coronation didn’t go so well. turns out the crown was actually cursed and was slowly eating my soul the longer i had it on. okay, how was i supposed to know that? yeah, no monarch ever survived with the crown on, and yeah, the book did warn me not to use it, but no one ever mentioned soul eating! basically, i ended up destroying my own ship again, i almost blacked out and killed all my friends, and destroyed another planet while i was on my rampage to stop my friends from keeping me from taking over the world. yeah, i should’ve handled that better.

after that, i got sent to this really messed up world full of monsters, and i lost all the powers i did have even when i was normal, and the crown broke apart and scattered all around. i’m kinda scared to put it together after what happened, but like, i got this far, so i’m doing that now. i dunno what’ll happen there but i’m holding out.

anyways, what i wanted to know about was if i was the asshole for taking the crown at all and using my friends to do so? i mean, yeah it ended badly, but they were helping me anyways! what was one more task! and they wouldn’t have agreed if they knew i was taking over the world. i agree what happened afterward was bad, but i don’t think i was in the wrong for the means. still, they were really upset and angry with me when i took the crown, and we did have a lot of fun together before that. was it worth making them angry? aita for taking what was rightfully mine and using my friends to do so?

#disclaimer this obviously contains headcanons #he tells this to the rampaging doomers in another dimension and they beat him up #echoed voice

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talk-it-out-outsiders-smp · 2 years

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ALRIGHT NOW ITS TIME FOR MY FAVORITE COPING MECHANISM, DENIAL! Au Final things! It's been set up like tragedy but by God they will get there happy ending!

- First off because no one died in this Au the original people who saw the sign with the code are still around, most importantly Apo who I firmly believe would remember that number, so Ori definitely still falls into the lab but instead makes a bet for his friends full freedom. If they get out of the maze, all together, then they get to walk away fully, no strings attached. (This is vague but what I'm working with right now)

-So our group heads into the dark maze when the lava rises and they make their way into The Trails

-When crossing the initial Bridge they have Bek and Kyle Led with Owen and Magic in the back to keep an eye out for anything sneaking up on them and also to make sure everyone is there

-Krow's comment about remembering the outside world being darker is heard by Soup who promises to take him to a beach once they're out

-Reddons absolutely steals the beer from that chest while playing dumb about what hybrid they could be talking about

-Meeting Crazy Spell Nick in that water cave goes even worse because instead of 8 there's 18 and the cave barely fits them. Oeca I'd the impatient one who decides to just try and swim through

-Now since Owen never tried to kill Krow he didn't cut its arm off so... While swimming past the creature Acho almost gets bit by it but Krow pushes him out of its path getting its own arm practically bitten off

-Guts continues her life as a strongest woman around and carries both Krow and Bek on her shoulders up the rope since there both injured

-In the sacrifice room there's lots of arguing about who should stay. Ori is horrified but adament that he should stay, Soup says she should stay because she doesn't think she can fit in the outside world, Mohwee offers to stay since he believes both Soup and Ori would be better at ensuring the group as a wholes survival, in the end Owen stands on the pressure plate and orders the others out.

-Rasbi and Apo demand he come with them, they'll find another way, there's always another way. Owen tries to explain that it's fine that of all of them he deserves to escape the least and Rasbi screams at him that she doesn't care, he doesn't get to break up fruit trio like this. Ori pleas with Owen that he'll stay but Owen won't budge and says they should say their goodbyes since they need to leave. He has to get Kyle to drag Ori out of the room. Bek gives Owen her sword insisting that if anyone could get out of this it's him. Gracie firmly tells Owen that she's ordering him not to die and to catch up with them as soon as he can. He salutes just before the door closes, saying goodbye with a quick, yes ma'am.

-They hear the explosion through the door but Magic insist he's he fine, no one argues with her. They don't want to voice the only other conclusion

-Camping in the Mushroom Room is the first break the get and everything catches up with them pretty quick. Apo refuses to talk about Owen or really talk at all till Reddons drags him into a conversation with Mohwee and Rasbi about Maze theories since they're almost out, he insist they place bets on what they'll find at the end

-Soup cleans up Krows arm injury, amputating it, and Acho thanks him for the save. It and Kyle have a good heart to heart here as well, saying some long over do apology that are sincere this time

-Squidney, Spidey, and Ayngel drag everyone into campfire songs to cheer up Gracie and Magic

-Guts has a really good singing voice

-Oeca doesn't sing but does awkwardly pat Gracie on the back in his own form of comfort.

