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throwaway-yandere · 4 months

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𝑫𝒐𝒍𝒄𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑵𝒖𝒐𝒗𝒐 (Yandere!Dainsleif/Reader)

a/n: I love Dainsleif with every fiber of my being, do you guys know that? Anyways, just like all Dain-fics, this one has illustrations (I hope they give Fairytale book vibes). I’d like to thank @meimeimeirin cuz this was an idea we were laughing abt at 4am and somehow I made something out of it HAHA.

Unreliable Synopsis: “Fairytale worlds follow fairytale laws. There’s always a protagonist burdened with impossible tasks who will experience the rule of three, witness transformations, find talking animals, and learn the power of kept promises. So, before you embark on your journey, "princess" (Y/n), have you heard of the Ugly Duckling’s tale?”

CW: light yandere themes, fairytale!au just for the hell of it. HURT/NO COMFORT. Late/Advanced happy birthday, Dainsleif.

"The destined knight is late," the great dragon clicked his tongue. One would expect that an inferior creature such as an ugly duckling would quake and shrink while perched on the Dragon King's hand. But their expression was nothing short of serene. There is a veneer of calm that the great Dragon Ongri did not overlook.

The "duckling" had the eyes of an old gentleman with worldly disinterests.

He was longing for death.

𝕺nce upon a time, there was an ugly duckling who was abandoned by both their siblings and mother. Oftentimes, he was pecked by his peers, sneered into thinking his big head and scarred face. were both a reason for his survival and misery all the same. The ugly duckling thought himself unloveable no matter where he went. The small waters he was born in had no room for miscreation, and when he traveled to an elderly's house elsewhere, the chickens thought him useless and undesirable. Normally, the story would've been a happier bedtime story if he had gone to meet the Royal birds and begged for them to end his life. Maybe then, he would've realized that he had not been a duck but a swan all along. But alas, our poor ugly "duckling" found his feet at the hands of the great Dragon King- Ongri's mercy.

"Will you kill me?" The ugly duckling asked calmly. "You need to release your anger, and I can be but one of many casualties."

"I am not a creature of impulse."

The divine dragon scowled. "After Bars' and Fein' deaths, the concept that this realm dubs as Time and Moments is now under my jurisdiction. I've no use for wasted breaths."

As it happens, the dragon was in a troubling situation. There is an immediate need for a substitute. Sensing the urgency of fate's call, Ongri unleashed an ancient incantation. Feathers singed into flesh, wings clipped into arms, and in a burst of radiant light, the "ugly duckling" was reborn as a human knight. His body had scar-like spots from the Divine Dragon infusing him with magic, albeit the metamorphosis was far from flawless. Even as a human, he was imperfect. Mysterious dark blue "burn lines" traced his neck and arms. With the new human's eyes still closed, the dragon spoke to him, the last for a long time: "Forget your past and this whole affair." He commanded. "Go, find and protect your princess."

It mattered not if this was the last breath Ongri would tell him, besides…

When a god applies a curse, it takes effect at a higher level of reality than the person themselves.

“(Y/n)…”

“It’s me, Dainsleif… Can you… still remember my voice?”

“…”

“I… understand that once a person reaches this stage of the curse, their senses get muted. The remnants of those who once dwelled here must have been the catalyst of your ailments worsening..”

“… I’m sorry. I am incredibly sorry that I found you at such a later time. It did not occur to me that you would be here in the Chasm.”

“In our next fairy tale, I’ll—”

“No… I cannot subject you to any more empty promises… But know this:”

“I will keep you safe from now on.”

“So, do not leave my side ever again.”

And the new knight opened his eyes.

Memories of the dragon vanished from his mind. He was now a being of larger flesh and bones without recollections of his past. Should another human take his shoes, they would know that it was a fresh awakening. His first breath tasted like rich champagnes. Golden. Even the sun shone in such resplendent light that made the world seemingly revolve around him.

His legs wobbled. Sliding onto the grassy area, he caught a sight of his hair. Blonde. Like hay— they were golden threads silkily strewn about. He soon noticed that the rest of his complexion was a light pinkish-hued color, as did the hands that prevented his head from taking a serious fall.

The reborn “ugly duckling” may have forgotten why, but he felt alienated from his own body. And he has the Divine Dragon to thank for his new vessel and plain armor.

“Help! Someone, HELP!!!”

His ears perked up. It was a scream with a fervor of a “damsel in distress”. Vent clamor as she may with her whole throat, nothing would come out of it.

But fate will not allow this untimely demise. Quick on his new feet, the new knight dashed towards the sound. No cavalry— just a single determined mind. After running for some time, the unnamed knight did not come across any souls.

That is, until he found the young maiden he was “fated” to save. She was on the ground, clinging into her wrist as though she burned her hand. In the ground laid an iron sword, begging to be drawn.

At the sight of the wild animal bearing down on her with frightening speed, the “knight” took her weapon and charged towards the scene, raising it in front of the menacing beast. He gazed at the bear that towered over him, displaying its slobbery maw and long, pointed claws. The untamed creature snarled and dropped to strike.

Perhaps the Divine Dragon saw his noble pursuits, perhaps he was naturally gifted in combat, but the bear was unable to rake the man’s body. Miraculous it was that not a single nasty laceration was left on his person. He lacked the strength to take it down in one fell swoop, but the speed he had made up for it. Like swans that swerved through the wind and flow of water, he dodged all its attacks. With a few strikes from his blade, the bear falls...

He breathed out, shaking in his boots though he tried not to show it. Straightening his body, he met the maiden’s gaze. His blue eyes met hers in a piercing gaze, nearly taunting her as his new opponent. The young lady exhaled a deep sigh of relief.

“T-Thank… you…”

Subconsciously, he circled the shoulder that recklessly swung the sword around. The new “knight” tilted his head. For what? He wished to ask, but words did not come out.

“For saving me, of course.”

The maiden gracefully stood. Her garments had lost some of their value due to the soil and dirt, but she herself was not affected in the same way. She exuded a fierceness that suggested anyone who ventured to hurt her would be receiving more than they bargained for. Instead of tucking her hair to the back, she pulled them forward, hiding her ears.

“Do allow me to introduce myself, kind knight.” She cleared her throat softly. “You may call me Princess (F/n), daughter of King Regan and current crown princess— heir to the throne upon the late Prince Pierre’s demise. May I know your name?”

…

… Silence…

The princess tilted her head.

"... Does my savior have a name?"

"... Name?"

The young man paused.

He couldn't remember his name. In actuality, he had absolutely no memory of anything. His mind was a bottomless pit with little to no air. With wide eyes, his hand moved slowly to around his neck. The act of conjuring up his supposed name left him terrified for reasons unbeknownst to him.

Does he… not have a name?

“... You must be joking.” The princess deadpanned. “How can one not have a name? Were you not baptized under the Divine Dragon’s light?”

She sounded incredibly upset by this fact. Whatever she ranted on about, it must be a human tradition.

“Do you not know how important names are—” The princess sighed, “Never mind. I shall assume you are one of those orphaned folks. Besides, if what you say is true, bestowing you a new name is a power much more potent.”

“I… want a name.” The man spoke up rather shyly, voice almost inaudbile.

"I know, I know… Huh, I usually take names rather than gifting them," the princess chuckled. She seemed wholly aware of his dilemma. "Hmm… Let me see…"

She examined his features closely. He was dressed in the traditional knightly fashion, albeit slightly altered. The holy kingdom's knights, of course, never donned masks—especially not half of one. He was strange, but there was an innocent genuineness about him. The blonde man doesn't have a polished appearance. He looked like a lost duckling.

It was rude to stare at the peculiar blue wounds on his face far too long so the princess’ eyes trailed above his hair.

"Leaf…" She pointed upward. "Leaf."

The knight blinked.

What a peculiar sounding name.

"Understood." He nodded and bowed politely. "I shall now be referred to as Leaf."

"No, I meant—" The princess cut herself off and chuckled. "Oh, well. I meant the leaf on one's head. But certainly the name Leaf does suit you fine."

“Do place your iron sword away, Leaf.” She added, cringing. “It is unbecoming of a knight to point a sword to their princess.”

“May… May I ask as to why you were attacked by a bear?”

“Quite bold of you to inquire a royal about a recent assassination attempt,” she humored him with a smile. He safely assumed she would not enact punishment for his assertiveness. “If you must satiate your curiosity, it is exactly that. An assassination attempt. They believed since my brother had fallen so easily, I myself must be an easy game since I adore wandering around the forest.”

“And they seem to be right,” Leaf muttered, wittily referring to the incident prior that arranged this fated meeting.

“Oh?” She scoffed, her polite smile remaining intact. “You’ve quite the tongue. Are you from the valleys?”

“I do not know.”

She squinted.

“Hmm, I see.” The princess exhaled and shook her head disapprovingly. “Then I am to presume that I should also use my wits to cleverly weave a background for you much like your name, Leaf?”

“You wish for me to serve you, that I can tell, and for that to happen I would need your equal assistance,” Leaf spoke solemnly. “I do not recall anything of my past, but you can always make one for me.”

Leaf knelt in front of her. Silence ensued.

“You are deadly calm for a man who wished his history be erased…” The princess muttered.

Leaf was a strange man indeed. He was perceptive, yet he spoke like fate’s pawn. That is to say, the princess noticed he only ever says the truth. His countenance conveyed little desire to adopt rebellious ideologies. To be honest, there was nothing in those contrivedly starry eyes. It was bare. A false sky.

It almost made the princess worry for his lack of self-preservation had she not been the same. Lies were always at her hands’ disposal, and she greatly hoped it was not what her heart would contain in her last pages. She didn’t wish for a life of deceit. The princess's survival solely comes from her ability to “doublespeak”.

“I see your promise. You are made of self-mettle. Although your blunt tongue may mar your fortunes sooner before you could gaze upon His Majesty, I wish to prescribe you with new duties.”

She took a deep breath.

“This directive shall not be withdrawn in the name of the Divine Dragon. Leaf, a young knight from the Valley of Gaciea who will shortly be appointed retainer to the Royal Highness, Princess (F/n), kneels before me. Until the end of time, he shall be my sword, and I will be his master. Will you keep your word and uphold the oath— the promise?”

“I will.”

Not a moment did he hesitate. Not for a second did he think there was more to life than this. It was nearly bitter. His life sounded so simple to her tongue.

But it was a contract nonetheless.

A promise that must be fulfilled.

“I find myself stirred in restless days without you my by side. You haunted me so diligently this past 500 or so years.”

“Humor me, won’t you… my b-beloved?”

“Why have you hid away from me? Why did I have to find you in this state? Furred and mute. Didn’t you take a breath to think about how much your pain would mean a greater weight for me? Have you not a second thought about how much it pains me to see you like this— bearing the fangs of the abyss and the claws of the cursed…?”

“The only sigh of relief I can release is that at least in this new sky, Ongri— no, he calls himself Zhongli these days— would get between us no more.”

“This new fairy tale… For how long do you expect me to keep this promise, (Y/n)? How many more stories must we get through for us to reach a happy ending?”

“Please… I’m begging you… Say something!!!”

