#It's Always Darkest Before The Dawn

[mareenavee]

(Tired) WIP Wednesday

Dragging ourselves through the week through the chaos <3

I've been ill but writing has been a balm! I'm gonna share a few snippets with you.

Was tagged by @thana-topsy (HUGE HUGS! Aiden and Sarel are adorable and you DID IT. You did the thing!) and @kookaburra1701 (I'm still waiting on Book 32 of your fic universe, and will cheer until its ready!)

Tagging especially @changelingsandothernonsense for the Sad Wars which have produced amazing content as of lately from me, for being writing exercises hehe. Not to brag, I'm just really fond of the work! And of course the amazing @paraparadigm, @thequeenofthewinter, @snippetsrus, @wildhexe, @nuwanders, @oblivions-dawn, @miraakulous-cloud-district, @throughtrialbyfire, @expended-sleeper, @inquisition-dragonborn @archangelsunited, @dirty-bosmer, @viss-and-pinegar, @ladytanithia, @polypolymorph, @gilgamish, @tallmatcha, @rainpebble3, @late-nite-scholar, @greyborn2, @saltymaplesyrup, @orfeoarte, and YOU. Because yes. You are tagged. Tag me back if you have stuff to share! I love to see it.

Below I have a few samples from some WIPs! I'll start with World, as I'm restructuring chapter 31 <3

This selection is long, too! 1,050 words, below the cut!

1) The World on Our Shoulders, Chapter 31 Athis's POV as he goes through Northwatch Keep to save Thorald. 219 words.

Still, there was something unsettling about how unnaturally quiet this part of the keep was. The hairs on the back of Athis’s neck stood up, some instinct he couldn’t place screaming of danger. Something was wrong. He’d felt this way once, years ago, before a bear charged out of the woods that time his hip had been shattered. He’d almost died, then, if it hadn’t been for Farkas and that priest out of Falkreath. Odd, that, as it was a priest of Arkay. The irony wasn’t lost on him. Now, however, was not the time to lose focus.

Athis pressed against the wall that lead out of the twisting passageways into a room that looked, from what he could tell, like some kind of torture chamber. Only, the air rippled with some kind of magic that felt like static on his skin the closer he crept. He remembered how it felt when Nyenna used certain spells nearby; this one didn’t feel like anything he could recall, and that didn’t bode well. None of it did, if he was being honest. He got the sudden notion that perhaps it wasn’t worth all the trouble — that Thorald might already be dead. But no. If there was the slightest chance that he was still alive, Athis couldn’t leave him here. He wouldn’t.

2) Storms Like This A secret WIP I'll be editing and finishing soon for a friend. 266 words.

He’d thought back to one of his favorite memories of her, besides their wedding. Before they’d decided to adopt and start a family, they were living comfortably in Proudspire Manor in Solitude. He’d been overwhelmed at first by the city he’d only ever passed through before. Living in it meant becoming entangled in the political nonsense, which Sigyn seemed to take in stride. She’d come home, fancy clothes thoroughly drenched from the rain after being gone a particularly long time on what was supposed to be a local errand, and deposited an old hip bone into a chest by the door. Unnerving, sure, but not too atypical for her.

She took him by the hand and dragged him out into the storm, onto their back porch, all while Jordis silently judged them both from her perch at the kitchen table. Sigyn had said nothing, only smiled as he’d exclaimed from the cold downpour the further she led him outside, but then, even over the thunder, he’d heard it—the Bard’s College, practicing for the Burning of King Olaf, bright and clear, almost enhanced by the storm, music reverberating through the very stones of the building next door. They danced together, on their porch, regardless of the weather. It was if, for a moment, the entire world consisted of only them. She’d laughed even as their sodden hair clung to their faces, and as water ran freely into their eyes. [He] knew then, despite all of her chaos, he would follow her absolutely anywhere for as long as he lived.

Storms like this always reminded him of her.

3) Fragment - part of The Bitter, Bitter End (Unpublished as of yet.) Featuring Nevena Ules as the POV and Orvas Dren. (Yeah. Ew.) 209 words.

Orvas was leaning over the stone parapets, looking down into the courtyard where regular people milled around on business relating to Vedam’s gathering. The moons shone overhead and, besides the noise of the crowds and bards inside, all was silent. She cleared her throat, and Orvas turned to her. He smirked—the same sarcastic look he’d won her heart with when they were younger and under far less pressure—and closed the distance between them.