-Ori goes off to his own mushroom, his deal weighing heavily on him, Bek sits beside him and without prompting Ori says he can't explain but that he messed up. She reassures him he didn't, firmly stating that they're all doing the best they can and even if he made a mistake they'll be by his side to help him pick up the pieces.

-Krow is still the one to display its memories and has a meltdown but everyone is silent in shock after the visions end, and with no harsh words to lash out at it just breaks down screaming about how it did what it had to do. It was it or them, Krow had to, they have to understand it didn't want to hurt them but, it had to. It didn't want to hurt anyone.

-Ayngel interupts Krow's spiral by pulling him into a hug, ignoring how it digs its claws into her reflexively, and promises him they understand. Soup assures him that plenty of them have done bad things. Reddons cracks a joke about being the court jester to Krows empire when he takes over as the one true dragon born. They feel ok when they finally open the door, ready to move forward.

-The mood is ruined when the Watchers burst in and suddenly start ordering them around. Though they can't really fight all of them they still scream and argue, and in Krows case bite, when they try to drag Magic away. They swear they'll get her back and she yells for them to be careful. Still they're separated.

-A momentous occasion for the audience, almost an entire cast leaving the Maze, such a shame about that disgraced war General though, so close.

-Bek is horrified to step out out on that stage to find this whole time she has been a star and now the idea is sickening

-Apo furiously yelling about theories and ideas he got wrong

-Oeca definitely tries to argue his simulation thing was close enough to win the betting pool to Reddons who insist that technically Acho won with his lab rat science experiment bet

-Kyle shielding Acho from everyone's staring eyes

-Mohwee and Spidey getting so angry right away that Squidney and Guts forcibly hold them back from attacking the announcer or the audience

-Ayngel stopping Krow from doing the same

-Gracie and Soup going into numb shock and just sitting down and staring, not saying anything at all

-Rasbi has a full blown panic attack on the stage overwhelmed by the yelling and cheering and Ori calms her down

-Meanwhile Magic stand before her father again, stronger but not they way he wanted. She demamd she and her friends be let go and he spills the beans on Ori's deal, noting that they were in fact, 1 member down. Magic argues that he knew someone had to be left behind and set them up, and he agrees saying that he rigged the bet in his favor, something he hopes she can understand. Magic starts talking about how she's better than him, stronger because of her compassion not weaker. He begins to point out her failing as leader of clearing 2 and belitting her for getting Ash killed. Before Magic and argue though Owen comes out of a vent in the wall, furious and ready to defend his friend.

-Owen after letting his friends leave searched around the room for some sort of out, trying to brute force his way back the way he came but instead finds a floor grate hidden under some carpeting. He uses the sword to force his way through and starts to climb through the vents to find his way back to the others. Hearing Magic yelling through the vents he follows her voice to the office.

-They either kill him or get him to agree to letting them go, unsure which direction I like more but result is the same, they leave this place and head out into the world with nothing really on them.

-This got really long and I need to sleep so after maze life tmrw because, wow things will not be the sane after this realization about the maze.

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magic-human-bean · 2 years

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OKOOKOK SO saw the thing about earth bread being an island in the middle of the ocean SO you know what I’m just thinking about a human who got stranded there one day finding a way to get back home and having a few cookies they’ve befriended consistently pestering them to take them to the human land because 1) they’re SUPER curious about what it’s like and 2) they think that knowing how the human world works is a good way to understand the witches because witches are essentially humans with magic [but tbh with those old witch hunts and the complete absence of magic ANYWHERE, those cookies won’t find anything witch related at all]

Anyways knowing almost everything can crush these little guys (and that they’d certainly be horrified at the discovery of sold baked goods), the human would obviously deny them such an adventure, but I get the feeling if these cookies are super determined they’ll sneak onto the human’s method of escape anyways and only make their presence known once the human makes it back to land, which leads me to this question AND the purpose of this ask:

How would a cookie react to the scale of a human city? Or basically anything in a human city idk your choice (and you can decide on who specifically is reacting in this scenario if you want, could even do multiple cookies!)