“…”

“… Speak… Please… Anything…”

“Tell me about our past rendezvous. Seduce me with your musings. Anything… can't you try, just for this special day?”

“Please… don’t turn your mask away from me…”

“Do you find time to flow as quick as the waters by the stream? I am inclined to believe this sentiment. I find it astonishing that we’ve spent eleven or so moonshines joined at a hip. Time ages us but we are none the wiser.”

Leaf grunted, heaving Princess (F/n)’s inventory as she spoke. He didn’t seem distressed by the weight and his princess appeared not at all troubled as well. At least, that what it seemed on the surface. Royals must make their superiority known. Leaf knew (F/n) wanted to also carry some of the bags, but he refused.

There were several notions Leaf refused that noon. When (F/n) entertained the thought of going out as herself and by herself, he disapproved with haste. Leaf had to know where she’s going, who she was going with, what she’s going to wear— just about everything. His voice alone overwhelmed the princess enough that you’d mistake him for the king. The knight practically ordered what she would wear and what route she’d have to take if she wished to see the ongoing festival.

Being herself was a safety hazard and being alone by herself was a death wish.

To his eyes, at least. He had always been a twinge too overprotective.

It was a hectic morning with a picture-perfect, almost cliche scene of bustling streets and frolicking kids on a medieval setting. While children would swerve around adults' legs to avoid getting tagged, adults walked slowly to hear each gossip. One kid had nearly hit the princess herself, but Leaf would not allow it.

Leaf pulled (F/n) away by putting an arm over her waist. The smell of her sweet perfume surprised him. Her smell reminded him of the forest. For the knight who professed to guard her innocence, her warm body lightly pressed against his was a fleeting but almost immoral moment. He set her down slowly, gasping quietly. The princess chose not to draw attention to the troubled expression on her most reliable retainer.

It was better not to acknowledge his growing romantic interests.

To her, he is only a sword.

Even if he is a friend, at the end of the day, he’s only a weapon to be used.

The princess quickly pulled the cape down further to hide her face— mostly her ears. For reasons unknown to him, she seemed to find that part of herself worthy of great insecurity.

He cleared his throat, face dusted in a pink hue.

“You say that time affects you, but you haven’t aged a day.”

The princess laughed.

“Finally, a compliment from a man as stoic as you? Oh, what a day to rejoice!”

Leaf shook his head with a small smile.

“I had given you one on several occasions.”

“That may be true, but random bouts of flattery from you are scarce.” The princess hummed. “I vaguely recall how getting anything out of you was like trying to get a frozen little duckling to quack. Who am I? Your mother duck?”

The smirk on his face was quick, but (F/n) definitely saw it.

Several staff once questioned Leaf’s ability to speak. Many, including (F/n)’s father, were convinced he was mute. Everyone in the castle knew of the princess’s peculiar tastes and thought Leaf’s recruitment was a mere byproduct. His masked appearance and strange scars added more fuel to those rumors. When Leaf defended (F/n) from another assassination attempt in front of the king and inquired about her condition, King Regan nearly toppled from where he stood.

After being bombarded with questions, Leaf merely said he refrained from speaking since he saw no use if he wasn't talking to the princess herself. (F/n) still finds it absurd that she has to give orders for him to talk to other people.

For Leaf, it was simple: he just didn’t see the point of forming other interpersonal relationships.

(F/n) was the only one that mattered in his eyes.

Only her.

Only she is worthy to serve and protect.

“You truly are like a little duckling following his mother’s tail,” Princess (F/n) sighed. “But you have vastly improved in our time together. That, I can commend.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Leaf laughed softly, mocking her tone in his signature subtle way. “Oh, what a day to rejoice.”

She playfully gave him an elbow nudge. “Do not copy me, Leaf.”

“My apologies.”

Princess (F/n) was meandering around because the harvest festival was drawing closer. With her own eyes, the princess intended to see how her people were faring. Rarely did she change into a more "common" outfit and styled her hair with simplicity. Though, if you were to ask Leaf, seeing her in her most simple clothes made her far more youthful than the garbs and crown that wrinkles her smile to a frown.

“Madame, would you be interested in buying your lover here a brooch?”

Both of them stilled as a merchant called out. The undercover royal pointed to herself.

“Yes, yes, of course I’m talking to you, gorgeous!” The merchant grinned. He had silver hair that slightly covered one of his blue eyes. “Do you want matching rings instead? We’re selling for fifty percent off!”

Leaf’s gaze was stern. Despite his reservations, he knew the merchant as Alfstan, another young knight who hailed from a family of vendors. Two moonshines ago, Leaf was (forcefully) placed on training duty and had the fortune of mentoring this aspiring knight.

Mind you— nothing was particularly dubious of his wares. Leaf just simply despised having another man brazenly take your attention away. He did not find their previous exchanges pleasant. Not when Alfstan often joked about replacing his position one day.

What hubris.

While he busied himself glaring at the poor man, the princess awkwardly laughed and dismissively waved a hand. “Oh, no, he and I— we are not—”

“Haha, I know, I was just pulling your leg, Your Highness.” Alfstan grinned, giving Leaf a quick nod. “Morning, Sir Leaf! Were you showing the princess around?”

“Shhh! Be quiet!” (F/n)'s eyes widened.

He protectively wrapped an arm around (F/n) again, this time far more confidently.

“Yes.” Leaf spoke, voice as solid as his resolve.

“Mind if I tag along?”

His stare sharpened. “I would very much mind, now return to your stall.”

The princess shook her head, poorly judging her retainer’s possessive words as acts of protection. Instead, she dwelled on their attire. “Drats, was our disguise that fragile?”

Alfstan assessed her from top to bottom, which made Leaf even more tense. “Eh, you’re really gorgeous that no cloak can hide your beauty, Your Highness.”

“I have to agree,” Leaf said stiffly, clearing his throat. “Perhaps I should hide her in a hay sack. WIthout your prying eyes.”

(F/n) raised an eyebrow. “And what? And be suspected of kidnapping me instead?”

Leaf shrugged. “Does that sound like an offense I would commit?”

Alfstan rolled his eyes. “Well, obviously. Besides, the only way you wouldn’t get caught is if you hid her in something as small as a teapot.”

And he would be right. But it will take eons to prove those suspicions as truth.

“Going back to your wares, Sir Alfstan,” (F/n) digressed. “These iron-framed tassels, are they made by your hand?”

Alfstan's respect for the princess grew.

“Yes, how did you come up with that conclusion? Most passersby believed I had ‘em commissioned from the East.”

(F/n) smiled crookedly. Leaf caught a glimpse of discomfort, but it was gone in a bat of an eye.

“I… I admire your skill with molding iron.” To the untrained ear, (F/n) sounded flustered and embarrassed. To Leaf, he was certain that she was unsure of herself. “It is commendable, how you smith your very own weapons, that is. I know many of our soldiers come to you when their blades are chipped.”

“You’ve heard of my skills?!” Alfstan beamed proudly. “Really?!”

The princess nodded. “Y-Yes…”

It was odd. Despite her high praise, her wariness remained. She looked at the blonde man. “He had also made your new Ulfberht sword too, right? It certainly pierces much better than his old one.”

Leaf didn’t bother with a reply, Alfstan made it for him.

“Yes, Your Highness. I thought it would make for a thoughtful birthday present!”

“Speaking of presents…” The princess gazed down, analyzing the items he sold once more. “What do you recommend as a gift for someone important?”

If Alfstan was elated by her earlier compliments, he could practically jump over the moon at her newest proposition.

“Oh? OH?!?”

Leaf gave (F/n) a strict yet gentle glare.

“Your Highness…”

“I still won’t let it slide!” (F/n) huffed. “I couldn’t possibly be satisfied with just new sets of armor. Alfstan, by my order, suggest a pleasant gift for the stubborn knight beside me.”

“On it!”

Without delay, the two bent down to select the ideal accessory for the man who vehemently refused. Alfstan was the only one touching the gems and (F/n) refrained from doing so. Tiny flecks of gold and iron infused the tassels, but she feared she would handle the stones carelessly.

Leaf palmed his face with one hand as the two chattered. Still, despite Leaf’s disapproving looks, he finds (F/n)’s enthusiasm to make him happy a wonderful notion in itself. To think that (F/n) would continue to insist on a present for a birthday that had since passed… She was more stubborn than he was.

“So troublesome…” He muttered with a soft smile. “I see no point in this, Princess (F/n). Serving you is a miracle enough itself—”

“Halt! Speak no more, Sir Leaf!” (F/n) exclaimed. “There! That one, Alfstan— that gem resembles his eyes, does it not?!”

“You have great tastes, Princess (F/n)!” Alfstan nodded eagerly like a motivated student. “That does look like his shade of blue— and so quick to find it among the pile, too! Are you sure you’re not some sort of custodian of natural treasures?”

Princess (F/n)’s awkward and stifled laughter can be heard again.

“What? Haha, what nonsense.” She shook her head. “Everyone calls me Princess (F/n), any other name would surely sound terrifying and mismatched.”

A nonanswer, but that made the conversation more humorous.

“Here you go!”

Alfstan reached his hand out with the tassel. (F/n) stared at him, silent and unsure. He blinked and snapped his fingers.

“Oh, right, you need a box— my deepest apologies, I was too caught up in the moment!”

The princess sighed in relief.

Leaf crossed his arms. “You’re doing well for your first time setting up a stall, Alfstan.”

“This isn’t my first and you know it, Sir!”

(F/n) laughed.

The merchant wrapped the gift she brought with care. The hush looms large around them as the merchant boastfully goes about his business, his tone comforting to her ears. The Princess walks over to the gift box once the merchant has finished. She can't help but smile because she can feel the tassel inside.

“Not exactly a surprise since Sir Leaf is here, but the packaging adds some charm, right?” Alfstan asked.

The princess couldn’t hold back a smile as she looked at the knight behind her.

“I think most of the charm comes from the person who’ll receive it,” (F/n) chuckled.

“Don’t you think so, Leaf?”

She wouldn’t know. And she’d never know a lot of things.

She never got the chance to ask her most precious knight if he liked that gift.

And she never will. No matter how many days, months, years, centuries— eons Leaf would wait, he would never hear the princess ask that same question again after this.

It would not matter if he was a judge, a prince, a knight, or a mere animal— it did not matter how many sweet new styles he would take. In the end, his arms will always be empty. Everything was pre-ordained. Dying in his arms, whether it’s slow and painful or mercilessly quick— will remain as the last line. He will always hold on to your corpse, warmth draining.

This was your fate, (F/n)— no, (Y/n) (L/n).

This was just the first of many branches of the Irminsul. The first of its many reiterations, possibilities, or better yet, alternate tales or "universal resets".

Princess "(F/n)" coughed, wetting the side of her lips.

"I haven't been able to p-personally attach that tassel on your s-sword, b-but… but I can spare you enough seconds to fly away…"

"Don't make haste!" Leaf gritted his teeth as he applied some pressure down her stomach. "This is not your decision to make!"

She didn't reply to his desperation, but she silently disagreed.

In her palm was the tassel, out of its box. The blue threads darkened with the taints of her blood. The metallic scent was nauseating. It weaved in a disorganized fashion around her fingers.