His eyes, blood red in this light, held storms. She knew what had been worrying him, but she was trying hard to ignore that part, until it was safe to talk about it. Vedam’s overreaching included parlaying with the Empire and solidifying trade between Morrowind and other provinces. Only, there would be an embargo if the Blight situation got worse—which it already was, by the day. And if all of that work was so new, the newfound strength of House Dren would be the first to collapse. Orvas had said as much, and had been bringing it up in their conversations more often as of late, because Vedam wouldn’t see reason. He thought he could see a solution, but even thought of it scared her.

He wanted to ally the Camonna Tong with the Sixth House.

4) Fragment - part of It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn (Unpublished as of yet.) This one is is Danger!Bean Varlais's POV. 353 words.

Varlais never felt like he belonged anywhere in particular, to be fair. His parents had been elevated slightly after a few turns of events when they’d moved with Ondolemar’s family to Skyrim. That was, technically, his doing, all those years ago, but they were still othered by most Altmer of any rank, Thalmor or not. It was complex, of course, and he didn’t have the energy to parse it all. He’d leave that to Ondolemar, who seemed like he could hold every political detail in his head, as if his mind was some kind of tome.

All he knew was it had to do with the Ayleid ancestry that refused to fade into the background for his family, no matter how many generations. Aerissa, at least, never looked down at him for the blue eyes, thank Auri-El, but she was back in Alinor now, doing clerical work for the Thalmor. And, of course, he was stuck here. But at least, if he was here, he could try and save her from them. No matter how badly he missed her, he’d keep fighting. Before she became a thrall, well, she’d always stuck by him. He looked down at his ring, the gold band glimmering with a faint enchantment, the metal worn and scratched. Somehow, likely by Mara’s direct intervention, he’d not lost the thing, nor had it torn through his skin and bone in some horrifying way. He touched the edge of his left ear where he’d lost an earring that way, and was grateful at least in that moment, his magic worked to stanch the bleeding.

As of late, he’d been feeling even more unmoored than usual, despite Ondolemar’s best efforts—the man was seventeen different kinds of distracted, after all. They were and always had been close as brothers, but with so much changing and hanging in the balance, Ondolemar had to focus on the plan. They had a goal, after all, as impossible as it all seemed. The Civil War and the Dragons were mucking up pretty much everything. Varlais also tended to make himself a problem, though never intentionally. Not really.

#MareenaWrites #Many many things #The World on Our Shoulders #Dragonborn and Far-Star Marked #The Heart of the World #Storms Like This #The Bitter Bitter End #It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn #Nyenna #Athis #LDB/Athis #Ondolemar #Varlais #Linare Varlais #Nevena #Orvas #Nevena Ules #Orvas Dren #Camonna Tong #Sigyn #skyrim #skyrim fic #morrowind #morrowind fic #tes #tesblr #tes fic #elder scrolls #elder scrolls fic #wip wednesday

[birdwithinternet]

The Tornado by Owl City.

That's it that's the post.

#the storytelling #the music #the way it can be taken literally or figuratively #coco moon is a good album #it's always darkest before the dawn #owl city

[internacionalista]

It's always darkest before the dawn

#the crown #it's always darkest before the dawn #olivia williams #dominic west #josh o'connor #florence + the machine #camilla parker bowles #prince charles

[ratarimo]

#it's always darkest before the dawn #important #Spotify

[miamierre]

omg can I have an angsty prompt request...post-breakup piarles, reuniting after x years, realizing the feelings are still there...and maybe its not too late...hehe 😋

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

It’s been about two years since Pierre took off his ring for the last time.

He’d done it before then plenty, of course—nothing aggravates an argument with the perfect mirror of yourself quite the same as a grand gesture like that, tugging off an engagement band and leaving it on the counter before storming out. But two years ago, things had just…come to a head. Pierre loved Charles, he did, but keeping up with him had become too much work. Life outside of racing had gotten very big very quickly for him, and there’s only so much a person can do in the shadow of their partner before things get testy.

And when you’re engaged to your lifelong best friend, sometimes testy is just the final straw. Charles had been in the middle of one of his big Ferrari collaborative projects, spending more nights in Maranello than at their shared flat in Monaco, and Pierre fell asleep alone in bed once again with the ache of not being enough.

So he’d left. Took the ring off, wrote Charles a little apology, and packed the things he was confident were his before disappearing into the cool November night. He’d changed both of his phone numbers a few days later when Charles started blowing his phone up with messages and voicemails. And then he’d gone off the grid entirely.