*Cue a live-action movie like Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Smurfs, where whacky tiny creatures are dragged into the modern city world*

But seriously though, the Cookies would NOT be safe in a human city. Raccoons, pigeons, rats, they all wanna eat the Cookies.

Not to mention other humans would lose their mind and blah blah blah the usual "scientists will want to catch them and experiment on them to study them" trope when it comes to supernatural creatures in the real world.

So all the cookies (except a tiny few) will be very intimidated and will make sure to stay close to their human friend and follow their advices.

Under the cut I'll talk about the main 5 and some ancients maybe?

Gingerbrave would be a good boy though. He wouldn't stray too far away from his human friend, especially if their human friend clearly tells him that he MUST stay close for safety. He's brave but not 100% stupid, and listens to the people he trusts. He's really excited and mega curious! Curiosity WITHOUT ANY limit. But he would be cautious and manageable still. Please take him to see the view from a skyscraper, he'll love it so much, very enriching to him. But don't let him watch the news.

Strawberry Cookie would stick to their human friend like glue! She didn't even want to come!! She just came along because she wanted to be sure her friends would be okay...

Wizard Cookie is really fascinated, but he also finds it weirdly sad and creepy that there isn't any magic in human cities... Like it all feels... dystopian to him... He's pretty perplexed, and a little uncomfortable. He wants to learn more about witches and the origin of magic, but of course everything is gone... He'll have to do researches on the witch hunts on google (with adult supervision).

It will take DAYS to explain to Custard Cookie III that royalty doesn't exist anymore. It will take WEEKS for him to wrap his head around it... This one you should keep your eyes on, he could get into trouble from his stubbornness.

Chilli Pepper Cookie kinda loves it! She's sneaky, quickly adapted to navigate the city without letting anyone sees her. She steals people's wallets when they sit down, even though she can't use this currency, but that's just how far her greed goes. Do NOT show her your jewelry box, do not even mention it. And don't take her to a jewelry shop.

Pure Vanilla Cookie, he came along hoping to act as some kind of ambassador for Earthbread, because he'd love to have humans and cookies live in peace, as friends! Maybe it's too early for official contact, but he wants to learn more about humans and human culture, hoping one day this knowledge could help him establish an alliance/friendship with humans. He will make sure to follow his human friend's advices and stay safe during his stay, and keep the other cookies safe too!!

Hollyberry Cookie came along to check out what kind of entertainment and fun humans can have! She'll want to try all the wines, listen to all the music genres... To her it's like an adventure/vacation, and she's not afraid of shit, therefore she will CONSIDER her human friend's advices, but she will mostly do whatever she wants.

I don't think Dark Cacao Cookie would come, sorry. It's just not in character for him to leave Earthbread when he has the responsibility of keeping the Licorice Sea in check. I don't think he cares for other lands, unlike Earthbread.

If Dark Enchantress Cookie comes to human land, it would be to burn it to the ground :)

(Send me other asks if you want me to talk about other cookies in this situation (but do mention the context please))

#cookie run g/t #crk #gingerbrave #strawberry cookie #wizard cookie #custard cookie iii #chilly pepper cookie #pure vanilla cookie #hollyberry cookie #dark cacao cookie #dark enchantress cookie

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cupcakesmoothie · 11 months

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Apparently today (yesterday) is WIP Wednesday, so here's the first chapter of Plagues, Blessings, and Journeys

It all happened within a week.

The most contagious that had ever been, the virus was in the water, in the air. Everything from the rats on the streets to friends and family could spread it. There was no escape. Some say it was the Earth’s way of saving itself, when only humans succumbed to it, and people under the age of 30 were immune.

Some died from it faster than others, but at exactly a week after the first reported case, everyone who got it died.

Dulce can barely breathe, much less scream for help, as she runs from the inky black creature chasing her. Its spindly legs clack on the road as it moves, spider-like in everything but size. It’s not the first of these… things she’s encountered, and she’s taken to calling them plagues.

The plagues started appearing shortly after the earthquakes. While she could technically try using her blessing to fight the monsters, she isn’t very fond of the idea of putting things of dubious origin in her mouth, no matter how sweet the result.

She does contemplate it though, as her vision swims from not having anything to eat since she started her journey today. Food has been scarce, what with the apocalypse and all. She stumbles and quickly catches herself as she continues running. She can’t stop, not before she’s completed her mission.