What a beautiful and tragic loom of fate, to love someone you were bound to hold with ruin.

It would’ve hurt less if it weren’t in his colors too.

"This marks the worst day of my life," the “princess” smiled, tucking the stray hair behind Leaf's face. "And even if given the opportunity, I wouldn't dare c-change not even a minute detail about it."

As if she— as if you— have the power to change destiny.

You're not a descender.

You're just a pawn.

That's when Leaf realized how fragile life ultimately was. With the curse undoing itself, he recalled and reflected on his animal days. He understood the Divine Dragon's intense frustration over a lowly duckling's will to perish. The curse of becoming human meant knowing the greed men had, but also the beauty of their kindness.

His small bird heart was not meant for this much sorrow. His life was meant to be simple. To learn that he was not a duck, but a swan.

How was he supposed to cope that the woman he had sworn to protect was not human, but a fae?

Everyone in the kingdom knew that the king would sooner disclaim his paternity than allow the crown princess (F/n) to truly lead— but they never had any real reason to support the king for this. The princess’s words were always more kind and ponderous than that of her supposed father’s. They thought him mad. They thought him deplorable. They thought him old and senile.

But he would not be king if he were not sharp.

Why, oh why, would the princess make great efforts to constantly hide her ears? Why would the princess utter roundabout ways in speaking her “own” name? Most of all, why would the princess fear the touch of iron?

There was a simple answer: she was not the princess, but a liar.

And yet, Leaf was the sole person who did not care, for he thought himself as the worst sinner or “quack” in comparison.

The kingdom won't learn the full truth for some time after this, but the fae made a bargain with the real princess. The real princess would elope with a farm boy and, in return, the fae would take her name. The trade was not malevolent. The two women were secret friends since childhood and neither wished the other harm.

But the townsfolks had little patience. They would sooner throw pebbles and stones than kneel for a false princess.

The moral of the story, like most Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales, was simple: virtue will be rewarded, iniquity will be punished. The storytellers do not care beyond that, no matter how dark it sounds to the children who will hear it. The fae lied, therefore the kingdom shall rightfully punish her.

They better thank the dragon they oh-so admire that the court fae did not think themselves evil. They better sleep soundly, knowing that they have slaughtered a well-intentioned guardian.

For he will not and never will.

Not even with a change of title, name, and universe. Whether the land he walked on was called Gaciea, Fodlan, Belobog, the Continental, or Teyvat— what the world steals from him, he promised to take back.

There the two were, back to where it started. The same forest and patch of land where the bear had attacked her. Fate had a funny way of telling tales. Leaf can only scoff at how unimaginative it could be, sometimes.

Why couldn’t fate think of more comfortable deathbeds for the one he loved?

"You cannot allow this! I cannot allow this!" The knight gritted his teeth. "You will not die— you cannot die. You and I have a promise… You cannot break that one promise!!!”

“(F/n)” grinned.

The look in her eyes disturbed him.

She knew. It is finished. She knew that it was the last page of the book. Just living in these immortalized pages for the fae was well worth the want she had wanted.

“Consummatum est.”

Consummatum est….

Leaf gasped shakily.

“Did my life… even have meaning to you as well?”

Her expression was enough to tell him the words “who knows?” She surely did not. Her mind was buzzing and her thoughts were fizzling out. No one knows anymore. Maybe the Divine Dragon would but he would not accept any offering or prayers for these two heretics.

This is fine… He’ll forget his tears soon, surely…

He’s only a sword at her side… She never asked him to be anything more…

He should be okay, once she’s gone…

She grinned, lifelessly tracing her thumb across his cheeks. The curse is undone. The loom of fate was slowly disintegrating. Soon enough, he shall return to his original form. That of an animal. That of an ugly duckling. That of a swan who will forget his human memories.

It is finished.

On the book’s final page, there is only ever a fae’s corpse and an elegant bird watching over them. With its wings clipped back, curiously watching the light leave their eyes, he will return to the nearby riverbanks and forget what had happened. As retribution for stealing another’s identity, there will be no one left to remember who she truly was.

And that was all there was to it.

With the fae banished, the Kingdom of Gaciea lived happily ever after. THE END.

Dainsleif closed the book and lovingly looked at the “person” beside him in bed. He stroked the “person”’s light brown hair— its color reminiscent of the bear he had slain in his first life. It’s a shame he had to reunite with you in this condition. But it’s not like he would stop loving you. He doesn’t care if you’re a fae, a sinner—

Or a hilichurl.

He scooted closer beside you.

"So, does the story ring any bells, my beloved?"

Zhongli, upon recalling what happened and the curse he had inflicted on both of you to fulfill some children’s fairy tale, sought the “ugly duckling” and the “false princess”. Retired as he is, he cannot undo the fate you must play nor terminate his contract with Celestia. For consolation, he merely offered the Khaenri’ahn a teapot. Unlike the Chasm, the teapot was forever peaceful and serene. The brightness of lumenstone ores was not as comforting as the adeptal light that peeks through the drapes. This is your current place of residence. Whether you liked it or not.

"To think Nicole would entail the story of our past life." He laughed softly. "And these names... Hah... Are those the best she could conjure up to bypass possible erasure…? I suppose I should still thank her for her best efforts. I can see how challenging it would be to document our story, given how we lived through so many resets."

There’s a slice of cake paired with wooden utensils on the nightstand. If your mind had not deteriorated, you might’ve assumed they were gifts from the aforementioned Nicole and the Geo Archon. Unfortunately, forming a coherent thought required a mental fortitude akin to iron. You currently do not have such willpower.

“Alfstan— no… Halfdan was right. There will come a time that he’d protect you from harm and not I…” Dainsleif mumbled defeatedly, his eyes burning with tears he couldn’t let out. Far too tired to dwell on it. “He must’ve forgotten his old jests in his previous life because as far as he’s concerned, he’s simply doing his duty as a Black Serpent Knight…”

He pecked your forehead, closing his eyes.

"Did you remember, my beloved? Vacation may not have any business being in my vocabulary but it is my birthday today…" Dainsleif leaned his forehead against the cold stone that covered your face. "I know you— do not feel guilty over your lack of gifts. It is not as if I bothered to count my age since the cataclysm. I didn't want to celebrate this occasion for the past five centuries. Not when you weren't at my side..."

The blonde man turned his gaze to the floor.

How many times will he have to “reincarnate” just to see a happy ending for the both of you?

"Happy birthday… to me…" He sang weakly. "Happy birthday to me…"

The man— the former sentimental judge— the former tyrant prince— the former "ugly duckling"— and now the current bough keeper, observer of fate in this new fairy tale, trembled…

“Happy birthday, happy birthday…”

… And sobbed.

You, in your ungreedy husk of a body, tilted your head in innocence. Pain coursed through every nerve now that the Abyss Order’s cleansing equipment broke. The man before you was no different from the shadows you fought and hid from that would terrorize the dark and cold places in the Chasm you’ve instinctively called home. But somewhere deep down, you carried a complex weight that hilichurls wouldn’t normally have.

That weight was a human emotion dubbed as "pity."

You pitied the shadow that loomed and embraced you.

And your lone reluctant arm that wrapped around him was enough to make him fully break down.

His throat constricted as he cried into your inhuman shoulders. Your scent was like that of a wet duckling, and he preferred that over the blood that disgraced your form several "fairy tales" ago. Dainsleif caressed the golden band on his finger. It was the most important ring between the two that Pari Zurvan found him clutching whilst unconscious in the wilderness.

At the very least, you were safe.

And you being alive today was a good enough present for him.

You tilted your head down, feeling his warmth one last time while Dainsleif took a deep breath, singing with more air than a proper tune.

Though it was barely discernible, he could just about make out the words you muttered a phrase from the old language of Khaenri'ah. Or at least, he deluded himself that that was the case. In his catatonic mind, you spoke the words:

Happy birthday, my beloved.

"H-Happy birthday to me…"

Taglist: @pix-stuff @sagekun @vennnnn-diagram @dilucragnidvr @tnsophiaonly @lsleepysimpl @kitkareen @dxprived4-starboys

#yandere dainsleif #yandere dainsleif x reader #dainsleif #dainsleif x reader #yandere genshin #yandere genshin x reader #yandere genshin impact #yandere x reader #yandere fanfiction #yandere male

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bitsbug · 1 year

Text

good evening rainworld community. look at my ocs NOW

YOU CAN ASK THEM QUESTIONS BTW. please do I’ve been marinating them for months. finely cured.

multiple paragraphs introducing each under the cut !

Curtains Drawn Over Bone - he/him

The first of my iterators, and frankly the most developed. Curtains is incredibly young for an iterator, made at the tail end of the last generation, and was subject to some.. negligent planning during his construction. He was placed in an area of dubious rain quality and worse ground stability; the conditions were considered acceptable back then, but millions of cycles later that's no longer the case.

Despite this glaring issue, he's been handling it better than you'd expect. Having recognized the long-term affects of his placement early on, Curtains took an interest in maintenance and optimization in order to survive, completely disregarding the Great Problem. He's broken some taboos in the process, and surprisingly didn't contract rot while doing it. His efforts have paid off with a suite of purposed organisms and a significantly more advanced, upgraded facility.

Some things would be impossible to address, though. Despite his best efforts, erosion and earthquakes now threaten to topple his can; something he's scrambling to fix.

Curtains is generally regarded as a finicky, flighty person by his group. He's a recluse and a workaholic, driven by some desperate ferver to avoid the worst. When he does appear in chatrooms, he seems constantly wound up, often vanishing as quickly as he arrives. He was like this long before his current situation. But do not mistake his nervousness for ineptitude, because Curtains is very meticulous and dedicated in his endeavors, backed by his thorough understanding of iterator anatomy and a genuine passion for his work.

Twenty Taken in Vain - they/them

The only iterator in this damn group who isn't a social recluse. Built in the golden age of the Ancients, a time of prosperity and uneventfulness, TTiv found their place in the bustling global communities of their kin. They're of the belief that research is best done collaboratively, and constructed their workflow around this frame.

But, really, they never much cared for that work or their purpose. Devoting themself to tireless research for something likely impossible just wasn't a good use of time, nor did they find the process very interesting, so they sought to fulfill their life in less desolate ways. As much as a sentient, static building is able to, at least.

In particular, Twenty Taken in Vain pursues a variety of art forms! There's a critical lack of artwork made with iterators in mind (While interesting to discuss, most Ancient books can be read in less than a second for example), so they seek to fill that gap. Their main passion is literature, but they do dabble in many other subjects, such as digital painting, textile weaving, 'false memory' qualia fabrication, and DMing a tabletop roleplaying game for their local group.

Their social proclivities haven't served them well in recent years, because the global communications decay has left them more isolated than ever before. Losing contact with multiple close friends has drained them of motivation, and made them fearful of losing those they do have left. Imagine like, depression but on a supercomputer scale.

In personality, TTiv is as chatty as you'd expect of them, but without the energy associated with extroversion. Their charisma is carried in their nonchalance and humor, with an undertone of snarkiness - only occasionally with any bite to it. They're adaptable as well, without a fixation on one subject and a willingness to introspect. Since the comm failure, they've become a lot quieter and more irritable, stress they've barely kept under wraps.

