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aureentuluva70 · 2 years

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Spoilers for Rings of Power Ep 4: The Great Wave (mostly just talking about favorite parts)

Numenor:

Tar Miriel's dream of the Downfall of Numenor was insane. Like, if this is but a mere glimpse of what we're going to get to see when Numenor actually falls...holy cow. And it's the very first scene of the episode too! (I also find it rather haunting that the baby Miriel holds at the start is named Eliniel, who was a woman from the first age who was the wife of Gorlim the Unhappy. Gorlim bargained with Sauron, revealing the location of his fellow outlaws for his wife to be set free from imprisonment, only for Sauron to cruelly reveal afterwards he had killed Eliniel, and then proceeded to kill Gorlim himself.)

Galadriel telling Miriel that "there is a tempest in me", reminds me of the scene from Fotr when Galadriel is tempted to take the one ring. "...Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! As tempestuous as the sea!" Coincidence? I think not.

If you look closely in the scene where Tar Miriel shows Galadriel the vision of Numenor's Fall, in the room you can see four rather interesting relics, those relics being the sword of Narsil(looking identical to the blade from the Jackson films), the Dragon Helm of Dor Lomin, and Tuor's Axe and Shield.

Something someone on reddit pointed out is that the Palantir seems to be made out of labradorite, which is traditionally connected with visions and dreams. It's a nice touch!

Adar:

The interactions between Adar and the orcs has to be one of the highlights of the episode for me. And what makes it one of my favorite parts is because of just how...strangely moving it is?

Everywhere else, the orcs are depicted as terrifying, ruthless enemies, but in the presence of Adar, they display something I never would have expected to see from orcs: emotional vulnerability.

It was actually kind of surreal to watch. Because since when have we ever seen orcs displaying vulnerability or reverence of any sort? Well, we do here.

The orcs don't just revere Adar though, they adore him. They quite literally see Adar as his name suggests: A father-figure, one who actually seems to genuinely care for them.

In the introduction of Adar we see him comforting a dying orc, who whispers his name, smiling up at him. Adar smiles sadly back, tears of genuine sadness forming in his eyes, caressing the orc's face, all right before he mercy-kills him. The others then carry the orc's body away presumably to be buried. It's all so strangely moving that the entire scene has been totally burned into my brain.

As for theories as to who he could be, I still think he could be one of the first "orcs", among those elves who were taken and twisted by Melkor soon after their awakening. So in a way he is literally the father of all orcs, hence why he's called Adar. Of course this begs the question of whether there was an Orc mother, but I won't get too into that right now. As for now it seems like a pretty solid theory, and one I could definitely see being true.

But there's a new theory about Adar's identity that popped up when the episode was released, one that I really like, and it's that Adar could actually be Maeglin, who survived the fall from Gondolin's walls, and even if he didn't survive, those of Morgoth's armies could have found his body and used some dark magics to bring him back to life. He fits the physical description for one thing: dark hair, pale skin, black armor, even right down to the soft voice, it's all there. The scars on his face are definitely burns, which matches perfectly with his supposed fate of being thrown into fire. The black glove on his hand reminds me of an early draft of the Fall of Gondolin, where Earendil, after being taken hostage, bites Maeglin's hand before Tuor comes in and breaks Maeglin's arm right before he throws him over the edge.

Adar speaks Quenya, meaning he could be one of the Noldor. When Arondir reveals he was born in Beleriand Adar asks "by the mouth of the river?" He doesn't specify much on which river except that he traveled down that river when he was young, and that it was covered in sage blossoms. Maeglin was known to travel down the river Gelion often when visiting the Dwarves. So perhaps that is the river he is referring to.

It's probably less likely than the "Adar being the father of all orcs" theory, but it's still cool to think about. Not to mention the way it could tie into Elrond's storyline would be AWESOME.

Elrond and the Dwarves:

Just when I thought I couldn't fall more in love with Robert Aramayo's portrayal of Elrond, this episode proved me wrong. Dang, Celebrian is one lucky woman. Elrond is such a sweetheart, how could anyone with a soul not love him? This version of Elrond perfectly fits the book's description of "kind as summer". I love Hugo Weaving's Elrond, but he always came off as rather cold and stern. Rings of Power's Elrond features a much more book accurate portrayal of him, and Robert Aramayo does it flawlessly. There's just this care and feeling behind how he plays Elrond that's so genuine, how could I not love him?

The scenes between Celebrimbor and Elrond, and later Durin and Elrond talking about Earendil was definitely one of the best parts of this episode. I was grinning from ear to ear whilst also melting at the same time whenever Earendil was talked about. The way Elrond's interest is immediately peaked when Celebrimbor tells him how he reminded him of Earendil gets to me. But it's Elrond's words to Durin about Earendil that really had me bawling. I'll just let Elrond's words speak for itself:

"For many years, at day's end, I would look up at it...wondering what might he think if he were watching me. Would he be proud of what I've accomplished with his legacy? Or disappointed by the countless ways I'd failed to live up to it? But then, one night, it struck me, that I would be only happy to hear any judgement, so long as it granted me the opportunity to have but one more conversation with my father. Do not waste what time you have left with yours."

That had me bawling.

You can literally see the tears forming in his eyes when he says that, can feel that he means every word of what he's saying. Earendil was one of the greatest heroes of the First Age, and Elrond knows that. Just imagine the weight that must press down on Elrond's shoulders as the son of that same hero. Whenever he looks up at the evening star, that's his dad up there. He wonders what his father might think of him, whether he would be proud or disappointed with him.

But in the end, that doesn't really matter to Elrond, because all he really wants is to just be able to be speak with his father at least one more time, and it especially hurts when you think about the fact that Elrond didn't really know his father all that well. Earendil was always off on voyages, seeking help from the Valar. He was more of a distant figure of legend to Elrond than a close family member, and yet to just be able to talk with his father would be enough for him, no matter if he was proud or disappointed.

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I continue to adore Elrond and Durin's friendship, and the Dwarves in general. I continue to be amazed by just how well the Dwarves are written in this show. And Disa's singing? 👌 She's hands down one of my favorite characters so far.

But even as much as I love them all-*inhales*

ELROND EARENDILION WHY WOULD YOU TAKE THAT OATH HAVE MAEDHROS AND MAGLOR TAUGHT YOU NOTHING?????!!!!!! *Starts shaking him by the shoulders*

Well, okay, the Oath of Feanor and the oath that Elrond takes in this episode are two very different things(for one thing there's no killing involved) and there's no nefarious intent behind it and it's obvious Elrond just wants be friends with Durin again and gain his trust BUT STILL. There's no way this isn't going to bite him in the back later on.

#Rings of Power #lord of the rings #Tolkien #jrrt #silmarillion #Elrond #Durin #Tar Miriel #Galadriel #Adar #Earendil #Celebrimbor #Maeglin

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theoutsiderswiftie · 3 months

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My Tortured Poets Department Theoryyy

I haven't seen that much analysis of the letter she posted to preface the album... I think it's supposed to be significant. It reads like a riddle/spell/forewarning... I'm gonna deep-dive analyze it here, but basically I think the letter spells out what each side of the album is going to be about... now that she released the tracklist (thanks to the krayziefemale tiktok leak... which also deserves investigating), we know there are 4 sides. Based on the letter, my theory is that each side is going to tell present different parts of the whole story:

Side A - My Tarnished Coat of Arms

Fortnight ft. Post Malone

The Tortured Poets Department

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

Down Bad

Side B - My muses, talismans, and charms

So Long, London

But Daddy I Love Him

Fresh Out the Slammer

Florida!!! ft Florence and the Machine

Side C - The tick, tick, tick of love bombs

Guilty as Sin?

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

loml

Side D - My veins of pitch black ink

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

The Alchemy

Clara Bow

Bonus Track - The Manuscript

I want to say too while this might be pure clownery in terms of the categorization, I think that there could be some truth to the letter signifying the major themes of this album's songs. I also saw a twitter thread on how this can be interpreted as a meta-commentary on her role as a celebrity and her songwriting, which makes a lot of sense! Writing songs about personal pain and love and etc. is a lot like entering pieces into evidence (into the court of public opinion), and she might be playing into how we all analyze everything to death that she releases!

Ok deep dive on the letter so you can see how I came to my conclusion lets go.....

"And so I enter into evidence..."

Evidence is entered so that a jury/judge can make their decision, or in this case the court of public opinion

She believes that the following pieces of evidence, or songs, are vital to the album's narrative

Implies that there is "another side" opposing her argument

"My tarnished coat of arms..."

A coat of arms is a “heraldic bearing” or shield, used to “establish identity in battle”, could represent a person/country/etc.

Tarnished means “lose or cause to lose luster” or “make or become less valuable or respected”

Worn, dirtied, from war? Implies she defended herself or fought for something… and the worn coat of arms is the proof that she did

“Tarnished” here can also be interpreted metaphorically-- allegiances and loves that she once fought for/with, that have faded since

She has often defended her principles, experiences, truth in her music as if "in battle"

NOTE - This isn't her first time using war/battle imagery in recent years...

“So yeah it’s a war, it’s the goddamn fight of my life and you started it” from Ivy

“Fighting in only your army” from YLM, “Tore your banners down, took the battle underground” from The Great War

"I tried to pick my battles til the battle picked me" and "When I dropped my sword" from Long Story Short

"When did all our lessons start to look like weapons pointed at my deepest hurt?" from happiness

"My muses, acquired like bruises..."

Muse - "a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist"

She is submitting her "muses", creative inspirations... plural... as evidence-- why and who? Probably her loves and friends lost

She is clarifying that these muses were "acquired like bruises", which I interpreted as to say that no love of hers has come and gone without leaving their indelible and painful mark on her

NOTE - This isn't the first time using bruising as imagery in recent years...

"My knuckles were bruised like violets" from The Great War

"The mark you saw on my collarbone..." from Maroon

"Past the blood and bruise..." from happiness

"My talismans and charms..."

Talisman is a "an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck"

Her muses are her talismans and charms... the work they have inspired have become her lucky charms for her future and life's work

"The tick, tick, tick of love bombs..."

Love bombing is a manipulation tactic, "an attempt to influence a person by demonstrations of attention and affection

The repetition of "tick" evokes the sound bombs make before they are set off-- perhaps the signs of manipulation to come

I like to interpret this line more in the way that she in love-bombed by the public-- adored one day, and then loathed the next (think 2016 and reputation), this might all be part of the narrative that she is wanting to tell in TTPD

NOTE - Her use of bomb imagery and descriptions of manipulation in recent years...

"Uh huh, the bombs were closer..." in The Great War

"I greet you with a battle hero's welcome" in tolerate it, a song that can be interpreted about being manipulated to think because your partner is older/wiser they matter more and "know best", you rely on their approval for emotional validation

"My veins of pitch black ink"

Ink in veins is a phrase that is used to refer to a writer's "predisposition, interest in, and passion for the written word"

In this album she is presenting her passion for writing

Let me know any thoughts or corrections you might have!

#ts #swift #taylor swift #taylurking #taylorswift #ttpd #the tortured poets department #ts11 #theory #taylor swift theories #swifties #tv #taylornation

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shipcestuous · 1 year

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The Last Rinbearer isn't really a book I'm enthusiastic about... it's a deconstruction of The Lord Of The Rings were the very premise is that the events described in Tolkien's book are conservative pro-Elvish, pro-magic propaganda slandering the technologically advanced Mordor, a land of scientists and philosophers, and its enlightened ruler Sauron. Which could be an interesting story, if played well, but the book lacks internal consistency, makes many decisions that don't make much sense from the "this is what really happened, LOTR is propaganda" angle, takes cheap potshots at Tolkien's works and ideas that feel unnecessarily mean. That said...

There's this one moment with Eomer and Eowyn that I think is kind of... interesting. Now, these version of Eomer and Eowyn seem more like the author's own OCs than new versions of LOTR!Eomer and LOTR!Eowyn, so I'm not really sure how interesting the scene might be to people who ship them in Tolkien's novel. But, taken as its own thing, it really did make me raise an eyebrow and chuckle a little.

In The Last Ringbearer, Eomer is ambitious and greedy, having a bit of a struggle for power and control with Theoden and forcing him to send away his relatively decent and helpful "consultant" from Isengard, Grima. He's also quite a lech, rallying his men during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields by giving them a speech about dying heroically so they will get to feast in the afterlife while attended by beautiful and very eager girls wearing golder bracelets and nothing else. While everyone else cheers and starts fantasizing about those girls, only a young, unusually pretty rider blushes in embarrassment...

Naturally, that turns out to be Eowyn. Who doesn't get to kill the Witch-king of Angmar, with Tolkien's version being dismissed as Aragorn, here a dishonest thug with even bigger ambitions than Eomer, making up some ridiculuous tale to mock an enemy both stronger and more honorable than him. At least she gets to kill a regular human enemy, at least... anyway, Eowyn mostly chose to fight to help Aragorn, who's been cruelly stringing her along while telling her he couldn't marry her just yet because of the ongoing war. Far from Tolkien's cold and pessimistic but honorable and brave shieldmaiden, she acts more like a naive, lovestruck schoolgirl, to the point Eomer can see through Aragorn's act right away and is distrustful and hostile towards him but she doesn't suspect anything, making her brother despair for her.

Eventually, Aragorn takes advantage of Eowyn going to the Houses of Healing to take care of a battle wound to take her as an unwitting hostage and blackmail Eomer, who can't do anything to give in to his pressures to save her.

So, yeah... the little sister falls for the wrong guy, whom the protective older brother instinctively dislikes and wishes would leave her alone, until said wrong guy uses the older brother's love for her against him. A classic, right? But as I was saying, there's this one moment in particular, after Eowyn reveals her identity post-battle...

"“Éowyn!” was all Éomer could say. “What the hell!..”

The shield-maiden stuck her tongue out at him, tossed him the Haradi cape in passing – he was left standing, stunned, clutching his sister’s trophy – and stopped in front of Aragorn.

“Greetings, Ari!” she said calmly; Nienna only knew the price of that calmness. “Congratulations on the victory. As I see it, the wartime excuses are now void. So if you don’t need me any more, say so now and, by the stars of Varda, I will immediately stop bothering you!”

“How can you say that, my Amazon!” and there she was in his saddle, looking at him with shining eyes, prattling nonsense, and then kissing him in front of everybody – the girls of Rohan are not big on southern ceremony, and a heroine of Pelennor could not care less…

All Éomer could do was look at this idyllic picture and get more upset by the minute, thinking: “Fool! Open your eyes and look at his face, it’s all written plainly there – what he is to you and what you are to him! Why, why do the idiot girls always fall for scoundrels – this one isn’t even handsome…” not that he was the first or the last such in that World, or any other…

He said none of that aloud, of course, only asked: “Show me your arm.” Only when Éowyn protested that she was adult enough to handle it and that it wasn’t even a scratch did he let out some of his frustration by yelling loudly and profanely enough to curl ears, describing to the heroine of Pelennor, in graphic detail, what he was going to do to her if she didn’t report to the medics by the count of three. Éowyn laughed and saluted: “Yes, my general!” and only the unusual care with which she mounted his horse told him that much more than a scratch was involved here. But the girl had already leaned on her brother’s shoulder: “Éom, dear, please don’t sulk, spank me if you want, just don’t tell Auntie, please?” and rubbed her nose on his cheek, just like in their childhood… Aragorn was watching them with a smile, and Éomer shuddered when he caught his look: it was the look in the eye of an archer right before he lets fly."

To recap: this happens AFTER Eowyn's already heard Eomer's very explicitly sexual speech and blushed at it. She's old enough that her marrying Aragorn wouldn't be weird except for his obvious disinterest in her as a person, yet here she is, acting all bratty and then letting Eomer yell at her about spanking her "in graphic detail" as punishment for endangering herself and getting hurt, even laughing about it, calling him by sweet little pet names, cuddling him and casually telling him she'll let him do it and won't mind it as long as he doesn't tell Theoden's wife... who shouldn't actually still be alive at his point, but alright...

All of this, after coming on to and making out with Aragorn, who Eomer hates and knows has no good intentions or true feelings for her, right in front of her brother... whose frustratiton and threats do seem to be the result of the whole of Eowyn's behavior, with her stubborn refusal to see a healer being only the straw the broke the camel's back. And all while Aragorn looks on creepily, giving Eomer all the more reason to feel protective towards Eowyn and wary of the man she's crushing on.... who's not even THAT handsome, at least in his totally unbiased opinion.

I swear, when I got to this point, I literally stopped reading and thought, "Uh, if this turned into some kind of incestuous, BDSM-flavored sexy parody all of a sudden, with Eomer losing his patience with Eowyn and spanking her for real only to find her just as giggly, affectionate, and blushy as she's been up until now, and realizing then and there that he doesn't need any heavenly virgin and he has a perfect way to make his sister forget all about Aragorn the Creep for her own good right at hand, I think I would start actually enjoying this. Wonder if there's any fic like that out there..."

Sorry for the long ask, but you see where I'm coming from, right? TLR!Eomer and Eowyn are nothing like LOTR!Eomer and Eowyn, and imo are also much worse characters, but at least, they're good shipping fodder. And I did get a good laugh out of their unintentional kinkiness!

I've never heard of this book. The premise sounds like it has a lot of potential but I'm definitely not interested in something that's going to make digs at the original work! But incest shipping has taken me many strange places before.

I really enjoyed reading your description of Eowyn and Eomer in The Last Ringbearer. That scene where she tells him to spank her is hilarious. I would definitely have to see them as new characters but they seem pretty shippable, in spite of everything. I would very much like to see Eomer making Eowyn forget all about Aragorn.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this up and share this with us. Thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed.