“Hey!” a voice calls out from somewhere above, “That’s no way to treat a lady!”

A blonde haired boy jumps down from a pile of rubble in front of her, and she shoots past him. She’s not planning on getting eaten by a spider.

“Stop!” The teenager commands, and Dulce can’t help but stop and stare at him incredulously. The spider however, does stop. It freezes as if a pause button has been hit. The blonde shoots a smirk her way before turning back to the creature.

“Leave.” He orders, and it simply turns around and disappears into the abandoned city. Once it leaves her line of sight, Dulce’s knees promptly give out as she collapses onto the road. The blonde runs up to her with a worried look in his baby blue eyes.

“Are you okay?” He asks, steadying her as she shakes her head in an attempt to clear it. Green eyes squeezing shut when that makes it worse.

“I- ah- I’ve been running for a while…” she explains, though the low blood sugar probably factored into it as well.

The teen turns to grab his water bottle from his sling bag, but stops when he feels a tug at the end of his brown jacket. He turns to find her mouth on the end of it. He pulls it back in shock and it comes away cleanly, with a bite of it missing. He stares at the missing bit of it, and back to her, chewing.

“Do… you make a habit of eating people’s clothes?” he asks quietly, unsure whether to be horrified or amused. He decides it’s amusing as he watches the strawberry blonde suddenly realise the first impression she’s making, gesturing with her hands as she tries to explain herself.

“I don’t eat clothes- well see, it’s actually chocolate fondant now- that doesn’t explain much actually-” she claps her hands together, taking a deep breath and starting over- “My name is Dulce. I’m so sorry about your jacket. My blessing is to turn anything that enters my mouth into candy at will, so it’s not really cloth that I’m eating. I’m aware that doesn’t make it any less weird, but I just wasn’t really thinking properly, I’m so sorry I-”

She’s interrupted by a laugh as his lips quirk up in amusement as he introduces himself. “It’s alright Dolls, it’s no biggie. My name is Calliphon, nice to meet you.” He says, extending a hand to her.

Dulce takes his hand, pulling herself up and accepting the nickname he seems to have given her, too embarrassed to correct him. She brushes the dust off her pink skirt and adjusts her bow, all while looking anywhere but his direction.

“So, what’re you doing out here?” Calliphon asks, filling the silence.

The question makes Dulce perk up. She puts on a solemn expression as she explains her goal.

“I’m looking for my older brother, Deucalion. He was working overseas at the time of the virus, and he’s the only family I have left.”

Dulce’s sudden change surprises Calliphon, who simply responds with:

“Dang. I’m just out here looking for cute girls.”

The girl narrows her eyes at him.

“Or guys! I’m not picky.” He quickly adds, gesturing to the bi badge on his bag, which barely changes anything as Dulce turns around and walks away.

Calliphon catches up easily with his longer legs and they settle into a pace.

“How’d you find me, anyway?” Dulce asks as they walk. Calliphon doesn’t answer her, simply giving her a look as the silence is filled by the bell on her bag that chimes at her every step.

Dulce grimaces, which Calliphon chuckles at before deciding it’s his turn for a question.

“Where we going?”

The girl side-eyes him, “I’m going for the settlement they’ve set up around here. There might be someone who has an idea where my brother is, or knows where to look. They have food, too.”

“Y’know Dolls, if you’re still hungry you can take another bite out of my jacket.” Calliphon offers with a wink, “I don’t mind.”

Dulce flusters at that. “I didn’t mean to eat your jacket! It’s just that ever since I got my blessing I wonder what certain things would taste like, and I was just acting on impulse.”

The teen laughs, which flusters her even more, walking faster before he catches up again.

“Sorry, sorry.” he says placatingly, “What’d you mean by ‘blessing’?”

“Ah! You’ve got one too, haven’t you?” she says with excitement in her voice, “It’s what I’m calling the powers some of us have gotten.”

“Why don’t you just call them powers?” Calliphon asks.

Dulce groans, like she’s had this conversation before. “Because! ‘Powers’ implies that they’re actually powerful, and the only ‘power’ my power gives me is to seem really weird in front of strangers (and other things that I won’t bring up for the sake of this argument). Powers is so unoriginal! It’s the same amount of syllables anyway, so if you wanna be BASIC I’m not gonna stop you, but I’m calling them blessings.”