Anxiety Practice - it/xe

Polite and inoffensive, AP is an easily overlooked iterator. It appears frequently in chatrooms, but always in the shadow of its kin, and rarely draws attention to itself. Despite this demeanor, xe certainly aren't shy or nervous - that's already taken by Curtains - xe just prefer xer distance and privacy.

As it currently stands, Anxiety is the only member of its group actively working on the Great Problem. It prefers exploring more unorthodox theories for ascension, with a fixation on Karma flowers and their properties. As part of its experiments, its created a few.. curious organisms hybridized with the flower. It also collaborates closely with Distant Humming for information on the grander Cycle and general advice. Thus far, it's made a few fascinating discoveries, but predictibly no breakthroughs on the Triple Affirmative. Oh also, sometimes xe put karma-affecting drug cocktails into xer water intake. normal iterator behavior i promise.

Even at xer most comfortable and nonchalant, AP keeps an aloof, almost stoic nature. Chronically icy cool, xe seem incapable of expressing anything besides calm indifference. This isn't true, of course, xer composure is just nothing to scoff at. It even uses its reputation for comedy at times, usually through deadpan delivery or 'breaking character'.

Distant Humming - she/Her

An anomaly in existence, the first iterator to almost reach ascension. Distant Humming became an echo by her own hand, using heavy adjustments to her retaining wall and filter pumps to essentially bathe her facility in void fluid, solving the issue of her kinds' distributed conscience by just addressing all of it. at once.

Her subsequent failed ascension left her systems broken and mutated in impossible ways, but she functions nonetheless in her ethereal, undying state. The warping irreparably affected her memory and personality though; she considers herself a different person from the Humming before.

Despite her uncanny nature and haunting appearance, Distant Humming is a surprisingly amiable person, if vague or foreboding at times. Her detached state of existence allows her the breathing room to appreciate the world for what it is, and insight into the Cycle that'd be impossible to gain from within it. She's happy to share her observations with anyone who'd listen.

About once a year, Humming's karmic cycle aligns with that of her local group, affording her a limited time to speak with them. She appears totally non-existent outside this period.

THAT’S ALL BYEEE

#rain world #rainworld #iterator oc #ocs #art #Trying so hard to get back into posting. It's very scary but I will be strong #oc - CDOB #oc - TTIV #oc - AP #oc - DH

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saintsenara · 24 days

Note

As someone who isn't the biggest Hermione fan and keeps it quiet because greater fandom LOVES her, I'm honestly gagging for more of your Hermione takes. Especially your takes on fanon Hermione, who I can't STAND. Have a good one x

thank you very much, anon - there are dozens of us!

hermione is certainly the character i struggle to find common ground with the most - and this has been the case since i first read philosopher's stone as a child.

[which has actually been a really fascinating pop-culture experience - i think we tend to overlook, both because the media landscape and its representation of child and teen girls has changed since the 1990s and because of jkr's increasingly harmful views on gender, just how groundbreaking hermione was as a female protagonist in media which wasn't marketed primarily or exclusively towards girls. there is a reason why so many girls and women identified with her when the books were coming out - and it was very interesting for me growing up to not be one of them.]

the cause of my beef with hermione is for the incredibly petty reason that i find people who possess many of her more... striking traits quite difficult to deal with in real life, particularly if they don't acknowledge [which people in the hermione vein often don't...] that these traits are things it might benefit them to work on in their interpersonal relationships...

but this doesn't prevent me recognising that canon!hermione [and any real person like her] is interesting - and that her more annoying traits work well with her more straightforwardly admirable ones to create a fully-rounded character who, from a fanfiction perspective, is a great vehicle for all sorts of tropes, themes, and storylines.

which brings us - of course - to fanon!hermione...

fanon!hermione is, at her core, another brick in the wall of mary-sues. she's beautiful, and so clever she can solve millennia-old puzzles without batting an eyelid, and she's preternaturally emotionally intelligent, and she's morally spotless, and she's always right, and the story's preferred romantic partner worships the ground she walks on, and anyone who doesn't like her is punished.

i don't think - to be clear - that there is anything wrong, per se, with people wanting to write fanon!hermione [nor, to be frank, with other flawless fanon versions of female characters, oc mary-sues, or self-indulgent self-inserts - i'll defend the right to have fun with characters to the death]. this is a hobby, and people's way of engaging with that hobby doesn't have to appeal to me - it's fun escapism sometimes to write a character who is wonderful and perfect and beloved and has a sexy partner; and when it comes to accusations of writing someone "out-of-character", let she who is without sin cast the first stone...

but i also think - and [sigh] here comes some discourse - that fanon!hermione is part of a slight... girlbossification of female characters in the harry potter fandom [and presumably in others, i just don't follow closely enough to know] which i've always been a little uneasy about.

i understand why this happens - this fandom, like many, has an overwhelming preference for making blorbos of male characters and for imagining these characters in slash relationships. the treatment of female characters in slash subfandoms - i.e. tonks in wolfstar spaces; lily in jegulus spaces - is often straightforwardly misogynistic, and even in cases where it isn't, female characters are often shuffled quietly to the sidelines, except when they pop up - often suddenly in a queer pairing of their own - to benignly cheerlead the male couple.

and i think it's good that this is challenged - as i also think it's good that the heteronormative vibes of a lot of slash are challenged - and that we, as a fandom, are increasingly interested in female-centric works [whether focused on a romantic pairing or otherwise] and discussions. i hope these continue to take up fandom space.

but i have also noticed that the way female characters are written and talked about in these context is - as i've said - quite #girlboss in its approach. the focus is on women as clever and competent and feisty and unruffled and brave.

[including female villains, there are a lot of girlboss bellatrixes knocking around...]

and great! it should be! - but from what i've seen this also comes accompanied by a resistance to the idea that women can also be boring, unintelligent, self-infantilising, vain, arrogant, ignorant, talentless, meek, domestic, rude, dislikable, conservative, incurious, complicit in their own victimisation, plain wrong, and so on, and not only still be worthy of exploration, but be worthy of these characteristics not being automatically considered bad things for someone to possess and it not being seen as letting down the sisterhood to explore a woman who possesses them.

and, sure, hermione cannot be described as many of these things - but she is...

self-righteous; cruel; petty; from a privileged class background in the muggle world which blinkers her understanding of the class structure of the wizarding one; stubborn; terrible under pressure; shown by the text to be intelligent largely due to an ability to rote learn; a people-pleaser with a tendency towards a slightly hagrid-ish blind loyalty; extremely deferential to authority and willing to tolerate cruel treatment from authority figures [i.e. snape]; the most childlike of the trio [she takes her schoolbooks on the run and reads through them for comfort! she's an enormous animal lover!]; interested in one of form of stereotypical femininity [knitting! wearing pretty dresses!] even if she rejects the form of stereotypical femininity liked by e.g. parvati and lavender [and anyone who thinks she's not going to get along with her mother-in-law because molly's a housewife is dead wrong - she's having the time of her life helping put together a sunday lunch at the burrow]; possessed of a filthy sense of humour [i will never understand why emma watson said that the key to playing her was to be prim...]; someone who obviously wants to be liked and to be loved; and so on...

[and also, by the end of the pre-epilogue narrative, eighteen. she's often written in fics in a way which makes her sound like she's seen a lot of life - especially if the fic wants to claim she's "too mature" to bother with men her own age... but she hasn't - she's a teenager, and the reason she's so unpolished and abrasive is because literally all teenagers are unpolished and abrasive. it's just one of the mortifying agonies of growing up.]

we should love this. it makes her thorny and messy and mixed-up and human - and i am perfectly delighted by explorations of her character which delve into unravelling this tangle.

i just like her less as someone who is there to be right and beloved and uncriticised.

unless it's by ron. everyone should be uncomplicatedly adored by their wife guy.

#asks answered #in defence of...#hermione granger #annoying canon version only #we love unlikeable women in this house #reject the girlboss paradigm

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tossawary · 6 months

Text

Someone responded, "Howl would do chores for Sophie! He loves her so much!" to that Prince Turniphead house-boyfriend post about the "Howl's Moving Castle" movie where I said that Howl wouldn't reliably help around the house. And... no. No, I said RELIABLY, that's a really important word here, but also no.

Nothing about his home setup (the mess of the kitchen in the beginning, the RAINBOW BATHROOM, his cluttered bedroom) suggests that he's in the habit of picking up after himself. I don't think he's purposefully a slob, but I do think he's too distractible and thoughtless to do the required regular cleaning. I think he's a "I'll put this down here for now and deal with it later *proceeds to walk around this object every day for the next three years while doing more interesting / immediate things*" person at best. Being in love does not suddenly change all your habits as a person or your personal interests! I think Howl would definitely try (important word here) to do better for Sophie, but I think it would take a lot of work and he's kind of lazy about these things!

I do think he cooks. Movie Howl IS shown cooking with Calcifer and I think he and his fire demon could have fun with that task, very cute, and leave a mountain of dishes behind them in the process.

Also, (trying to limit referencing the books for those who haven't read them, but I can't resist here) Book Sophie is... kind of controlling and loves to complain? And can also do magic herself? When I said that Howl can't be trusted to RELIABLY do chores, it's partly because I don't think he'd be doing them to 1) Sophie's exacting standards and 2) in the EXACT way that Sophie wants it done. I think Sophie would in many cases decide that it's easier just to train Howl to better stay out of her way, honestly.

Especially because HOWL IS A WIZARD!!! You can't fucking trust those assholes with a simple chore! It doesn't occupy their brains enough and they're ALWAYS going to think, "I bet I could invent a spell to do this for me," and that's how you get floating dishes or animated broomsticks or a fucking water spirit in your house. It's the hubris! Can't smack it out of wizards with a stick!

Howl swallowed a star and made a deal with a fire demon! He built a giant walking castle that was holding together JUST using magic (it completely fell apart at the end of the movie) and wandered freely around the country! He was pretending to be two different people to run businesses and then abandoned the buildings when the government caught up to him! I'm pretty sure he used a magic spell to SQUAT in Sophie's family's former hat shop! He impersonated the king! He dodged the draft literally afterwards in an airship battle! He nearly irreversibly turned himself into a bird monster and fought bombing airships by HIMSELF - and there's no way that Sophie wasn't confusedly picking black feathers off the floor. He summoned the spirits of darkness and started turning into ooze because his hair dye came out the wrong color!

Howl would TRY for Sophie, I believe that. I just also think that he'd rather use magic to completely renovate the entire house than actually scrub floors. I think he would invent an incredibly ugly magical vacuum cleaner for her and Sophie would love it so much that she would choose to overlook the fact that it tries to eat the carpet and curtains and the dog sometimes. I think that if Book Sophie was told she could melt wizards with a bucket of soapy water with a little bit of lemon juice (like the Enchanted Forest Chronicles), she COULD DO IT by choosing to believe it, and Howl hides from her and that bucket because he loves her but she's TERRIFYING.