#asks #anonymous #first post #commentary #noiv #nr #r: brosis #nc #the last ringbearer #tolkienverse #eomer and eowyn #eomer and eowyn: commentary

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thevivification · 2 years

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@self-scammer-inc idk if you're awake as I post this (and idk if you’ve done sumeru yet) BUT I've been doing a lot of sumeru exploration and I kept thinking about him when I got near the desert so I filled almost an entire page of my sketchbook with doodles cause. yeah

Notes and note transcript under the cut

I wanted to add onto his design a bit more and I believe we talked about him having quite the amount of jewelry so I tried adding onto that. The hat was mainly cause I think he’d do good with a hat (shields eyes from sun + if you add something like a veil it works as a shield for the eyes) but the hat is definitely more of an optional thing

Upgraded the poncho to look more like something akin to Collei’s scarf but that design idea is still a “hmm” for me (hence why the actual scarf bits are not that visible)

You mentioned something about him being a physical DPS/burst support combo (well the burst support is a me idea, gives him more versatility) and while I’m not exactly sure what element he would have (Vex magic and Abyss magic are definitely more like plot devices for now) so I made The Vial more ambiguously elemental

While I’m not sure about the weapon ability and design I think I like the general concept of what I have here. Also I went with polearm design cause I felt like drawing them so maybe sooner or later I’ll draw a sword for him

OH ALSO I forgot to add that Concocted Infuser can be stacked up to 4 times max. I’m thinking a lot about game design as of recent idk why

note transcript (+ more additional notes cause yay):

I have severely misjudged the variety of sumeru lotus flowers.

Generic pink lotus/water lily = wears most often Nilotpala Lotus = alternate1 Kalpata Lotus = alt2 Padisarah = something special (I forgot about Viboyas aha I’ll explain sometime in future. also yes I know lotus and water lilies are different things and that Cub probably had a water lily and not a lotus in the initial design but shhh)

*a sketch of the start of an attack pattern*

kind of throw upwards? beginning of atk pattern idea?

*a picture of a vial of something*

The Vial Made from various chemicals/elements Plays part to his atk patterns (I believe I was referring to skill and burst)

*sketch of gi!Cub’s right hand*

right hand as ref rings usually wears rings w/o gloves lol bracelets (I added a 4-pointed star/primogem symbol to the glove to mess with identity speculations. in-universe I think he adds primo symbols for that exact reason, to mess with people)

*sketch of an updated gi!Cub design. I’ve given him a hat*

hat still has flower on ear specially-made material *pointing to shirt*

*sketch of a polearm called “✦ The Oasis ✦” (love it when Cub adds the little symbols to his tools and stuff). It’s design is similar to that of the dragonspine spear except the spearhead is more traditional and instead of calcium-like wrapping it is wrapped in the vines of a kalpata lotus. a single kalpata lotus blooms near the head*

Kalpata lotus Kalpata vines might modify design a bit. It’s kinda generic but I have no ideas atm so it’ll just stay like this *pointing to weapon ability* what I have as an idea for a minute (might add EM buff??)

atk % or physical DMG bonus Abyssal Merger (name in progress) Every time the active character activates a skill or a burst, all party members will gain the “Concocted Infuser” effect. This effect increases movement speed by 10%, reduces stamina cost of charged attacks by 20% and increases atk by 20-45% for 10 seconds. (Might reduce the effect duration and might remove the movement speed buff. Also I forgot to add that the ability can be stacked to 4 at maximum and there’s a 3-5 second cooldown for after the effect’s duration. The things in bold are stats that can be affected by refinement)

*A sketch of a possible elemental burst frame. He’s holding the vial while side-eyeing or looking at the camera. I left it vague on purpose*

Possible burst? (I think him throwing the potion to the ground and the affected area looks like light blue glazed terracotta (aka Vex Magic) would be cool. idk what it does but it would look cool)

#viv draws for once #genshin au #cubfan #of course if like. there's things here that don't fit with the idea just tell me aha #I think the weapon ability is my biggest grife so far #but the design I'm pretty 👍#oh wow the notes got long

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toricrypticice · 3 years

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The Golden Scarred

CHAPTER TWO (Lingering Desolation)

Three days later

Hunter felt hot and sticky. He had woken up feeling more out of it than usual, with a loud ringing in his ears and a sour taste in his mouth. He had attempted to change his bandages but even the slightest touch caused immense pain, almost identical to the night he-..

betrayed Belos.

The panic about the night was an easy excuse to leave the bandages untouched, with the fact that he really didn’t have enough bandages left anyway to wrap himself properly. The last few days hadn’t gone as planned. His body only seemed to hurt more as the days went on, making it hard to fall asleep and impossible to stay asleep. Either way he was completely drained.

Hunter sniffs shivering as he pulls his cloak closer, sweat dripping down under the mask as he walks. He was looking for food again. He had tried to make the sandwich last, he really did but leaving food out in the wild was bound to attract animals. Fighting squirrels for a sad, soggy crust of a sandwich really wasn’t worth it. Hunter had also attempted to go into town to find food but he found it crawling with scouts. Scouts that worked for Belos. Scouts who were posting his wanted scroll everywhere they could. Scouts that would turn him in before he even had a chance to redeem himself. Just the panic of getting caught and having to face Belos after everything he’d done.. Hunter decided it was best to just check the woods and hope for the best. Sure he wouldn’t find any sandwiches again but there at least had to be Slazberries or something right?

He had been walking for a good hour and much to his dismay he hadn’t found anything and another boiling rainstorm was approaching fast. At least that's what his- Er The Palisman told him. Hunter leans against the staff panting softly, his vision blurring and shifting around him. He was severely exhausted. Rascal tweets softly tilting his head causing the male to chuckle softly waving his hand.

“No no I got this.” The Palisman seemed unimpressed before it twitters again, flying up to help look. Hunter suddenly felt more grounded and aware as his eyes widened, his head snapping up. “D-Don't leave!” his voice was slightly desperate as he felt an immense wave of panic in losing his only friend. Hunter bites his tongue shamefully at the sudden outburst. He knew he shouldn’t get attached.

What would Belos think?

Rascal flutters back landing on his shoulder tweeting softly.

And yet Hunter let’s out a breath, relaxing his shoulders. The small bird nuzzles against the males cheek. Maybe he could talk to Belos and convince him otherwise about Palisman? I mean they really weren’t so bad right? Rascal was Hunter's.. Friend after all.

Maybe-

Hunter coughs harshly softly into his hand gritting his teeth.

“I think I hear a trespasser! ooooh! which means more friends for me, oh hoot!” He hears someone hoot happily. Hunter's eyes widened as he gasps slamming his back against a tree to hide feeling his head spin.

Oh Titan.

No one could see him like this!

So uncomposed.

A traitor.

There was no possible way for him to fight like this.

He peers out, narrowing his eyes, his vision slightly distorted and blurry before focusing. He didn't see any guards, odd. He lets out a strangled yell as something suddenly wraps around his leg, pulling him upward causing him to gasp in pain as he falls to the ground easily. Hooty smiles hovering above the male. Hunter grips his side in pain curling in on himself. It was the creature from a few days ago he took note.

“Hiya golden guard!” Hooty had heard so much about the prodigy from Lilith. He was supposedly a spoiled brat and nothing more. Belos’ right hand man. And yet?..

Luz had mentioned she had seen the boy out here in the woods.

Hooty tilts his head confused as he sees the blood stained young male.

Hunter grips his staff growling in pain and now anger, He quickly focuses his energy and zaps a few feet away standing.

“AH!” He shouts loudly as his side suddenly pulses badly from the small exertion. He clenches his teeth, gasping as he almost falls over, his vision blurring badly as he pants tiredly leaning heavily on his staff. Just that small spell alone was enough to exhaust him. So much for not showing his weakness to his foe.

He needed to get out of here, there was no way that he would win this fight. HIs head felt fuzzy and it was getting harder to focus. All he wanted was to sleep.

Hunter glances behind himself as the owl creature starts to move forward.

“Hey Luz will never believe-!” Before the demon could finish Hunter broke into a run away from the area. Lightning cracks overhead and the male gasps looking up to the sky before boiling rain starts to slowly drizzle down.

“NoNoNoNo” Hunter whimpers helplessly as he pants, closing his eyes tightly, his lungs burning. Why did everything have to be against him? Why did he have to end up here? Why did he have to ruin everything? He breaks into a harder run as he hears the creature call for him. No, he needed to get away. Get back to the cave. No one else could see him like this, what would Belos think?!

Just Get back to the cave.

Get back to-

*BAM!*

He slammed into something hard, knocking him back he stumbled before tripping over himself dizzily and finally falling over, wincing as his whole body flares with pain. His head swam slightly making him nauseous. He growls in pain and anger. What had he hit?

“Ow! what the heck?” A whined voice followed by a gasp “Golden Guard”

Hunter blinks back tears as he looks up, seeing none other than Luz the human standing there with a magic shield above her head protecting her from the boiling rain. The human had been walking the woods everyday since she saw the male. She didn’t understand. Why was he here in BonesBurrow to begin with? And why was he hiding in the woods? Had they been watching her? She needed to know.

Hunter's eyes widened.

No.

Anyone but her.

She’s the reason he was in this mess to begin with.

Another wild “witch” using forbidden magic.

He quickly stands almost falling over having to use his staff for support, his vision wavering as his head spins.

“S-Stay back Human!” He slams his staff down in some sort of intimidation although he was struggling to hold his composure. Luz stares in confusion and shock.

There stood the Golden Guard.

Bruised.

Bloody.

Shaking as he held his staff in a tight grip, almost scared.

The rain drips down causing him to hiss lightly. Hunter didn’t have time for this. He grits his teeth before coughing into his hand.

“Are- are you alright? -..What are you doing out here in the woods?” Luz asks softly, standing firm, narrowing her eyes at the male. Hunter takes another step back leaning heavily on his staff, her words seeming to echo. Hunter growls holding a hand to his head. Staying awake seemed to be getting harder and harder as his vision blurs again.

No he mustn't show weakness.

His breathing came out a bit ragged. “Look, let's get out of the rain.” To this Hunter's head snaps up in surprise, the motion making his vision swim. “I can help you” she extends a hand smiling, to which Hunter lets out a loud agitated scoff. He couldn’t trust her. He snaps angrily.

“I don't need your help!” The yell was followed by a loud intake of air as he staggered dropping his staff to which Rascal immediately flitters up tweeting worried. He tries to grab the tree next to him only to fall to the ground with a loud thump, his head slamming on the roots beneath him as his vision darkens. “Mm” he pants, feeling exhaustion start to take over.

He was so tired,

so cold.

His body felt so,

so heavy.

The noises around him seemed to fade.

Would it matter if he just rested for a bit?

He was useless after all.

No longer needed…

No one would notice..

Maybe he could finally-

“EDA!!!!” Hunter's head spun as the shout startled him. He peels his eyes open slightly, hmm had he moved, or rather was he moving? When had he fallen asleep? His vision blurred but he noticed the owl house coming into view feeling sleep start to take over again. No he couldn’t, not around the enemy. He needed to stay awake but no matter how hard he was struggling it wasn’t working. He pushes against the human slightly in a feeble attempt to get away.

Rascal flittered around the Human that held Hunter squawking worried. The Owl Lady runs in from the kitchen. Hunters eyes become too heavy for him and he slowly falls asleep much to his own dismay.

“What happened, did Hooty get into my apple blood again?-” Eda’s eyes widened as she sees Luz holding one of the Coven guards. “Why do you have that?!” Eda yells in distaste. Luz carefully lays the male on the couch, Rascal landing on his shoulder. Hunter groans slightly in his sleep. Luz carefully removed the mask, eyes widening before she quickly looks away gagging. She hadn’t been prepared for that. The young males left eye was almost fully swollen shut, blood stained his face slightly. There were a few scratches and burns on his face. A slash on his nose and a busted lip. But the worst was a giant gash under his eye, the area oozed slightly and was badly bruised.

Owl lady winces at the sight of the young male. “Yikes. King, get the first aid kit!.” There was no answer. Eda sighs heavily running out of the room to find what she needed.

….

When Hunter started to wake up he heard voices all around him, talking in a hushed tone. “Looks...Bad infection…..magic...but..” Only able to get bits and pieces of the conversation. He slowly peels his eyes open letting out an involuntary whine as his eye throbs from the action. He felt sick to his stomach as he shivered, his vision blurring.

“Oh good you're awake.” Luz hums. Hunter sits up almost instantly upon hearing the voice, letting out a loud growl of pain. He holds his side as it flares distressfully. “Hey be careful” she lays a hand on his shoulder to which Hunter flinches back slightly before glaring her down.

“I'm fine! Why am I here?” Hunter demanded angrily, his eye throbbing at the stress as he swats her hand away annoyed. His head still swam slightly thumping with every word. He remembered trying to run away, he didn't remember agreeing to come to the Owl House.

“Hey I’m just trying to help you” Luz snaps back slightly, frowning as she rubs her hand before pouting at the young males stubbornness. She had so many questions and by the looks of it none of them were going to be answered.

“Last time I checked I didn't ask for your help!” He retorts, breathing a bit heavily as he stands, a few beats of sweat dripping down his face. He felt dizzy and still rather tired but there was no way he could stay here. Luz frowns angry now, she says something under her breath in Spanish about stubbornness as she clenches her fists slightly before she lets out a sigh trying again.

“Look Hunter please you aren't well” Luz tries her tone trying to stay sweet but Hunter can sense her slight agitation with him. He had always been good at reading other people. Working for Belos over the years will do that to you. He always had to make sure to know exactly what to say and what not to say in front of the male. He wasn’t welcome there. He wasn’t welcome here either. It seemed he wasn’t really welcome anywhere.

“I’m doing just fine.” Hunter grumbles as he starts to open the door, clenching his teeth, feeling his legs wobble as he holds his side. Luz huffs loudly, the other witch couldn’t take care of himself clearly by the looks of it.

“Let us help you!” She grabs his wrist quickly to keep him from leaving but what Luz doesn’t expect is for the soft pitiful whimper to leave the male as he flinches back badly. The male to sharply turn around and back against the door in an attempt to get away from the female. The once great Golden Guards shoulders to suddenly start to shake as it slowly became impossible for him to catch his breath. Luz’ eyes widen and she let’s go quickly, her eyebrows furrow worried. “..Hunter?” She whispers softly not wanting to scare him worse. Hunter moves back quickly looking like a deer in the headlights, his back slamming against the door harshly as he shuts his eyes tightly. His body was shaking slightly as he pants a bit heavily.

Hunter could hear his heart racing and he felt like he couldn't breath. His hand moved to his chest as his heart pounded and he pants.

No no he couldn’t panic!!

not here!

not now!

And especially NOT in front of the human!!!

God did he have to be so!

so..

Weak!

Hunter chokes as he tries to breathe, tears starting to blur his vision, his hand gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly.

WEAK…

So useless!!

So—

“Oh how you disappoint me Hunter... “

Belos' voice echoed in his being. Hunter gasps loudly, wheezing as his eyes widen in a panic upon hearing the males voice.A few tears finally escaping his barrier and dripping down his cheeks. Luz watched as the Golden Guard lost all of his composure, seemingly trying to catch his breath as he shook. He looked terrified as he lets out a pained whimper. Luz couldn’t help but stare for a moment, stunned. Hunter looked… like a frail child. Nothing like how she had ever seen him. She sighs, slowly reaching out to which Hunter immediately recoils, putting his hands up shakily blocking his face, desperately pleading in terror as he sees his Uncle advance towards him.

“No No p-please I'm sorry Uncle! i-I can do better please i-!”

Luz gasps a bit softly in surprise. She’d never seen the male in such a state, she hesitates before putting her hand gently on his shoulder. Hunter inhaled sharply, eyes wide as he freezes looking up at the concerned human slowly starting to realize where he was and what just happened. He catches his breath steadily. The gentle physical touch being enough to bring him down from his panic.

“R-Right…” he breathes out looking down, embarrassed and angry at himself “a-another episode” his voice wavers as he blushes laughing nervously. Only having had a panic attack like this once before.. And let’s just say Belos was not happy and it did not help the situation he had been in.

Rascal tweets moving to the young males shoulder. Hunter gasps in surprise, before slowly smiling sadly at the small bird, carefully petting the Palisman. “s-sorry it won’t happen again” He sighs, keeping his eyes down as he apologies to the Human. This only made Luz more worried. “Just let me leave, it’s best for everyone” He felt so stupid having cried in front of Luz.

How Pathetic..

Hunter wipes his face as sweat slides down into his facial cut causing him to wince. He couldn’t help but wonder why the owl house was so hot anyway. He wanted to get back to the cool cave again.

“Hunter what happened to you?” Luz asks suddenly, to which Hunter's eyes widen slightly glancing up before looking quickly back at Rascal.

. “I-“ Hunter starts before going quiet biting his lip as he rubs his arm uncomfortably. He was embarrassed about everything but the human was bound to find out anyway, right? He sighs defeated.

“I messed up..

Ruined everything that I had- I just ..” he pauses looking angry “ I screwed up!” he snaps as he takes the wanted poster from his pocket practically throwing the crumbled piece of paper at the human feeling dizzy, he grabs the door for support. Rascal flies up tweeting anxiously. Hunter sighs heavily “I tampered with forbidden sources. I lied. I spoke out of turn. I failed the Emperor and when you fail. Well. you outlive your usefulness, although he does want me alive which means maybe i still have a chance to redeem myself” he couldn't help but laugh painfully as he shrugs “But anyway just do what I assume you will. Turn me in and -“ Hunter stops as Luz stomps her foot

“Belos in such a monster!”. Hunter flinches at Luz’ sudden anger in slight shock looking almost worried before he shakes his head at himself.

