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miss-wanna-write · 2 years

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so ive posted a couple of fanfics already about this, but let me introduce you to my miraculous ladybug x persona au!

first things first, what ive already covered! so when they’re 7, Marinette, Nino, and Kim break away from the field-trip group and end up in Paris’s version of Mementos, and a shadow attack leads to Kim awakening Ardent, his persona.

after this, and numerous groundings, scoldings, and lectures from various parties, the trio then proves they learned NOTHING and continues to go exploring in the secret catacombs using the mysterious and kinda spooky app that appeared on their phones. this is how Marinette and Nino got Odette and Orpheus accordingly.

they don’t actually do much with these powers? it’s mainly just a cool make believe thing, with the occasional encounter with ‘living ghosts’ (the human shadows) that they talk to and help out. or have their persona’s (”we’re not calling them Stands, Kim!”) beat up if they get aggressive.

fast forward like 6 years to canon and the trio is freaking out. or, Nino is freaking out because Kim’s being targetted by a giant rock golem who used to be Ivan, Marinette’s not picking up, and the app they normally use to enter the Catacombs is updating.

the gist of this au, is that having a persona is a double edged sword. it allows normal people to fight akuma’s within the metaverse, and weaken the butterfly’s hold on the person, but also, if you have a persona your akuma is far more difficult to fight.

there’s a lot of stuff i haven’t really figured out, and some i haven’t concretely set up, but i do have all the initial persona’s for the crew! note, all persona’s were chosen from random sources, their only ‘theme’ being how they relate to the characters (even if it only makes sense to me)

Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Odette

Skills are focused on Ice & Healing. She’ll later gain Bless once her Ultimate is unlocked.

Odette is the protagonist of the ballet Swan Lake, and I felt the stories could line up. The curse of akumatization by the evil sorcerer Hawkmoth, Prince Adrien who the Black Swan Lila tries to steal away.

okay so this one may heavily depend on my persona headcanon that Lila seems to boast a lot of things that have been done by Marinette or are related to Marinette (knowingly or unknowingly) in canon.

Don’t worry about how Swan Lake so commonly ends in tragedy, I swear that’s not relevant.

Another skill Odette has is that she can be used to create a rudimentary shadow radar in a still patch of water. Yes Marinette’s clumsiness makes this difficult.

Nino Lahiffe & Orpheus

Orpheus has the element of Zio, plus some useful buff/status causing moves. He’s specifically built for long fights, with high defence, health, stall moves, and Dia. i do not remember why.

As for why Orpheus was chosen, I feel it an accurate representation about the lengths Nino would go for love, and lose because of it.

Okay so maybe it was partially inspired by the ultimatums I see in salt fics between him and Alya.

Kim Chiến Lê & Ardent

The Physical Force of the team. As in he uses both Physical attacks and Force/Wind attacks. That was a bad pun, sorry.

So Ardent is actually the Beast’s name from the 1947 version of Beauty and the Beast, which is probably well known to most of you. The fairy tale, not like, the 1947 version.

But, uhh, I mean the Beast was cursed by an enchantress due to his bad actions, and acts like a huge jerk, and, well, we’ve seen Kim and how he acts. Even in this AU, while I think he’d be less overtly mean, he’s still insensitive and makes wrong decisions that hurt people.

Alya Cesaire & Virgil

Fire and ailments are Virgil’s bread and butter. Yes that ailment is brainwash, gotta show she has the power of the press after all.

No this is not Virgil DMC (could you imagine), this is Virgil from Dante’s Inferno. tbh I kinda chose this based off reading the wikipedia page and lining up character roles and it’s really shakey and could probably be better, but I don’t know what else to use for her.

Alya joins after accidentally getting awakened during Lady Wifi by Nino and Kim defeating her shadow form. Funnily enough, I have a super solid idea of what Alya does in the story, how she’s introduced, and how she reacts to certain scenarios, yet absolutely 0 solid idea’s for her personas.

Virgil also has the ability to catalogue shadow weaknesses/profiles in his book, which takes the place of the notebook Mari, Nino, and Kim were using before.

Max Kante & Menvra

Max is the teams navigator and their guy in the chair, except he is also in the catacombs along them.

Obviosuly he wouldn’t be like Fuuka, inside an orb at the entrance of the dungeon, but I don’t think he’d be quite Futaba floating around in his persona. Somewhere inbetween, Rise and Futaba, I think.

Menvra is a Etruscan goddess, representing war, art, wisdom, and medicine/health. This is one of the more classic persona figures (they say, like Orpheus isn’t Nino’s) and yes, I am very shakey on this much like Alya’s. The difference is, Max is not a hugely developed character so I have limited traits to choose from as opposed to Alya where I have conflicting traits to choose from. I am, however, 100% sure of his Ultimate Persona.

I’m honestly debating whether Max joins up during Startrain, where the limited space causes him to accidentally get dragged into the Metaverse and subsequently awakened, or Robustus because the Metaverse app won’t run.

Kagami Tsurugi & Kaguya

I am, first and foremost, weak to girls with swords. And have once again (once again, they say, not having written the previous thing they are referencing) made Kagami just a. Powerhouse.

She’s got the Almighty skills, alongside Nuclear, and is a one woman army.

I really associated the themes of Kaguya attracting suitors, what with Kagami’s purpose basically just being a faux-love interest, and the punishment of material attachments. Listen, I will be the first to admit that a lot of these persona’s are just, I feel the vibes and they match. There is no rational or explainable reasoning for these, it just fits.

Also fun fact, the feather cloak Kaguya wears is burnt when she’s first summoned. Like, pre-burnt. This is story relevant.

Kagami herself joins the group after Ikari Gozen. Ladybug gives her an piece of paper in exchange for the Dragon Miraculous. Said paper has the meet up location and time fo the next Catacombs excursion.

#down in the catacombs #miraculous ladybug au #miraculous ladybug #au starter

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ieattaperecorders · 3 years

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Notes on Causality - Chapter 4: Gerry

A favor for an old friend.

Read on Ao3

As he fell away for the final time, he felt that all-consuming fear, and his only thought was to cry out for his mother. But with the last vestige of his stubborn will, he refused. She would not claim his last moment. He was silent.

And so Gerard Keay ended. But there would be no rest for him.

The recitation came to an end, the agony of being pulled through his own demise faded into dull awareness. He remembered himself, the negative space where a person had once been. Gerard had never liked ghost stories. He liked them less now that he was one of them.

The man holding the book was a stranger. He was old, though probably not as old as Trevor. His hair had been black once but was far more salt than pepper now, and his face was creased around the forehead and mouth. A pattern of scars on his face and neck made Gerard think instinctively of filth, and of burrowing things.

So. Either this was someone who’d taken the book from the Van Helsings, or more likely someone they’d threatened into using it so they didn’t have to look at him directly. Pricks.

“. . . Are they dead?” he asked tiredly.

“You mean the hunters?” the man shook his head. “No, I sincerely doubt I would have been able to manage that. But I took pains to cover my tracks.”

“You stole the book from them?"

“Well, it was stolen to begin with, wasn’t it?”

“Hmm,” Gerard tilted his head, smirking grimly. “Condolences to your family, then. Aren’t many in the world who can cover their tracks enough for those two.”

“I’m well aware,” the man sighed. “I’ve done what I can, nothing left but to wait and see now.”

They were in a small bedroom, inside what was probably a cabin. Gerard saw dark wood walls, oil lamps, and a tattered rug that bore some kitschy pattern he couldn’t be bothered to identify. Any view there might have been through the window was obscured by white-out snowfall. There was a fire in the fireplace, not that he could feel it.

“Who’re you, then?”

“My name’s Jon. I used to be the Archivist, until I took your father’s way out.”

He gestured towards his face, and Gerard finally noticed the scars crossing over his eyes -- false ones, probably. The implications sank in.

“Hard to tell how much time’s passing in here,” he said. An echo of an emotion, something that was almost sadness. “But unless you’re a hell of a lot older than you look, I don’t think you’re Gertrude’s predecessor.”

“No. No . . . I was her successor.”

“So she’s dead?”

“I’m afraid so,” Jon said. “She died holding a can of petrol, daring a man to shoot her.”

The thought warmed something in the absence of Gerard, and he smiled. “. . . Good.”

For a moment, he pictured Gertrude standing on a chair to disable the alarm in his hospital room so that he could light the cigarette she’d snuck in. A phantom ache came from where the IV had been in his arm. The hole was still there, still unhealed. It would never have the chance to be otherwise.

He took another look at Jon, tired resignation coming over him.

“So . . . ‘used-to-be-Archivist,’” he sighed. “You went to the trouble of getting the skin book from a pair of homicidal maniacs. I’m guessing you have questions.”

“Not really. I assume you want me to burn your page, I suppose I just wanted to talk to you first. Tell you what’s coming, and confirm that it’s what you want.”

“. . . It is,” he said adamantly. “Being like this hurts , there’s no real life in it. Whatever else there is, even if it’s nothing? I’ll take it.”

“I understand.” Jon paused. “I . . . if you want, I can let you go. Get it done right away.”

To his surprise, Gerard hesitated. He didn’t know what made him do so. Maybe it was fear, the thought of facing a second end, one that would hopefully be final. Maybe it was reluctance that he sensed in Jon, what was left of him reflecting the emotions of the living like the moon to sunlight. Or, hell, maybe now that he knew it would all be over soon he just wanted to linger a bit longer. He didn’t know, and he supposed it didn’t matter.

“Nah. I’ll stay a while. Got all eternity to not exist, right?” he shrugged. “Don’t suppose you’ve got a cigarette . . .”

“Sorry. Quit some time ago. And you couldn’t smoke it anyway, could you?”

“Guess not.” Something occurred to him, and he frowned. “Hey, how’d you read it?”

“What?”

“My page. You said you took my dad’s way out, right? He had to blind himself, and the book’s not exactly in Braille. How’d you read the page?”

“Oh! That’s uh . . . sort of a long story, actually.”

There was a pause, during which it became clear that he wasn’t going to follow that with anything.

“Well, summarize then,” Gerard said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“All right . . . I’ve actually met you before. I lived through a, hmm ---” he sighed, looking annoyed. “Well, Melanie insists on referring to it as an alternate timeline, which I really don’t care for. But I have to admit it’s a useful way to conceptualize it, so . . . .”

“Right, right,” Gerard waved a hand. “The whole ‘it’s not really this but we’re calling it this’ thing, I got it.”

“I was trying to continue Gertrude’s work of stopping rituals, which is how I met you originally. I burned your page that time as well . . . which, incidentally, did not go well for me. They did notice it was missing.”

There was a snippy edge to Jon’s tone, and Gerard smirked, unable to shake the feeling that he was on the receiving end of a cross-timeline ‘I told you so.’

“Better luck this time. Maybe the Van Helsings have gone soft,” he said without conviction.

“Oh yes, clearly they’re winding down to retirement,” Jon’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Regardless, things got pretty bad in those years. And, um . . . the world ended.”

“. . . Fucking hell.”

“More or less, yes.”

“Was it as bad as we thought it’d be?”

“Worse. Whatever you imagined, it was worse,” he said grimly. “Eventually, I found a way to pass my own memories onto my past self, and with that knowledge I’ve changed the course of events so that none of it ever happened.”

“Hence the world still being here.”

“For the time being. It took a long time to find the Hunters, even longer to put a plan together to get the book from them without leaving a trail. By the time we’d worked out what we’d be doing they’d moved on and we had to find them again, and so on,” he waved his hand. “But eventually . . . well, here we are.”

“Huh.” Gerard paused. He ran all that over in his head again. “Didn’t really answer my question, did you?”

“Oh, right,” Jon laughed softly. “Well. As it turns out, holding the book and reciting from memory is good enough. If that hadn’t worked, I’d have had to call my husband in here.”

“. . . Where is here, anyway?” Gerard looked around at the small room. “It feels strange. Couldn’t quite tell at first, but this place isn’t normal, is it?”

“It’s not, no. We found an artifact of the Vast, a snow globe that traps you inside if you look at it too long. Time passes at a different rate here . . . minutes become decades, hours multiple centuries. You don’t age or die, but you feel the passage of time, and you’re only released if the globe is broken. By then if there’s anything left of you you’ll return to a world you barely remember, a blip in your memories that are now eons long.”

“Right. And you’re here on purpose?”

“A friend of ours was holding it when we went in, she’ll have let it go the instant we disappeared. A few milliseconds for reaction time, then a second or two of freefall before it hits the concrete floor. Time enough to erase any trail that the Hunters might follow.”

Gerard frowned. “How does that work? Won’t it be just a second for them too?”

“Well, yes. But whether they find us has more to do with us than with them? You know how these things are.”

“Inside-out dream logic, yeah.”

“While we’re here we’re not running, and we’re in the grasp of another power that will greedily consume any fear we feel. If our theory's correct, when we return our tracks will be obliterated, and any breadcrumbs eaten by birds.”

“Yeah, I get it. What d’you think it is about the Hunt that makes everyone go for the fairy tale metaphors, anyway?”

“Couldn’t say. We should be here a few months, maybe close to a year if it doesn’t break immediately and Tim needs to use the baseball bat,” he smiled wryly. “We brought quite a few board games.”

“Sounds like a cozy holiday.”

“Yes! We’re trying to think of it that way,” he smiled, perking. “It’ll still be rough near the end, I’m sure. These things don’t come without consequences, you can’t throw yourself into something touched by the Vast without a taste of the horrors of eternity. But we’re good at keeping each other grounded. And I consider this worth it.”

“Unless something goes wrong and you’re trapped for all eternity.”

“True. It would definitely not be worth that. No offense.”

“None taken. Eternity’s a long time.”

Gerard tried to think of the last time someone had done something for him, with nothing to gain for themselves. Then he started to wonder if it had ever happened.