If Sophie's sister Lettie was visiting and Sophie was panicking because she hadn't had the time to dust on top of the guest room wardrobe... whatever the magical equivalent of shoving all of your stuff into a closet at the last minute to make the place LOOK clean is, THAT's how Howl would help.

#tossawary hmc #howl pendragon #sophie hatter #spoilers #fic ideas

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thebisexualdogdad · 6 months

Note

Could you do Felicia Hardy smut headcanons please?

Felicia Hardy x GN!reader

*Danielle Rose Russell used as fancast*

**I think about sex with Felicia far too often* *

● Felicia's sex drive is off the charts

● seriously, she needs to cum at least twice a day to feel even remotely satisfied

● and if you aren't there to make it happen she has plenty of toys to get the job done

● she owns quite the lingerie collection

● so many black lace pieces

● her favorites are see through bras because she knows those drive you particularly crazy

● "see something you like?" She'll say standing in the doorway of your bedroom in nothing but a revealing lace bra and panty set

● and it drives her crazy when you worship her tits

● sucking and toying with her nipples

● making her cum just from stimulating her chest

● having her ride your thigh while you're lavishing her breasts

● and leaving hickies all across her skin

● she melts when you call her a good girl

● you will be in the middle of a heist and she'll pull her zipper down ever so slightly to tease you with her tits

● "better pay attention love don't want to set off the museum alarm now do we?"

● "how the hell am I supposed to focus when you're taunting me like that?"

● "what can I say? I have great assets"

● "you sure do Felicia, you sure do"

● there's nothing she loves more than oral

● doesn't matter if she's giving or receiving

● you frequently wake up to her settled in between your legs

● and she works you like a pro giving you an incredible start to your morning

● and you always make sure to return the favor

● spending hours between her legs leaving your bedsheets absolutely soaked from how many times she cums

● anytime you run into her ex Odessa it ends in you two bringing her back to your place for a threesome

● Odessa always praises Felicia for finding someone so good in bed

● "at least I know you are being well taken care of Felicia"

● "you haven't even seen their best work"

● anytime you score huge on heists you have insane celebratory sex

● fucking on every surface of your apartment possible

● bringing out your special occasion toys

● speaking of, your toy box is full of contraptions that most people have never even heard of

● Felicia's got a list of kinks so long you'll never run out of new things to try

● and she introduces you to positions that shouldn't be humanly possible

● mid heist quickies that get your adrenaline pumping

● her bending over for no real reason just to show off her ass in her tight leather suit to turn you on

● you have no problem when Felicia flirts with people to either get intel or to steal something from them

● no one can resist her and she gets her prize every time

● "what do you think this watch is worth? 15-20k?" She grins walking back to your table after swiping a watch off some rich guy at the bar

● "whatever it's worth it's definitely paying for our next trip to Europe" you say kissing her proudly

● it's honestly pretty hot watching people hit on her knowing you're the one who gets to take her home

● but when certain people get a little too handsy with her she will drag you somewhere more private to ensure you that you are the only one she wants

● you guys have a nice big apartment that overlooks New York city but it is fun to break into penthouses and luxury hotels for a change of scenery every so often

● and when you travel you book the nicest hotels to screw around in

● fucking her on balconies with breathtaking views

● everyday is an adventure with Felicia

● and you wouldn't give it up for anything

#marvel imagine #felicia hardy imagine #felicia hardy x reader #x gender neutral reader #headcanons

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poitcast · 6 months

Text

Moments from "Once Upon a Studio" that I adored

Mickey kindly offered Oswald to take first place in the group photo, telling him "After you!". Oswald happily thanked him by tipping his head to him.

That entire ending was perfect. I love how the "When You Wish Upon a Star" number began with Alan-a-Dale strumming his lute on top of the building, and then Scat Cat, Mirabel, and Junior join in before the singing begins. The build-up to Jiminy Cricket was great.

Belle and Beast singing together! In the original film, they had separate verses in "Something There" so it was nice that they shared a small duet. Paige O'Hara and Robby Benson did a great job!

Quasimodo singing! I'm glad to hear Tom Hulce in the role of Quasi again. James Baxter did a terrific job animating him once again.

Scuttle interrupts Ariel's verse only for Baloo to shut him up and share a sweet bonding moment with Mowgli.

There's something incredibly poetic about Snow White holding hands with Mulan and Asha as they sing together. Disney Studios owes a lot of its success to its princess characters, and it was cool to see three generations of female protagonists (the original, the Renaissance era in the 1990s, and the most recent era).

Winnie the Pooh's presence in general. I love how Christopher Robin and the others have to help him out of the picture frame, recreating the rabbit hole scene. Also, Pooh singing "Fate steps in, and sees you through" at the end and Tigger pouncing on him really got to me.

Cinderella and Prince Charming going down the stairs and Charming loses his shoe. The role reversal was cute enough, but after snatches the shoe, they go into silly mode with Prince Charming shouting "Eric, get your dog!" and Cinderella enabling the situation by saying "Go, Max, go!" It's incredibly endearing to see Prince Charming have a sense of humor and Cinderella happily going along with the shenanigans.

Antonio with the other animal characters and telling Joanna not to eat Jacques and Gus. Pluto coming in to save the mice was nice too.

Incorporating the archival audio from Robin Williams's recording as Genie.

The fifteen puppies watching the "Night on Bald Mountain" segment from Fantasia and Chernabog pops out of the screen. I also noted the various "Art of" books of their feature films on the cabinet surrounding the television.

Hearing Nathan Lane as Timon again and calling Olaf "Frosty".

Robin Hood and Little John snatching Scrooge McDuck's money bags and reveling in their victory. Oo-de-lolly!

The Wreck-It Ralph cameos! Vanellope on her race car, Ralph calling Mickey "Garfield" and Fix-It Felix fixing Goofy's camera. All in character and perfect.

Mickey's gang having their time in the spotlight. Donald trying to go down a crowded elevator, Goofy working as the photographer (may or may not be a subtle nod to his occupation in A Goofy Movie), and even Clarabelle has a moment.

It was nice seeing some representation for their shorts (Ben and Me, Johnny Appleseed) and their overlooked films (The Black Cauldron, Home on the Range, Chicken Little, and Dinosaur). Even if they didn't have any dialogue, their presence alone certainly counts.

Highlighting the artists that contributed to the studio. Burny Mattinson's cameo at the beginning was nice, and though Walt Disney himself was very much a complicated person (staunchly anti-union being one of them), the moment of Mickey staring at his portrait was genuine enough (Mickey says a simple "thanks" before he joins the rest of the characters). The framed photographs of various artists throughout the halls was also nice (I'm sure the actual building has those framed pictures of their former employees). I would have been a lot more critical of the short if many of the presence of the other artists weren't felt in the studio.

Overall, it was a great short! It was a beautiful love letter to the animation studio and its characters. I'm glad that they didn't incorporate any Pixar stuff and even flaunt their acquired assets (Star Wars, Marvel, etc.). It was just about celebrating their original animated works and the large catalog of characters. The animation was also fantastic and it was cool seeing the 2-D characters interact with the CG characters in a way that felt natural. I greatly appreciate the effort and love that was put into the short.

#once upon a studio #disney #beauty and the beast #the huncback of notre dame #winnie the pooh #wreck-it ralph #mulan #robin hood #the jungle book #the little mermaid #cinderella #encanto #animation

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sixth-light · 2 months

Text

I've been thinking a lot lately* about how artistic works are so intimately products of their moment and in conversation with it, and how easy this is to overlook both in terms of discussing a work and in terms of anticipating or considering new additions to an older work.

The first is important because so many judgements that can be made about a work are only meaningful when you know what their context was. What readers need or want to see, particularly in terms of representation, is hugely mediated by what else is available to them at the time. Yeah this is about stuff like "Rocky Horror was progressive when it was created" but also it's about stuff like "the John Carter movie bombed because it was regarded as derivative", when in fact the source material originated a bunch of the 'derivative' scenes and tropes that were then used by better-known movies before a John Carter movie ever got made.

The second is important because...even if you come back to a work, as a creator, you can only make new parts of it as the person you are now, in conversation with the world and genre as it is now, not as it was when you started. Taking a mildly-infamous-among-fantasy-fans example, Melanie Rawn's unfinished Ambrai trilogy; she's often said that she can't finish it because her life has moved on and...as sad as I am it was never finished, I think that's probably smart! She could write a third book one day, maybe, but it never could or would be the third book she would have written in the 1990s. And even if she did manage that somehow, the genre has moved on in such a way that it would feel weird and probably quite offputting to read a book doing with gender and feminism what the Ambrai books were doing in the '90s, because they are/were inherently in conversation with an era of fantasy that is now past.

All of which is to say that:

as a reader (or watcher) I think it's good to hold in mind, when engaging with a work from a time and/or place unfamiliar to you, the extent of what you don't know about the context of the work

as a creator, I think it's good to be very realistic about what you're going to actually achieve when you are making something over a long time period or coming back to something you left unfinished. You can totally do that! It can be incredibly rewarding! But the thing you make now is not the thing you would have made then, probably not even the thing you imagined you were going to make then, and that's just the nature of art.

*The reason I have been thinking about this is partly books I have been reading (Mara of the Acoma, you are my blorbo) and partly a very fun podcast I have been listening to which has re-read The Ruins of Ambrai and done a lot of discussion about its context, finishing up with a great interview with Kate Elliott about writing fantasy in the '90s (and writing it now, as she is still writing great but different books!). Anyway go listen to the Hot Nuance Book Club, it's a good time.

#meta #writing #fandom #melanie rawn

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pennyserenade · 2 months

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i have thought in great detail about coriolanus and sejanus, and whether or not coriolanus ever really liked sejanus. i think that the novel/movie are purposefully constructed to make this ambiguous, but i prefer to veer on the side of "yes, he did."

coriolanus' way of loving people was...lacking, to say the least. even with tigris, he thought awful, mean things about her, but it was evident he cared very much for her. the problem with coriolanus was not that he couldn't love -- it was that he could not love without first being assured that his investment would yield positive results for him. at least, he could not readily admit to himself that he was loving until he knew it was going to work out for him.

his character is very succinctly summed up by sejanus, when he tells him, "I remember that from school, watching you watch other people. Pretending you weren't. And choosing the moments you weighed in so carefully" (397). without fully knowing the totality of it, sejanus got it all too right: coriolanus took people in, measured them out, decided what they meant to him, and weighed in when he thought it'd benefit him. coriolanus was calculated in all things, most of all in love—a thing he knew made you vulnerable.

but that's not to say what coriolanus said to himself was the exact same thing as what he felt. if it was, i do not believe he would've done half the things he had done for sejanus--even given the prospect of reward in the end. this is part of what makes coriolanus descent into evil so heartbreaking: a part of him was good. he did want for connection and comfort, even if he had a real fucked up way of going about getting it. coriolanus was a dog that bit without fully knowing why; it was a protective instinct he used, because so much of his life had been filled with loss already.

in the book, after coriolanus snuck his father's handkerchief with lucy gray's scent into the tank of snakes, he went to sejanus' house. this is an incredible detail that so many people tend to overlook when they talk about coriolanus and sejanus' friendship. the beginning of the chapter reads:

"What had he done? What on earth had he done? His heart raced as he blindly turned down one street and then another, trying to make sense of his actions. He couldn't think clearly but had the dreadful feeling he'd crossed some line that could not be uncrossed" (287).

we start this chapter with a frenzied, rattled coriolanus, one terribly afraid of what he had just done and the consequences this action might have later. he was scared and isolated, and he didn't know what to do. a little further on, collins writes: "His feet had carried him far from home, but he realized the Plinth apartment was just a few minutes away. Why not pop in?" (288).i find this construction of words to be fascinating, especially in relation to coriolanus--a character we have come to known as calculated and precise, even in moments when he has to think on his feet. one could argue that during this part of the book, and in this state, it makes sense that coriolanus might wander that far from his home absent-mindedly. it shows how out of touch with himself he had become, and just how much the act he had just committed disorientated him. but i think it was more than that. i think coriolanus wanted to go to the plinth's house, that he was seeking comfort after he had done something incredibly dangerous (something, arguably, that sejanus might have done), and he could not admit it to himself. and his original intention had been to see sejanus, but sejanus was asleep.

the fact that collins wrote "his feet had carried him" and "he realized" is so brilliant. i’ve got lots of opinions about why she chose to write the book in a third person point of view. one of the reasons i think she did it has to do with the fact that coriolanus was distancing himself from himself--shedding culpability through phrases such as these, especially in moments like this. coriolanus did love sejanus, but he simply could not admit it to himself because sejanus was not a safe or wise investment to make. coriolanus refused to give credence to his need for him, and it ended up killing the boy in the long run.

