#seriously it means so much

[themidnightghoul]

I'll Be Your Gravity, You Be My Oxygen

After protecting his pack and changing his very existence, Dew is broken from the inside out. It doesn’t help that the Ministry demands a new Water Ghoul be Summoned before he’s even fully recovered. What’s worse? The new Water Ghoul is beautiful and Dew is immediately enamored with him.

Chapter One: The Spark in My Eyes is Gone

Rating: Explicit (eventually…right now it’s just angst) Word Count: 2078

Read on AO3 or below!

Authors Note: My Raindrop fic is finally here! This is my baby and I’m very anxious finally sharing it but…I hope you enjoy the beginning of this story. If you end up reading, thank you so much for taking time to read my silly little story 🖤

There was a time before, he remembers, where there wasn’t just pain. Surely he hadn’t always felt like this, right? There had to have been a point in time where his entire genetic makeup wasn’t being rewritten, his atoms splitting apart and reforming while he felt every single bit of it, his skin flaking off in burnt chunks. It was agony, if only because there wasn’t another word that could adequately describe the pain that he was experiencing. 

But he wasn’t exactly given another choice so what was he supposed to do? Imperator had made it perfectly clear that if he wasn’t the one to go through with this process that she would just do it to one of the others. And he knew that was her plan all along; she had preyed on the love that he had for his pack, his mates, and she had used it against him. The memory of the moment he signed his very essence away flashed through his mind, a welcome break from the flames that were currently consuming his entire being.

“We are in need of a new Fire Ghoul. Ifrit has been…let go, to put it gently. And unfortunately, Fire Ghouls are the most difficult to Summon.”

His hands had clenched so hard at the mention of Ifrit that he was sure he had drawn blood. “I don’t understand how that involves me, Sister.” He knew he had to keep his composure but his mind was spiraling, trying to figure out where Ifrit had gone, why he was the one currently standing there. “I’m a Water Ghoul, not a Fire Ghoul.”

“Yes, well, from what I hear you’re not a very adequate Water Ghoul, now are you?” She spoke so calmly that it terrified Dew. How could she be so cruel and barely even flinch?

“I…I do my best, Sister.” He knew he wasn’t anywhere near as good as the other Water Ghouls but it still stung to hear her say it out loud. Mist put him to shame when it came to using their Element but never once had she made him feel lesser than her for it. Dew wasn’t ashamed of himself, or his lack of proficiency with Water, and he knew his pack loved him just as he was.

“And your best just isn’t good enough. Lucky for you, we may still have use for you in a different way.” 

Dew’s heart was racing, his palms were sweaty and he felt like he was going to throw up all over Imperator’s desk. “H-how?” 

“Well I’m so glad you asked!” She stood up from her desk and walked over to the shaking Water Ghoul, her hands clasped behind her back and a horrible grin on her face. “There is a Ritual that will allow us to alter your Element from Water to Fire, saving us the enormous trouble of Summoning a new Fire Ghoul. Water Ghouls are much easier, less hassle, to Summon.” Her hand waved around dismissively, like she didn’t just suggest he change his entire being so that things would be more convenient for her.

“But Sister…I’m a Water Ghoul I don’t-“

“If you don’t do this, I will be forced to take one of the others in your place. You wouldn’t want that now would you, Dewdrop?”

It was one of the few times he was grateful for his mask, so that she couldn’t see the panic cross his face at the mention of one of the others being hurt. He couldn’t allow that to happen, would rather die than know he had condemned one of them to this horrible Ritual. “Please…whatever it is, I’ll do it. Just don’t hurt them.” Trying not to let his voice betray how terrified he was at the moment took more effort than he realized it would. But she couldn’t see him panic, he refused to let her see that.

Her smile when he agreed sent shivers down his spine and he was sure that she heard him sob, unable to hold it in. But it was only one small noise and he decided that was better than a full breakdown right here in her office. “Good, I’m glad you understand the importance of this procedure. You are to be at the Ritual room at midnight, do you understand?”