“Wait-What? No- no I failed, it's my c-consequence he’s just doing his job. Belos is a great emperor. If I hadn’t tampered with wild magic none of this would have-” Hunter was cut off by a loud scoff from the doorway

“Kid that dictator is no hero” Eda frowns sadly rolling her eyes. Hunter looks over wanting to argue but he doesn’t, this was Eda the owl lady after all. And anyway Belos was just a merciless man that's all… right?.

Yeah.

This was normal.

Hunter screwed up and needed to be punished. All normal parent and kid things.

And yet his mind wandered back to the night.

When Belos attacked him.

When he had tried to..

Hunter's hand moves to his abdomen to where he was struck as he looks a bit distant.

“N-no but he-..he cares” Hunter's voice was angry and didn't sound all too convincing. He steps back stumbling feeling a bit hot, “uncle just, just-” his uncle's icy stare flashed in his mind. Hunter shudders slightly looking down before he nods, sighing. “Right.. right ”

he was nothing to his uncle now..

He would have to redeem himself all over again to be in his uncles favor,

“It’ll be okay” Luz’ voice was soft as she started to guide him back to the couch, noticing him stumble slightly trying not to use her for support. “You have a place here for now” she offers

“I don’t want a place here” Hunter mumbles in annoyance to which Luz pouts.

Hunter sighs, leaning back on the couch with a frown looking away. His body felt a bit numb and sore all at the same time. He was tired, so tired. He notices Eda point to the kitchen causing Luz to sigh standing.

“I’ll get you some food while Eda takes a look at your wounds” Luz smiles, humming as she claps her hands.

“Wait what?” Hunter nervously glances at the Owl Lady gulping.

#hunter toh #hunter #toh golden guard #the golden scarred #the golden guard #luz nuceda #the owl house #eda

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backhurtyy · 3 years

Note

so what would it take to convince you to share your thoughts on the atla star wars au 👀👀

OMG.... very little is the answer.... i have so many thoughts, so i’m just happy someone wants to read them! anyways, this got really long- like REALLY LONG- so i’m putting it down below the cut. prepare yourself for some nonsensical rambling, far too much thought into lightsaber forms, and a lot of thought about Zuko and the Force 💖

Set post Great Jedi Purge- the Empire has taken over, with Sith Lord Ozai as the Emperor and having orchestrated the entire war as Supreme Chancellor

Azula is Ozai's apprentice; Zuko was supposed to be his apprentice, however he was never as strong or as good at using the Force as Azula was. He’s still powerful, but more in how he uses the Force to help him in a fight and to find things, rather than Azula, who can use Force lightning, excels at mind tricks, etc.

So instead of taking him as his apprentice, Ozai assigns Zuko to the position of Grand Inquisitor and tasks him with leading the Inquisitiorious Program to track down the Jedi that managed to escape the purge.

He uses Jar’Kai, with dual blood red blades…. This ended up becoming the form he used because when he was young, he could never get the hang of fighting with just one lightsaber and always used a reverse grip that left him far too open and vulnerable. Piandao, who was a darksider rather than a full Sith Lord, decided to teach him Jar'Kai to see if it would work better for him, and it did. Anyways, we’re gonna come back to his lightsabers later cause I’m very into them lmao

Aang was the Padawan of Grand Master Gyatso, raised at the Jedi Temple, and uses a Saberstaff with Soresu as his primary form (I think the defensive style and analytical approach to combat translates really well to Aang’s personality and airbending as a whole... also it's Obi-Wan's primary form, and I think they'd be friends)

Anyways, Aang and Master Gyatso were on a mission when Order 66 went out. Gyatso knew Aang was the galaxy’s only chance, always believing him to be the Chosen One who was destined to bring balance to the Force, and so he told him to run. Aang didn’t want to leave him, but Gyatso used the Force to send Aang to their ship and ordered their BD unit, MO-2, to get them out of there

Aang didn’t see Gyatso fall to the troopers, but he felt it in the Force, and swore that he would do what he could to defeat the Empire

He scoured the galaxy for other Jedi and rebels for a long time, trying to hide his identity and the beginnings of the arrow tattoos that marked him as a Jedi Padawan learner all the while he’s running from the Inquisition (I imagine him as a near humanoid species, who have tattoos rather than Padawan braids or silica beads. As they become Padawans, Knights, and Masters, the level of detail on the tattoo is increased)

One day, the Grand Inquisitor catches up to Aang and shoots his ship down over an ice planet in the Outer Rim

Okay now to Sokka and Katara-

Katara and her family has known that she was gifted with the Force since she was a baby making her toys fly throughout their home on Carlac, but being able to use the Force in the Outer Rim is dangerous. They're not often found by the Jedi Order since it’s too far out, but bounty hunters, pirates, and the criminal rings in the Outer Rim have no such limitations, and Jedi are valuable

Following ATLA, someone heard about a Force user on their planet and sent pirates/bounty hunters after her when she was little, and Kya sacrificed herself to save her daughter

Basically, Katara has had to hide her abilities her entire life even though all she wanted to be was a Jedi, and it’s only gotten more dangerous since news of the purge reached them. Sokka and Hakoda would do anything to protect her, but they knew it was only a matter of time before the Inquisition found her, especially since she has very little training in terms of shielding and what not. So, they pack up and leave to join the rebellion, where they hope to find a Jedi who can train her, and end up on Hoth

They quickly settle into the rebellion, with Hakoda becoming one of its leaders and Sokka and Katara two of its best strategists, pilots, and fighters

Sokka also gets Mandalorian armor and a vibroblade because I say so

They’re out on patrol when they see Aang’s ship go down in the tundra, and Katara feels something in the Force. She knows whoever is in that ship can help her become a Jedi, and before Sokka can stop her, she’s already running towards it

Basically they bring Aang back to base and he promises to teach Katara how to use the Force- just one thing, one of his kyber crystals is broken, so he needs to go to Ilum and get a new one. Katara asks to go with him, and he agrees

Back to Zuko- he didn’t trust that shooting Aang down was enough, so he flies down to the surface to catch him, and there’s a fight between the rebels and the forces Zuko brought with him. Aang and Zuko have a Maul/Qui-Gon esque fight, and eventually Aang manages to get away

He, Sokka, and Katara all leave together, and basically they fly across the galaxy in their transport, APPA, and make it to Ilum to get both Aang and Katara kyber crystals

Katara gets a blue crystal, and Aang teaches her Shien as her lightsaber form (it’s quick, fluid, and alternates between defense and all out attacks, just like her waterbending). They spend a lot of time meditating and going through saber forms and lifting stuff around the ship with the Force and generally being a pain in Sokka's ass because when things fall to the ground, they always manage to land on his foot

(Sokka's proud of his sister and thinks it's cool she's got magic powers, but do things always have to land on his foot??? He wasn't even on the same side of the room as them!!!!)

Basically along the way they meet Suki, another rebel who’s deadly with a blaster, and the Kyoshi Warriors. I also think it would be super cool if the Kyoshi Warriors were from Naboo and were the Queen’s Handmaidens- they look harmless, but these girls are warriors and can FIGHT

Zuko’s chasing them the entire time too

They find Toph along the way too, a super powerful Force user who uses it to “see” and is also a very talented psychometric. I think she’d use Ataru as her lightsaber form since it uses the Force to enhance movements (also the psychometry is for no specific reason other than I think it would be neat and also she and Vos have similar personalities lmao)

Anyways the plot of the show continues until at some point, Azula is sent after Zuko since he’s taking too long to capture the Gaang, and they team up to stop them. Azula uses Force lightning on Aang, but Katara manages to get them out of there before the siblings can capture them. She’s a very powerful Force healer, so she manages to save Aang

Okay this is the part that I think about nonstop, which is that Zuko goes back to the Empire after that fight, but he just feels wrong. The Force doesn’t feel the same anymore, he's cold all the time, his crystals scream at him and burn his hands when he tries to use them, his eyes are aching, everything his father says makes his head pound and the Force curl around him unpleasantly, and he has no clue why (he does, he's just too scared to admit that there's always been a little more light in him than his father wants there to be)

Basically he finds out something about how his great grandfather Sozin used to be a Jedi, until Sozin Fell and killed his best friend Roku, another Jedi and also Zuko’s mother’s grandfather, and he realizes there really always has been light in him. He finally admits to himself that he doesn’t actually want to be a part of the Empire, or a darksider

While he’s on the run, he spends a lot of time meditating and finding himself in the light side of the Force and stuff, and one day he opens up his sabers and purifies his crystals

I like to think that Zuko exists as sort of a Grey Jedi, who isn’t a darksider, but will never follow the Jedi Code or use the Force the way Aang does. So when he purifies his crystals, they turn a blinding white, to show how his destiny is in his own hands now. Also, I think one of his eyes stays Sith gold, while the other is dark brown, a color he hadn’t seen since before his mother died and his father began his training

Anyways, the Gaang saves the day; Aang fulfills the prophecy of the Chosen One and brings balance to the Force by defeating Ozai. Zuko and Katara fight Azula, and in typical Star Wars/ATLA fashion, Zuko gets Force Lightning’d. And up in the skies, Sokka, Toph, and Suki wreak havoc on the Empire’s Star Destroyers, and Sokka ends up breaking his leg because someone shoots the jetpack on his armor while he's trying to escape with Toph

#i have so many thoughts.... embarrassingly many of them are about lightsaber forms and why those work for their characters #but thank you for giving me an excuse to ramble about this lmao. i’ve been sitting on it for so long #zuko with heterochromia and dual sabers rights!!!!!!#also. i just think sokka should get mandalorian armor. as a treat.#also if anyone was going to ask YES i am definitely recycling mo2 from tstltf... but i think thats my right at the author of that fic lmao #atla x star wars my beloved #zukosadragon ace writes #zukosadragon ace speaks #thenegoteator #atla x star wars #atla #star wars #long post

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ilikekidsshows · 3 years

Note

Hey, I was wondering if you could talk more about what you thought about the conflict that happened between Ladybug and Chat Noir in the new york special?

Certainly. Mainly, it’s the same issue we saw in ‘Glaciator’ but manifesting in a different way: these two tend to misunderstand the relationship between them because of their personal experiences and expectations, which tend to naturally be in conflict because of the very different pasts the two characters have. I also think the conflict was two-sided and only one side of the issue at hand was solved. We had Cat Noir’s dishonesty and Ladybug’s inability to act as a comforter, with only the former being solved.

Since it's the one that gets resolved and it's more straightforward, let's start with Cat Noir's side. He's the child of a strict, emotionally abusive father and we've repeatedly seen that he projects his relationship with his father into his relationship with Ladybug, and here it happens again. Gabriel would not let Adrien do what he doesn't allow and we've seen what he does when Adrien disappoints him: punishes him severely.

Strict parents don’t raise obedient children, they raise children who lie well. And Adrien had more of a motive to be deceitful than most. This special was the first time Ladybug gave him responsibility over something. If he said he couldn’t do it, would she ever trust him with anything again? Or, would she simply tell him to suck it up and do as he’s told, forcing Adrien to choose between her and his father in their demands of him? And Plagg, who I will point out, has been actively more helpful in season three, actually helped Adrien come up with a plan that, to their reasonable expectations, would not have led to anyone being hurt or disappointed, so Adrien obviously saw that simply not letting Ladybug know that he wouldn’t be physically present in Paris would work out. Adrien even was responsible about it; he kept himself actively informed of the situation in Paris up until he was made to put his phone away. And then things went to hell in a handbasket at the worst possible moment.

However, here comes the fault in Adrien’s reasoning, which was very reasonable to him and his implied-to-be equally abused Kwami: Ladybug is nothing like Gabriel. Marinette would have heard him out and they’d have come up with a plan together to deal with the situation, as long as Cat Noir got a hold of her soon enough for them to meet up and make a plan. We don’t really know what the time frame is between Adrien finding out and the departure of the plane to New York, but, considering Plagg stopped Adrien from contacting Ladybug, and no time constraint was mentioned, they’d have had plenty of time.

This is the beginning and end of Adrien’s half of the conflict. After this point, he’s merely reacting to what he thinks are clear signals from Ladybug. He tries to help with the villain the best he can, while Ladybug keeps distracting him by berating him in the middle of the fight, finally breaking his will to fight entirely by declaring she can’t trust him anymore, one of the nightmare scenarios I mentioned earlier. Add to that the villain using his power to harm Uncanny, he was convinced that Ladybug would be better off with any other partner. When Ladybug didn’t refute his assessment that he was a failure and no good hero, he decided he was right and abandoned his ring. However, when Uncanny revealed to him that Ladybug did, in fact, still need him specifically as her partner, he came back, deciding that it didn’t matter if he was a worthless failure as long as Ladybug would find a use for him anyway. Adrien repeatedly describes himself negatively in comparison to others, his self esteem is awful, but that wasn’t really a matter being handled in the special.

When Cat Noir made it to Ladybug and was instantly welcomed back, he apologised for not being honest and Ladybug signalled her forgiveness with a fistbump. This gesture signalled to Adrien that he could trust Ladybug and that Ladybug trusted him back, that the things she’d said in anger were just that. This showed Adrien in a blatant way that Ladybug was nothing like Gabriel, who would have lorded Adrien’s failure over him and punished him, instead of accepting his assurance that he’ll do better next time. This was an important lesson to Adrien, because he needs to be as honest with Ladybug as their secret identities allow because they’re a team and can’t go doing things independently when it affects them both. Adrien’s experiences in the special are ones that will specifically help him overcome his character flaw of being too distructful of others’ intentions when it comes to Ladybug.

Then comes Marinette’s side, and this one is more complex. While how badly she was distracted in that fight and how badly she distracted Cat Noir was an issue in and of itself, it wasn’t the thing on her part that escalated the conflict. It was merely what set up her state of mind. What escalated the conflict were the things she said in anger that she didn’t take back while Cat Noir was clearly falling apart. Marinette was understandably upset by what happened in Paris, but she made a very big mistake with how she handled that: she focused only on herself. Marinette needed comfort because she couldn’t heal Paris, but Cat Noir needed comfort because they could do nothing to help Paris, he’d just temporarily killed someone and he felt like a failure as a partner. But, when Cat Noir didn’t instantly move to assure her that she was fine, Marinette turned her back on him and walked away. She wanted space, because Marinette usually finds a quiet corner to think when she’s dealing with something, but Adrien saw that as a rejection. And when Cat Noir voiced all these things going on in his mind, she was silent, making him feel like she was condemning him, seeing him as worthlessly as he did. So he decided to leave her so that she could find a better partner.

Marinette also has her own misconceptions about her and Cat Noir’s relationship. This is another thing I noticed in ‘Glaciator’: Marinette doesn’t think Cat Noir is an actual human being with real human emotions and problems. She got better about it after ‘Glaciator’, like accepting his feelings for her as genuine, but she still doesn’t understand that Cat Noir can get hurt emotionally and might need a bit of support every once in a while. In fact, in ‘Timetagger’, she blatantly shuts him down when he’s looking for affirmation, claiming he “already knows he’s the best”, when Adrien actually has very poor self esteem. I mentioned in another comment that Marinette sees Cat Noir as a fae-like being, someone who only goofs around and supports her, and is never touched by worldly things like pain and sadness. The only threat to him are the supervillains they face. Every time one of them has shown a need for comfort, it’s been Ladybug, and Cat Noir has always been the one to comfort her. They’re stuck in these roles, and Marinette doesn’t know how to break out of them when Cat Noir is the one needing comfort and support. To drive this aspect of the conflict home, this is the direct reverse of the situation in ‘Miracle Queen’. In ‘Miracle Queen’, Marinette makes a mistake with real consequences, gets Fu’s identity revealed to Hawk Moth which led to his capture, but Cat Noir overlooks that to support her instead. In the special, Cat Noir’s mistake causes property damage in Paris that they can’t undo, but Marinette can’t overlook it to support her partner through his mistake.

Here’s the thing: Marinette has a good life. She has a supportive family and supportive friends. This gives her a solid foundation as a superhero and it means she’s used to people picking her up when she falls down. It’s not just her relationship with Cat Noir that’s characterized by the idea that support just shows up when she needs it. Heck, at the end of ‘Love Hunter’, Luka seemingly magically appears for the sole purpose of giving Marinette some comfort. However, we’ve seen some hints, mostly in ‘Weredad’, that at least her dad wants to overly protect her. We don’t know how well Marinette would actually take Adrien rejecting her, but, considering how miserable she was repeatedly in season two over just not getting to see him, I suspect not well, and her dad was convinced she’d go as far as being easily shattered by that. Children need to feel small disappointments to be able to handle the actual hurdles they’ll face later in life. The way Marinette becomes an anxious mess over failing at something reminds me of myself as a teenager, and I was a very shielded child. My mom pampered me, not by much, but enough that I had to learn to pick myself and others up at a later age. And I feel that’s a lesson Marinette needs to learn as well.

We saw from what Marinette said to Uncanny that she didn’t think Cat Noir’s mistake was irreparable. She didn’t mean the gestures I described earlier as how Adrien saw them. She didn’t mean to turn her back on him to reject him and she didn’t mean her silence to be read as her agreeing that he was a bad partner. But she never once considered that she might be sending Cat Noir these signals, even as Cat Noir told her how he felt about himself in relation to her. Instead of supporting her partner by saying anything to refute his self-disparaging comments, or even sharing their pain together, Marinette remains silent, experiencing her own pain alone and leaving Cat Noir with his. Marinette is a good leader, but she’s not a good partner, because she lacks the ability to support Cat Noir. This isn’t her fault, it’s a character flaw like Adrien’s distrust of others to consider his well being in any scenario. However, it’s one that’s harder to fix than Adrien’s, because Adrien’s flaw is one of perception, so he just needs to see contrary evidence to learn better. Marinette’s issue is that she lacks important skills for comforting someone: spotting a need and responding to it. I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen Marinette actively comfort anyone during the entire series. It’s very likely she’s never had to do so before the moment with Cat Noir in this special.