Something in him became still, then. Quiet, and cold.

“I . . . think I’m ready to go.”

". . . All right,” Jon hesitated, as if he might say something else, then nodded. “All right, then. Goodbye, Gerry. I dismiss you.”

Something flickered in him, and then he felt himself fade. The room slipped away, and he was once again nowhere and nothing.

He felt himself being torn from the book, felt leather split, waxed linen strain and snap as he was pulled from the binding that held him. There was a moment of breath, there was relief, and then there was only the fire.

It was nothing like being burned alive, and he would know. The pain was more insult than injury. What he felt instead was a frightening dissolution. Whatever was left of him – his thoughts, his memories, his feelings – he felt them disappear as he was being burned away.

The fear of his own end, the terror he had been bound in for so long threatened to return and drag him into oblivion screaming. But as the last vestiges of what had once been Gerard Keay were consumed, his mind drifted away from itself. He thought instead about Jon, about the last person he would ever speak to.

He didn’t think much, really. Just wondered if his plan would work, if he and his husband would escape the trap they’d put themselves into voluntarily. If they did this sort of thing all the time – burning Leitners and making enemies of Hunters – or if it was even remotely possible that they’d done it all for him.

Then Gerard Keay was gone. For good, this time.

---

Martin dropped the quartered logs in a pile next to the door, pausing to stomp the snow off him, take off his boots and brush the worst of it off his clothes. The endless snowstorm being what it was, he supposed there wouldn’t be much wandering around outside. Cabin fever was the whole point of this place.

The sounds of muffled conversation from behind the bedroom door had stopped just before he went out to the woodshed, and they hadn’t started up again. He decided to give the door a knock.

“Come in,” Jon’s voice came from beyond. “I’m . . . it’s done.”

Opening the door, Martin was greeted with the sight of Jon knelt in front of the fireplace, wrapped up in the soft flannel blanket from the bed. The book sat on the floor beside him, and he was shifting the logs with a long, metal poker. He turned in Martin’s direction and smiled. Lit by warm firelight, nestled in the blanket and one of Martin’s old jumpers, he made for a remarkably homey sight considering where they were.

“How’d it go?” Martin asked, coming to sit beside him.

“I think . . . Well. I hope that he got some peace, in the end.” Jon reached a blanket-swaddled arm across Martin’s back, pulling himself closer and drawing the warmth around him. “Thank you for doing this. It . . . means a lot.”

“You’re welcome,” Martin kissed the top of his head. “But it’s not just for you, you know. It’s a good thing we’re doing, setting them free. It’s the right thing to do.”

Jon nodded, nestling into him. "Did you take a look at the other pages?"

"Yeah. There's only a couple in English, so I figure we'Ll do them first, then I'll start breaking out the books and tapes we brought. If reciting it from memory worked, I might not even have to properly learn Sanskrit if I can pronounce it. Could be fun to try anyway, though."

"I'm still doubtful there'll be anyone who wouldn't rather have their page burned."

"Maybe, maybe not. Seems rude not to ask. And it's not as if we're on a tight schedule here."

"True enough," Jon smiled. "Time is something we'll have lots of. And . . . you're right to want to give them a choice. Even if they choose staying bound to a skin book for eternity."

"Mmm," Martin tried not to think too much about what the pages were made of, knowing he'd need to be handling them. "Anyway . . . looked around the place a bit while you were having your reunion. Whole cellar full of canned goods downstairs, easily a year's worth."

"I doubt they'll ever run out . . . fear of starvation would just distract from the dreadful creep of the endless aeons, after all."

"Mmm. Can always count on you to dispense these little nuggets of sunshine."

"Sorry. Too grim?"

"S'fine."

"We won't be here that long. A few months, a year at most. The others will get us out."

Martin looked into the fire. Any trace of the page thrown into it was long gone now. He hoped that whatever came next for Gerard Keay, it was kinder than what he'd been through.

"Well, if they don’t," he said, wrapping an arm around Jon. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather slowly go mad with than you."

"Nor can I."

#tma fanfic #tma #final update in this big honkin story!#because I always wonder about loose ends like these

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otterplusharchive · 3 years

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rey! do you have any recs for kdramas? i have never watched any, but i like lovable characters and romance ? thank you in advance!

I DO IN FACT HAVE DRAMA RECS HII not all of these will be kdramas, but ill start with the kdramas ive watched and enjoyed and ill include all the warnings for them that i can remember off the top of my head and a brief synopsis for u!

kdramas-

1. weight lifting fairy kim bok joo

this was probably one of the first kdramas i saw people post about in like 2015 and i watched a little bit of it in 2016 but then only just got around to finishing it last year. the basic gist of it is its about a young sports college weight lifter, kim bok joo, centering around her navigating through her life and trying to figure out who she is and what she wants in life and what she wants to be. her romantic interest in the show is a swimmer and they have a sort of rivals to friends to lovers, he is SO in love with her and its adorable. i absolutely loved the side characters in this show theyre all so fun and kim bok joos best friends and weight lifting team are especially delightful. my main warning would be that this show addresses eating disorders and theres a lot of mention of both weight gain and weight loss, theres also a plot point early on where kim bok joo has a crush on her eventual love interests older brother but it gets resolved and the older brother literally goes "i didnt realize you had a crush on me and if i knew that i wouldnt have been so friendly with you, it would be completely innapropriate for us to be in a relationship". overall its a really sweet and emotional fun show but if you have issues with weight talk id skip this one

2. tale of the nine tailed

this one is really recent from last year and i didnt expect to be so hooked by it but boy howdy did i get attached to all the characters and the wild plot. it feels hard to explain the plot but basically a nine tailed fox named lee yeon is living in modern day seoul and is working for the underworld finding paranormal spirits/creatures/other rogue foxes that are causing havoc on the world, hes resigned himself to living this life while waiting for his girlfriend who died tragically 600 years ago to come back to life because he traded his status as a mountain god in order to ensure that her soul would one day be reincarnated. a plucky investigative journalist named nam ji ah figures out that hes not human and shenanagins ensue because she looks exactly like his dead girlfriend oooooo whatll happen. the plot beyond that gets really wild and its hard to explain and is easier to just watch. if u enjoy paranormal adventures this one is good. my one big complaint and issue with this is that the immortal mountain spirit meets his original girlfriend when shes a child and she continues to visit him off and on as she grows up which is Hm I Dont Like That! but thankfully the present time romance our female lead meets him when shes about 30 if im remembering right. also warnings for general fantasy violence, references to child abuse, animal death, and abandonment issues

3. extraordinary you

HUGE unreality warning for this. if you have issues with feeling unreal or have paranoia/delusions about not being a real person id avoid this one just because of its premise

ok i know i said tale of the nine tailed was a hard plot to explain but BOY extraordinary you is even HARDER to explain. because its so wild but so good. its about a girl who realizes that she is literally a side character in a comic book, and the story becomes her trying to change the story to save her character from dying but it becomes a lot more than that. the romance in this is literally tooth achingly sweet and the show itself is very pretty, i loved the side characters in this one and the show was engaging and interesting to watch it became really layered and meta. super reccomend this one honestly. my main issues/warnings that i can remember off the top of my head were just one character being the classic controlling boyfriend stereotype, bullying someone specifically for being poor, unreality like i mentioned before, and then at the very end there was this love interest for a side character who got reincarnated from a past piece of writing that they had been in and put in the comic but she was a student and he was the school cook which is weird but thankfully they like barely interact at all and theres no real romance he just like recognizes her and its barely a thing at the end of the show but its still weird

4. mystic pop up bar

big warning for suicide, sexual harrasment (which is framed as being bad and the guy whos harrassing the girl literally gets thrown off a roof)

i havent finished this one yet and thats mainly because im not emotionally ready because this one makes me soooo emotional. if you like found family this is a good one. its about a pop up bar run by a woman whos been tasked with solving the problems of a certain amount of people in order to atone for her crimes in the past before dying, shes able to enter the dreams of people and solve their issues using the information she gets in the dreams. paranormal shenanagins ensue, she acquires a son and a husband and it kills me its so fun and quirky and fun despite handling dark themes and peoples problems. also very sweet the found family murders me

5. kingdom (netflix original)

i literally am not going to be able to watch any other zombie media because kingdom and train to busan are the best pieces of zombie media ive ever seen. warnings for gore and violence and just general horror aspects.

i absolutely love this one its so thrilling and well done, i love the acting and the way that this show looks its absolutely gorgeous. a zombie plague breaks out in joseon period korea where the emperor has died and then was brought back to life by the queen and her father in a ploy to try and keep their family in political power, the crown prince must find answers. a lot more happens and its very dramatic and good i love the characters in this one

cdramas

1. the untamed. if you follow me and you havent watched the untamed im begging you to watch the untamed. literally one of the most beautiful stories ive experienced in my life i am not joking when i say i cried multiple times over it. the main characters are canonically gay in love and have a son together please watch the untamed. handles a lot of dark themes, heres a tw guide

2. the sleuth of the ming dynasty

this is another one i havent finished but its fun so far, very gay, found family, food, and solving murder mysteries during the ming dynasty

3. hikaru no go (also known as qi hun)

havent finished this one, there is some propaganda about hong kong in the first episode but as far as i know thats the only instance of something like that in the show

this ones about the game go and so far its very sweet and fun, local boy awakens a ghost who was a master of the game of go hundreds of years ago and eventually is persuaded to learn how to play go with the aid of the ghost. im really liking this one so far its very cute and i love the characters in it. if youve watched the untamed nie huaisangs actor ji li is in this one!

4. the legend of yunqian

this ones very short and on youtube, all the episodes are about 5 minutes long and its a lesbian time travel fantasy adventure with a happy ending! funny and cute

jdramas

1. cherry magic

please please please watch cherry magic. the premise sounds very much like a weird yaoi kind of thing but trust me on this. trust me. it is so heart warming and sweet and i was so emotional about it and the growth of the main character.

adachi gains the power to read peoples minds on his 30th birthday based off a urban legend that if youre a 30 year old virgin that youll become a wizard. after gaining this power he accidentally finds out that his extremely popular and handsome coworker has a crush on him, and shenanagins ensue along with adachi having blossoming feelings in return. this show was really refreshing in a lot of ways, adachi is a main character who like.. is unsure of himself and insecure in a very kind of realistic way, he closes himself off and is afraid to reach out to people and through the course of the show we see him slowly come out of his shell and realize that hes likeable and lovable and that people want to be around him and its so nice to see. my main complaint about this show is that i dont really like the background couple, but otherwise this is a very sweet and refreshing gay romance that has a happy ending!

some others that i myself havent seen but that ive seen people talk about a lot and that i want to watch eventually:

- the legend of fei (cdrama)

- the wolf (cdrama)

- gaurdian (cdrama, not the kdrama one called goblin)

- healer (kdrama, i did watch some of this one but it was in 2016 and i never finished it so i barely remember any of it but i do remember liking it)

- nobody knows (kdrama)

- its ok to not be ok (kdrama)

sorry this is so long but i hope youll be able to find a drama u enjoy!!

#long post

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shuskas-story-book · 3 years

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Just like this

‘

Art/Sauron/Cyrusk all belong to @clockworkreapers!!!

This story is a fusion of two songs to try and get a good mix of both of the characters personalities. Saurons song was ‘One last time’ by Jaymes Young and Cy’s song is ‘just like this’ by the chainsmokers/coldplay

This is my half of an art trade with one of the best artists I have the honor of calling a friend and I hope that I’ve done them, and her, justice with this story.

PLEASE NOTE Sauron is a MUTE character and is thinking all of his parts. As such I have them in ITALLICS to help discern their parts of a conversation

please enjoy~ and Thank you so much to Clock once again for allowing me the honor of writing about these lovable dorks!!!!!

((minor spelling errors now corrected))

Two shadows could be seen passing through the abandoned part of the old town, soft whispers heard as one seems to be reading the other's thoughts. The darkness didn’t bother the two males, in fact it was comfortable for the two as they worked themselves into a long forgotten apartment building. With the comfortable closeness they had, even with the muted troll carrying a couple bags of goodies they had a good clip to their pace. “Come on Sauron, we're almost to the top'' The leader said softly, a chuckle in his throat as his rust companion rolled his eyes.

Yea yea I know we are Cy. We've come up here how many times now? Sauron thought to his companion, smiling a bit as Cyrusk laughed at him. “I know I know. And you know how much I love coming up here!” He hummed in return, opening the door to the roof and taking a deep breath as he stepped back out into the cold night air.

The two were now far above the abandoned streets of the ghost town and able to really see the stars that twinkled in the sky above them. Sauron gave a soft sigh and closed his eyes for a moment before moving over and settling himself on the edge of the roof with his feet hanging off the edge. This feels nice. A good breeze, no neons blinding us to the stars… “No one to bother us as we just watch the sky till daylight” Cyrusk finished for his mate, a sweet smile on his lips. The rust blood looked up and let an unfamiliar quirk of a smile to grace its way over his features.

You know, Ive been reading a lot of old books in my spare time recently. All about the old legends and myths like that of Achilles and his gold and Heracles and the gifts he received “yea? I personally would rather read about Spider-Man’s control and Batman training with his lusus” Cy rambled in response, making a few joking jabs at Sauron's shoulder with a happy smile. The rust just rolled his eyes and let out a silent little sigh.

Cyrusk was about the only person he ever smiled for nowadays, and in all honesty that’s sort of how Sauron liked it. He hated to really show his soft side to those around him and Cy? Cy was a special case that was just for him. A special person that he could properly trust with his red quadrant.

Of course I’ll never see myself on any lists like this, My caste doesn't really show up in the history books after all Sauron thought to the other, shaking his head and jumping a bit as Cyrusk reached out and carefully cupped his lover’s cheek. “Hey…..Where do you want to go?” he asked, leaving the mute completely flabbergasted what?