Another wave of pain and he’s pulled from the memory, a scream ripping its way from his throat. He can feel his skin cracking and burning and he feels like he’s choking, like he can’t get enough air. His vision and hearing are almost nonexistent; there are shapes moving around him but he can’t tell who or what they are, and there are noises but he can’t decipher them. When he feels pressure on his arms holding him down, he screams again. Don’t they know that it hurts him to be touched? Can’t they see that he’s burning from the inside out right now? Surely the flames dancing up and down his skin are visible to more than just him.

He cries. He cries for himself, for the loss of his Element, for his pack losing their beautiful Water Ghoul. He cries for who he’s becoming and because he does not know who he will be now. He cries for the new Water Ghoul they will summon before long, probably even before he’s even healed. He cries for Aether, not knowing how he is right now, but feeling in his very soul that he’s a wreck. He cries for Mountain because he knows that his sweet Earth Ghoul will be destroyed over this but will do his best not to show it. He cries when the memory of telling his mates hits him like a wave of sorrow and agony at the same time.

“You can’t do this, Dew. I won’t let you!” Aether cried, more than Dew had ever seen him cry before. He didn’t know his mate was even capable of the emotions that he was going through at lightning speed, his eyes flaring a dark purple. They only did that when he was truly losing control of himself, when he was feeling too many things at once to keep up with everything. He walked around the den, hands running up and down his face. 

“Water Lily, please, there must be another way.” Mountain brushed his hands through his hair, holding Dew close to his chest. Dew could hear the heart of the normally calm and stoic Earth Ghoul racing, his breathing slowly picking up as he realized what Dew was about to go through for them.

Dew was strangely calm, having accepted what was going to happen and knowing there wasn’t another way. “I can’t…I won’t let her hurt you. I wouldn’t survive knowing that I had let something like this happen to any of you.”

“And what if you don’t survive?! I’m not living without you!” Aether screamed, fell to his knees, sobbed until his chest hurt and continued to sob.

“I have until midnight,” Dew whispered, barely holding back tears at the sight of Aether on his knees. He stepped out of Mountain’s embrace and walked over to Aether, falling to the ground next to him and taking his hands. “Be with me until then? Please?”

There’s a feeling of weightlessness, like he’s being lifted. He still can’t hear, can’t see, and every inch of his body is burning, but he knows he’s moving. If he had to guess, he’s being taken to the Infirmary. All his brain can focus on is Aether and how he can’t let his mate see him like this. He tries to talk, if he can scream then surely he can talk, but nothing comes out. It’s scratchy feeling, tight, and he can’t breathe again. Why can’t he breathe? His gills…they should be helping him, right? But he can’t feel them anymore when he reaches up to claw at his neck, desperately clinging to the last vestiges of his Element. Former Element, something cruel that sounds a lot like Imperator, reminds him.

He’s brought to a place that he can’t see, but he knows within himself that someone did, in fact, bring him to the Infirmary. He’s spent so many days and nights here, most of them on purpose just so he could see Aether. Scraping his knee, cutting his arm, bumping his head, anything to get him around the Quintessence Ghoul that he loved more than life itself. It’s brighter here, a sick sterile feeling surrounds him. He wishes he could see, deludes himself into believing that if he could just see something that he would feel better. It’s all bullshit, he knows, but he’s desperate to feel anything but the pain that’s been drowning him for what feels like an eternity.

A wave of relief and calm washes over him and his body instinctively reaches out, knowing who was behind the feeling. Aether Aether Aether, his mind screams, recognizing the magic like it was second nature to him. There’s sound again but it’s muffled, like his ears are stuffed and he can’t manage to clear them, but he just knows that it’s Aether trying to calm him. He tries not to think of the look on his face when he sees the burnt skin that covers his body now. Will he still love him, now that he’s no longer Water? He can’t imagine that he will be as beautiful as he once was now that Fire flows through his veins. He’ll burn everything he touches, everyone he loves. He’s now dangerous when he was once graceful, volatile where he was once calm. One final flash of his last moments with Aether hits him like a knife to the gut and he winces, allowing it to pull him under.