This is why Adrien leaving her was so important to Marinette’s future growth as a partner specifically. Technically Marinette needed it to happen. Marinette had to learn that you can’t expect someone to be there indefinitely if you never let them know you want them there, and she had to learn that Cat Noir needs her to reciprocate the supportive relationship between them instead of only enjoying the benefits of her partner’s almost unwavering support. An unequal relationship will not last. If you just keep someone around for their comfort, they’ll leave you once they have none left to give. If you just keep someone around for their good days, they’ll leave you once their bad days come. But in this special we saw Marinette taking the first steps towards realizing her partner’s humanity, ergo, fixing the part of the issue that’s in her perception: she was still thinking about him when she was Marinette. I noted in ‘Glaciator’ that Marinette usually stops thinking about Cat Noir once she’s Marinette again, which is part of that whole “seeing him as otherworldly” thing. Breaking out of that mindset is as important as it is for Adrien to break out of the “everyone would turn on me if I didn’t please them 24/7” one.

Basically: the conflict was resolved, but it showed where development still needs to happen.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #ml meta #dats chats #long post #popular

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demig00ddess · 3 years

Text

To the last breath

Pairing: Bill Weasley x Fem!Reader

Summary: You and Bill Weasley are former classmates, and now fiancé and fiancée, and brilliant Curse-Breakers working in tandem. The future promises to be great for both of you, but the last work assignment turns into a tragedy.

Warnings: angst, mentions of blood, injuries, death

Word Count: 1350

A/N: Forgot to post it yesterday. Sometimes, I get too hung up on the little things of the characters, but I'm interested in coming up with their own stories for these things. My first angst, don't judge strictly.

"These are the most boring dungeons in my life," your voice echoed off the stone walls. "At Hogwarts, at least, there was Snape in the dungeons. And what's here?"

"The skeleton tried to strangle me," Bill said, rubbing his neck. "This is not enough for you, love?"

"It was in the morning," you answered cheerfully, raising your wand higher to light the way, and twined your fingers together.

You have worked your way through the ruins of the ancient catacombs, in search of another lost goblin treasure. Your last assignment before your wedding and honeymoon. And your thoughts were absorbed by the worries of the upcoming celebration.

"Oh no!" you gasped. Bill twitched, shielding you from possible danger, holding out his wand in front of him. You put your hand gently on his shoulder, soothing him. "It's all right, dear. Sorry, I was just thinking. I promised to choose napkins for the banquet yesterday and completely forgot. Mrs Weasley will kill me!"

Bill let out a sigh of relief and lowered his wand, smiling.

"What kind of wedding would it be, then, without a bride? And mom asked to call her simply by the name. In a week, you will also become Mrs Weasley and there will be a terrible confusion," Bill laughed at the way you blushed, and hugged you from the back, kissing you softly on the temple. "We'll reach the vault soon."

You checked the map and continued on your way. Bill was not mistaken, after a couple of forks, you found yourself in a spacious round treasury resembling a well. Gold coins, jewellery, and weapons were piled up in it. Your trained eye of the Curse-Breaker immediately noticed several particularly valuable goblin-made items for which you will be awarded at Gringotts.

You and Bill cast a Protego charm and split up by going around the room from different sides. You stepped over a human skeleton, heading for the treasure. One of your work duties was to check the safety of everything you found, so you decided to do just that.

A few minutes later you put aside another absolutely ordinary goblet, which has dried blood or wine. Your attention was attracted by a large wooden box decorated with carvings with figures of wild animals. You lifted the lid and held up your wand, examining the contents. The box was full of different-sized bones, you winced, there could have been human ones among them. Taking from there a small, beautiful white fang, you closed the box and returned it to its place. Not cursed — not interesting. But you admired the fang. It belonged to a wolf or a werewolf, or some unknown creature.

"Look, it's so beautiful," you tossed fang to your fiance. "You can make a pendant or a cool earring. Can you imagine yourself with this, huh?"

"I don't have as much fantasy as you, honey," Bill laughed and threw it back at you. "Do you wanna pocket it?"

"Nobody needs this stuff anyway, the goblins are only interested in irons," you replied, knowing full well that he was only reproaching you in jest. Both of you are back to work. You were studying the treasure so that you wouldn't stumble upon some cursed thing. And Bill was examining the treasury itself, he was very interested in the magical writings on the walls.

Some shine on the floor attracted you. Only now you noticed magic circles inscribed in several places with small magic crystals in the middle under the layer of dust and sand. One of the crystals glowed brighter the closer Bill got to it, fascinated by the exploring of the wall.

"These're not runes, I've never seen this before," Bill ran his fingers along the wall. Distracted by his voice, you didn't notice him take another step forward. You looked down in horror when you saw that he had stepped on the edge of the circle.

"Bill!" your Protego charm dissipated when you flung Bill aside with a wave of your wand. A purple bolt of lightning shot out of the crystal, striking the spot where Bill had been standing a moment earlier. He flew off a couple of meters, hitting the wall with his back, but immediately got up.

"Great shot, love," Bill said, taking a couple of weak steps toward you.

"Oh, Merlin!" The curse barely hit him, leaving only a small cut on his arm. You laughed with relief and took a step toward him. "It was so clo— "

A scarlet beam of an identical magic crystal directly above your head hit your chest. You felt as if a thousand blades were simultaneously slashed through your skin and insides. Instead of a cry, a gurgling wheeze came from the throat and your mouth filled with blood. You took a step forward and collapsed into Bill's arms.

"No, Y/N!"

Your shirt instantly became damp and warm, and scarlet spots spread all over it. You were a limp doll lying on Bill's lap, unable to move. Blood mixed with your tears was flooding your face. It seemed like every cell in your body was torn apart. Red and black spots were flickering before your eyes.

"No no no!" Bill pulled a bottle of Essence of Dittany from his bag. He poured half of the potion into your mouth and tried to heal your wounds. But even a whole bath of essence could hardly help you. You felt it. You felt that nothing could stop it. You felt you were dying.

"We need to apparate to the hospital, hold on to me," Bill tried to lift you up, but lowered you in fright, hearing a painful moan.

"Don't," you whispered. He looked into your eyes with excruciating pain and slowly shook his head. He was powerless to do anything while you were dying in his arms.

"No, please." Bill put his palms around your face, warm and wet with your blood, and burst into tears. "Please, get up."

"It's okay," you smiled out of the corner of your mouth, his sight was tearing your heart hundreds of times stronger than a cutting spell.

"Don't leave me," Bill whispered. "Please, Y/N, don't leave me. I love you. I love you so much!"

You tried to smile again, but your face cramped. You wanted to tell him "I love you too." Merlin, how much you wanted to tell him! But each breath was more difficult, you were gasping, feeling your lungs filling with blood instead of air. Your legs went numb right away, and now you couldn't even feel your arms. The pain was gone. The picture in front of your eyes was floating and gradually disappearing as if someone was taking apart a solved puzzle. You opened your eyes wider, trying to see Bill's face once more, but it was all in vain. Darkness has closed around you.

× × × × × × × × × ×

Bill was sitting on the stone floor in a pool of blood, clutching your cooling body to him, and howling softly, choking on his tears. He couldn't tell how much time had passed when he finally put you down to the ground. His fingers, blood dried on them, trembled, closing your eyes with a glazed gaze. Bill kissed your cold forehead and leaned his forehead against it, shedding tears on your face.

He took off his jacket, and tore the unspotted side of his shirt into rags, which he used to gently wipe your face, and then the remaining wounds. Last of all, he straightened the engagement ring that glittered on your finger. A small thing fell out of your hand and rolled on the floor. Bill, almost not realizing what he was doing, picked it up to examine. It was the same fang that caught your attention. "A fang for his cool earring." Bill turned it over in his hands and put it in his pocket. Then he picked your body up bridal style, and, swaying slightly, went to the exit from the dungeon, leaving behind red, like rose petals, drops of blood.

#bill weasley #bill weasley x reader #harry potter #angst

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grailfinders · 3 years

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Fate and Phantasms #190 & 191

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re providing you a horror double feature- Mecha-Eli chan and Mecha-Eli chan Mk. II! Since they’re nearly identical (in NA) all you have to change between one and the other is how you roleplay. But hey, you technically get an extra build this week, go you!

Both of these servants are 100% Armorer Artificers for some fancy techno-gadgets built into their metal bodies.

Check out their builds breakdown below the cut, or their characters sheet over here!

Next up: She’s got so many pigs around her you’d think she opened a doughnut shop!

Race and Background

Shockingly, the robots... are robots. Specifically, Warforged, which gives them +2 Constitution and +1 Intelligence. They also get Constructed Resilience, which makes you a better ruler since you don’t need to eat, drink, breathe, sleep, or get sick, you get advantage and resistance to poison saves and damage. Elisabeth might get sick from eating all that candy, but you won’t even be tempted.

Instead of sleeping, you take a Sentry’s Rest, spending 6 hours in a still state- you can still see, but you can’t move without breaking the rest.

Integrated Protection gives you your first armored casing, adding +1 to your AC. You can also don armor by fusing it to your body over an hour, letting you wear heavy armor without having to take off your tutu.

Finally, you get a Specialized Design, giving you proficiency with Performance and one set of tools. If you want to get your Elisabeth on, I’d suggest Bagpipes, so you can clear the room just as fast as she can.

Being a robot makes your background a bit complicated, but you were made to rule Castle Csejte Pyramid Himeji so we’ll call you a Noble, which gives you proficiency with History and Persuasion. If you’re playing Mk. II, swap the latter over to Intimidation, boom, roleplay changes done.

Ability Scores

Your highest score should be Intelligence, you have a supercomputer for a brain, it’s not a huge stretch. Constitution comes next, aside from Babbage you’re the only servant made out of iron. So far. Your Strength should also be pretty good, while you do shoot people, you also hit them, and you have one of the most damaging NPs in the game when ignoring type advantage. Your Charisma isn’t bad per se, but your delivery does get a little stiff from time to time. Your Wisdom isn’t that great, neither of you really “get” people. Yes, humans might take offense at being forced to stay in their homes their entire natural lives. That means we’re dropping Dexterity. Your head literally falls off on a regular basis, that’s an accident that would kill most people. Also, you’re not exactly running around in leather, so it’s not like you’d need it.

Class Levels

Starting off as an Artificer gives you proficiency with Constitution and Intelligence saves, as well as two skills. Arcana is the closest thing to robotics in the forgotten realm, and Investigation will help you make a sweep of the battlefield with your robot eyes. Your first machines are made using your Magical Tinkering, adding minor effects to tiny objects. It’s not exactly the wish spell, but you can get creative with it. Speaking of Spells, you can cast and prepare those now using your Intelligence. All you have to do is be smart. Grab the cantrip Mage Hand for a non-combat use for your rocket arm, and Sword Burst so you can try spinning to damage nearby enemies with your tail. I hear it’s a neat trick. You can also cast first level spells, like Feather Fall and Jump (it’s almost flying), as well as Catapult for a prototype rocket arm. Also, if you can spare the slots, grab Detect Magic for robo scanning.

For more substantive mechanics, you’ll have to Infuse Items over a long rest, creating two items from a choice of four blueprints, both of which will go up in number as you level up. Right now, I’d suggest grabbing Goggles of Night and Sending Stones for recon missions, an Enhanced Arcane Focus for better bullets later, and an Armor of Magical Strength for a suit of armor that can either add your intelligence modifier to strength checks and saves or prevent you from getting knocked prone. Doing either spends one of six charges, which partially get refilled at dawn.

Moving to the Armorer subclass dumps you into a proper heavy armor setup, but you can make it even more impressive by turning it into Arcane Armor. This lets you ignore the strength requirements for heavy armor (which you can wear now), and you can use the armor as a spellcasting focus. There’s also stuff about the armor being a part of you, but that’s already true thanks to being a warforged. As the guardian of Hungary you get the Guardian Model, which gives you cool Thunder Gauntlets that use your Intelligence to attack instead of your strength. Creatures that you punch this way have disadvantage against other creatures for a round. It can also produce a Defensive Field as a bonus action, giving you your level in temporary HP, up to Proficiency times per long rest. Finally, you get some free armorer spells to go along with your new outfit. Magic Missiles do a good job of standing in for bullets, and Thunderwave gives you a finale for your Breast Zero Erzsébet.

Your first Ability Score Improvement is going towards making your regular attacks even more powerful with the Crusher feat, rounding up your Strength and making your fists able to shove a creature they hit once per turn, moving a large or smaller creature 5′ away. Your critical hits also give all other attacks against that creature advantage. (Catapult is a save, so I don’t think they work together, but that’s a DM thing, I guess.)

Fifth level armorers get an Extra Attack per action, so you can make enemies taste both of your hands each turn. You also get second level spells, like Mirror Image to put together some cheap factory-made knockoffs to take damage for you and Shatter for more sound-based pain. You can also prepare spells like Levitate for your first taste of flight, Enlarge/Reduce to make yourself the giant mecha you were born to be, See Invisibility for more robo-scanners, and Pyrotechnics for some movie magic.

Sixth level artificers get Tool Expertise, doubling their proficiency with all proficient tools. Now you’ll be really good at clearing out a bar with your bagpipes. You also get two more Infusions, with one more up at a time. Some Resistant Armor will make you deaf to your own music with resistance to thunder damage, or you can customize it to block out plenty of other types, like acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant, or thunder. Makes a great gift for the totem barbarians in your party! You also get a Spell-Refueling Ring, because pretty soon you’ll be flying, and the worst thing you can do while flying is run out of spell slots. As an action, you’ll recover a 3rd level or lower spell slot once per day.

At seventh level, your Flashes of Genius make your smarts even smarter, letting you add your intelligence modifier as a reaction to nearby checks or saves Intelligence Modifier times per long rest. You were literally built to do everything for your subjects, it only makes sense that you’d be good at it.

Use this ASI to bump up your Intelligence for stronger spells, stronger punches, and more flashes of genius. You take a little bit to get warmed up, but that’s true of most computers.

Ninth level armorers can make Armor Modifications, turning your armor into four items for the purpose of infusion, and you can infuse an extra 2 items specifically if they’re part of your armor. That’ll be really cool next level, but what’s really cool right now is your third level spells, including the freebies Hypnotic Pattern and Lightning Bolt. I would’ve preferred fireball, but we’ll take what we can get for big guns. You can also prepare spells like Fly to fly under your own power instead of awkwardly levitating like a balloon, Haste to overclock your computer, and Intellect Fortress to lord your superior brain over the fleshlings, giving you resistance to psychic damage, and advantage on intelligence, wisdom, and charisma saves.

When you hit tenth level you become a Magic Item Adept, partially because you’re a magic item. This means you get an extra attunement slot, and crafting common or uncommon items is a lot cheaper and faster. You also learn the Fire Bolt cantrip for more options from your guns. On top of all that, you get two more infusion blueprints, and can have one more made at a time. I’d pick up some Winged Boots for concentration free flight up to 4 hours a day, and a Helm of Awareness to give a creature advantage on initiative rolls and immunity to being surprised. You don’t really wear a helmet, but you give one to Guda during the valentines events, so now you can do that in game.

At eleventh level, you can make Spell-Storing Items at the end of a long rest, shoving a 1st or 2nd level artificer spell into a weapon or focus. A creature can cast that spell from the item up to twice your Intelligence modifier times, and it is as powerful as if you cat it yourself. You can only have one spell stored this way at a time.

I really wanted to multiclass into sorcerer this build, but to be honest the final level of artificer is too good to really pass up. So instead, use this ASI to become a Metamagic Adept, gaining two sorcery points and two ways to spend them. Most of your spells are really just part of your body, so a Subtle spell will make that more obvious by making the casting less obvious. You won’t need somatic or verbal components. Alternatively, you can use a Careful spell to turn your giant blasty spells into something slightly more controlled, automatically letting one creature make their save against the spell. You use a lot of firepower for a single-target NP.

Thirteenth level artificers get fourth level spells. Fire Shield and Greater Invisibility aren’t in character, but they are useful, and using useful things is in character. You can also cast spells like Stoneskin, which is an understatement if anything, Summon Construct or Fabricate to build extra Elis, and Arcane Eye for your very own security drone. I also recommend grabbing the glyph of warding from level 3 so you can fully stock your castle with summoned versions of yourself to attack intruders.

Fourteenth level artificers are Magic Item Savants, letting you ignore all restrictions for magic item use, and you can attune to five items at a time. You also get the Prestidigitation cantrip for easy 3d printing, and two more infusions, plus one more built at a time. Grab the Belt of Hill Giant Strength for a whopping 21 strength, and an Arcane Propulsion Arm for a proper rocket punch. That last one does come with a pretty hefty price though- you will have to chop an arm off to put this one on. (Your armor will replace the arm if you have to make space for another infusion though, so it’s not all bad.) Annoyingly, this arm also deals force damage for some fucking reason, so you can’t use crusher on this either. I’d let you just punch people normally though.