I love you, but I cannot do this anymore. That’s what he’d said. Two years later, sitting in the dining lounge at LVMH headquarters, he thinks it’s probably the right call. He no longer feels like a WAG working under his own collaborative brand with the company’s latest popstar ambassador whose name he doesn’t even really recognize. She’s nice, at least—Pierre is waiting for her now, actually, so that they can walk through the latest scheduling draft for the upcoming Winter show. He’s still not fully involved in the behind-the-scenes work, but if he can figure out something splashy to present at the next meeting, he's convinced that he’ll—

“Pierrot?” A familiar voice breaks through his thoughts, coming from somewhere to his right. Pierre turns.

And then his stomach drops, because standing before him is Charles Leclerc—ex-fiance, former best friend, the love of his life once upon a time, standing there with a bag hanging off his shoulder and his sunglasses slipping down the bridge of his nose. Part of Pierre instinctively wants to fix it, either push them gently back where they belong on his face or pull them off and carefully tuck them into the vee of his shirt.

He does neither.

“Charles,” he greets instead, pushing back in his chair casually. He’s not going to get up, he’s not. It’s not like Charles is there for him, after all. “What are you doing here?” He pauses, then realizes how rude it must’ve sounded to just blatantly ask why he’s in Pierre’s workplace. “How have you been?”

Charles, to his credit, doesn’t seem to notice. His eyes are lit-up, sparkling the way they always used to when they were together on the track. “I’m good,” he says as he takes a few steps closer to be within proper conversational range. “Ferrari is exploring potential luxury brand partnerships, and since I was already in Paris…” he shrugs. “Just looking, is all.”

Ferrari. Pierre hasn’t followed along close enough with their old sport for quite some time, but the name still makes him grimace. All the time that team had sucked away from him—from them—the thought still makes him bitter enough to taste it. “I see,” he hums in reply, picking up his little espresso cup and sipping at it. Charles just keeps looking at him, though: like he’s curious. “I have been working here alongside some of the lead designers of the season.”

Charles oohs softly. Pierre hates that he can tell it’s genuine even after all this time apart. “They found the perfect model,” he murmurs, a small smile playing on his face. “I’m happy they have you, Pierrot.” He looks like he wants to say more for a moment—it’s been two years and Pierre hasn’t really thought about his almost-marriage for longer than a day at a time, but suddenly having Charles right back in his space is crumbling the foundations of his new life like they’re made of plaster. “How have you been?”

“Good,” is the immediate answer that comes out of his mouth. It’s not entirely false, really, but…Pierre can’t help how his eyes trail up and down Charles’ body, how they catch at the silver chain hanging around his neck. The top button of his shirt is undone, revealing the faint little patch of chest hair that Pierre used to tease him about when they were younger. Nestled in it is…

Is the engagement band Pierre bought him all those years ago. Pierre’s gaze darts to his left hand instinctively. He swallows when he sees it ringless in the places that matter. The sight of the gaudy golden ring against his still-pale chest flings Pierre back in time, when he’d first slipped it on Charles’ trembling hand and whispered be mine forever? Charles had promised him, then, that he would—the memory makes him feel nauseous. Forever had felt like a long time when Pierre had weighed his options before leaving—a long time to be waiting in the wings, a long time to be a love of Charles’ and not the love.

And yet, the last two years without him has felt like a lifetime in the most agonizing of ways. He’s reminded of that yet again with the sight before him: Charles still wears the ring around his neck, and Pierre has his tucked away in the drawer beside his bed, folded in one of Charles’ old bandanas he’d stumbled upon after moving out. It’s silly. It’s devastating. The love Pierre had spent so long packing away in moving boxes is starting to leak out at the bottom.

“Charlie,” he says softly after a long moment, gesturing to the empty seat across from him, “come join me for lunch.” Charles just looks at him, blinking his sweet, slow, cat-like blink until Pierre gestures again, more earnest than before. “Please, mon cheri. It has been so long.”

After another long, breathless moment, Charles’ face softens even further. He pulls out the chair across from Pierre and sinks into it. “It has,” he says quietly. “Pierrot, it has.”

#piarles #10 x 16 #fic #!!!!!! lowkey ever since that piarles fic where theyre divorced with kids i have been intrigued by the idea of them breaking up only to #come back together. like their love would be so messy and big and all over the place. the night is always darkest before the dawn etc etc #ANYWAY thank u my love this was funnnn #ask reply #teamnick

[kindacts]

the ferocity with which richmond loves ted brings me to near tears every time, i'm serious

#it's heartbreaking to see him so defeated i can hardly take it #but it's always darkest before the dawn etc i can't wait till he comes out of all of it stronger #ted lasso

[dustofthedailylife]

🍁 It's Always Darkest Before The Dawn

Masterlist - All Chapters

→ Main Masterlist (Other works) || → Taglist

Summary: You’re a Fatui Agent, tasked with assassinating the one man who three years ago had almost succeeded to shatter the entire organization out of sheer hatred and thirst for vengeance. The best way to get close to someone? You make them fall in love with you - only that you didn’t plan on catching feelings yourself.