Aether held him close against his chest as Dew cried, choked silent sobs eventually replacing the tears when they finally, somehow, managed to run out. They hadn’t spoken in a while, neither one of them sure of what to say. Aether had tried a few more times to get him to relent, to not go through with the Ritual, telling him that he would figure out another way. But Dew had accepted that it was going to happen and just wanted a few hours with his love before everything he knew was burned away.

“Aeth…” Dew finally broke the silence, unable to go another moment without hearing the familiar voice that always managed to settle him, no matter what he was feeling.

“Yeah?” Aether’s voice sounded so broken, so far away, and Dew’s heart clenched at the thought of already having lost him before he even went through the Ritual.

“When I’m…when it’s over…will you still love me?” He whispered it, like he was afraid to voice his thoughts but wanting, needing, to know if he would still be loved after it was all said and done and he was no longer the Water Ghoul that Aether had first fallen in love with.

“I will love you until the galaxy swallows me whole and returns me to the stardust from which I was created, my love. Nothing will ever change how much I love you, don’t ever forget that.”

The two had laid together until the very last minute, when a Sentry Ghoul arrived to ensure that Dew didn’t back out and made it to the Ritual room on time. Aether cried again, holding Dew against his chest one final time and promising that they would be together again soon. Dew did his best not to cry as he kissed him goodbye, only allowing a tear to fall once he was out of sight of Aether. As the two Ghouls walked, neither spoke, Dew not very familiar with any of the Ghouls outside of his own pack and content to walk in silence, contemplating his final moments as a Water Ghoul. When the two finally reached the doors to the Ritual room, the unfamiliar Ghoul stopped and turned to face Dew.

“You are far stronger than anyone will ever know, Dewdrop. Never forget that you’re the best of us.” With a nod, the Ghoul departed, and Dew was left to walk through the Ritual room doors alone.

Before he finally, mercifully, either fell asleep or simply blacked out from the pain, he swore he heard Aether’s voice whispering in his mind. “Nothing will ever change how much I love you, Dew.”

#midnight writes #raindrop #rain ghoul #dewdrop ghoul #aether ghoul #mountain ghoul #the band ghost fic #the band ghost fanfiction #ghost fanfic #ghost fanfiction #midnight is anxious to share this but here we go #i hope you guys enjoy #and thank you so much if you read #seriously it means so much #yes the titles are bring me the horizon lyrics #follow you inspired me heavily #okay bye

[kithtaehyung]

ryen i must say i'm lowkey scared for my life and the fact that the wc keeps growing just makes me go

(also, take as much time as necessary. wanna take up two more months? a semester? don't worry for a second, you do what's best and possible for your health as a person and as a writer bb)

LMAO i’m guessing 14-15k now💀💀💀 we’ll see how today’s writing session goes! Getting started now since.. I was pretty preoccupied earlier😅

Thank you for the reassurance, baby🥺💕 you’re always very kind and understanding.. I appreciate the heck out of you.

#seriously it means so much #lua! #asks:3tan #3tanW #*ryenfictalk #mailbox💌

[dreamingofcalliope]

Thank you so much everyone for your support of the dream guard's preview! I've been blown away by the interest and I'm hoping to have the first chapter up at the end of this week! Just wanted to take a second to say a huge thanks for your support!!! See you soon!!

#dreamingofcalliope #the dream guard #seriously it means so much #<3 <3

[mipexch]

I WAS MADE FOR YOU // YOU WERE MADE FOR ME

#ultrakill #earthmover #1000-THR #v1 #violence layer #god. they mean so much to me #what the FUCK is up with the violence layer #theres so much shit. its so good. ohhhmyyy gggggg #their dynamic is insane to me. i cant just make one piece #gen art #object loving object... #weapon4weapon......... #take this comic as you will though #it is meant to be taken both seriously and thematically while also having that. little sprinkle of oh. doomed yaoi/yuri. you get it #by 'i have never wanted anything more' it was mainly to describe v1s instict to take the earthmover down and kill it- #but it can mean whatever you want it to mean

[soldrawss]

Single dad Darius AU is something that can actually be so personal guys

Featuring local 23yo law student who finds an abandoned baby and decides to raise it as his own (cue cool young bachelor to being an absolutely smitten dad speed run)

#my art #toh #the owl house #toh hunter #toh darius #hunter deamonne #darius deamonne #i care them so much #i mean seriously #i could go on about them for hours

[thefact0rygirl]

Vee! You beautiful, talented writer-you. Thank you for blessing my dash today with some Joel Miller. Obscene in the most beautiful way. A heart-stopper.