Fifteenth level armorers get their final goody, giving them Perfected Armor. Now your guardian model lets you spend a reaction to pull a huge or smaller creature closer to you at the end of its turn if it fails a strength save, and if it’s pulled into melee range you can wollop it as part of the reaction. You can do this Proficiency times per long rest. We’ll consider this a giant hand giving them a nudge in your direction.

Another ASI, use this one for more Intelligence. Now you have the strongest and most flashes, as well as super strong spells and force punches.

At seventeenth level you get fifth level spells, like the freebies Passwall and Wall of Force. Technically it’s invisible, but a giant hand cupping around you to block damage is totally possible. Speaking of giant hands, Bigby’s Hand lets you make a giant mecha hand that actually acts like a hand for once. Yes, we are fitting Mecha Eli’s bit from Las Vegas in here. You can also use Creation to make an exact copy of your body, and Animate Objects to bring it to life. It’s not as powerful as the original, but that’s what you get with factory-made goods.

Eighteenth level artificers are Magic Item Masters, letting you attune to six items at once. You also get another two blueprints with another one built at the same time, so unless you’re powerbuilding grab another Arcane Propulsion Arm for two rocket fists, and a Ring of Protection for a bonus to your AC and saves.

Use your last ASI to become Tough, for 38 extra HP right away and another two when you level up again. You are literally made of steel. Come on.

Your capstone level grants you a Soul of Artifice, which is pretty busted. You get a bonus to all saves equal to the number of magic items you’re attuned to, and if you would drop to 0 HP you can end one of your infusions instead, sticking around at 1 HP. We weren’t able to make your mass-production work out that well, but if you have to die 9 times to actually go down, I’d count that as extra copies.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

You’re hard as hell to kill. With your lowest save being a +6 and the ability to add 5 to any save you don’t like the look of, magic will just slide right off you. Plus, with an AC of 20, just over 200 HP, and temporary HP from the guardian model, you have a lot of health to chew through from martial classes as well.

And that’s assuming they can even hit you! Flight is awesome, giving you plenty of mobility to avoid most combatants entirely and rain down fists and hellfire from a safe distance.

This build is highly customizable, with tons of tricks and gadgets to swap out as the situation calls for them.

Cons:

You’re super reliant on magical items to protect you, so if you get caught up in an anti-magic field it won’t be fun. Like, most artificers will have an awkward fight, but you won’t have arms.

While you have a lot of infusion options, you can’t have all of them up at once. That means you’ll have to make hard decisions constantly, and basically predict the future each long rest.

Two of the feats we took aren’t really that great, and probably should have gone towards better stats. Crusher only works on your regular punches, which are outclassed by your magic weapons, and you only get two weak uses of Metamagic per day.

#fate grand order #fgo #DND 5e #D&D #Mecha Eli Chan #artificer

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harknesswife · 3 years

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It was you all along (Agatha Harkness x Female Reader)

Summary: This is a sweet self-insert love story between Agatha and a Westview citizen. Everything that happens follows the original events of “Wandavision” and MCU, like a parallel.

Chapter: 10/10

Word count: 1.663K

The bus stopped in front of the “Welcome to Westview” sign. We all got off as FBI and SWORD agents kept blabbering about going back to our real lives. I let my mind wander for a while.

It had been a week since I ran off the hex, leaving Agatha behind. They got all of us into this facility that, to me, it kinda looked like a prison. “We just need to be sure that the city is safe to come back to”, they said. My room had no windows, but I knew that this wouldn’t stop her. I’d sleep every night hoping that she’d just burst her way in and take me out of there. She told me to wait, and I did.

Agent James clapped his hands and brought me back from my daydream.

"Ok, welcome back, everyone. Everything is perfectly fine. Westview is secure, Wanda is gone. And that’s all you need to know."

Some people clapped. They wouldn’t tell us anything about what happened after we got out, and that was driving me insane.

We stepped inside Westview as if we’re entering a pool, slowly and carefully. The city was way different from the colorful lie we were living. Everything was pretty gray and dark. I passed by my place, the door was still open just how I'd left it. But I didn’t want to get in, not yet. I wanted to preserve a little more of that memory of how it used to be. Lots of families were getting inside their own houses, I could see people packing stuff. I kept walking, getting my eyes used to this new reality when I saw it.

Her house. What used to be her house, the place where she took me on that Halloween night. Everything was destroyed. I crossed my arms on my chest, trying my best not to cry. Sword did it, I was sure, to make Westview “safe again”. I peeked around, trying to find any clue when I glanced at her bicycle just tossed aside. I ran for it and when I was about to lift it…

"Oh, hey!"

It was Fietro. I took several steps back.

"You can have it", he said, lifting it and handing it to me. "I don’t mind".

I kept staring at him, trying to read his eyes. He smiled at me.

"I’m sorry. Do we know each other? My head is still kinda messy from all the, you know…"

"No need to be sorry", I said, relieved that he didn't remember me. Especially naked me. "Nice to meet you. Are you leaving?"

I pointed at the two big bags behind him.

"Definitely. I’m not taking my chances with her again."

"Wanda? I thought she was gone", I asked, slightly more interested.

He sighed.

"I shouldn’t be talking about this. I’m sorry", he tried to leave, but I held him.

"Do you know what happened? After we all left?", I was holding his arm with only one hand. He wasn’t trying to get away, but I refused to let go.

"I was here", he whispered. "But I can’t talk about it. They made me promise."

"Please!", I asked. "I’m so confused right now. I need closure. I think knowing would help me to just… move on.

I meant it and he knew that. He above all people knew how it was to be unable to control his own mind. So he told me all about the two identical men flying and fighting against each other. He told me about that brave woman that just threw herself in front of Wanda’s kids to protect them, even when she didn’t know that her body was bulletproof. How the sword army was defeated by these same two young boys. And, finally, how both witches kept throwing blasts at each other, a huge battle in a red sky.

"And then..." he said, pointing at the exact place where it happened. "They got back. But Wanda was… different. She looked like a witch, cape, and everything. And the other one - I could see some anger in his voice - was just on the floor, defeated."

I took a deep breath.

"Wanda left after a while. The agents found me and it was their idea to destroy the place. I used to live here, you know. That’s why Agatha picked me".

It was really weird listening to someone else saying her name.

"But if Wanda’s gone… What did you say about taking chances?"

"Well. I heard something that I never told the agents...", he was whispering again. "Wanda changed Agatha’s witch clothes into casual ones. She told her that she knew where to find her. I think Wanda did to her what she did to all of us, trapping her inside her mind. And that makes me think that..."

"She’s still here."

It wasn’t a question. She was there, in Westview. That’s why she didn’t come for me. Now it was my time to find her. I smiled at him, hopping on the bike.

"Thank you, Fietro!!"

"Wait, what did you just call me?"

But I was already pedaling away at full speed. Looking right and left, trying to figure out where Wanda would place Agatha. Plain sight, so no one would suspect? Or maybe a little bit away from the neighborhood, just to be safe? I felt a few drops of rain falling into my head, wet hair getting into my eyes. There were a few cars on the street and It was hard to keep track of all of them. The orange light of a headlight blinded me for just a second, and it was all it took for me to fall. I tried to get up, feeling dizzy.

!Hun! Are you okay?"

I wasn’t ready. But she was right there, in the rain, kneeling in front of me. I had no idea how.

"Agatha", I said, staring at her. Somehow, I thought she would simply look at me and remember everything.

"It’s Agnes! A common mistake, tho", she smiled, her hair also getting wet. "Oh, let’s get inside! Let me help you with that", she said while grabbing the bicycle. I got up slowly.

If I had looked back, I’d see how she stopped, confused for just a split second, after touching the handlebar.

The inside of her house was cozy and colorful, like a piece of the “fake Westview”. It felt like home.

"I’m gonna get you something warm. Just a sec, honey."

She left me in the living room, my heart beating like crazy. “Calm down”, I said to myself. I looked around, trying to find anything that would help me bring her back. There was a shelf with some books, but none of them were glowing. Mundane. I got closer to read some of the titles when something else got my attention.

A few drawings were on the table right next to the shelf, some of them unfinished. A faceless girl with wings. The back of two women with bubbles floating around them. Pieces of our memories. They were still there, in some corner of her mind.

"Here you go", she said, handing me a cup of tea. Our fingers touched for a second, and she kept staring at me as her smile faded away.

She let go of the cup and touched my face, just like she used to do. I closed my eyes, waiting for her next reaction. Something was happening and I knew it.

"Go. Now."

It was her voice. But it didn’t sound like her.

The rain was still pouring outside. She kept telling me to leave, her eyes locked on me, like a trance. I refused. One of her hands was now glowing with a red fog.

Wanda.

"Agatha, please. Please. You need to remember. Please!", I kept saying it while she slowly lifted her hand.

I had no idea how, but Wanda was controlling her. Talking wouldn’t help. I took a step in her direction, then another one. She lifted the other hand, a threat that I ignored. Agatha did some sort of magical movement and everything flew into the walls. Everything but me. She wasn’t expecting that. I took another step, getting closer.

"You protected me long enough", I said, hoping that, somehow, Agatha would listen. "But I need you to come back."

I grabbed one of her wrists, trying to ignore the massive red energy that she was holding on her other hand. I could feel the warmth and the light getting closer to my face, I knew that it was my last try. I took off the ring that she gave me and placed it on her finger, screaming by how much strength it took me to do it. We both fell on the ground immediately.

I crawled over to her. She was trying to get up.

"Agatha?", I said with my voice breaking.

She looked up.

Agatha held me tight, touching my face to make sure that I was okay. I couldn’t stop the silent tears from falling. She kissed me several times, on my lips, my forehead, and my cheeks.

"I’ve missed you..." she whispered, fixing a lock of hair behind my ear. "We gotta get out of here. Wanda knows about you."

"I had to", I said, holding her hand.

"I know", she nodded, taking off the ring. The stone was black now. "You won’t need this anymore. I’ll be your shield."

We both got up, ready to leave, when the same orange headlight blinded me again, right inside of her living room. Only it wasn’t a headlight, as I realized too late. Agatha put me behind her, staring at that weird thing.

It was like a mirror, but instead of our reflection, we saw a man. He was wearing a cape and a necklace with a glowing green stone.

"My name is Doctor Strange", he said, in a calm voice. "And I need you to come with me."

#wandavision #kathryn hahn #kathryn hahn fanfiction #kathryn hahn fanfic #agatha harkness #agatha harkness x female reader #agatha harkness x reader #agatha harkness fanfic #agatha harkness fanfiction

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thinkingimmensely · 3 years

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Like An Open Book XI

Part 1 | Part 10

A/N: Hi! How’s everyone been doing? I think this chapter’s kind of long, not sure if it’s longer than the last one though. Also, I’ve been working on a James Potter x Reader oneshot that’s already over 4k words HAHAHA, I’m nearly done with it (I think), so that’s one thing to look forward to~! uwu

IDK if it’s just me or is tumblr messing up the tags thingy? Because I can’t seem to tag some people. But anyway, if I’m missing anyone or if you want to be added to the taglist, please dm me or comment down below or even send me an ask so I can include you! <3

MASTERLIST

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from the Potterverse!

___________________

He couldn’t meet your eyes. James Potter had been avoiding you and you were devastated. You were proud of yourself at how well you hid your inner turmoil since no one said anything, until Remus and you were sitting alone outside in the lawn that is.

You sat beneath a tree, shielding yourself from the afternoon sun. The others were busy in a competition on who could throw the gnomes the farthest. Though however tempting it was to join in, you settled for relaxing since you didn’t want to soil James’ good mood. Remus, wanting to get some reading done, opted to join you.

“I’m going home tomorrow.” You told him.

Remus looked at you in surprise, as if you just dropped a bomb. “What?” He closed his book and set it aside, “Why? We’re supposed to spend two weeks here. We have a week left.”

You pulled your legs up to your chest and hugged yourself, “I just... I think I’ve overstayed my welcome.” You shrugged; you tried to act nonchalant about it but you knew he could very well see your anxiety behind your orbs.

Remus furrowed his brows, “Why would you ever think that? Y/N, everyone wants you to be here.”

You shook your head, “I don’t think James does.” You mumbled, you didn’t want to but tears still prickled at the edges of your orbs. Remus heard you all the same. “He knows, Rem. He knows and now he can’t even look at me.” Going home to the family who all but ignored you was better than being rejected by the person who used to welcome you with open arms. “It’s been two days and he all but flees whenever I enter the same room as him. He can’t stand it, and I won’t force him to.”

“I’ll go talk to him.” Remus was about to stand up but you grabbed his arm and held him down.

“It’s okay.” You told him, giving off a sad smile. Remus looked conflicted but settled down nonetheless. He held your hand fondly and gave it a squeeze in reassurance, which you were grateful for. He let out a deep sigh and opened his book again.

You set down your quill as you folded the piece of parchment and packed it inside an envelope. You sealed it with melted wax and a stamp and handed it to the white barn-owl that perched itself on your windowsill. It was a reply to the Dumbledore’s letter to you; you had written to him immediately after returning to the Potter’s residence two days ago, your hands clammy with nerves, and your ears ringing from everything. You opened his reply once again.

Dear Miss Y/L/N,

It is a surprise to hear of your connection to the recent incident, and I must commend how you and the others fought off the Death Eaters and helped the Aurors, though extremely reckless it was. I believe Voldemort already knows of your identity and would be ever pursuant of his current interest in you. He will try to get you to join him again, and you must stay vigilant. He will not do anything as long as you remain a student of Hogwarts, but I believe it best to relocate your family soon, in case he catches winds about your residence. If you decide to do so, I will, of course, send help.

Take care,

Albus Dumbledore

You rubbed your forehead as you read the letter again, chastising yourself for being so stupid. Dumbledore was right, Voldemort had enough connections to easily know who you were, and you not only put yourself in danger, but now so is your family. They had to move, and you had to leave them to keep them safe. He won’t be able to do anything as long as you still went to Hogwarts, the notion was comforting yet ominous, because what would happen the moment you graduated?

The ministry was abuzz since ten muggles were murdered that night, and more people severely injured. The Muggle Prime Minister struggled to make believable alibis and he couldn’t give out an adequate one was it not for the help of the Minister of Magic. You tapped your fingers on the mahogany desk. You wondered if Severus was able to escape unscathed, but you shook your head at the thought; of course, he would go unscathed, he knew about the attack beforehand after all. You bit your lower lip; he had tried to protect you- you know that now. You may still be able to sway him away from the dark path he seemed all too eager to walk on.

You packed what little you had and zipped your bag close. Now all that was left was to tell the others during dinner. You decided that saying that your mum wanted you home immediately because she heard what had happened at the concert and was concerned for your safety was a good enough excuse.

A knock came from your door and before you could even walk towards it, it creaked open and James came in. He glanced at your packed bag on the bed and turned to look at you, his eyes wide in shock. He took two long strides towards you and pulled you into a hug. “I’m sorry.” His voice shook as he buried his face on the crook of your neck. His breath tickled but you were utterly confused to be focused on that right now.

“I’m sorry.” He repeated. “I’ve been so stupid, and you didn’t deserve the way I avoided you. I don’t want you to leave, if I had my way, I’d want you to never leave.” He pulled away but still held you by the shoulders. His hazel eyes searched yours for something you didn’t know. “You see- what I’m trying to say is... is that I don’t care if you’re a Legilimens. I don’t care if you know every little thing about me, if you can read my mind this very instant, I don’t care. I will never turn my back on you again, never. I hold you too dearly.” You just noticed how his hands were shaking, you took them from your shoulders and held them.

“James, I-” You were about to say but someone cleared their throat by the doorway which made you all but drop his hands and your gaze immediately.

“Uh- s-sorry to bother, b-but your mum wants to know what you want to have for di-dinner, Prongs.” Peter stammered. Sirius snickered from behind him while Remus tried to hold in his laughter as well.

You flushed a deep shade of red as you turned away from them, hands on your warming cheeks. “Out! All of you!” James had snapped, and the boys went running away in snickers. You turned back to him and found him pretty much in the same state as you were in, flushed cheeks and all that.

He cleared his throat, “So um, please don’t go home... yet...” He added the last word like an afterthought, as if realizing that, yes, you still have a family who might be wondering where you were if you wouldn’t return. You nodded and he grinned at you. “I’ll, um... see you at dinner then?”

“Uh-huh.” You sheepishly replied and he bit his lower lip then turned to go out, leaving the door open.

“So Y/N, will you tell me what every girl at Hogwarts thinks about me next time?” Sirius grinned as all of you laid on top of the roof, watching the stars. It was a clear night, perfect for star gazing, and you took the opportunity to do so.

You let out a dry laugh, “Of course not, Siri. What fun would that be for your conquests?” Sirius and Peter had learned of your ‘gift’ when they were busy eavesdropping earlier, and like Remus had done so long ago, the rest of the Marauders had sworn themselves to secrecy regarding your ability.

Sirius chuckled, twirling his wand between his fingers, “Point taken.”

You stared at the twinkling stars that shone millions of miles away and listened to the voices of your friends. You wished time would stop in this moment. You wished all of you would stay like this forever... young and free; unbothered by the looming war that plagued your lives.

You sat up as reality started sinking in. The screams of people dying too haunting to be forgotten, and the pale face of the Auror who only tried to protect you. You never even knew his name. You felt a warm jacket wrap around you, and you turned to see James beside you, a soft smile on his face.

“Thank you.” You murmured. The others continued on their conversation while James adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“I remember it too.” He told you as he ruffled his hair. You cast him a questioning gaze, prompting him to elaborate; “The concert, I mean. Sometimes I still hear the screams and see the flashes of green when I close my eyes.”

You held his hand and gave it a small squeeze which made him smile. “I reckon the five of us will carry this memory for the rest of our lives.” You pointed out sadly.