“Where do you want to go Sauron. How much do you really want to risk?” he continued to ask, his eye lidding half way as he offered a sadly sweet smile. “Because I’m not really looking for anyone with superhero gifts. No superhero. Just us” he said sweetly, Sauron tilting his head and offering a small pout in return

No blissful fairy-tale?.....Because in all honesty I don't want that either….I just want someone I can turn to when I’m depressed again and…..someone I can kiss when I’m feeling happy.. Cyrusk smiled and nodded, leaning in to press a soft little kiss to Sauron’s head. “I want something exactly like that Mr. Yetzar” he chuckled, getting a raspy little groan as the rust rolled his eyes, and honestly his head as well at the sappy little piece of sass beside him.

They sat there and Cy eventually got Sauron to smile again with his shenanigans, the two of them drinking and smoking through the next few hours as the sun began to rise. With it being a weekend for them, the couple had planned on just staying in the abandoned apartments to wait out the burning rays of their world’s sun. Cyrusk managed to pass out long before his lover and it allowed Sauron to relax a bit….not have to guard himself and worry about what thoughts were running through his mind that could have accidentally been ‘seen’ by Cy’s ability.

The rust sighed and sat up from the pallet they had managed to set up so he could turn his eyes over to the window that was covered up with black curtains to block out the light of day. You know Cy...I’m fading… and it's much, much too fast for me… God, I could drop off the face of the planet right now and… Cy’s voice rang in his head from earlier “I want something just like this Sauron. Just the two of us here on this rooftop. Nothing special, just us and a couple good drinks”

I’m fading much too fast for you...you deserve so much more than my love. The rust looked back to his lover and took a chance to reach out and lightly caress the bronze blood’s cheek with a sad little smile. I’m waiting for it to pass… When I’m with you I don't feel like I'm about to fade away into nothingness, that I'm going to just slip away. He admitted to himself. The heat of Sauron’s fingers caused Cyrusk to groan softly and shift to his side, prompting Sauron to finally lay back down against his lover. These days were always so long, always full of sleeplessness for the rust….but with the warmth of another beside him that he trusted he was able to fall into a mostly restful sleep.

*********************************

“You know Sauron, last night's conversation kinda niggled at the back of my mind all night…. And it reminds me that I read a few older comics recently you know?” Cyrusk hummed as the two of them were settled right back on the rooftop with a fresh bag of drinks and snacks. “ and even though they were just comics you could really recognize the testaments they told and what legends and myths they actually followed” he rambled, Sauron rolling his eyes a bit and taking a deep drag of his cigarette as he continued to listen.

“They went through this one arc where the moon was eclipsing and superman had to fully unroll a costume to change into instead of just having it ready under his normal suit! It was so interesting to see that differential!” he hummed, eyes turning up to their moons with a smile. You know I'm not the kind of person who really reads comics right? Cyrusk sighed and shook his head a bit with a pout “you realize that I don't care about that right? We ramble back and forth and that’s just our way of showing our love right?” he asked, head tilting to the side lightly as he reached out to move some hair out of Sauron’s face.

The rust was spooked a bit at the sudden hand in his face but relaxed a bit as he turned a tired little look to the other. He took a deep breath and put out the end of his cigarette before pulling his legs back off the ledge of the roof and facing the bronze with an oddly forward motion of reaching out to cup Cy’s cheek

Cyrusk....we only have one more night before I have to leave on an assignment for a while…..Can I just….feel your skin against mine for the day?..... Before I have to say goodbye? He asked curiously, a tilt to his head Or just…. I don't know…. I feel like I can't breathe tonight. I want to breathe one last time, I want to be able to feel your breath against my skin, share your breath again…..before I have to go on my assignment. Cyrusk just listened in confusion before melting at his matesprit’s words. He leaned into the touch and kissed Sauron's palm with a sweet smile “of course…..Where do you wanna go for this? Do you want to lay down and cuddle? Do you want to take a risk and go on a joyride with a busted drone?” he asked, trying to offer Sauron something that wasn't just wallowing in the despair and anxiety he could see settling in his love's eyes. “You know I'm not looking for anyone with special gifts or a high position in life so even if we just sit here it’s all I could ever ask for” he hummed, shifting over to press his thigh to the rust’s gently.

“You don't have to make our lives some kind of fairy-tale, you just need to stay here and stay alive so I have someone to turn to… and someone I can miss when they’re out on assignments” Cy chuckled softly, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Sauron’s cheek gently as the rust wrapped his arms around the others waist in a tight hug.

I feel like my world’s been losing its light Cy… “well then let it loose light. I’ll be here with a flashlight and a candle for when the batteries die” he hummed, pulling Sauron in for a tight hug “I want to stay just like this…..”

*********************************

The day had passed once more, leaving the two with precious few hours to spend together like this. Sauron woke up first of course, not really having been able to sleep through the day and just listening to Cyrusk snoring seemed to help the day before. He sighed and closed his eyes as he allowed himself to have a moment of peace. His arms wrapped around the bronze as he buried his face in that fluff of hair that always seemed to hide that eye that he loved to see.

I have to leave soon…..pack my bags and get on the train....this is a cold, cruel world we live in huh Cy? He thought to himself, sighing and staring off at the far wall as he just let himself sit in the relative silence of their embrace.

“Hey Sauron? Where’d you wanna go if we could just risk it all and leave right here and now?”

Sauron turned his eyes down to Cy’s sleeping face and smiled a bit to himself as he listened to his memories. No pleading could turn back time for us to redo this weekend….. I’m glad I spent it with you Cyrusk… You mean the world to me, even if I don't tell you or show you as often as you deserve. You tell me you aren’t looking for someone that has super powers or a lot of money but…. I do want to at least bring your life a bit of joy from time to time

Sauron hadn't noticed Cyrusk waking up, having zoned out as he thought and got settled with his chin on the other’s head again. The bronze smiled a bit and nuzzled up into Sauron's touch, accidentally causing the rust to jump and pulling a sleepy little chuckle out of the bronze’s chest. “You don't gotta be so dour…. You just gotta be someone I can turn back to and kiss when ‘m happy” he hummed softly, Sauron smiling sadly.

Good evening Cyrusk….. He thought in return, honestly happy to just be there for once. Cy….is it ok that I can feel your skin against mine? He asked softly, head tilting lightly as the bronze in his arms stretched a bit he got a nod in return and relaxed again with a rumbly little hum in his chest that wouldn't really have a sound anymore. I’m safe….I have someone to kiss before I have to say goodbye again….. I can breathe again tonight…..as long as I have you in my arms I can always pull through and breathe so much easier than if i was on my own he thought to the other, getting a sweet smile in return

“And you know what? I want nothing more than this right here. I want you to be right here, happy, safe, and feeling like you are free as a bird” he hummed sweetly, the alarms on Sauron’s phone starting to go off to warn them of their time together dwindling. The rust glared at his phone as though it had told him he was unlovable and reached over to smack the screen so it would shut up.

“Hey Sauron?.....Can we share one last cig before you go?...give you a chance to calm down again before the walk home?” he asked softly, sitting up with a soft groan and another stretch to pop his back. Sauron nodded and stretched out now that his lover was sitting up instead of being curled into a singular position against his chest.

Yea…. I’d enjoy one last chance to take a deep breath of you so I don't curl up and die on the ride to the next town over. Cy frowned “How about lets don't? I’d like you to come back so I can hug you and tell you how much I missed you while you were gone!” he huffed, poking his love in the side and getting an almost squeak out of the lanky male. Sauron pouted and glared at the other with a huff as he sat up and crossed his legs before getting a good look at his lover and giving a small little smile. You know what Cy….My world might be losing light but….I think it’s just so you can burn a little brighter…..

I love you

“I love you too”

#cyrusk #sauron #@clockworkreapers #just like this #homestuck oc's

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the-endless-storm · 4 years

Text

Nuzlocke Shield Part Four

Part Three

An we are off again. Three zones to go through to get to Hammerlocke, let's see what we get.

Stony Wilderness it is snowing, and we get Sneasel, which is a dupe so let's try for a second one. It's a Chubcoo.

Oreo - Chubcoo (m) Slush Rush Sassy (SDf up / Spd down) “It scatters things often!”

Giant's Cap is sunny (thank god) and we get Lombre! Wasn’t expecting this.

Pina Colada - Lombre (m) Rain Dish Docile (no change) “It's impetuous and silly!”

Lastly Hammerlocke Hills is raining and we get Pelipper. Meh.

Febreeze - Peilipper (f) Drizzle Modest (SAk up / Atk down) “It's very finicky!” Rainy Mark

This is the first Pokemon I’ve caught that had a mark on it, but it's not enough to warrant putting Pelipper on my team.

I see Bede and the Chairman in the middle of Hammerlocke, but let's do some exploring before story time. First up, a house with a Blakckbelt and a level 2 Cottonee. Um ok.

Oh fuck. Oh fuck. I forgot about Endevour. It left Snapper with 1 HP! That could have been a disaster!

I’m wary about going into the Battle Cafe. I know they're double battles against fairy types, and the only effective move I have at the moment is Acid on a baby Pokemon. So I’ll give that a miss for the moment, maybe come back when Toxel has evolved and I have some Steel moves somewhere.

Mmm, Chairman Rose knows exactly what he's doing walking around the city in those shorts. There's a guy outside the far left Pokemon Centre, trying to meet someone. Maybe if Chairman Rose spent more time on Grindr he wouldn’t want to resurrect ancient deities.

I wish we had a chance to explore more of the castle part of Hammerlocke. There are loads of paths and stairwells with gates on them that look like they should open up.

Anyway, let’s see what Route 6 has on offer, thankfully not another damn Ice type.

Oh wait, Team Yell first.

Yay, Jett is evolving into Toxtricity Amped Form!

Ah! Bullseye is evolving in Mudsdale too! Awesome sauce.

Ok finally back to Route 6 and our encounter is a Heatmor! Interesting, I have genuinely never used this Pokemon before.

Otis - Heatmor (m) Flash Fire Modest (SAk up / Atk down) “It takes plenty of siestas!” Rowdy Mark

I think I’m going to swap out Carcoal for Heatmor. It has better stats and isn’t four times weak to Water and Ground. There's a TM for Fire Spin in the Hammerlocke shop too, and whilst it's not the greatest attack it should cover Heatmor until it learns something else.

While I’m back here, I’ll check the Move Relearner for my newly evolved Pokemon too. Heatmor can relearn Incinerate, so Fire Spin isn't needed now. If money weren’t so easy to come by I might be upset about spending 10k.

Get to the end of Route 6 and the dumb fuck trainer has his Koffing use Self Destruct, good thing I swapped Otis out for Snapper otherwise that could have been a short career again.

I like Stow-on-Side, it's good a good look to it. No encounters here though, so I'll head up to the mushroom forest bit and see if I can catch a Psychic, Ghost or Dark type and not another useless bird or something.

Dammit Hop leave me alone.

Dammit Opal leave me alone.

Dammit Team Yell leave me alone. Can’t do anything I want these days.

Fine, Glimwood Tangle is out of the question until I beat Allister. Going to go train a bit.

Got everyone up to 35-36 and raided a few dens to get some TRs that really didn’t help a great deal with moves. A lot of my team have totally the wrong natures, boosting Attack when Special Attack would be better and vice versa (Toxtricity being a prime example). But we'll see where we go.

Also Drumroll has evolved into a Rillaboom. This play through is notably the first time I have used one of the starters, as I generally dislike all three in this game.

Time to hit the Gym.

The trainers didn’t put up much of a fight, but I’m wary of GMax Gengar doing a lot of damage because I don’t have anything that resists Ghost attacks. I hope Drednaw will be fast enough to get off a Max Darkness and survive anything Gengar throws at her.

Not faster than Gengar, but Gengar used Max Ooze which Snapper resists, and the Max Darkness KO'd it.

Ghost Badge get!

Dammit Bede leave me alone

If Rose disqualifies Bede in the name of keeping things fair, shouldn’t help also disqualify Marnie (or at least issue a warning) as a result of her supporters actively attempting to sabotage other gym challengers?

Dammit Sinistea leave me alo... oh no never mind. Sinistea you can stay :)

Chamomile - Sinistea (g) Weak Armour Gentle (SDf up / Dfc down) “It likes to fight!” Vigor Mark

Goodbye Machoke, Sinistea is on the team. I'll use the Cracked Pot I have to immediately evolve it into Polteageist, and as always check back with the Move Relearner.

I'm half way through the Gym Challenge. I have two zones left to explore in the Wild Area (Dusty Bowl and Giant's Mirror) not counting the two I need to cross water to reach. I’m in no immediate need for new Pokemon right now, so I’ll see what the weather is like on them going forward and visit when it's not snowing or raining.

I love Ballonlea, it's such an amazing looking town. This is the best looking location in the entire game, it's like all the design budget went here instead of being shared out elsewhere.

Got some eviolite, useless atm but you never know if I might need it in the future.

Let’s take on Opal and get that out of the way.

A trainer's Morgrem almost knocked out Chamomile with an attack, but luckily I was faster and able to take it down first. Close though.

Bullseye makes quick work of both Weezing and Mawile, and Opal's stat boosts certainly don’t go amiss. I was intending to use Jett here, but with Bullseye's Stamina boosting its defence, plus a speed and special defence boost from Opal she might not be needed.

It took three Max Steelspike's but Alcreamie fell to Bullseye. Opal only asked two of her three questions.

Fairy Badge get!

Back to Hammerlocke and Chairman Rose's Grindr hook-up is still waiting at the Pokecentre. I think now that I’m back I’ll do the Battle Cafe I skipped last time.

Oh fuck yeah, they're level 37 each. If I’d tried this back when I thought about it I would have been under level 30 and it would have been game over for me.