Thank you so much, nonnie! I wasn't expecting much from it, but to see everyone's kind words has my motivation skyrocketing 💙 I have a couple more ideas, I'm just waiting for the next episodes to see if they're possible.

#thank you again! #seriously it means so much #vee answers #anon #kind things

[difty-dift]

Want you guys to know that my love for skunks is so strong I straight up forget they spray stink, they're just cute lil buddies in my eyes! like people will be like "ew but they smell!" or "you must have a high odor tolerance huh?" and I'm like "wha? :)"

#seriously i actually mean it #not to say i don't like it. it's honestly whatever #just not the main (or any) focus for why i like them so much

[jekyllnahyena]

Give it some time Fox, he's trying his best

more dumb doodles in the Fox is the fav and thus has somehow ended up with an allpowerful evil grandpa

#commander fox #sheev palpatine #yan dooku #in his lil form here #'what do you mean you love your family and care for their well being? fascinating concept. I've only ever used it for manipulation' #im sorry to all the people coming up with deep thoughts for this au #but seriously #it all boils down to palps being saved by the power of friendship #well. more like #'i didnt know why people cared so much for their commander and then I got one of my own' #'if anything happened to Fox then I'd destroy the galaxy and then myself' #thats it #thats the au #i see what everybody is doing with thinking about implications. but this is just. dumb and silly. sorry :/ #ajekyllsart

[egophiliac]

How do you imagine Levan/Revan/ Mallenoa's husband?

Appearance, personality etc.

Revaan/Laverne/whatever-his-name-is's title sort of implies that he might be from a fantasy-Eastern country (they've established that in Twstland, 竜 = Eastern-style dragons, andドラゴン = Western-style dragons). and that's about as much as we know right now about...anything in regards to what he might look like. so I've been trying very hard not to form too much of a mental picture of him, because I'm still hoping we'll get to see him (or at least a silhouette)! ergo, in my head, he kind of looks like this:

so handsome. surely Malenoa fell in love at first glance.

I do think the funniest thing about what we've learned so far is that Malleus being kind of quiet and reserved and dignified...absolutely did not come from the Draconias. and he sure as heck did not learn it from Lilia. so he probably got a lot of that from his dad! the vibe I get from how Lilia talks about him is that he could be a bit of a prim little fancyboy sometimes, but was (mostly) willing to go along with his wife's zany antics out of love. he sounds sweet, honestly! I'm sorry he (maybe) died. :(

my favorite thing about Mal's parents is that Malenoa and Lilia's dynamic was "long-suffering guard and princess who has long been the cause of said suffering":

but then they would happily join forces in order to gang up on Revaan:

tl;dr Revaan was the straightman in Malenoa and Lilia's comedy act until it all ended horribly whoops

#art #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland spoilers #twisted wonderland episode 7 spoilers #twisted wonderland book 7 spoilers #can't wait to be proven wrong about all of this! #no seriously if it means more episode 7 i literally cannot wait #oh revaan. hopefully they will not make us wait much longer to learn...anything at all about you #international relations probably got a lot easier once he was around to do the diplomatic stuff #the malenoa-revaan-lilia dynamic seemed to largely revolve around lilia and revaan's shared understanding #that malenoa does whatever she wants and neither of them can stop her #god i love them #while we're on the subject i found out the other day that the romanization of the name eleanor is エレノア #so i wonder if malenoa is actually meant to be something like maleanor as a takeoff on that #i am going to stick with malenoa for now but i think that's kind of cute! #we desperately need some kind of confirmation on revaan's name though twst please #if malleus' dad is actually named laverne i need to know