#sejanus plinth #coriolanus snow #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #suzanne collins #tbosas meta #tbosas analysis #didn't mean to write an essay #this fully was meant to be a short post but i had finished all my homework #and suddenly i had my kindle app open and i wrote a page number without thinking (bc i am an english major and this is my lot)#and bam it was an essay

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arvandus · 4 months

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Beloved Arvs, I would love to know your thoughts on Diavolo or Lucifer and gift giving/receiving. Like how does he go about picking what they think is “the right one”? Does he fuss a bit before giving the gift, nervous it won’t be received well or is he confident without doubt it’s the best thing the recipient will ever receive?

ohhh, bestie. I love this, and they'd both be so different, so I'm going to do both of them.... but Lucifer is getting double because I think it will also depend on if we're talking about OG Lucifer or NB Lucifer.

Lucifer (OG):

Incredibly observant, will definitely have an idea of what to get you

Picks up on all the minutiae: what game you're playing with Levi, what books you're discussing with Satan, what foods you're sharing with Beel, etc. He really benefits from having you under the same roof as him, a blessing considering his busy schedule.

Will also make mental notes of colors you wear, scents you wear (if any), will notice the things that catch your eye through the shop windows...

I can also definitely picture him gifting you something that is important to him, trusting that if it's important to him, then it'll be important to you as well.

More than anything, he'll go for something that is meaningful to both of you, something that ties to a special private moment between the two of you.

Very confident in his choice(s), will be utterly miffed if you don't like it.

Lucifer (NB):

Still very much observant of course, but doesn't have the benefit of living under the same roof as you.

Even so, you visit from time to time, so he'll try to catch what he can when passing by in the hall... but with all the work he has to do to help Diavolo set up RAD, he's bound to miss stuff. He can't be in two places at once, after all...

When he is ready to get you a gift, he'll set it up a way to expose you to his idea without exposing his plot. It could be walking by a window shop, trying a specific restaurant or vendor, listening to a particular track of music, etc.

HOWEVER... despite all of his research, I think his pride will sometimes take over a bit and cross into overconfidence. Which leads to....

Overlooking what you think you want in favor of what he knows you need.

The worst part is.... he's fucking right.

Diavolo:

He's a little simpler in that I think he'd be more or less the same in both OG and NB.

Either way, he's Prince of the Devildom, and his time with you is severely limited because of it.

He will be far more nervous than Lucifer would be when it comes to gift-giving...

First off, he's not had a lot of opportunities to do it. There's very few people he feels close enough to in order to gift give, let alone knowing exactly what to get them.

Second off, he's usually the one gifts are given to, not the other way around.

The nice thing about Diavolo is that he has a far better grip on his Pride than Lucifer does.

Which means he has no issues asking others for help when it comes to ideas (as a side note, Lucifer would NEVER ask for help).

Would absolutely text the Fantastic Three group chat to get both Barb's and Luci's opinions, as they're his two closest friends and the ones he trusts the most. He knows they're both powerfully observant and would pick up on small details that he may not have been around to catch.

When he finally is ready to give his gift, he does it with perfectly practiced calmness.

But internally, he's sweating buckets.

Maybe it's the knowledge that you have no issues refusing him, unlike so many others.

But his worries are unnecessary...

Because what he's gotten you is absolutely perfect.

#arvandus answers #hauntedbestie #as;dflka this one was so fun!#obey me headcanons #obey me #obey me nightbringer #lucifer x reader #diavolo x reader

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lov1ngreid · 5 months

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cherry blossom

⌕ studying abroad in japan you never would’ve thought you’d be drawing the stranger sitting under the cherry blossom tree.

⟣ ﹒bau!spencer + gn!reader

⟣ ﹒content warning: none! just fluff

⟣ ﹒wc: 1.7k

⟣ ﹒ 🧋me being delusional because I want to live in japan so bad

listen to what i did when i wrote this! ➘

You hadn’t always gone outside to paint, but today the weather was your favourite you simply had no choice. Cold enough that you could see your breath a little in the atmosphere, but not too cold that your jacket and scarf weren’t enough to keep you warm.

You were fixated on the largest cherry blossom in the garden, hundreds of bursts of baby pink and white coming from the branches, and a light brown trunk flowing all the way into the sky, branching off in different directions.

It was easy to start sketching, you always loved coming to this garden, not many people knew about it so it always seemed quiet, only the sounds of the water trickling through the stream and the faintest noise of the metro occupying your ears.

One of your most favourite places in the garden happened to be the bench on the small bridge overlooking the small river stream watching the koi fish jump and nip at the surface making small little popping noises as they did.

you always found yourself absolutely indulged in your art, completely zoning everything else out.

Just your pencil tracing along your sketchbook.

So hyper focused on the beauty of the tree in front of you, you had yet to notice the most beautiful boy you’ve ever seen in your entire life sitting just below it.

His outfit consisted of browns and neutrals, paired with a deep purple scarf and blue and orange polka dot socks you could see barely peeking out from his ankles and glasses propped up on the bridge of his nose. You watched quietly, completely entranced in how gorgeous his presence was. you looked completely in awe, his long slender fingers dragging down the page before flipping to the next one, and his glasses that sat in front of his pretty brown orbs.

Without giving it another thought you started to sketch the beautiful boy in front of you, starting with his fluffy hair, glancing between your sketchbook and your subject of choice.

A ringtone beaming from somebody’s cell phone broke your trance from the boy sitting in front of you, watching as he reached in his right pocket and pulled out his phone to answer it it only took him seconds to snap his book shut shoving it into his bag before getting up from his position under the tree.

He looked incredibly rushed before making his way towards you, phone still to his ear as he mumbled incoherent words into it, incoherent to you at least, considering you were still focused on how beautiful his face was.

Before you could even consider sparking a conversation with him, heavy footsteps onto the wooden bridge seemed to be inching closer and closer, you get a better look at his beautiful brown hair and the way it falls over his glasses a little.

It was almost like he was so close that you could see yourself in the reflection of his glasses, like he was speaking to you, almost as if you could feel his body heat next to yours.

“Um densha-no… what is it…. eki-wa doko desu-ka?”

“What” you breathed confused, he was that close to you, and that reflection you thought you saw in the reflection of his glasses, was in fact you staring at him dumbfounded as he tried to talk to you in Japanese.

“Oh thank god you speak English” He chuckled, rubbing his neck as pink flushed his cheeks, even his voice was dreamy “Do you know where the train station is?”

You giggle a little at him before nodding “you just have the leave the gardens take a left, you’ll see the signs, it’s around the corner” you smiled taking a moment to rake your eyes over his tall figure before meeting them back to his.

“Thank you” he smiles back at you, his eyes light up beaming down at you, he was so incredibly gorgeous and his cologne left you feeling so addicted, he brushes past you for a moment obviously in a rush before pausing twisting on the balls of his feet to turn around “I’m Spencer” he furrowed his eyebrows, almost as if he was talking to himself.

His almost innocent demeanor made you giggle a little “Hi Spencer” smiling back at him “I’m y/n” you tilted your head a little, a little surprised he had stopped to talk to you considering he was obviously in a hurry.

“Are you busy?” He rushed searching your face for any sort of disgust or disapproval, you shook your head in response, you truly weren’t busy but you would’ve cleared your schedule regardless “will you walk with me?”

You felt like your heart had made its way to your throat with how fast and hard it was beating, like it was all you could hear, without answering you just nodded your head making your way next to him.

Your mouth ran dry, what where you supposed to say? You just sat there and drew some random person for like 20 minutes you definitely looked like a stalker.

You both walk a little in silence before he timidly turns his head to face you “Do you live here?” He asks in attempts to kill the silence between the both of you.

You nodded your head before glancing up to meet his eyes “I study here” you smiled nervously shoving your hands into your warm jacket pocket.

“That’s awesome” he beamed smiling down at you, his perfectly row of teeth almost blinding you “I’d love to live here, it’s so peaceful”

you both walked in beat with each other perfectly matching each others strides “especially when I don’t have people watching me read” he snickers smiling at himself

Suddenly you snap your head towards him in complete horror, your face turning incredibly pink “you saw that?” You squeaked absolutely horrified that he thought you were some sort of weirdo.

He laughed turning around to face you “of course I did” he rolled his eyes playfully still laughing, hilarious to him, but to you, you’ve never been so embarrassed in your entire life “But I only noticed cause I was watching you paint that tree”

“oh” he was watching you?

He loved your timidness, it almost matched his, seeing how embarrassed you got when he caught you watching him only made his heart flutter even faster

“You don’t think I’m weird or anything do you” you rushed, convinced that absolutely nothing could pull you out of this embarrassing hole.

He shook his head gripping at the strap of his shoulder bag “No I don’t think you’re weird” smiling back at you cocking his head to meet your eyes “I thought it was sweet… you were looking at me the same way you were looking at that tree” he pointed a little at the pink covered tree you were just sitting near.

If even possible, more heat rushed to your cheeks before you stared at the busy footpath in front of you. Absolutely humiliated he had seen you absolutely swooning at the sight of him, before you knew it, you both stood at the entrance of the train station, it really was just around the corner.

“Thankyou y/n” he nodded nervously hands shoved in his pockets, your quietness made him a little nervous that he had said something wrong, did you think it was weird he was also watching you indulge in your art so peacefully.

Nodding your head a little with a quick smile, you both stood staring a little into each others eyes, both looking like you were reading each other. The hustle of people around you pausing and the volume of the city sounds fizzling out as you both daydreamed, lost in the depths of each others eyes.