What a crap prize. An item that restores 20HP. Wowee.

Eww Bede is here again. Gross.

Let's do the two spots in the Wild Area now to get them done and out of the way before I head to Circhester.

Giant's Mirror gets me a Roselia. Not great tbh. Oops, knocked it out. Oh well.

Dusty Bowl gets me a Dubwool. A Dubwool!? Of all the Pokemon in the Wild Area I get the big goat!? Ffs.

Babs - Dubwool (f) Fluffy Relaxed (Dfc up / Spd down) “It's capable of taking hits!”

Back to Hammerlocke, past Sonia and the pointless bit of storyline that has no impact. Though it is refreshing to hear characters say “this isn’t for kids to worry about” instead of the fate of the universe resting firmly on your shoulders while the elite trainers sit and watch as is the norm in most Pokemon games.

God do I have to fight Hop AGAIN!?

“The way you battle, it kind of reminds me of Lee” you mean, well using proper strategy and skill instead that'a expected of someone aiming to be the champion, Mr “ive studied all my brother's battles, now wooloo use tackle on the steel type”?

“Now have a taste of our true power!” Water attack against a grass type. Ok.

Route encounter is a Corviknight, so another dupe. Next one is a Shelmet. Ok, I like Shelmet, but being unable to evolve it makes it pretty useless.

Kiniggit is a bad name I can't enter. I assume it's because the French used it as an insult against King Arthur during his quest for the Holy Grail.

G'night - Shelmet (f) Shell Armour Naughty (Atk up / SDf down) “It takes plenty of siestas!”

Ok, that's enough for today, this has been a long one. No deaths though so that’s good. Might finally have some balance to the team.

Current Team Drumroll - Rillaboom (lv 40) Bullseye - Mudsdale (lv 41) Snapper - Drednaw (lv 40) Otis - Heatmor (lv 40) Chamomile - Polteageist (lv 40) Jett - Toxtricity (lv 41)

Boxed Joltik Slowpoke Charjabug Croagunk Oddish Snorunt Sizzlepede Sneasel Chubcoo Lombre Pelipper Carcoal Machoke Dubwool Shelmet

Losses Bandit the Nickit - Knocked out by a fat squirrel Gumball the Tympole - Devoured by a centipede with a moustache Castlevania the Rookidee - Torn apart by a cute mole HaagenDazs the Vanillite - Murdered in an act of revenge by a smelly frog

Wild Area Tracker Rolling Fields West Lake Axewell East Lake Axewell South Lake Miloch Dappled Grove Watchtower Ruins North Lake Miloch Giant’s Seat Motostoke Riverbank Bridge Field Stony Wilderness Giant's Cap Hammerlocke Hills Dusty Bowl Giant's Mirror

Part Five

#me #pokemon #pokemon shield #nuzlocke #long post

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automatayaoi · 4 years

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hi i care you and you should tell me your top ten must listen bands and your favorite song from each?

🥺🥺🥺 i care you too,,,, thank u for the permission to yell abt bands djkslfs

like i said lemon demon is obviously first bc what am i, not gay? i have to laugh. favorite song: SWEET BOD !!!! it appeals to the maslow’s hierarchy of needs: goth, sweet synth, homoerotic, and based on real life!

this might just be tma hyperfix talking but the mechanisms is also Very Fucking High on this list. a bunch of immortal gay space pirates singing abt sci fi versions of like, fairy tales and greek myths? literally the coolest shit. favorite song: this is rlly hard bc my favorite changes basically every time i open spotify BUT right now my favorites are pieces and favored son !!! pieces makes me so fucking emotional, and favored son just Slaps So Hard

now we’re getting into my love for j-music jdsksl next is queen bee / ziyoou-vachi !! LITERALLY I AM BEGGING YOU TO LOOK THEM UP ON YOUTUBE AND WATCH SOME OF THEIR VIDEOS, THE AESTHETIC IS SO ON POINT AND THE MUSIC IS SO GOOD !! and the lead singer is trans and mixed !! please god listen to queen bee. favorite song: BL !!! also watch dororo, which is how i discovered their music, they do the op and this anime is. it’s just so good. trust me.

ok next is for the multifaceted queen poppy !!! i already loved her for her “terrifying manufactured pop idol” schtick but then she started putting out like, legit REALLY good metal albums?? and i fell even more in love. favorite song: bite your teeth !!

i’m exposing myself as someone who, unfortunately, watches a lot of r*paul’s dr*g r*ce but i think they’re worth it. next is aja !! they’re an INCREDIBLE rapper and once of their recent albums was horrorcore which is like. a direct line to my heart. favorite song: brujeria !! I AM SABRINA THE TEENAGE BITCH !

yet another band discovered thru anime is MYTH & ROID !! G O D the fucking sound design bitch !! the fucking synth !! the fucking Bass !! i freaked out abt them last night bc i realized they released a new album w the boogiepop op finally ( also u should watch boogiepop please i need to talk to someone abt it ) favorite song: shadowgraph !!

now i expose myself yet again, this time as a vocaloid weeb. my favorite producer is kikuo !! they have some EXTREMELY sick beats and as stated earlier i fuckin Love horrorcore and dark underlying meanings. favorite song: 君はできない子 !!

everyone probably already knows them but i love them unironically. next is baby metal !! seriously y’all that like metal better be listening to kawaii metal, as a life long metalhead japanese metal bands have done more for the genre than most western bands in years. favorite song: PA PA YA !!

alright let’s shake it up a little w some waterparks !! full honesty ive only listened to fandom so far but like. the vibes. the laying in my bedroom in 2006 after a long day of elementary school playing kingdom hearts on the ps2 with the radio on vibes. also the album art makes me want orange juice. favorite song: easy to hate !!

finally we reach the end, and i reveal to you my msi brain rot. yes unfortunately i really like mindless self indulgence. sometimes you just want to go absolutely batshit and lose your last remaining brain cell. i ask for thoughts and prayers in this difficult time 😔 favorite song: ala mode

also this is eleven and breaking the rules but i am legally required to add rob zombie and i can’t bear to take anyone else out. rob zombie is part of my Fucking Childhood and i love them, they still have the best, crunchiest sound in metal. favorite song: scum of the earth !!

this took way longer than i thought but it was really fun !! also i realized i had some hot jams that weren’t necessarily must listen bands but are still Very Good so here’s some runner ups

tyranny-parasite by fruitpochette ( EXTREMELY good metal song )

stand by me by the peggies ( i literally cry every time i listen )

other side by miyavi ( TH-THE VIBES… )

IN MY MOUTH by black dresses ( i could grate cheese on their sound )

haguruma by kana-boon ( this is just a karakuri circus op but i love it )

honey i’m home by ghost ( again. horrorcore. )

brutus by the buttress ( spoken word version of the stabbing of ceasar )

muscle cocktail by deadlift lolita ( kawaii metal and they’re BUFF )

99 luftballoons by nena ( my favorite 80s song )

Every Jojo Opening But Especially Bloody Stream ( i’m gay )

#long post #VERY LONG POST JDSSLKHDSKLJ #OOPS #i got excited jddjshjlhjlksd #swamp wisdom #mutuals tag #timelesslyjune

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zacharybosch · 4 years

Text

Playing Dead - chapter 3

in which miriam and bev have a bad time

chapter 1: tumblr / ao3

chapter 2: tumblr / ao3

read chapter 3 of Playing Dead below or on ao3!

Miriam was a ghost. Physically, she still moved through the world and her presence was tangible and real, but in all other aspects she was reduced down to a shadow. Her and Bev's little house had grown cold over the months; every room held the echo of a stranger, every meal held the memory of the dead.

It was easy to let it happen, to start walking through walls with her head in her laptop, dark circles around dark eyes set in a dark, hollow face. It felt as though she’d been a ghost all this time, and the past few years she had just been playing at being human, living a life that had never been real.

As far as the FBI was concerned, Hannibal Lecter was dead and Will Graham never existed. They fabricated some story, a burglary that went wrong and ended in a murder so grisly that just an ear remained, and only upon assessing the crime scene did they discover that the victim was the Chesapeake Ripper himself.

Jack took an undisclosed figure in severance pay, packed up his desk, and left without a backward glance for the Florida Keys. He had not reached out to anyone and had rebuffed all attempts at contact with an impenetrable wall of silence. Whether he was rewarding himself for a job well done, or exiling himself as punishment, no-one knew.

Miriam was given a similar pay-off, ostensibly some very delayed compensation for injury in the field, since it was her work for the Bureau that led to her kidnapping and maiming so many years ago. Along with the money, she was carefully advised that her job as Will’s handler had never existed; she did some teaching at the Academy, and she did some consultancy work for Jack, and they had paperwork stretching back years to prove it. Her old office in the basement was and always had been part of a larger storage area, and she owned a small house out in Wolf Trap which she had been renting out for years to a succession of happy tenants. She was now taking a year off to fix up the house and do some travelling. She was undecided if she would return to work afterwards.

Bev did not get any compensation. The story she was told to stick to was that she had taken an extended period of medical leave, for private reasons that she did not want to discuss with fellow colleagues. She had never gone snooping in Hannibal Lecter’s house, and had never been held in the Witness Protection Unit. She was re-adjusting well after a long period of illness and was just as horrified as everyone else when the news broke that their occasional outside consultant, Hannibal Lecter, had been a serial killer all along.

The fairy tales made things bearable, to a point. It was easy to look at it all laid out on paper and say yes, that’s it, that’s what really happened. It was not so easy to lie in bed at night, with the glow of laptop screens and the frantic tapping of keys reminding Bev and Miriam that no, that was not what happened at all.

It had started innocently enough. After the utter collapse of Jack and Miriam’s plot, when it was strongly suggested to Miriam that she take a sabbatical, she’d looked at the endless string of days and months before her and decided to find something to fill the time. It was natural to want to know what happened, if that annoying little voice in the back of her head was really telling the truth when it said Hannibal was still alive and kicking. She wouldn’t do anything with the information, if she even found anything out at all. It would just be closure, a decisive full stop at the end of an unpleasant story. Just a hobby, an idle way to kill time until she could get herself sorted out and maybe find a new job somewhere else.

But Miriam was never one to do things in an idle manner. A cursory websearch on her phone one afternoon turned into a slightly deeper search on her computer the next evening; turned into a running list of recent murders that struck her as suspicious, and heavy-handed overtures to an old friend who worked for Interpol; turned into a map full of pins and strings and the frantic, hasty typing up of every piece of info Will had ever let slip during their conversations together, before they faded from her memory forever. Had he ever mentioned anything about the process of turning a human? Was it drawn out, or did it happen instantly? How easy would it be to transport a seemingly dead body out of the country without the necessary paperwork? Was there a vampire network that he could call on to facilitate these things?

These questions and more like them swirled around inside Miriam’s skull day after day, night after night. She could feel herself withdrawing, pulling the tendrils of her life back inside herself and using them to build a wall. There was a small part of her that felt resentment towards Bev, that she could seemingly get on with life so easily; she would watch her, climbing out of bed early in the morning to get ready for work, while Miriam was hunched over her laptop just as she had been all night. Bev made it look so damn easy.

Logically, Miriam knew that Bev was likely just putting on a brave face, taking a deep breath and powering on through as Miriam herself had done for so many years. But it didn’t stop the stab of anger, the selfish feeling that Miriam had done her time and endured the sick feeling in her head, and now she should get to relax while someone else took on the burden. It wasn’t fair: she had worked so hard to try and cut the trauma out of her life, but after all of her effort it was still there and it hurt worse than ever.

Bev watched it happen, the slow descent into consuming obsession, and she felt utterly powerless to do a thing to stop it. She was barely holding herself together, and though she wanted so much to hold Miriam together as well, she couldn’t. It took all of her strength just to get up and go to work and pretend that she was okay.

It was compounded by the fact that Bev privately held the opinion that she didn’t even have any right to be feeling as she did. Miriam was allowed to be a mess; she’d been mutilated and held captive by one of the most notorious and prolific serial killers in modern history, and after concealing her troubles for so many years it was understandable that she couldn’t hold it in any longer. But all that happened to Bev was that she saw something nasty in a basement. She should’ve got over it months ago. She would get over it. She just had to not think about it, not feel anything about it, not afford it any more acknowledgement than was absolutely necessary.

But the further that Miriam sank into her fixation with tracking Hannibal and Will, the harder it was for Bev to pretend like everything was fine. It was right there in her face every day, flashing across screens and pinned up on the walls, and it was leeching the life from the both of them. She didn’t blame Miriam for it; it was easy enough to see the trains of thought that had led her to this point. She didn’t even blame Jack, not really; if he hadn’t plotted with Miriam in the first place, she would’ve just plotted on her own.

The people she blamed were Hannibal and Will. Blaming Hannibal was obvious, and almost an afterthought; afterall, he had visited upon them both the most obvious and immediate horrors in their lives. But blaming Will felt satisfying and righteous and good, like she’d finally identified the root cause of something insidious, and now all she had to do was rip it out like a weed.

At least Hannibal was human, malleable like a human and mortal like a human and only able to do that which any other human could do. Will was-- Bev couldn’t even begin to understand what Will was. She’d worked alongside him, had made gentle offers of friendship towards him, and was all the while blind to the supernatural horror of him.

By the time Miriam shook Bev awake one night, frantic and excited and talking too quickly, Bev barely even recognised her, a stranger speaking with her girlfriend’s voice. The reflexive thought was familiar by now, Just one more thing that Hannibal and Will have taken from me, but then she actually listened to what Miriam was saying.

“I found a pattern, Bev, a new pattern. Look.” Miriam thrust the laptop into Bev’s face, screen glowing as bright as the sun in their dark bedroom. When her eyes adjusted, she saw a list of purchases and deliveries in various cities across Europe.