[ryllen]

wingman malleus-sama

#i just want at some point malleus assures sebek that it's fine that he found another reason to pursue in his *suspected* shorter life #twisted wonderland #twst #sebek zigvolt #malleus draconia #twst mc #twst yuu #fanart #i have longer life and the longest time to ponder about the meaning of my life #but i couldn't find it; it's a blessing for you to have shorter life but actually able to find it in much shorter time #so please treasure it #i just thought of buttoned up suit malleus looks more serious and will be taken more seriously in sebek room so i keep it that way #or maybe he just feels safer to have it buttoned up bcs he was in like his super FAN lair fhsdhsdhd ANYTHINgCOULDHAPPENf FSHDS JK JK #he just looks more formal that way i love it #this is why he deserves the best man position

[findafight]

Robin chose Steve. Robin made the conscious and deliberate decision that she could and would trust Steve. She already liked him! She had fun working and bantering with him! They were already on their way to being weird little bffs and the torture just expedited the process. Steve chose Robin just the same! He thinks she's fun and cool and likes her so much! He chose to be honest and open with her too, putting himself out there.

Even though their interests on the surface level don't match why wouldn't they share them? Steve clearly caves when Robin wants to watch a movie he doesn't think he'll like, Robin can watch a March madness game or five.

Stop trying to take away their bond oh my god people can be close to more than one person!!! Their best friend doesn't have to be dismissive or mean or whatever in order for a romance to be special to them!

#if i have to see another fic or whatever that makes it seem like robin doesnt give a shit about what steve likes and talkes about im going #to scream and maybe even rampage #its nice to sit down and have someone who knows explain who the players are and what the stakes for this particular game!! #just because yall seem to not think anyone can be nutral towards sports doesnt mean people aren't #literally why is it so hard to believe robin would like to hear steve talk as much as steve likes to hear her talk #i am so close to telling some steddie shippers to not look at steve or robin or their friendship because some of yall do Not get it. #its like you can see them go 'have to make sure eddie is the most perfect specialest boy for steve...well that means robin doesn't Get Him ' #or 'robin ignores him/dismisses his interests/isnt told everything happening in his life' like okay dont ever touch them again thanks #robin is steves specialest sunshine cupcake goober girl. steve is robins bestest happy times sweet funnyman. dont u dare take that away. #omce again tsgs longer than the post but ah well. #stobin #platonic stobin #robin buckley #steve harrington #stranger things #finda's rambles #steve and robin #this is a scheduled post just to jazz things up i guess #but seriously some of yall need to STOP MESSIGN WITH STOBIN

[boyfridged]

*jason todd as he sets up a bomb to commit a murder suicide in an echo of his past death, planning the final steps of it before bringing in his murderer and his father to the scene* i’m soo over it btw. i’m just proving a point, i promise i’m over it.

#then he starts crying #the fact that people take so seriously that he said it was not ab the joker #and also assume that the fact that he said that he forgave bruce for not coming in time means he never struggled with it #when mere scenes before he says. YOU’RE NOT LEAVING. NOT THIS TIME. #and when he says (about the joker) ‘just him’ #of course utrh is about plenty other things rather than just this specific trauma #but there’s no need to be reductionist about it? #imo it’s so evident that jay doesn’t have a very clear idea about what he’s doing himself #he contradicts himself so much as he narrates #it sounds almost like he’s trying to explain it to himself too #jay.zip #jay.txt

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

years later someone buys the plot, turns on the lights and is suddenly worshipped as a sun god by a bunch of puppets falling apart at the seams

pov you break into the spooky abandoned Playfellow Studios building for shits and giggles