He nodded, “True. But I feel a little better knowing that you guys will be with me through it.” He told you and you could feel your heart move by the sincerity of his words that tears prickled at the corner of your eyes.

You wouldn’t be dealing with all these emotions alone, not anymore, and that very notion comforted you greatly. You scooted closer to James and leaned your head on his shoulder, and he instantly wrapped an arm around you. You sighed in content, because at this very moment, all was well. “That reminds me,” You started, “You never told me why you were avoiding me so adamantly.” You turned to look up at him, backtracking when he was already looking at you, your faces inches away from each other. You recoiled and he dropped his hand from your shoulder, a deep red penetrating his features.

He cleared his throat, “I’ll tell you someday. Promise you won’t search for the answer yourself?” Tapping his head with his index finger.

You laughed, “I’ll try.”

The rest of the summer had passed by rather uneventfully as you returned home a couple days later. You had set up some enchantments on your home the moment you arrived with the help of Professor Flitwick, who arrived a few moments after you. He thought you the charms and reinforced them for better durability.

Your mother had invited him for tea, but he politely refused, saying that he must visit other households and left in a hurry. Your family, except your youngest sister, looked at him rather curiously and you were glad they didn’t voice out their apparent discomfort. They had also watched you and your professor in awe from the living room window as you casted the spells.

Now you sat on a chair by the dinner table as your mother rubbed her temples and your step-father tried to take in everything you just said; you had explained to them why there was a need to enchant your home.

“So... you’re saying that... that a lunatic is out there causing havoc?” You step-father asked hesitantly.

“Well he’s not just any lunatic, he’s public enemy number one in our world.” You pointed out. “And he’s not just causing any havoc, he’s killing people. Muggles, non-wizard people.” You elaborated once more, “You guys are the very kind of people he’ll be after, and I’m only telling you all these because I want you guys to be safe.” The tea had long gone cold and a tense silence hung in the air. Your two siblings were sent to bed early for you guys to have this conversation, but you weren’t surprised to hear your stepsister eavesdropping at the top of the stairs.

"Y/N, are you sure we’re safe here?” Your mother questioned, gathering her thoughts together. She, at least, understood the gravity of the situation. You knew she liked to read the Daily Prophet when you were done with it, and you were aware she didn’t skip the latest news about the Dark Wizard.

You frowned, letting out a deep sigh, “He wants me to join his cause.” You admitted, and the color of your mother’s face drained. You took her outstretched hand and gave it a squeeze, a gesture that brought tears to her eyes, it had been years since you initiated any sort of physical contact with her. “I won’t join him; I assure you that.” You swore. “Dumbledore is certain he won’t come looking for me until I graduate. By then I’ll be out of this house and the lot of you will be moving somewhere far from here.”

Realization dawned on their faces, “You’re leaving? Why? Wouldn’t it be safer if you went with us?”

You shook your head, choosing not to answer.

I have gathered a group of people who are willing to oppose the Dark Lord himself and thwart his plans, Miss Y/L/N, and I am formally extending an invitation for you to be part of that said group. It will be dangerous and it will require courage, you will not only be part of the heart of the war, your life will be on the line and your skills will no doubt be put to the test time and time again. But this will all be for the greater good, so I prompt you to at least consider it.

“Y/N?”

Your thoughts broken, you looked at the both of them who shared a look of concern at your lack of reply. “It’ll be better this way. This will all be for the greater good.”

You left the dinner table at that, and sought solace in your bedroom, glad that your step-sister had retreated to her own room just as you finished your conversation. You locked your door and got your potions textbook and cauldron out of your trunk. You searched the table of contents and smirked bitterly as you found the page you were looking for:

Chapter 16: Memory Potion . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

“Y/N!” Lily yelled as she run to you and wrapped her arms around you, “I missed you!” The two of you reunited at King’s Cross Station, the Hogwarts Express right in front of you, smoke bellowing, getting ready for the journey to Hogwarts. Chatter rang out the entire station as friends reunited after without seeing each other for the entire summer.

You chortled and returned the hug, “It’s so good to see you again Lily.”

“What, no hug for me?”

The two of you broke the hug to look at the messy-haired boy smirk at the both of you. Lily rolled her emerald orbs heavenward, “Sod off, Potter.”

James chuckled at her, “Feisty as ever I see.” He then turned to you and smiled, “Y/N.”

You nodded at him, “James.” It has been three weeks since you last saw him and it feels like it’s been forever.

Lily eyed the both of you, her eyes wide as if formulating something. She instantly grabbed you and pulled you away as Sirius called out to the three of you, much to the confusion of the boys. “Did something happen between the both of you?” She interrogated.

You furrowed your brows, “What?”

She giggled excitedly, “You and James I mean!” She whispered-yelled. “Is there something going on that I should know about?!”

“Um, I don’t think so?” You denied, because really, there wasn’t, wasn’t there?

She pulled you further away, “I saw the way you two looked at each other! If there’s something going on between the both of you, I’m all in for it!”

“Lily didn’t you call him an arrogant toerag before?” You raised a brow at her.

“Oh please, that was before we all got to become friends!” She turned to look at the boys, Remus and Peter had already arrived and the four of them were talking animatedly with each other as if they haven’t seen each other for years. “I’m just saying, I think the both of you make a fine pair now that I see you guys again. It’s like a spell had been cast during summer break that changed everyone’s demeanor.”

Ah that was right, Lily didn’t know what happened yet. You had avoided writing to her about what happened since you didn’t want to worry her, and also you didn’t want to relive the memories. Your expression may have changed since Lily went from excited to concerned in an instant, “What is it? What’s wrong?” She questioned.

“I need to tell you something...” You trailed off but before you could go into your story-telling, the train chimed out. It was time to go.

The boys headed your way, “Ladies,” James uttered and grabbed your trunk from your hands. You tried to get it back from him but it was futile, which only made Lily cast you another knowing smirk. You frowned at her in reply.

“We have to go to the Prefects compartment.” Lily informed you as she and Remus stopped midway.

“Oh, right. Sure.” You nodded, “I’ll talk to you later then?”

The redhead smiled at you, “Of course.” They then walked off towards the other end of the train while you, Peter, Sirius, and James easily found an empty compartment and went inside. You stood by the doorway while the boys placed the trunks up, and entered when they were done.

James took his seat beside you while Sirius and Peter sat on the opposite side. The train took off a few minutes later, and you leaned your head on the window glass, looking at the vast terrain. The boys chatted on, paying no heed to your lack of input to their conversation.

The cart lady soon did her rounds around the train, and James and Peter got up to buy some sweets. Sirius nudged you with his foot and you shot him a look, “What?”

He chuckled, “Nothing. It’s just- you're real quiet today. Is everything all right?”

“Of course. I... I just have a lot on my mind right now.” You confessed.

Sirius gave you a sad smile. “Well, don’t get consumed by those thoughts. We’re here for you aright?” He pulled the sleeves of his sweater.

“Sirius?”

“Hm?”

You folded your hands together in your laps, glancing outside where the others were still busy picking the sweets they want. “We both know you’re more troubled than I am. Do you want to talk about it?”

Sirius stopped pulling his sleeves instantly, “I almost forgot you’re a Legilimens.” He chortled lowly, but it held no actual mirth. “I was disowned, kicked out of the house- with all that burning of my picture in the family tree.” He shook his head as if he found it absolutely ridiculous, “I think Bella told them about our little encounter during the concert incident and that flipped them how I could stand against the Dark Lord himself and their cause. So now I live with James apparently. It’s fine though, if anything, I’m glad to be rid of all that pureblood supremacy nonsense.”

You frowned deeply; his pureblood fanatic family was not foreign to you. You knew, since before, that Sirius suffered immensely in his household, and it made your family life all the much better. “You’re worried about your brother?” You surmised.

He nodded slowly, “They’re poisoning his mind, they are. He’s my little brother and I couldn’t even protect him. I can’t stop him from walking down that path...”

Your heart ached from the familiarity, you leaned back on your seat, “Well... all we can do is not give up now.” You told him, and he understood. He understood that the both of you were in a similar boat, and that made him smile genuinely and nod. You were thankful about the fact that he didn’t even comment about how he knew you were talking about Severus. You knew they weren’t on the best terms but you were worried he might convince you to forget about that snake. That he wasn’t worth it.

James and Peter came back with their hands full with sweet treats and they set it down on the cushions. “Take anything you want.” James told you and you looked through the candies and chocolates. You took a cauldron cake, thanking him.

Halfway before arriving to Hogwarts, you all started to change into your robes. You had to leave the compartment to change at the comfort room all the way down the train hallway while the boys had no trouble pulling their sweaters over their heads.

“Wouldn’t mind if you changed here, Y/N.” Sirius wiggled his brows at you but yelped when James threw his robes at him.

“Hi, Y/N.” A girl with ginger hair and warm brown eyes greeted you as you waited in line for your turn to change in the bathroom. “I’m Marlene McKinnon; we share the same dorm?” She introduced herself when you just stared at her.

You shook your head, “Oh sorry, I know who you are, I’m just a little surprised is all. We’ve never really talked before.” She was nervous, she didn’t think she would ever get to talk to you as well.

She chuckled lightly, “We haven’t, haven’t we? I’m sorry about that; but I hope to rectify that, Lily’s friend is our friend of course.” She gestured to the person inside the room who just came out.

“Oh, hi Y/N.” Mary Macdonald greeted, already in her robes, a kind smile on her face.

“You can change first Y/N.” Marlene told you; you thanked her, not wanting to make it awkward.

You closed the door behind you and discarded your sweater. You could faintly hear Marlene and Mary chatting in the other side of the door, it was a good thing they weren’t talking about you. Was it going to be like this from now on? You wondered. Were your housemates going to make pleasant conversation with you just because you were friends with Lily and the Marauders? Somehow the thought of not being ostracized by your own house anymore wasn’t so bad.

You came out after changing and Marlene went in afterwards. You smiled at Mary, in which she returned the gesture and you made your way back to your compartment. You passed by a group of snickering students, and when you turned to glance, you frowned deeply as you took note of their green robes. It was Mulciber and his little gang; their compartment door was slightly open and they passed around the daily prophet. You squinted in disgust and continued on, missing the way Severus looked as you walked away from inside the compartment.

You dragged the door open and found your three friends tossing Fizzing Whizbees at each other and catching it with their mouths. “Does anyone have a copy of today’s Daily Prophet?” You questioned, interrupting their game as you took your seat beside James.

“I might have one.” Peter replied, swallowing the candy, and got up the seats to reach for his trunk.

“Did something happen?” James looked at you in question.

“I don’t know yet.” You answered. Peter fished out the newspaper from his trunk and threw it to you, which you expertly caught. You immediately skimmed through the headlines while the blonde boy closed his trunk and flopped down on his seat.

Sirius and James huddled closer towards you to check the newspaper, and you arrived at the latest news about the Dark Lord. It said that there were three more attacks, all in different locations throughout the country. Your face paled at the list of casualties, the war wasn’t just starting, it was at its height already, you realized.

The atmosphere in the compartment turned grim. Sirius took the newspaper from your hands and crumpled it up and threw it outside the window. “It’s nothing new. People die every day.” He shrugged then took a packet of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans and ripped it open. “Here, Peter, I dare you to eat this.” He handed the boy an earth-colored bean.

You sighed, all of you coped in a different way, you concluded. Though not particularly healthy, denial was one way to go about it. But you weren’t one to talk since the way you stressed about it all the time couldn’t be considered healthy as well.

You felt eyes on you and you turned to see James looking at you. You cocked your head to your side in question and there was a waver in his gaze. He felt hurt; he wanted to know what you were thinking about and it pained him to see you build walls around yourself once more. You turned away from him, guilt creeping onto your conscience.

___________________

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thedivinedemom · 3 years

Text

An AU of DC with a mass crossover of PS4 properties.

Provisional name: Players Searching for Detectable Changes (Get the pun?)

The setup:

This is the future of DC, a world where the old guard has slowly withdrawn and the newer generations have risen to the occasion. The original Titans in particular, most of which have formed the new Justice League while many other, very similar teams had started to form across the world. One of which was a resurgence of the Teen Titans, led by an older and purified Raven. She wanted to make the Teen Titans something akin as it was for her, a place to belong and learn to use one's powers.

The first 'class' of such individuals include:

Stargirl (of the now-disbanded JSA and still getting used to the Starrod)

Blue Beetle III (Freshly attached to his alien symbiote and freaking out a bit)

Robin V (to work on his anger issues, mostly at the new Batman's request)

Kaldur (a half Atlantean half metahuman who is struggling with his identity and the surface world, Aquaman feels a kinship for the boy seeing their similarities)

Static Shock (a promising new hero but little experience working outside his city or in groups)

Mary Marvel (she's... she's going through alot. Fresh from a coma, her brother is distant as he acts as the new Wizard, and she may be, sorta kinda, being corrupted by Black Adam's gifted power)

The team was rough and there was plenty of head butting (Mostly between Stargirl and Robin/Damian as one is almost the unanimous leader while the other thinks he should be) but they were getting there. They were more of a clean up crew for the Justice League, they did more than the "kiddie missions" that the Outsiders didn't do, and they meant more than the PR grab that was the International team. Though they didn't seem to amount to more than that. They still did their best, pushing past the silent ridicule, as they went about their missions.

This may be why tempers were so high that day.

One day, outside a little city by the name of Weller's Point, the prisoner transport for the villain Plasmus had an "accident". Released and awakened the creature went on a rampage, heading ever closer to the populated area. Luckily, the mentor of the New Teen Titans could teleport. The new team did fairly well in the fight, though they did struggle a bit as Plasmus was not a being where simple brute force would work. It made the fight tricky and more than a bit... messy.

Messy enough that juvenile and emotionally compromised Mary Marvel lashed out against the downed villain but was stopped by her teammates... things escalated from there. Restraint turned blows and the whole team struggled to stop their powerhouse without hurting her. The ones who do the best are Raven, Stargirl, Blue Beetle, and oddly Static.

While both of the former could use their abilities to restrain her to a very effective degree Static was actively draining her of strength, or at least of the electic aura she was radiating and blasting with. Frustrated, done with the situation, and a bit petty Mary launched her largest attack yet by saying her magical word.

SHAZAM.

Virgil did what he did best, he handled that lightning as it came crashing down towards Mary and the Titans restraining her. Well, he tried. The bolt was just too powerful, too unlike anything he had ever encountered. He could not handle it and it was dissipating, if anything it clung to him or tried to jump towards the girl. He had to get rid of it and he had to get rid of it quickly, safely too if he could help it.

He shoved it into the ground, into the power lines. He did it as carefully as he could, trying to prevent overload or flashover as guided the charge into the power grid.

What happened next was a combination of a few things. 1. The Mystic and transformative properties of the Lightning, 2. It is effectively being filtered through a bang baby, 3. The kryptonite power plant owned by, provided by, and operated by Lexcorp.

This interaction, this new charge, cycling through the power grid interacted strangely with a number of devices but none more so than PlayStation 4s and the devices connected to them. This new electricity changed things, literally. It brought fantasy into reality.

Whatever game was loaded into became a part of our reality in a small way. Sometimes TVs, Controllers, and even the system changed to reflect items from the game but the bigger change came with the Players. If a person was playing their console during the surge then they would become a metahuman with abilities based on the playable character they were playing.

The city, the county even, was now flooded by an abundance of metahumans and items of varying power of devastation. Static felt horrible.

He couldn't help but compare what has happened here to what happened in Dakota City but on a wider scale. And this time it was his fault. His sense of responsibility wouldn't, couldn't, let that stand. He had to fix his mistake and his team was dragged along for the ride.

The story to follow is a mix of Final Crisis and Kingdom Come with a bit of the Young Justice cartoon in events and themes, a few twists and likely a bit lighter in tone but to the DC geeks this should give a rough idea… Maybe a bit of Marvel's Civil War but hopefully not the rushed knee-jerk mess that that ended up being.

But it's here that I start having issues with my planning. One part in worry as outside the set up we start to follow the perspective of OCs (something rarely smiled upon) and another part in wondering which OC to focus on.

Now, one thing I love in fiction is progressive powers and the conflict escalating from the different paths people take in said progression. In that vein, I have a pair of protags in mind as well.

The main two/co-protagonists:

The Lawkeeper- a cop before the change and now a member of a task force made up largely of those affected by the surge. A gamer, a man of color, and a believer of the spirit of the law. He doesn't always get along with his fellow officers but he believes in what the blue does. He believes that an organized response is what is best.

His abilities are based on those of Jesse Fades of Control. Meaning he has tremendous psychic potential but he needs 3 things to reach his full potential.

1.Items to bond to so he can generate these psychic abilities. Jesse's used altered items of her universe to get thematic abilities from them (ex: a safe to generate a shield, a carousel horse for a dash ability, ect). Here he can use items generated by the surge.

2. A patron/partner entity to help guide, give insights, and empower. It also let's the user enforce reality, basically becoming an anti reality warper.

3. A bonded morph weapon or a weapon to come to his hand when called.

The knight- a recent college graduate who instantly decided to go the route of the caped hero. She, after figuring out how to get her powers to work, instantly went the route of a caped crusader. Going out to the streets, saving lives, stopping instances of surge item abuse, and (in the humble opinion of the local Police Department) getting in the way of operations. In her opinion they were taking too long to get things done.

Her abilities are based on those of Prince Noctis of Final Fantasy XV. This means she has tremendous physical and magical potential but like the above she has a number of check marks needed to gain access to the character's full power.

1. A gem/crystal to draw power from.

2. 13 magical weapons to boost strength. The generated game weapons will do and I have most picked out in a way that likely would help the plot progress.