“Is that a shopping list? What am I looking at?”

“They’re from a few different medical supply stores and with a few different cards, but it’s the same order every time. Look. And then these,” Miriam scrolled the page down to a second list, “DIY stores. Same orders. Same times as the med supplies. Who needs to buy IV bags and tarps that often?”

Bev pressed her fingers into her eyes as she tried to will away the fog of sleep. “That’s weak, Miri. It doesn’t prove anything.”

“Right, right, I know. But you know that string of cases I found, where the people were slashed up just on one little area on their body? The physical evidence that someone had done something, but the victims had no memory of the attack itself. Black holes in their minds, perfect recall before and after and then just a sudden blank space. And there were the murders as well, remember? Same style, slashed up on one specific area, like the perp was trying to hide bite marks, right? Do you remember?”

“Yes, I remember. That was stronger than these shopping lists--”

“These are the locations of the attacks,” Miriam interrupted, bringing up a map of mainland Europe, dotted with blue markers that were scattered across the continent. There was a small cluster in Italy, centered around Florence, but apart from that they looked utterly random. “And then these are the delivery locations of the purchases.” Miriam brought up a second map, showing all the previous blue markers as well as a host of new red ones. The overlap between the two was considerable. “They’re in Florence right now. I know it.”

When it was displayed like that, Bev had to concede that maybe there was something to it. The attacks and the purchases lined up with an almost startling regularity, dates and cities aligning so neatly that it may as well have been a flashing neon sign. It felt like a trap, and it looked like a trap, but Miriam had a light in her eyes that Bev hadn’t seen in months, and she couldn’t bear to see it extinguished.

Bev stared at the map for a long time. “Why are you doing this?” she asked, finally. “Be honest with me.”

“Because,” Miriam said, “I’m not ready to give up. I want… He-- he owes me.”

“Which one? Who owes you?”

“Both of them! I thought I could be cold and remote, you know, just like Hannibal, detached from all my feelings. He made me believe it was possible. I was so good for so long, I was a model prisoner and then a model survivor and he never even told me what he did it all for.” Miriam’s mouth twitched, and she bit at the inside of her cheek to stop the unhappy downturn of her lips. “It’s not fair. I could see that he was getting inside Will’s head as well and I tried to help him get away, just make it all finally stop, but he just stabbed me in the back. Hannibal owes me his life in exchange for the life that he took from me. And Will owes me the chance to forget that my life was ever taken.” Miriam took Bev’s hands and looked at her imploringly. Bev’s heart broke a little. “This can be it. Our clean break.”

“You can’t just wish your problems away, Miriam. The world doesn’t work like that.”

“I can. It does,” Miriam said, and Bev’s heart broke a little more.

The next day, Bev called in sick to work, and Miriam booked flights to Italy.

#hannibal #hannigram #hannibal lecter #will graham #hannibal fanfic #vampire au #my fic

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karmanticmoved · 5 years

Note

1-85 uwu

j esus okay

1. describe yourself.

uh,, emotional ig, dumbass, quiet, exhausted all of the time, v queer, healthy mix of feminine and masculine, insecure, and not tha t great tbh. kinda a pussy ass b itch

2. if you could go anywhere for a week all expenses paid where would it be?

idrk. maybe somewhere like a hella nice beach in another country, maybe somewhere in europe. i like travelling but i hate the travel to get there and have no money so i havent put thought into it. maybe hawaii or somewhere like that.

3. do you have siblings?

the one thats still alive is my half brother

4. what is your favorite constellation, why?

orion maybe bc i don't know a lot but i can see that one from my bedroom window even in the city n idk. its comforting. or scorpius cause i'm a scorpio

5. favorite color.

yellow, pink, or blue.

6. what kind of music do you listen to?

almost anything. whatever catches my interest.

7. favorite flower. (you can name as many as you want cause flowers are awesome)

forgot what i said last time but those

yellow carnations i think?

8. if you could do magic, what is the first spell you would learn?

maybe smth to put myself to sleep immediately bc f uCk

9. favorite childhood memory.

my summer camp memories are pretty great. also memories of my dad and i going fishing are good.

10. have you ever been cheated on?

i mean in theory i couldve been bc online relationships but no. n im polyam and have identified as such for a majority of my relationships so no.

11. if you could describe your perfect room, what would it be?

big but not too big, yknow? like big enough that it can be filled and have room to walk around and lay on the ground or whatever but not Empty. and a pretty big bed to stretch out on, n a closet in the room. multiple windows w blackout curtains so theres light but it can be blocked out. n fluffy rugs or carpeting but preferably rugs in case smth spills so we can get it out of at least Remove the rug. and probably a cat tree thing in corner for dipper. n a computer desk and actual lights that light up the whole room. but probably,, fairy lights too bc full lights too bright. and i kinda want a pink room but blue or yellow work also. a nd pride flags on the walls + posters and various other stuff bc plain walls are boring. and tons n tons of b ooks too.

12. favorite animal.

river otter

13. what was the last photo you took of?

cat

14. do you believe in soul mates?

i'm not sure. i do kinda think there are people who you will like. really really click with and who become so important in your life that they're like. apart of u yknow? but i don't think that anyone as an individual needs to keep those people in their life forever. they arent destined to stay with them, and they shouldnt force that relationship (platonic, familial, romantic, or whatever) even if they were close for years and years. screw destiny. youll have people you care about, and sometimes you have to break that bond to save yourself, and thats okay. there will be other people who can and will be just as important. that got kinda off topic skbsks. i don't think theres really like Destiny soulmates. but there could be like. soulmates in the sense of for however long we're together, we're soul bonded. even if its not forever. does that even make se nse skbsns

15. do you hang toilet paper over or under?

over is the one thats socially acceptable right

16. your go to place to eat & your favorite thing to get there.

idk theres a place near a movie theater closeish to my house and its a nice little cafe and i dont eat there bc i dont eat much in general but i get their bubble tea and i love. raspberry bubble tea w rose popping bubbles. its comfort drink.

17. do you believe everything happens for a reason?

no. sometimes shit happens for no reason, and its bullshit, but you can't reverse it, so you gotta figure out how to move on from it.

18. guilty pressures?

im assuming thats meant to be pleasures

umm,, idrk. i don't know what exactly i like that would count as a guilty pleasure so,,

19. favorite mythical creature, why?

merpeople are s o cool i fuckin. love funky aquatic pals hell yeah. maybe im just Water babey but. they're rad. dragons are also hella cool bc like dragons???? theyre scaly and prett y and can breathe fire or have wings and kill u?? also like selkies bc again. water. but i used to hear a lot of stories abt them and theyre so nea t

20. something most people don’t know about you.

i have the potential to be a huge asshole and also kinda Wish to fuckin murder someone sometimes but. i act nice most of the time anyway.

not murder murder but i can get angr y enough that i just wanna Stab smth

21. where did you grow up, what was it like?

grew up kinda near the edge of the city, still in it but not like the main city area. in western washington. it was kinda rly boring, i used to spend a lot more time outside or just by myself playing with leaves or toys or whatever. when i had friends i played make believe w them even when outside of school. so yeah. boring id say.

22. do you believe aliens exist?

sure.

23. what was your last google search?

other than names for some actors n stuff, i was looking up various star wars things

24. what did your last relationship teach you?

the one that like. ended? i guess thatd be. be careful with your own feelings and try to figure them out before jumping into anything, and also don't try to force smth that in reality isnt really working.

25. would you relocate for love?

honestly yeah

26. do you hold grudges or forgive easy?

both. it just depends on how badly i or someone i care about was hurt by it. more likely to hold a grudge if a friend was hurt by someone d eep enough to leave a lasting impact or if they don't get a genuine apology i will be 🔫🔫. or if the person keeps hurting them. even if that person is also my friend.

27. favorite book.

favorite graphic novel is bloom by kevin panetta

favorite books in general are autoboyography, more happy than not, and what if its us. all gay. i know. its okay. im a kinnie.

28. do you consider yourself an extrovert or introvert?

introvert by far

29. have you ever kept a journal, do you now?

i tried once. i probably will have to once i go see a therapist, or at least one for my Bad Thoughts

30. top 5 favorite movies.

in no particular order

little shop of horrors, love simon, coco, it (2017 and 1990), and shazam! ig? maybe others but i definitely Forgot all the shit ive watched

31. do you believe that everything happens for a reason?

32. what is your greatest fear?

definitely gotta be all of the people i love hating me and abandoning me or secretly hating me and then leaving me without saying anything. and the worst part is im always afraid its gonna happen babeyy

33. favorite alcoholic beverage.

im baby

34. most embarrassing thing you’ve done.

im embarrassed by my own existence. i don't remember the Most embarrassing thing

35. do you believe in ghosts?

not until i have proof that i can actually trust and believe in

36. what is the best and worst part of your personality?

idk ig im nice. but im also. very easily set off on certain emotions especially the bad ones which sucks like especially jealousy bc i dont wanna!! feel jealous!! tho i think that ties into my greatest fear bc my brain immediately tells me im useless to everyone and they hate me. but. sometimes i get jealous and then feel bad for that and then hate myself for all of it. bc my friends deserve to hang out w other people and care about other people im just fucking stupid babey !!

37. should you split the dinner bill?

i rly don't get why you wouldnt tbh like if u both wanna be there u should both pay. but if one person gonna pay it should be the person that asked.

38. are you a good liar?

most of the time. when it comes to my mental health i can either lie great or im literally breaking down in front of the person so

39. what keeps you up at night?

depressing thoughts. anxiety about everything. wishing i could cuddle and fall asleep w jay. sometimes i just cant sleep bc im too restless.

40. would you rather go without your phone or music?

music. i need my phone to text my friends and i Need my friends

41. do you believe in god?

what god would let the world get to the point its at. what god would allow people to do such fucked up shit.

no. i don't.

42. how do you relax when frustrated?

cry, take a nap, take a shower, listen to music, cuddle dipper

43. what’s something that offends you?

when people go "oh yeah i support gay rights but im still gonna eat at chick fil a bc its good" like i get so fucking. pissed off by that. youre not gonna fucking s ta rv e without their goddamn chicken. i know a bi person who goes there and says its okay bc they dont Directly Give Their money to Specifically anti gay organisations but im just. ugh. fucking pissed bc there are other places to get food just avoid the one place for fucks sake. their food is good it doesnt matter. its like saying yeah pewdiepie is a bad person and nazi and a racist asshole but his videos r funni haha so im gonna watch him anyway

44. favorite food

i hate myself whenever i eat food

45. if you were on a 10 hour flight and could sit and talk to any person the entire time, who would it be?

@destinedformuchmore or @pinaplelee

46. when do you feel the most confident?

never? but ig i feel confident when working on tech construction during theater tech. as long as i know what im doing.

47. what do you do in your free time?

sleep. draw. cry. play video games. talk to my friends.

48. is there anyone who has completely lost your respect

matpat did for being a dick abt neopronouns and making a transphobic joke and only apologizing when a cis person told him to. not when hundreds of trans people did. and also other jokes that are inherently offensive to various groups. a n d for making extremely not Child friendly jokes in his videos which are very much targeted towards kids. say what you will about the target audience, there are a lot of children who watch them. please stop making creepy nsfw jokes if you won't even swear, sir.

49. have you ever broken someone’s heart?

i guess so yeah. but she also broke mine first.

50. did/do you play sports in school?

i did. i don't anymore bc highschool sports are bullshit but. basketball, ultimate, and soccer.

51. when are you happiest?

talkin 2 jay prolly

52. coffee or tea?

tea

53. what is one possession you own you wouldn’t want to live without?

my binder. or my stuffed cat puppet thing ive had since i was 7

54. what is the first thing you notice about a person?

their general emotions, mostly. like if theyre in a good mood or if theyre bored or distracted or whatever. or if they seem interested in actually talking to me

55. what is your favorite season, why?

fall. my birthday, the atmosphere is nice, it's pretty, its hoodie weather.

56. what makes you laugh?

stupid little comments or jokes my friends make tend to make me laugh a lot harder than i should but jabdn

57. are you a clean or messy person?

a mix. i Cannot have some things messy or i will ksjqkd. Die but i don't make my bed too often bc its ha rd when its against 3 walls.

58. what is important for a successful relationship?

communication communication communicati

talk about ur goddamn problems n keep talking to each other.

59. what was your upcoming like?

if thats supposed to be upbringing

idk, very relaxed. pretty easygoing and kinda boring.

60. favorite holiday?

any holiday in december rly. i don't celebrate a Lot but the atmosphere and others celebrating is nice to see. i kinda wish my parents did more to embrace the jewish part in our family blike. whatever. christmas is fun.

61. what is the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery?

give half of it to my parents. and then probably use it for plane ticket

62. what’s the best pizza topping combination?

hawaiian pizza. pinapple n canadian bacon ty

63. favorite outdoor activity.

frisbee

64. how are you? honestly.

not great. i want highschool to end.

65. would you rather go camping in the woods or stay at a beach resort?

idk. camping is fun but if i get to stay at the resort for free i would rly love 2 stay at a resort tbh ive never done that

66. what is the most beautiful thing in nature?

waterfalls. or rivers or just. water in nature. and very green forests. aNd snow.

67. favorite type of candy?

none

68. if your life was a book, what would be the title?

i can and will do arson, an autobiography

69. what movie quotes do you use of a regular bases?

i quote john mulaney and whatever my obsessions are pretty regularly

70. what was cool when you were young but not cool now?

silly bandz. pokemon cards. these weird unicorn figures i collected

71. what’s the craziest conversation you have ever eves dropped on?

im mostly the one having the weird conversations

72. what’s the most interesting documentary you’ve ever watched?

i watched one about dogs and cats and their evolution which was lit

73. what’s the worst hairstyle you’ve had?

when i let the lady just go fuckin ham on my hair bc i was watching spirit that horse movie and didnt wanna stop so it was. rly bad bangs and hella short in back but not the sides

74. what do you like to cook?

whatever im hungry for. i don't have the energy to cook a lot

75. what’s the coolest animal you’ve seen in the wild?

really pretty tropical fish

76. what’s the funniest tv show you’ve ever seen?

idk. i rly like schitts creek its pretty amusing

77. do you usually follow your heart or your head?

heart at first but my head if things get bad

78. what is your favorite quote?