#lore tidbit! the plot is not available for purchase #the building is only Technically abandoned. its still very much Owned private property! #actually ive been thinking about the Other side of this au. the people's perspective #cause in this au at least they all Knew the puppets were alive #many employees - especially the ones working 'closest' to the puppets - put up a huge fight when the show got canceled #but it was either Disassemble (kill) Them or Lock Them Away #and honestly? killing the neighbors would've been somewhat of a mercy #but the employees had no way of knowing just how Bad things would get #wh lights out au #scribble salad #and i mean. the building's electricity bill remains paid. #the employees that felt really bad kept it paid over the years - devoting a bit of their income each to it #thinking the puppets would a) be awake & b) be able to figure it out #yeah that's actually a lil fun tragic tidbit as well - if any of the puppets had found the breaker.... #or found it and Messed with it a lil... flipped the right switch... #they would've gotten the lights back on no problem #but yeah anyway ive been Thinking about the employees' side of things a lot #might tie that in with act two. it'd make sense considering the shit that happens #well either they'd help the puppets out or they'd get shoved into one of the sinkholes by barnaby. so. #bc if we're talkin seriously here. the puppets are more likely to kill a person than worship them for any reason #they'd go full 'THREAT!! THREAT!! ELIMINATE THE THREAT!!! WE'RE NOT LOSING ANYONE ELSE!!!' mode

[leggywormy]

Kacchan: "This is OUR story"

Me: *side-eyeing between Kacchan and Deku* ......yeah, it sure is your gay homosexual bromance story

#gay gay homosexual gay #im sorry #but seriously this was sweet #i know he meant like EVERYONE'S story #but I'm pretty sure he meant izuku specifically #this means so much from his mouth tbh #bakugou katsuki #izuku midoriya #bakudeku #bkdk #bnha 409 #bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia

[ecoterrorist-katara]

I love fics where the Gaang finds out about the story behind Zuko’s scar. That said, I still think Zuko and Katara’s interaction in Crossroads of Destiny is the most powerful scar scene possible, precisely because Katara does not get his backstory, yet treats him with compassion anyway.

From The Storm onwards, Zuko’s scar becomes a symbol to the audience. Zuko’s scar is inextricable from his inherent goodness, which is constantly warring with his desire to please his cruel father. I think that’s why fans are so eager to see the Gaang find out the story behind his scar — so that the Gaang can see Zuko the way we’ve seen Zuko since season 1, so that they can understand the full tragedy of his story, and so that Zuko can get the comfort he really, really needs and deserves.

But Katara doesn’t offer to heal his scar because he’s good, or because she’s appalled that his father was abusive and awful. She offers to heal his scar because she sees that he’s hurting, and she wants to make that hurt go away. Knowing his backstory would not have made her act any differently, because she had already offered the full extent of her compassion. Katara knows firsthand what he’s capable of. She’s seen him at his very lowest. Yet she chooses to comfort him anyway.

And Zuko — Zuko, for whom pain is about as natural as breathing, who doesn’t care if he lives or dies, whose list of “people who have seen the worst of him and care about him anyway” starts and ends with his uncle, who knows full well that Katara travels with both the literal hope of the world and her own brother…no wonder he lets her touch his scar. No wonder he wants her forgiveness so badly. No wonder he jumps in front of lightning for her and reaches for her while he’s literally dying. Because Katara didn’t see the good in him: she saw the human in him. Because to a girl defined by her compassion, they were the same thing. And to a boy who had been desperately trying to bury his own humanity, it was everything.

#this ship makes me so fucking feral I swear #like regardless of whether you’re looking at it from katara’s pov or zuko’s pov they just offer each other THE thing they need #katara’s compassion in the context of zuko’s trauma just means so much to me…she takes his pain so seriously #and who else does that? not his canon gf #zutara #zutara meta #pro zutara #My meta

[raggedy-spaceman]

I just thought about the most heartbreaking thing ever.

We’ve seen Izzy taking the “for the new unicorn” note out of his glove. What if he kept it there. What if, when Jim took his glove off to take it with them, they found the note there.

Fuck I just made myself cry…

#ofmd #ofmd 2 #ofmd spoilers #our flag means death #our flag means death 2 #our flag means death spoilers #ofmd s2 #our flag means death s2 #izzy hands #jim jimenez #vico ortiz #con o'neill #i seriously cried #real life tears #I can’t help it #Jim would cry so much too #oh god #I’m devastated #mine