That was before Spencer’s phone buzzed a few times to let him know someone was trying to contact him urgently, snapping the both of you from your gaze, Spencer smiled again before turning quickly to hop down the steps.

“Wait-” you rushed taking a few steps forward to meet him, Spencer reacted immediately turning around to meet your gaze again, you looked up at him before unbuttoning your bag and searching for your notebook before pulling it out. Flipping through the pages of trees and buildings you had watercoloured months before.

Spencer looked down in awe at all the pieces of work you had created, although you weren’t purposefully showing them to him, he was ultimately amazed by your talent and wanted them all framed in his apartment.

You huffed a little before finding the page you were working on just before, a beautiful pink cherry blossom and the prettiest blue lake.

And the prettiest boy sitting under it.

In awe once again Spencer was completely oblivious to the fact that not only were you painting the tree he was sitting under, but him as well. He fixated on it examining every line and detail you had captured, even the polka dots on his socks, his eyebrows furrowed as he heard a ripping sound.

You had ripped the page from your book, careful to not ruin your work but simply tearing it from the confinements of the notebook before shoving it in his direction, confused Spencer looked down at it a little before reaching out to grab it.

“I want you to have it” you nodded closing your sketchbook placing back into your bag.

“It’s beautiful” Spencer admires looking at the piece close up.

“It’s okay” you giggle a little embarrassed your eyes meeting your shoes for a bit as you watched him scan over the piece for a little longer than you thought was necessary “wow you like it that much” you laugh watching his reaction.

He nodded quickly looking back up at you grinning “Well… I’ll make you another” you smile tilting your head a little, Spencer nods again before stumbling to remember why he’s even at the train station.

“Um- I have to go but will I see you tomorrow?” he rushed continuing to walk down the stairs as he talks, glancing between you and the station behind him.

You nod without hesitation at the boy grinning in front of you, he stops walking down the stairs for a second before waving a little, returning the wave, you watch his rush down the stairs glancing back at you every few steps.

BACK TO MASTERLIST

#spencer reid #criminal minds #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid one shot #spencer reid fanfiction #matthew gray gubler #spencer reid fluff #lov1ngreid #Spencer reid imagine #criminal minds x reader

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alotofpockets · 9 months

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A perfect day | Florence Pugh

Pairing: Florence Pugh x Reader

Summary: Enjoying a romantic holiday with your girlfriend. [Full request]

Masterlist | Marvel masterlist | Words: 600

You look up from the book you were reading, to be met with the loving eyes of your girlfriend staring back at you. Her smile warms your heart, “Hi baby.” She reaches her hand over and places it lovingly on your leg, “How’s your book?” You put your bookmark between the pages and place it down beside you. “I love it so far, but not as much as I love you, my love.” You sit up in your lounge chair to kiss her lips. “Would you like to go for that swim now?” Florence eagerly nods. She takes off her dress revealing her two piece bathing suit, you would never get tired of looking at her. “Hm, you’re so pretty, baby.” You strip down to your swim attire as well, and walk to the water hand in hand.

It was your third day in Italy, you had two busy days exploring the city, seeing so many incredible things, that today you decided to have a relaxing day by the beach. You were truly enjoying this time away from your busy lives, to fully focus on each other and the beautiful surroundings. Florence came to Italy a few times growing up but you had never been. She wanted to show you some of her favorite places. You went on a boat tour, and explored the city on foot. The city was so colorful, and you don’t think you will ever get enough of the beautiful blue ocean.

After some time in the water, you head back to your lounge chairs. “I made dinner reservations for tonight, I did some research and this restaurant is supposed to have an amazing view from their terrace.” Florence loved her food, which is why most of the time you let her choose where to eat, she always passed it by you first, but today she wanted to keep the details a surprise. “I can’t wait to see it with you.” Florence sits down next to you and leans into your side. You wrap your arms around her and kiss her head. “I’m so happy here with you.” Florence whispers. “Me too, baby.”

She was right, the view from the restaurant was amazing. You were led to a table near the railings of the terrace, you could see the mountains, the water, and overlooked the whole city. It was perfect. You ordered your food, which was so good, and talked the whole evening. The sun started to set and you couldn’t keep your eyes off of it setting over the water. “This is so beautiful, Flo.” - “Yes, it is.” Florence says with her eyes on you. You turn her way and realize what she just did and laugh, “You flirt. I love you.” Florence sends you a wink before saying, “I love you too.”

After dinner you enjoy a walk along the beach, watching as the sun continues to set. Long after the sun sets, you walk back to your hotel room, the roads lit by the moon. Back at the room you both change into your pajamas and lay down in the bed. You lay your head down on her chest and listen to her heartbeat, while she lazily draws shapes on your back with her fingertips. “Thank you for an incredible day.” You say looking up at her. “Every day with you is an incredible day.” Florence was in a flirty mood today and you were loving every bit of it. You sit up and straddle her waist, leaning in to kiss her passionately. The night was looking to be as perfect as the rest of the day.

💗If you enjoyed this fic, please consider buying me a coffee💗

#florence pugh #florence pugh x reader #florence pugh fluff #florencepugh #florence x reader #florence pugh fanfic #florence pugh imagine #florence pugh x female reader #florence pugh x fem!reader #florence pugh x gender neutral reader #florence pugh x you #florence pugh x y/n

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vexy-hexy · 6 months

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I hope this isn't a hot take, but Scott Cawthon is a shitty writer

The reason the lore makes no fucking sense is because he just randomly adds or retcons things with no explanation and, at this point, I think he just enjoys watching people (especially MatPat) go crazy theorizing

Like, the man may as well have confirmed dream theory a few years ago, only to go "wait, never mind, here’s Sister Location and everything is real, I promise"

I doubt even Scott understands his own story because it was written with the same grace and talent as an edgy middle school kid trying to write the next Jeff the Killer, so they shove everything they think is cool into the story, whether or not it fits

People say "oh, he didn't realize it would be more than (however many) games. He didn't plan that far ahead," but that excuse should only get you so far when you are writing a story

It's pretty clear that after at least game 4 (some say game 3, so I'm being nice), he stopped caring about the story and began just duct taping things he thought were interesting into a story that could've been wrapped up with MAYBE 5 games (1, 2, 3, 4, and pizzeria Sim with something in the other four to explain Baby and Molten Freddy, or get rid of them, I don't care), but instead it's a cluster fuck of weird details that DON’T MAKE SENSE

Look, I think a lot of us, myself included, can sometimes confuse a good CONCEPT with a good STORY

The storytelling of FNAF is dog shit, but the concept is just SO good, which is why people like the FNAF VHS tapes so much: these people are able to take a terrifying and interesting concept and make a truly good implied horror story with it in the way Scott NEVER could

And don't get me started on the books: First, they're not canon, then they're canon, but also, some stories may only be canon in another alternate universe or something, but if you actually want to understand something, you need to read some of the books

Your story should not have to be told across multiple different media for it to be even SLIGHTLY coherent. It's fine if you want to add in details that aren't too important to understanding the entire thing (like, we don't specifically need to know the names of each kid William killed, but it's a cool fact to know. Or maybe expand on how Freddy's and the incidents affected different people), but, as cool as it was, Golden Freddy being possessed by two children is a pretty crucial point to the rest of the series to be in just some activity book that so easily could've been overlooked as something fun to do related to FNAF (IMO)

Not to mention, we apparently can't even agree on the name of the Crying Child who, I think, was the catalyst for this entire story (because we can't even seem to agree if Elizabeth or CC died first)

TL;DR FNAF is a great concept, and it's been shown that it can make a great story by people who are much more skilled than Scott Cawthon (or maybe they just care more about this series than it's own creator, I don't fucking know)

Also, sorry if I'm incoherent or get anything wrong, I typed this while I was incredibly tired, but I did try to edit it as much as I could the past few days

#fnaf movie #fnaf #fnaf security breach #fnaf sb #fnaf games #fnaf rant #rant #rant post #vent #scott cawthon #sorry but I've been hold this in for so long #I'm scared of the reactions I may get #fnaf vhs

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aphrostarot · 10 months

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Welcoming Happiness Pick a Pile

What is blocking you from experiencing happiness and how can you clear those blockages? Also, why do you deserve to be happy and what will make you happy?

As this is a general collective reading, some things may not resonate with you or your situation. DO NOT try forcing it to fit. If you would like to book a personalized reading with me go to my profile and follow the instructions on my pinned post.

If you enjoyed this reading and wanted to support me further you can do so by tipping me in the link in my bio or by booking a personal reading with me.

Pile One:

How can you accept joy into your life?

The Luminaries:

It is tradition for artists’ tarot decks to include a special edition card that encapsulates their tarot deck. This is this deck’s card. The Luminaries depicts a trio of friends who overlook a city glowing with light. They represent the many sides of humanity and the nature of existing. When this card appears in a reading, it is telling you to listen to your inner voice, and draw from your own experiences when seeking wisdom and advice. So, when it comes to how you can begin to accept joy into your life, your spirit guides are telling you that you already know how to do this, you just need to listen to your gut. Whatever your first instinct is when you think of how to be more happy, that is the answer. Only you know what it is that will bring joy into your life.

What obstacles are preventing you from experiencing happiness?

King of Wands:

This situation calls for you to step into a leadership role rather than the passive role you have been playing in your life for quite some time. You are a natural-born leader, but you have been ignoring this side of yourself for whatever reason. With this card coming out here, it is your guide's way of telling you that enough is enough, it is time for you to take charge of your own happiness and stop relying on others or the universe to bring it to you. You could be a fire sign (Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius) particularly Aries. Or have prominent fire placements in your chart.

How can you overcome these obstacles to happiness?

Six of Wands:

The road to success is often paved with difficulties but, having this card come out here, is telling you that success is something you can achieve. You will see happiness again in your life, you just need to stay on course and not let these obstacles hold you back. Keep your eye on the prize and maintain your determination to achieve success, and it will come to you.

Why are you worthy of cultivating happiness?

Ten of Wands:

You are a talented and hardworking individual who has faced many challenges in their life. You have faced more challenges than the average person does in their lifetime, and this is something that makes you so incredibly strong. However, it seems that you do not see that in yourself. It seems as though you are hyper self-critical, and you tend to ignore your own problems because you're afraid of them. Instead, you shoulder the burdens of everyone around you, which makes you suffer more. You may think that doing this makes you a good person which it may, but it does not help you, and it is time for you to help yourself. This is why you deserve happiness, because you have gone through enough struggles that it is time for you to experience some joy.

What sources can bring you happiness?

Six of Swords:

You are not happy with where your life is at currently and this has been leaving you quite depressed. The Six of Swords talks about moving on from the past and looking forward to the future, this is what needs to be done in order for you to experience happiness. As far as what can bring you happiness right now, travel could be something that will make you happy. Take a break from your day-to-day life and go to a body of water, whether that be a river, the ocean, a lake, a pond, a pool, etc. whatever it is, this card is telling you that going on a boat or just going somewhere near water will bring you some joy.