Calliphon can’t help it when his lips twitch upwards at her sudden spiel, which Dulce takes as his dissent, further concluding with “So there!” and glaring at him.

“Did you name the monsters too?” he asks her, and she has.

“Yes. Plagues.”

Calliphon contemplates the girl for a moment before she speaks again.

“Also, my name is Dulce. Like sweet but pronounced differently.”

“Oh.” he thinks for a moment. “Doll is cuter though.”

Dulce puffs her cheeks at that, which Calliphon interprets as annoyance.

“U-unless you don’t like it?” he asks hesitantly.

The girl sighs and begins to speak when the two hear shouting in the distance. They exchange looks before Dulce starts running toward the sound, and Calliphon can only follow her.

#sweetmountainseeds #my writing #Plagues Blessings and Journeys #This feels so bad but you know what it doesn't matter #wip wednesday #This is a rewrite of the first draft #I might be do this again tbh

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isfjmel-phleg · 2 years

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💥 and ✏️for Rietta, 🌱and 🖍️for Rachel, 😨 and 📸 for Elystan, and 🌪️ and 🔧 for Amarantha. (sorry if there are any duplicates for previous asks!)

Rietta

💥 COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

There's a point in Book 1 where she is having to travel by train. It's not her first time, but there's a lot of nervousness about it because her father died in a train wreck. She's not normally a very fearful person, so it's overwhelming for her to have to deal with all these feelings.

She doesn't handle being sad well either.

✏️ PENCIL - is there a particular quote / lyric that you associate with them?

"Whole Wide World" by Mindy Gledhill is the most Rietta song I know.

I wanna hold the whole wide world Right here in my open hands Maybe I'm just a little girl A little girl with great big plans

Rachel

🌱 SEEDLING - what is their most vivid memory from childhood?

When she was very small, her family lived in Corege, where it rains a lot, and it was raining one day while she and her mother and older brother were taking a walk. The pavements along the street were covered in dozens of worms that had surfaced. They were everywhere. There was no place you could walk without stepping on them. The thought of putting even a galoshed foot on one of those slimy, squirming, creepy creatures horrified her, and she went hysterical and refused to walk any further. She was too young to be able to express to her mother how afraid she was, and her mother was frustrated.

(true story, because I'm too lazy to make one up)

🖍️ CRAYON - what advice would you give to them?

You are allowed to be afraid of things. You are not doing anything wrong simply by existing with emotions.

Elystan

😨 FEARFUL - when scared, do they go into "flight" or "fight"?

He'll try to "fight" with words first, but if that doesn't work, then flight it is. Sometimes he's unable to do either (say, during an attack, when of course he can't talk his way out of or escape failing lungs), and that's the worst kind of being scared there is.

📸 CAMERA - do they enjoy having their picture taken? what's their go-to pose? do they like taking photos? what do they take photos of?

He's not fond of formal photography sessions, which he considers excessively lengthy and boring, and there aren't a lot of photographs of himself that he likes. Portraits are more forgiving because they can be made to present an idealized version of the self. But a photograph, unless cleverly posed and arrange, just showcases every physical shortcoming.

But he does like taking photos! Especially experimenting with trick photography. He has several cameras and has filled numerous albums with candid shots of people and random things he finds interesting.

Amarantha

🌪️ TORNADO - what is the biggest change you've ever made to them? how have they changed from their original version?

The change from the pseudo-sixteenth-century setting of the earlier version of the stories to pseudo-Edwardian had a big impact on her background. But maybe the biggest change was delving into her character outside of her jealous resentment of Elystan, which was her major feature for a long time. Examining her personal goals and her flaws and her worldview and how these inform the decisions she makes have put her in a different light. (It's still a bit of challenge though to make her more active instead of simply reacting to events.)

🔧 WRENCH - are they good at fixing relationships? or do they tend to avoid doing so?

Up to Book 2, I don't think she's ever really had the need or opportunity to fix relationships. She's likely to inform you of what you can do to get your relationship/attitude/life together, but I can't see her getting directly involved. She might, say, lecture Elystan in private about the need to reconcile with his mother; shoving him and Bethira together and telling them to hug it out is too bold for her.

#asks #scarvenartist #thank you!#The Blackberry Bushes Q&A #Rietta Valencourt #Rachel Doncath #Elystan Liddick #Amarantha Melbray

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