3. The blessing of 5-6 gods.

4. A power ring of some king to channel all this power.

I keep debating the two above as I do like the idea of both of them climbing in power and clashing over conflicting ideals of what to do with their power. At the same time, I think that just smooshing aspects of both into one (which is actually where they started, a single character) and play off the different ideologies of how best to help people from within her friend group and precinct along with internal conflict. Maybe have the one be a fellow officer they butt heads with because of the... precarious nature

Another OC I was thinking on, keeping with the theme of what to do when you have power, is a thief who played Persona 5. Like both of the above they would be crippled in their ability to use their abilities without a way to fake the connection to. In this case, without the Mementos App, they would need an item that could affect or enter the hearts of others. Luckily, more unlucky really, there are plenty of items floating around that can do just that. Namely Keyblades.

Most other Players are an odd mix but most are variations of the Shooter build. Peak physical humans who heal quickly and often have bullet time. But there are enough other variations to cause trouble. Demigods of unreal strength, men and women who can easily tap into a patron for powers from the outside, 2 variations of spider powers, cat eyed men and women who can cast magic with simple gestures, and so much more. But the real issue was the first two, the demigods without a parent to protect them and those easily connected to a divine source.

The disembodied New Gods of Apocalypse were very happy with those groups. For how bad this can be please look at what happened to Mary Marvel in canon Final Crisis.

Thoughts and opinions would be appreciated.

#dc community #fanfiction #dc fanfic #dc fandom #playstation #mass crossover #orginal character #dc fanfiction #dc fanfiction idea #outline

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electronicdelusionstarlight · 3 years

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Ok, here's how I'd set up an actual BNHA Elder Scrolls crossover in case I ever get around to write it:

1) While he's, like, 4 years old in his living room watching TV, Izuku's Quirk activates. It will not get an actual official name but we can call it Planeswalker Spark ala MTG. Basically kid can tear a hole through reality and launch himself into a different plane of existence, which is what Izuku accidentally does here.

2) It's a slow process tho, which gives Inko plenty of time to rush in from where she was to tackle her son away from the sudden green glow brightly shining around him, a impulse decision based on her Instinct to protect him at all costs, which only ends up with both of them getting sent to Skyrim.

3) Izuku incidentally also happens to be a Shezzarine. His quirk is a mutation from her mom's side, whose Quirks usually affect space in some way, and is completely unrelated to this. Anyway, he and Inko are on the cart to Helgen now, usual shit, The plot of Modded Skyrim takes places, with Inko taking on the brunt of the adventure and trying to shelter Dragonborn Izuku from his destiny.

4) After many trials and tribulations, 2 DLCs, 4 guilds, 1 Dragon War, several adopted orphans as well as so many quest mods it's unreal, Lucien Flavius and several members of the College of Winterhold manages to reverse engineer Izuku's quirk, and gives him an enchanted ring to better control it. Kid can now safely use it without risking ending up somewhere completely different from his planned location. Izuku is now 14 years old. He also had to do terrible things no matter how much his mother tried to shelter him and take the brunt of the war crimes. This leads to PTSD obviously, but also to a now blue and orange morality system, chief among them his general disregard with killing or not killing someone.

5) Getting back to 10 years prior, Izuku's Quirk causes a ripple in the Tachion Field surrounding earth, which is felt on I-Island. David Shield spends the remaining 10 years monitoring and trying to better understand the phenomena, since it could be revolutionary in the till then hypothetical field of time and space travel. When Izuku activates his quirk back 10 years later, I-Island has by then built a teleportation device, hijacking Izuku's trip and sending him to I-Island.

6) Meanwhile on a familiar junkyard, Hatsume Mei's scrappy device built via salvaged parts, spit and lots of duct tape comes to life on her back, individuating a sudden tear in the now constantly decaying Tachion Field. It's happening in the middle of the ocean tho, so she can't really deal with it now.

7) Anyway, David Shield needs Izuku at hand for his Quirk, but Izuku and his mom came back to Japan trying to live a double life since by then most of their friends and family are in Tamriel. Except, both of them have been declared dead for years, and Hisashi, the bitch, ran away with the insurance money, so they don't have a life to return to. David Shield can't let them get back to Tamriel tho, again, he needs Izuku on planet for his new research, bit also realizes that if he actually wants to leave he can't really stop him, except Izuku, you know, still wants to become a hero, just like his mom is in Skyrim. So they reach a compromise, he will try to get into UA, and will take a new identity as Mikumo Akatani, usual excuses to have Izuku get into 1-A you know?

8) Izuku can't really make his Quirk public tho. So, after forging his and his mother identities as a foreign dignitary from the states and her son, and his Quirk is listed as "Cataclysm" (The last perk in the destruction skill tree for a Fire (and Earth) mage in the Ordinator Mod). He is after all a member of the college of Winterhold, trained under the Great and Powerful Destruction Magician Uncle J'Zargo the Magnificent himself, of course he knows plenty of spells. However, he can't really explain all of them as one Quirk, or better yet, he can, it would just get really complicated, so he just goes "My mom can move things with her mind, my... Father, ugh, can blow fire from his mouth, obviously my Quirk is being able to control flames with my mind, usually from my hands but some times also via vocalisation."

9) Which means Izuku has to really contain what shit he can do. It's a very superman like situation, since he needs to remain in control at all times and also not slip up and pull spells he couldn't explain as his "fire" quirk, least people start asking questions. Some people however notice.

10) Tsuyu and Todoroki start an unofficial conspiracy theorist fan club over it.

Tsuyu was there with him at the USJ, where in his sudden hyperfocused competence over the crisis situation made her realize A) This is not the first time this boy has almost died in his life and B) Back in the water at the USJ, she could swear she saw his hands shining as some strange light washed over him, and she could swear he could swim as fast as her back then, and for such long periods of time she could swear he could breath underwater. That makes it really suspicious.

Todoroki sees another kid with a powerful fire quirk but also the signs of a hard life and who seems to not like his father, and instantly goes "Oh... same hat." So his conspiracy is that Izuku is actually Endeavour Bastard Son he had after a premarital affair during a visit to the states 14 years prior, and he has a corkboard to prove it. He also realizes that he's trying to contain his power just like he is, which makes him believe he too must have done a pledge just like him.

11) Shinso beats Bakugou on the first match of the tournament. Doesn't really matter to the overall crossover I just wanted to point this out.

12) Anyway, this explodes during the Sports Festival. It's Todoroki Vs Midoriya, and 1) everyone is comparing the two due to similar Quirks, which Izuku finds really unfair to both of them, 2) Todoroki is being a stubborn ass with his quirk and 3) Izuku can't really talk now l, can't he? That would make him an hypocrite, and he might be a Mage, an Honorary member of the Explorer Guild, a Dragonborn and also a Bard College Student for some reason, but he's not a hypocrite, so he just up and SNAPS because hey, maybe Todoroki will actually unleash his full potential if someone else does it first too.

13) So, Izuku Midoriya, on national television, starts blasting. Armour Spells, Ice Spells, Lightning Spells, Mind Spells, Water, Wind, Air, Poison, turns himself invisible, summons a Dremora Champion, shouts with the power of the souls of the Dragons his mother slew, Todoroki actually has to start using his fire but is mostly out of sheer survival now ("There is always a bigger fish out there, and one day you deciding not to use your full power just because of a stupid pledge will get someone killed. Trust me, I know. You better start realizing that now Todoroki"), and is still a close match because Izukus spells all start from his hands or mouth after all, and Todoroki has now something to prove more than ever.

14) Without his robes on tho, Izuku Magicka is depleted in the end, ending up in a tie as the two collapse from exhaustion. Rather than an arm wrestling match this time, Izuku is disqualified due to the sudden mutation of his Quirk. He's fine with it and probably expected it, bit this still bums Todoroki out, as well as all of his classmates and friends.

15) After the Festival there are 4 leading theories on Izuku now:

A) All Might, discovering via Tsukuachi that Izuku's identity is fake, as well that he looks a bit like a missing case kid from 10 years ago, AND knowing that AFO is back due to the USJ... Believes Izuku is a mole, and is working, willingly or unwillingly, for AFO after he was implanted with all those Quirks. He is now incredibly suspicious of him, and it kind of shows. Nighteye is on the same page despite not having talked to the man in years, and is subtly trying to have Mirio scout out the kid to see if he's a threat. Mirio is too much of a Golden Retriever to even realize what has been asked of him tho, and just think Nighteye wants him to befriend another kid with a promising Quirk.

B) Todoroki now knows the truth. Izuku is Monoma's long lost twin brother. His Quirk allows him to copy the Quirks of those around him (Iron Skin and Stone Skin would be Tetsu Tetsu and Kirishima Quirks after all, Invisibility is Hakagure, Fire and Ice are either his or Bakugou's, Lightning is Kirishima, and Tsuyu mentioned how he could swim and breath underwater while near her, meaning he was using her Quirk). He has connected the dots.

C) AFO still remembers his brother's lover, the stories she came up with, the long periods of times she was gone, only to return with a haunted look in her eyes... The powers she hid from him, thinking he wouldn't notice, the way she fled right after his brother lay lifeless on the ground, almost disappearing into thin air with his broken body... The family his brother hid so well from him, as if they were in another world all together... They never told him, but he knew, he knew she had some sort of Quirk, one that had been then inherited by this new Mikumo Akatani, so similar to HIM yet so different, back from the other world in revenge for his ancestor.

He has to capture that kid. He's family after all, and his quirk belongs to him, it's his by right as his brother's keeper. And with it, he will be able to extend his reach to worlds beyond his own.

D) the official version, the one David Shield puts out, is that Izuku's Quirk evolved unexpectedly due to the new environment he was in, mentioning it as a precursor of Quirk Singularity.

E) The only one who actually got it is Hatsume. She can tell Izuku is the source of the Tachion Spikes and subsequent decays as he "returns home" in Skyrim when leaving school, so she perfectly understands that he's a powerful warlock from across dimension who had come here with the power of science and unholy magic to infiltrate society posing as a hero. Obviously, she's going to help him do it becoming his evil vizier and grand artificer of course. Worst case scenario, she can now market the shit out of him as a hero using her babies, best one, he succeeds and she gets to rule Australia out of their "Deal." I say "Deal" because Izuku isn't even sure he got half of what she was saying, but she seems nice and if Skyrim taught him anything is that you should treasure everyone willing to be your friend, so they hang out together, scheming and plotting without even realising it.

Tsuyu however pretty much got the gist of what Hatsume was saying (it was a crowded lunch break after all) and while she does know Izuku doesn't seem the type of the interdimensional conqueror, she still decides to call dibs on North America in exchange of becoming his Grand Admiral.

And Who knows, maybe he'll end up starting an actual line of Dragonborn Emperors there too.

Anyway that's the rough draft.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #midoriya izuku #bnha au #skyrim #elder scrolls

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secret-engima · 4 years

Note

Ardyn doesn't know his own strength and accidentally helps Niflheim topple Insomnia like, eleven years too early. So he scoops his tiny would-be killer out of the rubble and smuggles him to the Nox Fleurets, presumably to stash for a few years--only, Tenebrae soon falls too, with the rumors of them harboring Prince Noctis (who the Emperor rather badly wants dead, as the Crystal still. won't. accept. him). So now Ardyn has to figure out how to semi-raise Noct into something NOT hopelessly (1/2)

alyss-spazz-penedo

said:

(2/2) civilian and strong enough to fight the gods and fulfill the Prophecy, even as he definitely still hates the child and would quite enjoy seeing him suffer. On Noct's part, he totally knows who Ardyn is and what he wants (thanks Luna), and sure he's glad he wasn't cut down in the raid on the mansion but he's SO unhappy to see Ardyn again.

Me: Oh my word do you even KNOW how angsty I could make this ask? DO YOU EVEN KNOW????? Of course you do you just want to see me suffer.

But just- this could get SO DARK. So abusive. So brutal and even though I would not go full dark there’s still so much ANGST no matter how you look at it.

The worst part is I actually have a bby AU very much like this. Does anyone remember the slightly unstable Imperial!Noctis that showed up in my All Nocti Dissidia AU blurb?

This is basically him.

A Noctis who grew up having lost his home TWICE. First Insomnia, then Tenebrae, both to the same Empire and the same Accursed, and then the Accursed had to RAISE HIM and it was- it was hard. It was brutal. Ardyn raised this Noctis to be a weapon strong enough to destroy him, a politician cunning enough to overthrow him, a scientist smart enough to outthink even Besithia. His only light was Luna, who Ardyn allowed to visit to keep Noctis on his “destined path”, and partially Aranea, who drifted into the young “Chancellor’s Nephew” orbit out of happenstance and then later pity, because she could see the brittle sharp glint in the boy’s eyes and knew an abusive situation when she saw it, and if him hiding in her airship sometimes gave him respite, if that was all she could do to help because Ardyn wasn’t someone she could arrest-.

She tried. At least. She did what she could.

And one of the most angsty bits of this is-

In some warped way, Ardyn and Noctis grow to love each other. Because there are days when Ardyn’s sickness loosens it’s hold enough to let bits of the Healer King and Big Brother shine through, and his touch becomes gentle and his teasing words lose their poison, his hands card through Noctis’s hair and do not scrape at his scalp, and when he speaks of Prophecy there is longing there for rest and repentance rather than poison and mockery for the fate that awaits them both. This is the Ardyn that peaks through when Noctis falls sick after climbing up a mountain in a snowstorm for training, or when he’s too sore to move after a night battling in Ardyn’s daemon training arena learning how to forcibly purify the creatures even though purification is Luna’s magic and not his. This is the Ardyn that holds Noctis close sometimes and sobs apologies into his limp, shivering nephew’s hair because he is aware, at least for a moment, that this child-teen-young-adult is not Somnus and does not deserve to be molded into a weapon of Astral and Accursed alike. This is the Ardyn that Noctis calls Uncle and bitterly, angrily loves in his heart, the one he looks for in the Chancellor’s every morning and quietly mourns when he cannot find him.

The Accursed trains and molds a weapon, a politician, a cunning, sharp mind that can rival his own and someday kill him.

But it’s the little bits and pieces of Ardyn that raise Noctis, a king and a nephew and a son that holds on to the morals Luna gives him with an iron grip, that makes sure Noctis is not completely drowned beneath the Chosen King.

And in the end it is the work of both sides, Accursed and Healer King, that raise up the one who saves the world. It is the Accursed who forged the weapon that hunts down the weapons of the Lucii and steals the lost ring, who steps into the Crystal without flinching and comes out ready to kill.

But it is Noctis who spent years stealing away children from Besithia’s labs so they would not become MT units, who fosters the rebellion and organizes the factions of Lucian, Galahdian, Altissian, Tenebraen, and Niflheim rebels so that they become a more cohesive whole that the Empire cannot isolate and crush beneath it’s boot. It is Noctis who sometimes sneaks into Luna’s rooms at night so that they can just- hold each other, so that Luna can run gentle fingers down his back and remind him what it means to be human, not a weapon, not the King of Light, who shows him the innocent people he must protect and proves to him that they are worth fighting for and keeping safe when it would be so much EASIER to just wage his war and not care about the collateral.

It is Noctis who teaches his stolen not-MT units to be people and to stay safe, Noctis who clings to the sunshine soul of the one who names himself Prompto and follows on his heels into the maw of Ardyn’s brutal training without flinching. It is Noctis who finds Lucis’s Marshal Immortal deep in one of Niflheim’s dungeons and arranges for the rebellion (his rebellion) to break him out. Who gives the Galahdians his magic in the dead of night with a ghoulish mask and cloak to keep his identity hidden from them. It is Noctis who finds the Last Amicitia leading a rebel cell and offers him hope and gains in accidental exchange a protector and Shield. It is Noctis that is tracked down by a young man with glasses and green eyes and loyalty in every fiber, a man who says “I know you are our secret leader, let me help you” and Noctis who is still human enough to be grateful and say yes.

It is Noctis who orchestrated the Empire’s downfall long before he stepped into Crystal, and who’s forces have hemmed and imprisoned the Accursed in the ruins of Noctis’s first home during the ten years he is gone.

It is Noctis, not the Chosen King (weapon, war beast, broken tool) who gently pillows Ardyn’s head in his lap and pets red-violet hair and sings ancient, long-forgotten lullabies as the Accursed (his tormentor, his Uncle, his worst nightmare, his parent) breathes his last.

It is Noctis who ascends the throne of an Empire and reclaims the Crystal (with Luna and a Retinue at his side to keep him from becoming as heartless as the Chosen King that was forged from him) rather than rolling over and dying, because Ardyn gave him training and honed his mind and gave him access to all of Besithia’s knowledge, did he really think Noctis wouldn’t look for a way to weaken and end the Scourge without sacrificing himself for it?

(He thinks perhaps that Ardyn didn’t, that his Uncle-captor-Chancellor-father always intended him to find a loophole in the Prophecy so that he would survive, that even when buried underneath the Accursed, the Healer King still fought to protect the last of his family)

(Then he clutches the cane he has to lean on ever since that final battle and goes to find some wine, because he does not want to think those thoughts. They hurt even worse than his limp and his joints and the lifetime of scars he hides under elaborate black tattoos.)

There.

THERE.

ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?