Bottom of the deck energy:

Knight of Pentacles:

The Knight of Pentacles is the slowest moving court card, what this means for your life and welcoming happiness is that this will not come overnight. You have struggled for so long in your life and have developed these behaviors and mindsets you have as a result, and the act of changing these things and redirecting your mind to a more positive place will not happen fast. This is something that requires you to be patient. Now, as we know the six of wands came out which is the card of success so, this is your guides telling you that you will experience happiness in the future it just may not come as soon as you would like.

What does happiness look like for you? (Extended Reading)

Pile Two:

How can you accept joy into your life?

The Lovers:

A lesser known meaning of the Lovers is making a choice. There is some sort of choice that needs to be made in your life, pile two. Your spirit guides want you to know that there is no going backward from this point. You must decide which way to continue, and then make your move. It may be that those of you who chose this pile believe that you do not deserve happiness in your life or believe that you do not need to actively work to feel happiness, and if that is the case then the choice you need to make is to allow yourself to feel the joy you have been suppressing. Neither choice is “wrong” or “bad” – they’re simply different, and it’s up to you to decide which path you want to take. Use your head, but don’t ignore your heart and intuition.

What obstacles are preventing you from experiencing happiness?

The Seven of Cups:

This is yet another card telling you about needing to make a decision. Some of you may be overwhelmed by choices in your life, and you don’t know which path to take. For others, it may be that you can’t seem to find any path, you are too stuck in your own head to see the path that's laid out in front of you. Either way, it seems that the obstacle that is keeping you from experiencing joy in your life, pile two, is your inability to make a choice and move forward on that path.

How can you overcome these obstacles to happiness?

The Star:

In order for you to get through these obstacles to happiness, you may need to find hope, inspiration, or renewed faith. This could involve seeking out new sources of inspiration or reconnecting with your core beliefs and values. Remember, even in the darkest times, the Star’s light can guide you towards a positive and hopeful future. This card suggests that you may be feeling discouraged or doubting your abilities, which is hindering your progress. To overcome this, it is essential to cultivate self-belief, seek out motivation, and potentially explore spiritual or philosophical teachings that can provide guidance and insight.

Why are you worthy of cultivating happiness?

The Five of Cups and The Nine of Swords;

Both of these cards talk about grief and sadness in the deepest forms. What this means, in terms of you deserving to be happy, is that you simply deserve it. You’ve been through so much darkness in your life, and have been living in that darkness for quite some time now, you deserve a break. You deserve to have some light in your life.

What sources can bring you happiness?

Justice and The Three of Swords:

You have experienced some deep heartbreak in your life. Whether it be recently or in the past, either way, it has stuck with you and made it difficult for you to ever truly experience happiness in your life. Your guides are saying here that a source of happiness for you is simply healing this wound, getting justice for the wrongs you have faced. Confronting the consequences of the past, seeking closure through fairness, or addressing unresolved issues may be necessary for healing and moving on. This suggests that your ability to move on from this past relationship may be hindered by unresolved issues or past actions that have not been properly confronted or addressed. Seeking closure, acknowledging past mistakes, and striving for fairness in future interactions can help you heal and move forward.

Bottom of the deck energy:

The Four of Pentacles:

Have you been feeling a bit bored lately? Exhausted, even? The four of cups coming out at the bottom of the deck is a sign that life has been feeling heavier than usual for you. Maybe you’ve been a little more wrapped up in yourself than usual lately. The four of cups can indicate that you’ve been dealing with stagnation as a result of you becoming a little self-absorbed, or simply mentally checking out entirely and becoming too apathetic to the world around you. This card is your guide's way of telling you not to give up just yet. Shake the cobwebs from your eyes and do what you need to do to stoke your fires. Now’s the time to make your move, and get back at it. Life is waiting for you.

What does happiness look like for you? (Extended Reading)

Pile Three:

How can you accept joy into your life?

The Page of Wands and The Four of Wands:

The Four of Wands talks about moving forward in life. Whether it be, taking the next step in a relationship, hitting an important career or life goal, or even celebrating a birthday. Whatever it is, it represents positive forward movement. For you pile three, this forward movement is you embracing the happiest version of yourself, which looks like the Page of Wands. Accepting that you are or have a part of yourself that is, a kind, energetic, and optimistic individual is the first step into accepting joy into your life. You may not be the most responsible person, or even the most experienced, but that should not stop you from being in touch with your happiest inner child.

What obstacles are preventing you from experiencing happiness?

The Queen of Wands Reversed:

There is a part of you that doesn’t think the person I described above is you. You see yourself not so much as a bad person but as someone who has a lot of bad qualities and as someone who doesn’t deserve happiness. The Queen of Wands reversed as an obstacle or challenge can represent a need to address personal insecurities, develop self-confidence, or find clarity in your goals. This card encourages introspection and self-improvement, urging you to identify and confront your self-doubts. It’s a reminder that building self-confidence and setting clear, achievable goals can serve as a robust foundation for overcoming any challenge.

How can you overcome these obstacles to happiness?

The Six of Coins:

Here’s the thing, you know how to treat other people with kindness and know how to see the best in everyone you meet. However, you do not know how to do this to yourself. This has caused an imbalance of energy given and energy received within you. The way to overcome this challenge is by leaving this dynamic in the past and allowing yourself to receive the same amount of kindness that you are so willing to give to others.

Why are you worthy of cultivating happiness?

The Hierophant:

The Hierophant coming forward in tarot readings represents a lot of instability in your life. It tells you to find solid ground through tried and true methods; now is not the time to blaze your own path. You deserve happiness because you have been feeling so lost, unfocused, and lonely in your life recently. Your guides are saying that it is time for you to surround yourself with people that you share some sort of commonality with. They are reminding you that there is strength and happiness in a community.

What sources can bring you happiness?

The Eight of Cups and The Hanged Woman:

Taking time for deep self-reflection before making any major decisions is needed at this time. You have been yearning for some passion in your life, especially in a certain area of your life that you feel has lost its vital zest, which is causing you to want to give up on it. This is your guide's way of saying that the way to bring that zest back into that area is by looking inward and finding out why you don’t feel so passionate about it anymore. It is time for you to backtrack and rekindle your fire for an old dream you've been wanting to give up on. Embrace changes in your life and your consciousness in order to welcome happiness into your life. Break up your routines, wake up a bit earlier, take a scenic route to work, grab a latte to go, etc. Whatever it is you need to do, start small and work your way up, and soon you will start to realize that happiness is coming back into your life at a much quicker pace.

Bottom of the deck energy:

The Eight of Swords:

You’ve been feeling stuck, trapped, or backed into a corner in your life at the moment. Whatever the battle you have been fighting, it feels to you like you have to do it alone. You’ve been feeling melancholic, isolated, and maybe even exhausted. This card is telling you that all is not lost. The solution to your problem lies in your perception, so try seeing things from a new perspective. You have the strength to fight your way out of this.

What does happiness look like for you? (Extended Reading)

Pile Four:

How can you accept joy into your life?

The Devil and Two of Swords:

The Two of Swords usually indicates that there is a tough choice to be made. You’re having trouble making this decision, and this could be because you’re lacking clarity. You may be stalling, or even avoiding making a decision altogether, but know that you can’t do this forever. This dilemma won’t magically go away. The solution requires that you take a step back and center yourself so that you can see things more clearly. With the Devil coming out alongside the Two of Swords, this tells me that this decision that needs to be made involves addiction. The Devil presents itself when there has recently been a period of overindulgence in your life. This overindulgence may even have evolved into an addiction. While this can be a frightening card to get in a tarot reading, it’s important to recognize that you have the power to free yourself from the archetypal Devil’s grasp. This coming out here is a warning from your spirit guides that says, “get it together! Restore balance in your life! Don’t succumb to your vices; you’re stronger than they are!” Once you start believing in your own strength, you will be one step closer to accepting joy in your life. Remember, there is no shame in asking for help. If you feel like you need help getting through this, reach out to someone, a therapist, an addiction specialist, a counselor, support groups, etc. Admitting that you require help is courageous, and a powerful first step.

This addiction does not have to be to drugs and alcohol. For some it may be, for others it may be, an addiction to self sabotaging yourself, an addiction to fun, to adrenaline, to sex, etc. Only you know what it is.

What obstacles are preventing you from experiencing happiness?

The Tower Reversed:

You have been resisting change in your life for quite some time now. You know that you have a problem, and you know you need to fix it, but you are afraid of what your life will look like when you change, or you’re afraid of admitting you have a problem. Either way, this resistance will only prolong your difficulties and prevent you from moving forward. It’s important to recognize that while change can be uncomfortable, it is often necessary for personal growth and development.

How can you overcome these obstacles to happiness?

The Four of Cups and The World:

The process of closing one chapter to begin another can often involve a complex mix of emotions and unforeseen obstacles. It’s important to recognize that every transition comes with its own difficulties and requires a period of adaptation. Both of these cards coming out are yet another sign that you have been resisting change and fear the unknown. What you need to do in order to work through these obstacles and get to a happy life, is, let go of your fears, and change your perspective. Which can be easier said than done, but, if you continue the way you have been, happiness will not enter your life, and this is something I know you want, even if you are too afraid to admit it. It is time for you to reach out and ask for help if you feel you can’t do this on your own. Sometimes bouncing your thoughts off of another will help you change your perspective.

Why are you worthy of cultivating happiness?

The Two of Pentacles and The King of Wands:

You are a highly motivated person who knows what they want and will stop at nothing to reach their goals. However, this does not make you overconfident and arrogant, you are very humble and don’t take anything you have accumulated for granted. You have a goal in your mind right now that you have been trying to reach, but you do not have the necessary pieces to get there. Whether it be your finances, a specific mindset, etc. you know what it is you need in order to reach this goal, but you are stuck. This stalemate has caused a deep depression in you, which is why joy is lacking in your life right now. Your guides are saying that you deserve happiness because you have never given up on anything you set your mind to, no matter how many roadblocks get in your way. You have been stuck for quite some time now, but you have not let this stop you from getting creative and finding new ways to get around this block. Your guides say that this is something that deserves to be celebrated.

What sources can bring you happiness?

The Moon and The Eight of Wands:

You have been feeling overly anxious, helpless, and worried in your life at the moment. This is because you have been getting stuck focusing on the negatives in your life and allowing this mindset to control you. When the moon comes out here, it is telling you to shift your perspective. Your guides are saying that once you do this, happiness will be flowing into your life rapidly. Here are some ideas of things to do in the meantime to help you shift your perspective on life; Make sure the people in your life have positive energy and intent. Ask yourself, “Do they have my best interest at heart? Do I feel good when I am around them?” If the answers are “no”, then limit your time spent with them, or consider moving on completely. Make sure you are eating healthy food that will fuel you through this moment in your life, and remember to take your vitamins, and medicine! Lighten up your energy by laughing. Watch a funny video clip, read your favorite comic, or funny book, or listen to a hilarious new podcast. Make sure you are protecting your energy during this time, and make sure you are aware of what energy you are accepting and giving.

Bottom of the deck energy:

The King of Swords:

The obstacle you are facing in your life requires a clear head in order to overcome. Make sure you are clearing your mind and seeing things clearly as you work through these problems as they arise. You have the strength to be a clear-headed, intelligent leader in your life, you just need to channel this energy in order to be it.

What does happiness look like for you? (Extended Reading)

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