"i have a splitting headache and i think i'm dying. how are you?"

or a character just saying "try harder" when another failed to do smth.

this is supposed to be deep or whatever but im in a Mood

79. what’s the weirdest crush you have ever had?

once had a crush on a character in a minecraft parody lmao

80. what’s your love language?

sending shit that makes me think of them. n just. making tons of stuff for them both online and irl like bracelets.

81. do you ever feel alone?

oh yeah. all the time. im not but it feels like i am which sucks

82. ever been bullied?

yeah

83. are you usually early or late?

late bc of my parents rip

84. what kind of art do you enjoy most?

drawing, or writing. also theater.

85. what do you wish you knew more about?

i just wish i could remember everything ive learned more about. i know a lot i just forget all.

id like to know more about forensics tho

#asks #long post #friends

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moczothe1st · 6 years

Text

Let’s Play Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy War, Part 26: The Julius Formerly Known as Prince

Part 25

Welcome back to Fire Emblem IV! Last week we had started our invasion of Grannvale, coming up to it through the southern Miletos district, and in so doing got to smack the crap out of Tinni’s crazy aunt, who unfortunately managed to get away. These things happen. This week, we have to start off by opening the gates that will allow us to proceed north to Miletos itself.

I’m just gonna say, if you guys wanna stop now, I’m down for that. How about we just move in to Hilda’s old torture castle and set up there? Do we really need to beat the Empire?

Yes?

Shit.

Ah, well.

Well, to start, we need to take Rados castle, which is thankfully unoccupied after we killed all its inhabitants last week. It’s cool, they were gross people. Though first, I have Ced grab the village right north of it…

Behind the Times: Not so long ago, from what I hear, Emperor Arvis himself forbade ‘em. What the devil could’ve changed his mind? Please, I’m begging you, you’ve gotta save our children! Here, this magic ring oughta help you out.

Niiiiiiiiiiice. This pushes Ced’s magic above the 30-point cap, leaving him even more of a killing machine that he already is. Dude doesn’t even have a holy weapon, he’s just raw badass. Cairpre also continues his path to minor godhood.

This kid was level one on the last map, and he’s going to be promoted and breaking skulls right along with the rest of the kids next map. I’m so proud of him.

Seliph, take the castle and set the story going, my man!

(Yeah, but he had to be a man named Morrigan, so who really suffered the most?)

Seliph: How could they… how could anyone be so savage…?

Lewyn: And that’s why we’ve got to fight this war to the end, Seliph. This is something you’ve got to understand.

(OKAY WE GET IT JEEZ STOP PESTERING ME DAD)

Lewyn: This is the way of the Loptyr Empire. There’s no place at all for the good-hearted… Now, it shouldn’t be too long before the gate to Miletos opens for us.

(…. Why…?)

Lewyn: What’s your next move, Seliph?

Seliph: Needless to say, we must march on Miletos. We can’t afford to rest while those children are still at risk. Or Julia, for that matter.

Lewyn: Good. And after that, Grannvale awaits!

(OH FUCK IT’S ISHTAR)

(Oh, and also Arvis. Man, you have not aged well, buddy. I’d feel bad for you, but you know… the rape and murder and stuff.)

Arvis: Listen, Ishtar. Release the captive children. I know you care no more for these foul deeds than I do.

Ishtar: My apologies, sir, but I’m on Prince Julius’s-

Arvis: Pay Julius no mind. I’ll be having a word with him soon.

(Funny story, bro, he said the same thing about you last week, and I’m a bit more scared of him at this point.)

Ishtar: But…

Arvis: This is an order from your emperor, Ishtar! Has Julius bent you such that you will no longer listen to the word of your liege?!

Ishtar: N-no. Never, your majesty…

(Speak of the [Literal?] Devil.)

Arvis: Julius! How dare you-

Julius: Why, Father, it almost sounds as if you still don’t know any better! Old age must be dulling that once-brilliant mind of yours. Why not retire before it grows still feebler? Unless… ohohohoho! Don’t tell me you still seriously believe that you can banish me?

Arvis: … No. I know better than to try something so futile again. I… have no further objection.

Julius: That’s better. Now, then. Begone! Return to your post and haunt my sight no more. Defending Chalphy is crucial, so don’t fail me for once in your sorry life, Father.

(Daaaaaaaaaaaamn, son, you just got burned. Or should that be Julienned?)

Arvis: Y-yes, Julius. At once…

(God, it’s like every creeper left in the game is all gathering in this one castle to see who can be most sleazy. If Hilda shows up, I’m going to need to stop to take a shower.)

Manfroy: Never would you think this wretch, now clinging only to the ghost of a crown, was once the most powerful man in Jugdral.

Julius: Ah, Manfroy. Where’s Julia? Have you restored her memory yet?

Manfroy: Your dear little sister is in Chalphy, burdened once more by her old memories. Never have I seen such horror as when she recalled how you, her own brother, almost killed her! Or how her dearly departed mother spirited her clear of the castle and your clutches…

Julius: Indeed… near everyone puts up some defiance to death by my hand, yet Deirdre never so much as flinched in the end. She accepted her own demise, all to save Julia with what little strength she still had. But Julia possesses the foul powers of that ghoul, Naga, just as Deirdre once did. Nothing is more crucial than killing her now, Manfroy, lest we lose the chance.

(………. Then… why did you need to restore her memories…?)

Manfroy: You overestimate her threat, milord. After all, the Book of Naga remains under the strictest lock and key in Belhalla. Without it, Naga’s soul could never come to dwell within that girl…

Julius: How many times must I explain, Manfroy?! Every last one of the avatars of Naga, the heirs of Heim, must be purged!

Manfroy: Understood, milord. I’ll have my men see to it that Julia is dead by sundown.

Julius: Do not fail me, Manfroy. Now, then, I suppose I’m needed in the capital.

Manfroy: I shall ensure that holding the Miletos territory is the Order’s highest priority. Before the week is done, Your Majesty, the corpse of Seliph shall lie before you.

Julius: Seliph? … Ah, of course. The one the peasants call ‘the scion of light’. Just as they call me the ‘scion of darkness’. The alleged eldest son of Deirdre and the alleged true heir to my throne. A fairy tale, told to inspire hope amongst fools.

Manfroy: He is still a threat, milord. The sooner we dispose of him, the better.

Julius: Surely he doesn’t truly bear the power of the Crusader Baldur. He couldn’t possibly. I don’t care about him, Manfroy, but you’re welcome to do with him as you will.

Manfroy: Very good, milord.

Julius: … Actually, I have a better idea. I want to play a game.

Julius: Rumor has it that a small army of fresh sacrifices are headed our way. Let’s see who can claim the life of a rebel first.

Ishtar: Yes, Lord Julius. I’d love to!

(Sympathetic anti-villain~)

And then the newly arrived enemies start screwing with me, thus ruining the drama of the moment. Anyhow. The army arrayed against us is arguably the worst in the entire game thus far, given they are almost all dark mages. Dark magic still has no disadvantages to anything in the weapon triangle, and a lot of them have status effect staves to fuck our advance over hard. And of course, standing near the castle…

At first glance, Ishtar actually looks worse than Obvious Final Boss Julius. She’s bulked up considerably since we last met her; her Magic has gone up by six points, speed by one, and resistance by a whopping twelve with the addition of a Barrier Ring to her inventory. He, in contrast, has generally good stats at everything (and is a damn stone wall with 25 defense and 35 resistance) but he’s slower than her and his Loptyr tome is heavier than her Mjolnir. Beyond being a stone wall, he appears to be less dangerous than her.

This is a filthy lie.

You see, Ishtar is stronger than her last fight with us, but we’ve leveled up far more than she has since then. She’s certainly still very dangerous thanks to her combo of Mjolnir and the Vantage ability meaning if you don’t kill her in one shot she’ll wreck your ass on all further battles, but that’s nothing new. It just means we’re playing the same damn game of Nuclear Rocket Tag that we were last time, and Arthur is carrying a much bigger nuke than before. Maybe he still only has like a 60% chance of pulling it off, but I honestly can’t believe I did it at all last time.

And as for that heavy Loptyr tome? It has a little extra trick to it that you’ll quickly come to despise.

See that little note, ‘cuts foe’s atk’ down in the bottom left corner? See, more specifically, it cuts the attack of anyone who gets into battle with Julius by a whopping 50%. So before hitting Julius’s again, stone-wall defenses, anyone who takes a swing at him will first have their attack cut in half, at which point he will swing right back with a Holy Weapon that has no weapon triangle disadvantage to anything and is backed up by his maxed out magic stat. And in his ability list, he has Pursuit and Accost for maximum possible double-attacking potential to go with his very high natural speed, and Wrath to cause his critical hit rate to skyrocket if you do eventually get his HP down below half.

His 80 HP.

So yeah, this is the game’s subtle way of telling you ‘DON’T FIGHT JULIUS’. Indeed, the easiest thing to do here would be to let him or Ishtar kill one of our soldiers and then have Cairpre revive them with the Valkyria staff, because they will both leave if one of them manages to win their ‘game.’ Which, I mean, if I get really desperate, maybe, but for the sake of my pride I’d prefer to beat one of them, causing both to retreat. And by ‘one of them,’ I mean Ishtar. And by ‘beat’ I mean, ‘Arthur, it’s time to play another round of Holy Weapon Nuclear Death Tag with your cousin, please try to survive.’

Oh, and just for fun:

That’s Julius’s Holy Blood screen. Just in case you didn’t have enough unhappiness in your life.

Now then. First thing we need to do is clear out at least some of the enemies in play here. There’s a whole mess of Dark Mages with some melee fighters scattered among them, and they’re operating with a variety of tools, but the worst, as poor Altena found out, are the ones with Sleep staves. Status effect staves in this game are the worst; they have perfect accuracy as long as the one using them has higher Magic than the target has Resistance. In our hands, they’re balanced by only having 2-3 charges before they break. In the enemy’s hands, they have infinite charges because Fuck You, that’s why. Sleep + Hel + Any Hit of Anything is a very bad situation. So first step is to work out where they are:

There, we have a basic cross-reference of where only high-resistance units should go. The dark mages have 16 Magic each, which isn’t much for the purposes of combat but for the purposes of Sleep Staves it might as well be a trillion. Maybe a quarter of our army can go into that crossfire zone without being zapped, and one of them is Cairpre, who can’t fight. On the other hand, he’s also the only person who can wake people up, so his staying awake forever is useful, in its own way.

Back to full power! And now, we clear out the vanguard and move the team up, making sure to keep most people firmly to the east.

There we go. First wave down; the only people in the current batch who can lure out enemies without getting a forced nap are Ares, Fee, Ced, Tinni and Cairpre; Seliph will be able to when he actually reaches the army, but he, Nanna, and Ulster are a bit further back. He had to take the castle and they needed to do some weapon repairs.

End turn!

Ah, yes, some of them have siege tomes too. Because, again, fuck you, that’s why.

Cairpre, you’re just getting silly. But in any event, we’ve now gotten a situation where the only people in the Sleep range are people who cannot be Sleeped, and they should also be drawing in some of the enemies from the west so we can clear out at least one or two of the staff wielders and give us some more movement range. There’s two to the west, and two to the north; the western ones should start moving on this turn now that we’ve cleared out the enemies closer to us. With luck, I can kill them both right away. End turn…

Okay, not bad. With the positioning of the enemies, I thiiiiiiiiink three of the sleep staffs can be taken out this turn without much issue. Let’s see…

That’s one!

And that’s two, and also all we’re going to get. But the remaining two are going to put some people to sleep, but they won’t be able to get anyone killed. That’s worth Ares getting a shit level, I guess. What remains is to clear out the final village-burning bandit of the map…

And killing off this sniper so he can’t kill Fee and ruin everything.

Good times. All right, dark mages! Please don’t kill anyone. End turn.

Lame, but tolerable. We will be able to kill one more staff guy this turn; but the second one is being… troublesome.

He’s one of those charming robed figures firmly in Julius’s combat range. That is not a fight I want to pick. Instead, we’ll take this other dude with the physic staff…

And pull back, trying to lure them out further. Cairpre wakes up Lester to let him do the same, and gets his like seventieth level.

To the south, we need to clear a path without letting Patty get put to sleep preferably. So I have Tinni try to clear a path, which will let Ced get through to the third Sleep user.

….

She misses. On a 90% chance. Dammit. Seliph, please?

That’s why we’re putting you on the throne later, buddy. And now Ced can get through and remove one more stumbling block.

Beautiful. Only one staff jackass left, and the only people in his range are Tinni and Seliph. He’ll have to move, and with any luck at all he’ll do so out of Julius’s combat range where someone can take a swing at his dumb face. End turn!

Heeeeeeeeeey buuuuuuuddy.

Niiiiice. With that, there’s only seven enemies left total; one guy with a normal tome, three siege tomes, the boss in the castle, and the two far more dangerous bosses waiting for us to get all up in their business. This will be… tricky. But for the moment, we’re safe, so I have Seliph drop in to have a conversation with Tinni.

(In all this mess, you may have forgotten Lewyn is her dad. He certainly hasn’t been very fatherly.)

Seliph: If you need anything from me, I’ll be waiting over there.