Or do you want me to ramble about how Cor feels the day he finally meets the mysterious head of the rebellion, who is now the emperor and how he’s suspicious and willing to keep fighting if this man turns out to be corrupt, because he’s heard this is the Chancellor’s nephew, only to feel his heart stop when he sees the profile of the man leaning heavily on a cane and thinks for one second it’s Regis’s ghost before realizing this man is younger and clean-shaven and dressed in a way that shows off the elaborate, scar-hiding tattoos on his arms and shoulders. How he makes some noise in his throat and when their mysterious Chosen turns to look at him Cor finds himself looking into armiger blue eyes and Regis’s face if it had been softened by Aulea’s jawline and made borderline feral by a lifetime of intrigue and abuse thinly veiled as training.

And Cor whispers the name of his best friend’s long-dead son, and the new Emperor’s eyes sharpen as he says, “How do you know my real name? I never told anyone outside my Retinue.” And something in Cor twists with realization.

And there’s also the realizations of Ignis and Gladio years earlier, who don’t KNOW at first who Noctis really is to them until he trusts them enough to reveal his magic and they realize THIS IS THEIR PRINCE. This is their long lost charge who they thought was dead, but has instead been raised by the man who hates him most and yet loves him dearly by turns and all that entails.

And there’s also LUNA. Luna who doesn’t die, but who grows up watching the gentle, smiling boy she first met in Tenebrae get shaped and sharpened and molded into a Chosen King and a beast of war and a tool of destiny, who could so easily become a monster just like the Accursed in all but name, but who FIGHTS it every step of the way even as his light falls away and Luna becomes his only cornerstone for years. His only reminder that there is a life and a purpose outside the Accursed’s plans and the Prophecy that Luna grows to hate, because if it did not exist then the Accursed would have no interest in her friend.

Luna who cries with relief the day the not-MT named Prompto glues himself to Noctis’s side and refuses to leave, because there is an innocent, stubborn light to the boy’s eyes that gently draws Noctis out of the armor that is the Chosen King even when Luna is not there. Luna who rails at the Astrals (at Bahamut, who prevents Shiva and Ramuh from acting) because they can SEE what is happening, yet they will not step in to rescue him, because even now Ardyn is pushing Noctis toward his “destiny” and that is all that matters.

Luna who, years after all is said and done, after the Accursed is laid to final rest and Noctis slowly dissolves the Empire back into free and healthy kingdoms, still has to hold him when he shakes and still has to talk the icy, too-sharp glaze from his eyes when he forgets to be human rather than weapon. Who pushes golden magic into his body even though she knows some scars can never be healed, and who has to talk Noctis down with Ignis’s help from the heights of his utter, visceral horror the day she tells him she is pregnant and Noctis realizes he’s going to be a father, but that he doesn’t know how, because what role model for fatherhood has he ever had and remembered that wasn’t the very man who took his real father away and made him the fractured mess he is?

...

There I think I’m done being brutally angsty now.

Happy notes for an AU like this would be-

Noctis and Luna both live. Ignis does not go blind.

Noctis and Luna have like- five kids and Noctis adores them all once he gets over his visceral panic. He is the gentlest, kindest father. Luna and Ignis and Gladio have to do all the disciplining because Noctis will not raise a hand or voice to them ever, and he has never looked more peaceful then when he is napping with his children in the garden.

Prompto has like- several hundred brothers because Noctis stole bby MT’s whenever he could. Prompto is the unofficial “oldest” brother of them all (even though chronologically he isn't) since he has the ear of the king, and all the clones have fun making themselves unique via hair and accessories and tattoos and clothes and weird names.

Gladio and Aranea are snark buddies, and neither are entirely sure how they got married but they’re pretty sure it was Biggs’ and Wedge’s faults and that Ignis officiated (which isn’t too far off).

Cor gets to spoil all of Regis’s and Clarus’s grandkids like crazy.

Galahd gets rebuilt and gets to be it’s own country. Nyx Ulric and Crowe and all our other fav glaives live and aren’t traitors.

Titus Drautos was one of Noctis’s most loyal double-agents during the rebellion, and frankly he isn’t sure how his retirement still involves him braincelling his Galahdian idiots, but their islands are pretty and its far, far away from any and all Niflheim/Lucian politics so eh, he’ll take it. Now if Nyx would just STOP using him as a babysitting service for the adorable adopted bby Ulrics of his newly remade Clan, that would help his blood pressure so much.

#SE asks #alyss-spazz-penedo asks #Secret Engima Rambles #Imperial!Noctis verse #angst warning #SO MUCH ANGST #tw: child abuse #referenced child abuse

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ryuuisthecutest · 4 years

Text

— a night to be ; lilia vanrouge

✧*:･ﾟﾟ✧*:･ﾟ ✧*:･ﾟﾟ✧*:･ﾟ ✧*:･ﾟﾟ

yandere! lilia vanrouge x reader

went on tumblr and saw this a week ago :

https://skipps-things.tumblr.com/post/623908408407539712/inspired-by-this-amazing-idea-twststarrycorridor

Nobody told you would end up in this peculiar predicament with the head of the Heartslabyul dorm, the rowdy country pretty boy of Pomefiore, and the mischievous vice dorm leader of Diasomnia.

All four of you were sitting in a enchanted room that was bare, except for a minimal of stuff, most was for the purpose entertainment to pass the time like the tv in the room (that doesn’t work), and there was a suspicious bucket in the corner of the room that nobody wanted to touch, so you all strayed away from it.

You all tried to get out, but strangely Riddle’s and Lilia’s magic couldn’t break the enchantment that was placed on the room. So you were all stuck here bored out of your minds, with Riddle sorting dominos, and Lilia eating the candy that was placed in the room for you all, and you trying to soothe Epel down worried for the boy that looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

And how you all ended up in this rather peculiar situation?

Well it all started in a normal day for all of you.

— ✯

“Grim get back here!”

You yelled at the raccoon who likes to make your life more difficult than it already was.

Chasing him around the courtyard a sudden wind of debris flew straight at you trying to take cover quickly making you stop chasing that damn raccoon-cat. You shielded yourself covering your face with your arms, closing your eyes, and kneeling down.

When the wind died down you peaked open your eyes and stood up. There was a dead silence like the wind never happen. You thought the close was clear when a piece of paper smacked your face.

It hurt.

Your face stung as you removed the paper from your face. Scowling you were about to rip the paper in anger but you noticed writing on it.

As the curious being you are, before ripping the paper in shreds why not read to see what the paper is.

It does look like a note, maybe it was a cheat sheet for this weeks alchemy test?

It wouldn’t hurt to take a small peek.

— ☽

Lilia was floating upside down as he was unwrapping a lollipop. Happily popping the sweet sugary treat in his mouth. He didn’t throw his wrapper away yet, the lollipop that he’s eating contains cheeses jokes on the inside of the wrapper.

He likes to read them, just for the fun of it.

It said “Read Me” on the wrapper.

Straightening the wrapper out he began reading.

He quirked a brow while reading the writing on his wrapper.

He thought it was odd, but he shrugged it off and threw the paper away and continued to suck on his lollipop.

— ✯

Epel was grumpily sitting in a chair in Pomefiore dorm with a beauty face mask that was forced on his face by Vil who nagged him that to achieve beauty you have to have skin that puts Snow White to shame.

He’s been sitting there in front of the vanity mirror just glaring at the mask on his face waiting for the ten minutes on the timer to ring.

This whole beauty thing was stupid to him, if he knew that he would be in a dorm that consisted of people obsessed with looks he would have ran.

During his sulking the timer ticked down until it went off with a loud ring. Epel smiled ripping the mask off his face.

“Waahh?!”

He yelled in shocked as he saw his face in the mirror. His cheek had words inscribed into it.

He tried to rub it off hoping for it to come off but the more he rubbed his skin the more redder and irritated his skin became.

It wouldn’t smudge, not even a bit.

He started to panic even more.

How could he ever get this off his face?

Vil would go hysterical if he saw this

Or..maybe he can pass this as if he purposely got a tattoo on his face and show Vil that he can do whatever he wants!

He smirked at the last thought.

But then Vil would just cover it with makeup.

He frowned.

“I don’t want to have makeup on my face but before it’s put on me let me just see what these words say...”

— ☽

Riddle had everything sorted out.

The roses were painting red.

The tarts and cakes were done.

The tea was brewed.

The silverware and plates were perfectly set.

Nothing could go wrong for this Unbirthday Party.

“Everyone’s here,” Trey announced to him and Riddle nodded to him.

Riddle raised his cup of tea.

“Let the Unbirthday Party begin!”

Setting his half finished cup down, he scanned the trays of sweets that were laid out in front of him.

There was Chocolate Cake with chocolate piping on the inside. He likes chocolate, it’s sweet with a hint of bitterness but he wasn’t in the mood for a bitter taste today.

Then there was the Vanilla Cake with cheesecake covering it and fruits of strawberries, blueberries, peaches decorating the top of the cake.

It’s a splendid flavor that he wouldn’t pass it there wasn’t strawberry tart.

Yes, that’s the one that he’ll decline any sweet for.

He can see the crust baked nicely, with the strawberries on the top delicately placed to appease its viewers, tempting them to take a bite.

Riddle cut out a pice of the tart that made him forget about all the other desserts on the table.

Gently placing the slice on his plate that he can finally savor.

Grabbing his fork he grabbed a piece of the tart and placed it in his mouth.

He closed his eyes to relish the flavors buzzing his tastebuds.

He would of had relish it if he didn’t feel something that should not be in a tart.

He’s eyes snapped open and he slowly pulled out a long strip of paper that came out of his mouth.

His body shook with anger and the rest of the students soon noticed that their dorm leader was turning red.

Oh no.

The students trembled in fear as Riddle started to interrogate them and the ones that Riddle had “interrogated” were faced with Riddle’s unique magic “Off With Your Head”

Trey stepped in to try to calm down the situation.

“Riddle maybe it was an accident?” Trey tried to reason with Riddle that he should calm down and try to think rationally.

He started to calm down after a couple of minutes.

“I’m sorry for causing a scene and ruining the Unbirthday Party.”

Some students ended up whispering about still having Riddle’s magic collars on their neck.

He won’t remove it until he finds the culprit.

“It’s fine you just overreacted. What I truly care about is what’s on that paper? Is it from a secret admirer?” Cater teases him.

Riddle’s face bursted red “Stop.” He commanded food Cater.

The paper was still in his hand, he brought it closer to his face. “I’m also curious to know how this paper ended up in the tart?”

He opened it.

✧*:･ﾟﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

“What kind of sick and twisted person would do something like this?” You muttered under your breath. Looking anywhere in the room, you were determined to get out of here.

Maybe it was you but was the room getting smaller or was that claustrophobia getting to you?

The tv that you thought didn’t work began to flicker.

“Hey the tv is turning on,” you called out to the others pointing towards the tv that now was producing static.

“Oh now the tv works after all these hours.” Epel sarcastically said.

“Greetings to you all.” A voice broadcasted from the tv, it sounded muffled by the static but the words could be heard clearly.

“Who are you and why did you bring us here.” Riddle commanded to the person who we think is the one that brought us here.

“It’ll be so boring if I reveal my identity so early in this game.”

“Game?” Epel questioned.

“What buffon nonsense do you think you have the audacity to make us play your game.” Riddle seethed with anger.

“Then how you’ll get out?” If the person behind the screen was seen you bet they would have a smirk on their face.

Lilia rubbed his chin and was thinking “So the only way we can get out is if we play this game of yours.”

“Precisely.”

“Then what game do you want us to play?” Epel asked.

“A game of...Hide and Seek!”

“That’s it? That’s all you want us to play? A game of Hide and Seek?” Riddle narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“Yes, no tricks or anything! Just a simple game of plain old Hide and Seek!”

“This guy is weird...” You said quietly to yourself.

“I heard that.”

You started to sweat.

“I shall pick a number between one through twenty, whoever gets it right will be the seeker.”

“Twenty.”

“Seven.”

“Fourteen.”

“Eighteen.”

After telling the kidnapper your numbers there was a silence of suspense for a while.

“Riddle was right twenty was the correct number.”

Riddle tch and crossed his arms.

A door started to form on one of the walls of the room revealing a dark hallway that you swear looks familiar.

“Also I almost forgot to tell you all that if you try to escape...it would be useless, save your energy for the game! You have two days. I’ll be watching!” The tv shut down and the static gone.

“He’ll be watching us so he wouldn’t want us to not take it serious and hide in the most obvious places. If we want to get out of here then we’ll have to take it seriously.” Riddle told us

Lilia slightly smiled“Oh I’ll give him what he wants, it won’t be easy finding me.”

Epel walked to the entrance “We should hurry, the more time we spend on talking we’re wasting time to end this game early. I dont want to spend two days here.”

“I’ll count to one hundred.” Riddle went to a wall and started to count.

Epel already left the moment Riddle started to count which only left me and Lilia the only hiders still in the room.

Lilia walked over to me smiling “[Name] want to hide with me.” He gave you his adorable smile that showed his little fangs.

“Sure why not it’ll be more fun.” You smiled at him. Surely Lilia has been playing Hide and Seek for a very long time so he would have a lot more experience in finding the best hiding spots considering how mischievous he and you’ve seen your fair share of how good he is at hiding and scaring people.

✧*:･ﾟﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

Walking with Lilia further into the hallway you would walk pass windows that showed the outside. High gray curved roofs were in your vision every time you would pass windows that you swear to yourself that you’ve seen before.

An eerily feeling set into the pit of your stomach and you started to get fidgety. Being with Lilia as made you notice a few things.

Now that you’re getting your thoughts together you found it strange that you’re now realizing that the voice from the tv sounds strangely like Lilia.

You glanced at Lilia who was walking by your side looking carefree with a smile on his face as if we weren’t being trapped here against our will and not forced to play a game that we were kidnapped for.

“Ooh here’s a stairway we could hide up there. It looks like a perfect spot.” He turned to you giving you a eye smile.

Your skin prickled with anxiety, deep in your mind you told yourself not to go inside but the way he was looking at you made you fear that you didn’t have a choice in the matter.

“Y-yeah lets go inside...” You gulped down your nervousness and gave him a smile to ensure him that your hesitant to go with him.

He grabbed your hand and pulled you towards his side and wrapped an arm around your shoulder caging you in. He got closer until his lips were beside your ear hovering over it.

“I can smell fear coming from you.” He grazed his fangs against your ear making you hitch your breath at the coolness of his touch.

There was a door in at the top of the staircase and he quickly pushed you into the room before you had a chance to run.

There were windows in the small room showing the outside, you saw roofs and then you saw the Ramshackle Dorm in the distance.

You were inside the castle all along.

You slowly turned to face Lilia who stood in front of the door with a small grin on his face.

He finally got caught.

“It was you who did all of this,” you sneered in disgust.

“Why.” You commanded him to tell you.

“Ah it took this long to have someone figure it that it was me all along. I thought the others would be smart enough to realize that it was my voice on the tv and notice that my bats were watching them all along. I used advance forms of magic for all of this to happen so no one would suspect me.” He gave a mischievous giggle.

Your eyebrows ceased and you backed away from him.

“That doesn’t answer my question. Why did you do all of this?”

“Why?” Now he was toying with you.

“Well I became interested in you. It isn’t everyday where a magicless human comes from an unknown world and gets in all sorts of trouble and gets out of it. As time went on I began to watch you more until I couldn’t wait any longer to claim you as mine.”

“And I dragged those other two because I do really wish to play Hide and Seek and I knew I would get the best reactions out of them.” He quickly added in a bored tone.

“Did you saw that you would make me yours?” You scoff “Like I’ll ever be yours after you pulled this trick.”

“Too bad you don’t have a say in this.”

Your back slammed against the wall with your arms above your head. His grip on your wrist was tight making your wrist go red. You tried to rip your arms from his grasp but he had them tightly locked in his hands. You tried kicking him but you couldn’t move you legs, he put a spell on them to not be able to move. You became paralyzed from the waist down.

“Get away from me!” You screamed at him, tears prickled the corner of your eyes.

He shushed you and move his head so his nose was rubbing your neck. He inhaled your scent and licked his lips.

“What a sweet smell you emulate. You smell so sweet like candy.” He licked a strip of your neck causing goosebumps on your skin.

“What are you going to do with me?” You asked him trying to pull you face away from him. He grabbed your jaw and pulled you to look at him.

He smiled seeing the fear in your eyes, sweat ecumulating on your face, and the shivers that your body produced.

“This.”

He sunk his fangs in your neck, causing you to scream in pain. He muffled your mouth as he continued on to suck your blood.

Crimson blood trailed down your neck from the wound he caused and he licked it, he couldn’t let no blood of yours would go to waste.

The energy that you had started to dissipate the more he fed on your blood. Your vision started to get blurry, your head started to get dizzy, and you were started to see black spots.

You couldn’t move as you were becoming sluggish, growing slack in his hold. The sound of his sucking and licking was the only thing you could hear as you grew colder and everything went dark.

In a hallway of the castle a light of a lantern held by Riddle illuminated the dark hallway.

Epel walked behind Riddle, he heard a noise sounding that sounded like a scream and he grabbed Riddle’s arm clinging to it.

“I wonder if [Name] and Lilia san are alright? We can’t seem to find them.”

“I’m sure they’re fine.” Riddle said annoyed at Epel’s clinging.

The writing on the papers that they all had read said

“A Night To Be.”

✧.｡. *.

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credits go to @twststarrycorridor and @skipps-things for the the fanfic idea and artwork of it, sorry if this was dark then you intended it to be when you thought of it

#lilia vanrouge #lilia vanrouge x reader #twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland lilia #twst lilia #yandere lilia x reader #yandere lilia vanrouge x reader #twisted wonderland yandere #yandere #twisted wonderland riddle #riddle rosehearts #twisted wonderland riddle rosehearts #twst riddle #twisted wonderland epel #epel felmier #twisted wonderland epel felmier #twst epel

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