Pairing: Diluc x Fatui! Reader (gn)

Overall tags (updated along the way): Fluff to Angst (maybe comfort), SFW, Reader is a Fatui, planned assassination, held back feelings, mutual pining, betrayal, Enemies to Lovers, Charles is low-key the comedic relief here

Chapters

Chapter 1 - The Mission

Chapter 2 - Close Call

Chapter 3 - A Momentary Solace

Chapter 4 - Revelations

Chapter 5 - Conclusions

Chapter 6 coming soon...

Want to get tagged for future updates to this fic? → Taglist

Do not repost, copy, translate or edit - © dustofthedailylife Maple dividers are mine - do not copy.

#🍁 It's Always Darkest Before The Dawn #genshin impact #genshin fanfic #genshin x reader #genshin x you #genshin fluff #genshin angst #diluc x reader #diluc ragnvindr #diluc x y/n #diluc x you #genshin x gender neutral reader #genshin x female reader #genshin x y/n #genshin reader insert

[flustersluts]

what the fuck does its always darkest before the dawn even mean. isnt that literally just Not True.

#like im splitting hairs here obviously the phrase has a clear meaning in usage that everyone unferstsnds #i just mean like #am i missing some phenomenon when it gets Mega Dark just before the dawn #i think its the use of darkest that's throwing me #if it was 'there's always dark before the dawn' like. fine #that works #but darkest?? #flustersluts

[amicitxa]

❝ i'm only managing to stand here on my two feet because of you. i made it because of you. ❞ - ( Draco ) @legeandary

Sometimes Hermione thinks she SHOULDN'T forgive him for what he's done to her, but if the war has shown her anything, then it's to not be spiteful, and Draco had only been a child, like they all had been, is STILL a child now, who's as good as lost his parents, and if he wants to make amends, who is she to stop him?

She doesn't have to like him. Or be his friend, but she's not going to turn away anyone who needs HELP, because she'd want the same from other people. "All I did was give you a place to stay for a while," She says, titling her head to the side. The apartment she had rented had been empty for most of the time anyway, since she'd been out, keeping herself busy.

"And...I don't NEED you to move out, I'm just going to be home a little more than I have been before, so I wanted you to be aware of that,"

#legeandary #v: it's always darkest before the dawn ( post war )

[valorandgold]

"Awww, look at that! Dwyer is being so cute with M-"

"Quiet Morgan!" Dwyer quickly covers the tactician's mouth. "You must say no more of it."

"Mmmmh?"

"Because, if Clara finds out I shall never hear the end of it, and I doubt the other person in question will hear the end of it as well. Now I'm going to uncover your mouth and you must promise to keep your silence on this. Swear that you will for the time being."

"...okay, fine...but don't let my female self know. She's no good at keeping secrets."

"Wait! What secrets?! I heard you talking about secrets! I wanna know secrets!"

"...you see?"

#~eyes without a face~ ;; dashboard commentary #~on melancholy hill~ ;; dwyer #~it's always darkest before the dawn~ ;; m!morgan #~make it a place worth living in~ ;; f!morgan

[b-radley66]

Chapters: 20/20 Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ahsoka Tano/Original Character(s), Rae Sloane/Original Character(s), Qi’ra/Original Character (s), Original Character(s)/Original Character(s) Characters: Ahsoka Tano, Rae Sloane, Qi’ra, Morgan Elsbeth, Simon Greyshade, Shyla Merricope, Shaak Ti, Plo Koon (cameo), Mace Windu (Cameo), Yoda (cameo), Jame Blackthorn | Bryne Covenant | Taliesin Croft |Tempest (Original Character), Dani Faygan |Ishta (Original Character), Nola Vorserrie |Seoladen (Original Character), Meglann Florlin |Ina|Hammer (Original Character), Phygus Baldrick | Touchstone (Original Character), Null-13 | Drop | Tarre Tredecima |Balor (Original Character), Talle Tredecima | Orla (Original Character), Alyysina Faygan’ii na’ Torstan’ii |Serquet |Sina, Ano Lessi (Original Character), Delilah Sal |ISB-010 | The Untrusted Other (Original Character), Edan Kozume (Original Character), Sulen Gallamby (Original Character), Nathanaan Beten’ii (Original Character) Additional Tags: Hutt Cartels (Star Wars), Crimson Dawn, Nar Kanji, freedom fighting in the truest sense, Slavery, daring greatly, rebellion’s infancy, Love, love of the light, fighting slavery, Espionage, mild swindling in the service of the light, Family, Dysfunctional Family, Found Family, Polyamory, Corellian Family Values, Blackbirds AU (sorta) Series: Part 46 of Rise and Fight Again Summary:

World in Thrall! Ahsoka Tano, Bryne Covenant, and the other Links move to depose the new ruler of Nar Kanji, a Hutt apparently named Geddak, who is kin to an ally of Shyla Merricope’s, Geddan, who was executed for embezzlement on the orders of Ming Lardai. They intend to ally themselves with Kanjiklub, a criminal organization dedicated to freeing the slaves of Nar Kanji, while suborning Imperial officers such as Rae Sloane, and another criminal organization’s representative—Crimson Dawn’s Qi’ra. Along the way the deceptions they give rise to will imperil them all.

Just another day for them.

#star wars #rebellion’s infancy #ahsoka tano #rae sloane #guest appearance by a blackbird #hutts #it’s always darkest before the dawn #in between the stories you know #adventures in fanfic writing

[burniingxallthewiitches]

alice longbottom. ella/suya. 13 de febrero de 1960 (26 años). inglesa. heterosexual. sangre pura. auror. antigua gryffindor. miembro de la orden del fénix. casada con frank longbottom.

#tenia que usar ese gif por que me da mucha risa HAHAHA es alice #( it's always darkest before the dawn | conversaciones. ) #( it's always darkest before the dawn | fotografía. ) #( it's always darkest before the dawn | aesthetic. ) #♡ personajes.

[knickknacksandallthat]

Sequel to Dead of Night, launching on 5.12.23

#up to my old shenanigans again #more kevin day! #there should always be more kevin day #darkest before dawn #dead of night #my works #kevin day #all for the game #aftg #jeremy knox #jean moreau #neil josten #andrew minyard

[asirensrage]

💗 Hermione and the Darkling

Vix? Is that you? 😂 (omg there are so many notes in this doc. I forgot)

It takes no time at all before Kirigan is pointing his finger at her and accusing her of cheating...by magic.  “I did not!”  He narrows his eyes at her. “Lies,” he nearly hisses. He reminds her so much of Crookshanks in that moment that she snorts, trying to stop her laughter. “You are...are a witch of, of...of something,” he says. “First Ivan and now this?” He stands up and instantly stumbles. She moves to catch him before she nearly crashes into the table herself. She catches herself on it. Kirigan’s eyes are half lidded and he stumbles again when he tries to turn towards her. “Sankta, sankta, sankta,” he says. “Santka of the drink!”  It’s ridiculous enough that she laughs. “Okay, General. Perhaps it is time for you to go to bed.”

#hp tw #hermione x the darkling #fic: it's always darkest before the (second) dawn #i have not worked on this fic for ages...

[idyllic-affections]

i just realized that the title of your latest baizhu fic is actually a lyric from a song i was obsessed with like two years ago and now its stuck in my head

it was so good tho!!

YES IT IS!!! im so glad someone noticed haha <3 a few of my fics are named after song lyrics that i like actuallly!

if we have each other is named after if we have each other by alec benjamin

invisible disability? it's rather visible to me is named after the medical anomaly by r.i.p

i know my kingdom awaits, and they've forgiven my mistakes is named after coming home part ii by skylar grey. part 1 does not suit their vibe as well as part 2!

anyway thank youu im so glad that fic is getting so much love 💕💖💗💘

#aphelion replies 🌸 #coming home part ii is GENUINELY so [name]core #that song was written for them fr /j #“and the blood will dry underneath my nails” WDYM THAT SONG WASNT WRITTEN FOR [NAME] #“still far away from where i belong but its always darkest before the dawn” #I SWEAR THAT IS [NAME]'S ENTIRE NARRATIVE #THATS LITERALLY WHAT THE ENTIRE FIC WAS ABOUT #PLS

[rienziera]

You might want to scream, at the top of your lungs, that it’s going to be OK. But it’s way more fun if you give a stroke to all the people who can spot an orphan because some things cannot be unseen…

#it’s always darkest #before the dawn #orphans #typography #not a typo