(You see what I mean about her having a character arc, now? Imagine the Tinni we first recruited saying that. She was so broken down she was going to fight us just because she was too afraid not to. And look at her now, electrocuting her aunt! I’m so proud.)

Lewyn: She didn’t treat you well, did she?

(“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA…. Oh, you’re serious…? Wow. No. No.”)

Tinni: Day after day, again and again, she would beat and abuse us. She kept on accusing Mother of being a traitor…

Lewyn: Your mother… Taillte…

Tinni: Yes… after the Battle of Belhalla, she and my brother, Arthur, fled to Silesse. I was born there soon after. I never knew my father. I think he must have died long ago…

Lewyn: I see. Then you went to Alster, right?

Tinni: King Blume and his minions came to Silesse, one night. They dragged us away to Alster… Mother never left there alive…

Lewyn: I… you’ve had such a hard life…

Tinni: Mm… Hilda hated Mother so much. I’ve never seen anything like it. Mother coped with so much, trying to protect me from Hilda. She was always in tears, right till the end…

Lewyn: She… she did…?

Tinni: Lord Lewyn? Is… is everything okay, sir?

Lewyn: … Yeah. Why do you ask?

Tinni: It’s your eyes, sir. Are those… tears?

Lewyn: I… no, it’s nothing. This is just a bit of sweat. I’m fine… I… I’m okay…

I like this conversation for a few reasons. First, it gives Tinni a ridiculous +5 magic, which is wonderful for these conversation bonuses and pushes her to her magic cap of 27. But on a story front, you’ve probably noticed that Lewyn has become kind of a douche in the years since the first generation. This is one of the very few moments where that attitude breaks and he really shows you just how much he’s hurting beneath it all. He manages to hold up the Jerk Attitude for most of his other daughter conversations (he can have one with Fee, Lene, or Tinni if he’s their dad) but this is the only one he breaks down on. Learning your wife was essentially tortured to death will do that, and it probably only hurts more because Tinni isn’t trying to guilt him over it. Just innocently sharing how awful her life has been.

It’s a good, solid, quiet little character moment. I really like those when they’re done well, and I think this one was.

End turn.

Way to kill the emotion, jerk.

After murdering that buzzkill, I have to consider the situation. Ishtar is by far the weaker of the two enemies, but she’s not weak by any means. And unfortunately, anywhere that she can go, Julius can go too, thanks to the Leg Ring in his inventory. Getting them separate is hard. So what I’m going to do is have Ares, with the Mystletainn in hand, stand on a forest tile in Julius’s range. I will also put Nanna, Seliph, and Dermott near him; with boosts from two Charisma skills, Seliph’s leadership stars, and a forest, he gets something like a 45% boost to his dodging, which even Julius should have some trouble with. And even if he takes one hit, his Resistance is high enough that he should be able to survive. And from there, I have all of them run past him with Arthur, giving him a similar bonus to his offense and offsetting Julius’s own five leadership stars when he fights Ishtar. With luck, which I seem to be having lately with these big annoying bosses, Arthur will nuke the crap out of his cousin once again.

This might work. Maybe! Or I might die. End turn!

Gotta admit, the man makes an impression! Ares takes the hit, but survives with 21 HP left, and Ishtar runs up behind Julius, but can’t reach anyone to blast. But we can reach her. Deep breath. Moment of truth. Everyone, get her! NUCLEAR ROCKET TAG GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I’m hoping you don’t notice how many of my problems I have been solving with Forseti. Like… all of them. Seriously, of the three hardest bosses in the game so far, Ishtar, Arion, and Ishtar again, Arthur has killed all three of them on his first move, doing the exact same thing. I have dealt with every serious challenge the game has to offer by nuking it with a wind god.

If this is wrong, I don’t wanna be right.

Oh, and hey, why not.

This kid is going places.

Now then, not much left on the map to deal with. I have Lene dance Cairpre, so he can grab one of the two remaining villages.

Captain… Nay, GENERAL Obvious: Just a single glance into those eyes of his and you’re gone. You lose yourself. So many of my friends and people my age have all left for Belhalla to serve him… I’ve heard nothing from any of ‘em since.

Oh-ho. So, does this mean Julius can literally warp the minds of others? It can’t be limitless, mind you, since otherwise he could just mind-rape our army into joining him, but some ability to sway the weak-minded to his side would fit with how so few Imperial citizens are actually protesting the whole… you know. Hunting of children.

On the enemy phase, there isn’t a whole lot left. We have only three enemies left outside the boss, and they’re all carrying siege tomes.

And hahaha, they’re not super great at picking targets. That was fun. Now, let’s destroy them!

Not bad at all! One guy remaining, we can get him on the next turn before Seliph takes that castle. Altena grabs the last village, as well.

Extremely Morbid Info Master: Hate t’say it, but sometimes, yeh need t’make sacrifices if yeh wanna keep going…

See, kids, this is why you don’t fuck with Info Master. He is willing to make those sacrifices. End turn!

Dick.

… They can’t all be great, Cairpre. You’ve still grown far beyond anything I ever expected. Now, nothing left to do but send the team up north, preparing to go where the story will dictate after we take the next castle. Seliph, care to set things up?

Lewyn: I hate to admit it, but I doubt we could’ve gotten here soon enough either way. Now, then. It sounds like they’re just finishing up repairs on the Miletos Strait bridge. Ready to move in on Chalphy?

Seliph: Chalphy…. My father’s homeland….

Lewyn: So it is. I’m betting the citizens there will be even happier to see you than usual. Let’s not make them wait any longer!

Seliph: Indeed! Everyone, move out! Onward, to Chalphy!

(“We’re not forgetting anything, right? Eh, I’m sure Julia would remind us if we were.”)

Well. There isn’t a whole lot of this chapter left, but it can take quite a bit of time to successfully pull off, so I do think I’ll stop here. See y’all next week when we head back home to Chalphy! The very first castle we ever had in the game, and now we get to go take it back from another blast to the past, good old Arvis! I sure did miss him.

But my aim is improving.

See y’all next week!

#let's play #let's play fire emblem #let's play fire emblem IV #Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War #fire emblem 4 #lp #my writing #long post #Julius is a jerk

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baek1nho · 3 years

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~secret santa here~ I'm getting stuff done!! what're some of your favorite actor/actress moments (like moments that make you fall for them)... Are you drawn to good criers, or smiles, or intense moments?

oh that’s a tough question. i usually like actors because of their kdrama characters. i def think i am drawn to good criers. but they have good smiles as well.

i love seo kang joon because his acting as baek in ho. my favorite ep of cheese in the trap was episode 13, kangjoon’s acting was so good!! i usually gravitated towards the inho seol scenes. but also all of the inho piano scenes i loved a lot. i’ve seen kangjoon on roommate and he is so cute. i still haven’t finished s2 tho.

also i love nam joo hyuk i can’t really think of an exact moment for him tho. but my favorite joohyuk character is jung joonhyung in weightlifting fairy. also I loved his celebrity bromance busan thing with jisoo, that was cute. also the really loved the running man episode he and seo kang joon were both on.

i recently have gotten very into lee kyu hyung. for him it definitely was because of him as ganghwa in hi bye mama and him being such a good crier. i love every single crying scene he does. i love how funny kyuhyung is. the scene he eats seowoo’s eggs in hbm was so funny. also he can sing so i’m so !!! ive only seen him in hbm and prison playbook so far but yeah.

i love are park boyoung in oh my ghost. that’s my favorite boyoung drama. i liked that scene she comes back and she hugs sunwoo in the middle of the street and the fan scene.

i love won jinah too. mainly as ha moon soo in just between lovers. i’m excited for her new drama i hope it doesn’t end up like melting me softly.

also every scene kim hye yoon is in extraordinary you. eun dan oh was such a great character and is very funny and cute.

thinking about extraordinary you i am into lee jae wook too. i dropped do do sol sol la la sol but i love him a lot in when the weather is fine and search www. especially that scene in search www when he’s reading this lines in his baek kyung voice and then switches in a millisecond!!! also his swoon interviews with go ara were so cute.

im sorry this was long and so unhelpful.

#secret santa #im sorry this is an essay #Anonymous

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missarcheron · 6 years

Text

A Tale of Nymphs IV

Summary: Elain is a nymph of spring, spreading beauty and happiness wherever she goes. Lucien is the Lord of Death, whose realm is, well- dying. When he meets Elain, he knows he will need her to save his court- and perhaps for some other things as well…

Links: Chapter One, my writing

Note: Wow, this update took too long. I hope you still enjoy the next chapter! The title already says it all, actually :D

Chapter Four: Claiming

“What was he thinking? What was he thinking?” Elain’s mother paces up and down in her library, rubbing her forehead. Elain has never seen her as unsettled. “Lucien knows the rules. He knows! I made sure his own mother was well aware of who she was dealing with! I can’t believe he would go that far- I can’t believe he would take you by force”-

“He was not about to take me by force”, Elain says for what feels like the twentieth time in the span of this conversation. She’s tired. Everyone is yelling (especially Nesta and her mother), everyone is angry at her, everyone apparently knows Lucien and nobody has told her anything.

“How would you know that?”, her mother asks. “Oh, he is his mother’s son, her very spitting image- and she would have simply taken you away to do only the cauldron knows what!”

Elain presses her lips together. She doesn’t understand anything that’s going on. Everything seems different out of the sudden. The only thing that she’s certain of is that Lucien would never, ever hurt her. She feels it in her heart.

“You know Lucien’s mother?”, Feyre asks, surprise in her voice. “You never talked about her before!”

“Just like you never said that you knew Lucien!”, Elain throws in. “Why would you not tell us that our border touches his realm? Why would you pretend that those were simply dead woods?”

Her mother buries her face in her hands. “They are dead woods, Elain”, she says. “And I never told you about them because I wanted to protect you.”

Nesta raises her brows. “Well. That worked out well.” She’s lounged on the couch at the very back of the small library, playing with her dagger. A faint flame dances around her fingertip.

“So, let me get this straight.” Elain turns to look at both her sisters. “You didn’t know about Lucien either?”

But even as she is asking the question, she sees the answer in their eyes: they know him. They know Lucien. They know that he is the Lord of Death. And nobody has told her. Elain feels the heat rise inside her. She’s so angry she wants to explode. “I’m High Lady of the Night Court”, Feyre explains quickly and has at least the decency to look guilty. “I am bound to know. Rhysand showed me all the courts and the human lands.”

Elain glares at Nesta, who swallows. “Mother told me about the realm of the dead years ago”, she says. “Because she knows I want to protect you as much as she does.”

“You all knew?” Elain throws her hands in the air. “Who do you think I am? Some small flower that needs to be protected from being stepped on? Some little girl that can’t handle the idea of a court that is dead? You!” She points at Feyre. “Who do you think you are? Something special, just because you’re mated to the Lord of Night? I was born to be the Lady of Spring one day! I was born to rule this court! How should I have done so without knowing about our neighbors? Without knowing that there are fairies of death?” Her voice is so loud now that they must hear it outside. “I am a grown woman! I have lived over two centuries, and you still keep me like locked up- like I am in a cage!”

“That’s never what I wanted, Elain”, her mother pleads. “All I wanted for you was to stay clear of that one court.”

“But why?”

“Because they are dangerous. They are vicious. They do not care about others, they only think of themselves.” Her mother has tears in her eyes. “They would take you, Elain, and do whatever they wanted with you!”

Elain stares at her mother. “How do you know that?”

Her mother turns away from her, towards the window behind which the gardens of their court are in full bloom. “I have already lost my best friend to that court”, she says, so quietly Elain barely hears her. “And they turned her into a monster. I will not lose a daughter as well.”

“Which friend?”, Nesta asks.

But their mother does not turn around. Roots are shooting out from under her dress; leaves suddenly weave themselves into her hair. Branches grow from her fingertips.

Feyre sighs. “She’s turning into a tree again. Very good conflict solving, mother.” That’s that, then. Not soon, and their mother will be a small oak. She does this from time to time, turning into plants or animals. She says it helps her connect to her center, to nature. She says it’s a natural thing for all spring fae. So why does Elain never feel the urge to do stuff like that? Why is her mother unable to answer the simplest questions?

Nesta jumps up, still juggling her dagger. “I can’t believe there’s a whole backstory to Lucien and his court. And about that friend of hers that went to the Court of the Dead. She could have told us.”

“Elain”, Feyre begins, but Elain brushes past her. “I don’t think I want to talk to you much more”, she says and pushes open the doors that lead to the corridor. “Since you never saw it necessary to talk to me about anything.” Nesta calls something after her, but Elain slams the door to the library shut.

Lucien wanders the human realms today, disguised as a beggar, as the Lord of Death often likes to do. He needs to do something, anything, to forget yesterday. But even when he walks among one of these busy cities, watching the humans go along their business, a small pulsing headache reminds him of what he’s held in his arms, and what he’s lost. His mate.

Elain.

He wants to shout her name out into the world. Elain, Elain. Lucien didn’t even know such a miracle was possible, didn’t know the Lord of Death could experience such a wonderful thing: his parents were not mated, as his mother has told him over and over again. His father was mated to some human woman who died long before he met Lucien’s mother. Lucien wonders sometimes if that is why their marriage was such an unhappy one. But then again- is that not a depressing thought? It is so rare to find a mate- what about all those poor souls that do not have one? Are they all doomed to live unhappy lives?

It does not matter, anyways- both his parents are dead, and there is nobody left to ask about their story.

Death calls to him, here in the human world. He can smell it in every corner, in every face: and like a moth to the light, he is drawn away from the busy street and into a small courtyard where a small girl-child lies in the arms of her mother. A crowd has gathered around them, and Lucien soon sees the reason for that: the girl is dying. A horse must have run her down, or she has fallen down a set of stairs: her back is bent in an unnatural way and she is coughing blood. Lucien steps closer. The mother is yelling frantically, “A doctor! Someone! Please, help me, help my little baby”-

She will soon die. Lucien can still see the flame of life dancing in her eyes, but it is a desperate dance, one last effort before it will extinguish. The little girl is lucky, still. When the Lord of Death is present in your last hour, he will be able to take away your fear. Sure enough, the child meets his eye- and Lucien tells her what he tells all the humans. Do not be afraid. Death is but another passage. You will go on in peace.

“NO!”, the girl screams suddenly, a high-pitched, gruesome sound. “NO! Mama! He is here to take me! Make him go away! He is here to take me with him!”

The mother blindly looks up, tears streaming over her face. “HIM!”, the girl cries out and points at Lucien. “It’s him! It’s him! He’s here to take me!”

Lucien freezes. Such a thing has never happened before. He is there to give peace to the dying; here to take away their pain. But his presence seems to have the opposite effect.

Before anything else happens, he disappears into the shadows, flees back into the street. A small ping in the back of his mind tells him the girl has just died. And she’s died in fear of death, the worst way to go.

Lucien rushes back to his own realm, winnowing just to the border of his lands and then continues on foot from there, until he finds the long line of mortals dragging themselves through the snow towards the Lake of Dûren. They look as ghost-like and depressed as ever. And there, at the very end, the newest addition: the little girl, barely able to hold herself up, blood streaming out of her broken ribs and staining the snow.

“Girl”, Lucien says gently when he reaches her. “Do not tremble. Death is nothing to fear. It is a natural as life.”

The girl raises her face up to look at him. Her eyes are two dark holes of blackness. “Can you take away the pain?”, she croaks. “I am so cold…”

Lucien puts his hand on her shoulder, tries to push his magic into her small body as he has seen his mother do when she took away the pain of the Dead; but nothing happens. It is as it ever was. He has no powers anymore.

“Please!”, the little girl wails. “I cannot go on like this! You must help me!”

But Lucien is useless. He sinks into the snow, watches her disappear until she’s far gone. All the while, he hears her screaming in pain. He knows what will happen to her now: she will enter the Lake Dûren with fear in her heart, and her soul will never know peace. She’ll be screaming for all eternity.

Lucien lowers his head, presses his fists into the snow. He must do something. All those souls that die every day, all those humans that will never know peace- he must heal help them. Heal his own realm. What could have caused its demise? Why was everything fine when his mother and father ruled?

You need to find the Bride of Death.

Those last words, uttered by his mother, still haunt his memory. He was informed of her sudden, mysterious illness too late; when he rushed back to the palace to see her, she had almost been gone. Only these words could she rasp before her heart stopped. You need to find the Bride of Death.

The Bride of Death. It is the only clue Lucien has. The only thing that might help him now.

And it can’t be a coincidence that he has found his mate just yesterday…his true mate, a nymph of Spring. It must mean something. Could Elain be that bride? Could she be the thing that’s missing from his lands?

Lucien hardens his jaw. This is not about him anymore. This is about helping all those human souls; helping Tamlin, who’s wasting away each day; helping his realm and his people. He needs Elain here. He needs to test if she is that bride his mother told him to find.

And he will not stop at anything to get her.

He will travel to Spring. He’ll claim her. Whether her family wants it or not.

Alone in the rose-covered meadows of the Spring Palace, Elain sits down on the soft ground and lets her fingers wander over the grass. Everything is confusing. Those dead lands that somehow called out to her- her mother, keeping truths from her for whatever reason- and then that strange man, Lucien, the one she thinks she’s known since the beginning of time…

Elide sighs and falls back into the grass. The sky above her is ever-blue, only interrupted by a few puffy clouds. Spring Court is, as it has always been, a paradise.

But why do these lands not speak to her the same way? Why does she feel drawn to the land of the Dead, that foreign, frozen court? If she is to be the High Lady of Spring one day, should she not feel appalled and disgusted by the absence of little birds, flowers and blooming trees? And what about Lucien? Her mother made it out to be as if he was a horrible person…but Elain remembers how he caught her in his arms. How gentle his touch has been.

Perhaps Elain doesn’t want to live in eternal spring. Perhaps she is tired of pretty dresses, and pretty flowers, and pretty rooms. Perhaps she is tired of this court.

Something is missing from her.

She raises herself up again and looks down at her dress, as bright and beautiful as ever. Could she not change it, at least once, into something that actually mirrors her mood? Not that helpless, little nymph of spring, but something else. Her true self. Not spring. But…something else. Something alive.

Alive.

The word sweeps over her, removing an iron barrier in her mind. As if melting away, her dress sinks into the ground around her- a hundred pink petals spring from the grass where is had touched the earth- but Elain is not naked underneath it.

She’s grown a second skin instead. Not a skin, but rather a suit- black, made of little metal pieces, almost like the skin of a snake. She’s even wearing boots. Has she even ever worn shoes before? All nymphs of spring run barefoot through the trees.

Elain hastily stands up and looks down at herself. She’s wearing a warrior’s armor. As black as the night. And there- around her hips, a golden thread is spun. Elain gingerly touches the rope. It’s warm, pulsing with- life? It may sound crazy, but that is just what she is feeling under her fingertips: life in its purest form, life, tingling, growing, evolving. It’s the same sensation she feels when she calls flowers or animals into existence, when she heals the sick and wounded, the same feeling she had when she pushed her magic into the soil of Lucien’s court.

Life.

She has to tell her mother about this. Something is different. These are no spring powers and she’s never seen a suit like this.

Elain needs answers, and she needs them now.

Lucien breaks every rule by entering the Spring Court. He goes there alone: nobody else would be strong enough to endure the pain that comes with crossing the border.

But pain is nothing to Lucien right now. He’s here to claim his mate.

Winnowing is possible here, but it almost tears him apart, and when he finds himself standing in front of the Spring Palace, he has to catch his breath first. Then he sets out to find Elain. She is close; he can sense her. Somewhere inside the palace.

“Hey! You!” Two guards have noticed him. “Who are you? Nobody enters the realm of Spring without our High Lady’s permission”-

Lucien blasts his dark magic against them, twisting their hearts just the slightest bit- killing is easy, even here in Spring. It’s always easy to him.

But he lets them live. Why bother with their death? These guards are just a nuisance on his way to a much more important thing. Lucien enters the palace through a great silver door adorned with petals and flowers and renders all those useless guards that throw themselves into his way incapable of walking by twisting their heart and minds and bones.

After ten minutes of hunting her down, he feels that Elain is close now. Behind that great wooden door at the end of the hallway, perhaps? Library, a golden sign above the entrance says. And true enough: Lucien sees her directly when he opens the door to the room. She is sitting on the floor and talking to a-

Talking to a tree?

Lucien rubs his eyes. But he is not dreaming. Elain kneels in front of a white oak that grows for some reason inside this library, one hand placed on its roots and speaks with the tree as if it were a living being.

“Mother, please”, she says. “I need to talk to you. I want to understand so many things and I have the feeling that you are telling me nothing. I just wish to know about Lucien, about his court, and there is no one but you that I could ask”-

Lucien clicks his tongue. “That’s not true, love. I’m always here to answer whatever you want to know.”

Elain whirls around.

So does the tree. The roots shrink into themselves and two hands suddenly tear open the tree’s stump from the inside- tearing it apart to create a hole. The High Lady of Spring steps out, naked, covered in dirt. She snaps her fingers and a dress appears out of nowhere to cling itself around her body; another snap, and she looks as beautiful and radiant as when Lucien last saw her.

Elain sits by her feet, entirely frozen.

“Lucien!”, the High Lady cries. “Now it is open war! There are too many lines you have crossed- and I will not rest until I have your body broken and burnt before me”-

“I’m not here for you”, Lucien answers. “I’m here for Elain.”

“Never!” The High Lady’s eyes are burning with hatred. “Spring has tethered its ties with Death for now and all eternity. I will punish you for this insolence in ways you can’t imagine- Spring has rules that have been in place for hundreds of years, and you won’t be the one to break them”-

“Mother!” Elain stands up. “Don’t talk to him like that!” She turns to Lucien. “Why are you here?”

Before he can think of anything else- an elaborate proposal, some great speech about bonds and love and the color of Elain’s eyes- Lucien growls: “I’m here to claim you as my mate. No treaty can trump that bond. No ancient rule is stronger than it. There is no possibility of revoking this.”

It’s suddenly so quiet in the room that Lucien hears the winds outside.

“Mate?”, Elain breathes. “You’re my mate?”

“Yes.” Lucien steps towards her. “And I’m here to bring you to my court and make you mine.”

#a tale of nymphs #tog #lucien #elain #nesta #feyre #elucien #otp #honestly #mate #claiming #shit is finally about to happen you guys #acotar #acomaf #acowar #sjm

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virtualwerewolfvoid · 4 years

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PokéAtHome Day 9: A Brand New Pokémon Type Okay I finally got one on time, but I'm going to make this quick. Also I mainly got it in on time because of a little decent time management and again stupidly simple design, the hardest part was the name. Like most of the Fakemon I've done so far this one too is based off of one I did in adolescence, one by the name Darkeo, don't ask I don't know why I named it that. I can't remember what inspired me to make it, perhaps Kingdom Hearts's Heartless? This is Ominessence, a Distortion Being known as the Dark Residue Pokémon and a dark/evil type. "Evil" is the new type and is currently only teetered to the Distortion Beings. It's currently super effective against psychic and normal type Pokémon and is weak against fairy and fighting types, but also isn't effected by dark, poison, and ghost types and is not effective to dark and steel types. Also a Distortion Being is something new I came up with, like the adolescent base design I did in the past for Ominessence it is a group of beings/Pokémon that formed mysteriously in the Distortion World from Gen. IV and are seeping into the Pokémon world. Ominessence (Ominous + Essence) is essential darkness manifested into a strange residue with a dark aura. Although it may look similar to a Muk it is capable of forming multiple appendages simultaneously and reproducing through obligate parthenogenesis. It's said that if you go into it's mouth it is like being in a world of pure darkness. #PokéAtHome #abrandnewpokemontype #pokemon #fakemon #fake #ominous #essence #evil #dark #darkness #blob #residue #distortionworld #originaldesign #creaturedesign #olddesign #traditionaldrawing #drawing #drawingchallenge https://www.instagram.com/p/B-JN5EyDnuK/?igshid=r9gwruxeuqwt

#pokéathome #abrandnewpokemontype #pokemon #fakemon #fake #ominous #essence #evil #dark #darkness #blob #residue #distortionworld #originaldesign #creaturedesign #olddesign #traditionaldrawing #drawing #drawingchallenge

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pllsetskyonice · 7 years

Text

@yuriplisetsky is a size queen

Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky

2,900 words

“What are you talking about?”

“Your Twitter? Your thread that spends about ten tweets waxing poetry about the size of my dick? Everyone’s talking about it, the fans are going crazy, I had Victor ringing me up half an hour ago to ask if it was true and if I really had deflowered Russia’s Fairy like that, and I just – what the hell were you thinking, Yuri?”

In which Yuri gets drunk and Tweets some things he probably shouldn't have.

AO3 link

So @94mercy made this post that headcanoned that Yuri gets drunk one night and talks about the size of Otabek’s dick on social media, and I immediately knew I had to write it. Otherwise known as me just wanting to join in with all the hung!Otabek content that’s been coming out of this fandom in recent weeks.

(Also tagging @daddybek because that’s where this all started back in February)

They’ve been dating for a few months when it happens.

Yuri goes round to Mila’s for a few drinks after practice one day, and they steadily make their way through a bottle of vodka, laughing and talking about their respective partners. The music is loud and Yuri feels all loose and giggly as he reaches for his phone, taking selfies and documenting their escapades on Snapchat. He’s never been this drunk before, so drunk he’s not even sure what order his memories from the last few hours go in, so drunk that he can barely stand, so drunk that the room is spinning.

He sits down and opens Twitter, starting to type. He doesn’t even think about what he’s Tweeting, just starts a thread and keeps on going until he gets it all off his chest. Mila is grabbing at his hands and pulling him up so they can dance together again, and Yuri’s phone lies on the couch, forgotten.

So he doesn’t see what he’s done until morning.

It’s the sound of his phone vibrating loudly on the bedside table that wakes him up. He’s in Mila’s spare bedroom, a small sized room with what feels like the most uncomfortable bed he’s ever slept on, but it evidently didn’t bother him at whatever time he collapsed onto last night. At least he made it into bed, he supposes. That’s an achievement, even if he’s still wearing yesterday’s clothes.

He grabs at his phone, squinting at the screen. It reads 6 AM, and is somehow fully charged, even though he has doesn’t remember plugging it in last night. It’s far too early. Yuri wants nothing more at this particular moment in time than to roll over and go back to sleep to avoid dealing with this hangover from hell, but it’s Otabek that’s calling him, so he supposes that he’d better answer.

“Hello?” he says, his voice sounding all croaky as he unplugs his phone and rolls back onto his back. There’s light streaming in through a gap in the curtains, and Yuri would get up and close them properly, but they’re too far away to deal with right now. Instead, he opts for the easier option: pulling his blankets over his head.

“Yuri, what the fuck?” Otabek asks on the other end of the line. Even in this still half drunk, hungover state, Yuri can tell that this is Not Good. “What were you thinking?”

“What are you talking about?” Yuri replies. He wonders if it’s about his and Mila’s Snapchat stories, but from what he can remember there’s nothing too outrageous on them, just some really bad singing in questionable English to pop songs neither of them like.

Yuri fumbles with his phone, opening Twitter with his phone call with Otabek still active in the background. He doesn’t even need to go onto his profile to see it, it’s all over his timeline. “Oh, shit,” he swears as he scrolls through the Tweets. “I don’t even remember posting any of this. I was so drunk, Beka. So drunk. I’m sorry.”