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imagine-loki · 4 years

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Soulbonds and Fairy Dust (rewrite)

TITLE: Soulbonds and Fairy Dust (rewrite) CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 3/?

AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine one of the fae has been helping the Avengers, jumping in to help them on missions and vanishing before Shield can bring her in. Loki joins the team and convinces her to come talk to the team and consider joining before Shield takes more drastic measures. RATING: M NOTES/WARNINGS: This is a rewrite of the original work of the same name. Also on AO3 here

“Hey!” she protested, tugging on her wrist, trying to get it out of Loki’s cold vice-like grip. Unfortunately, he was stronger than she was. And he was dragging her further into the building. There was no question in his body language or the bruising grip on her that she wasn’t getting away. Not without truly hurting him. Whatever her words had sparked was riding him hard. He wasn’t letting her out of his sight again.

He also annoyingly still had her ring, so it would be a pain to flee now. She would just have to sneak back to claim her ring later, which was easier said than done when a magician was involved. He ignored her protests and kept his grip on her wrist firm as he dragged her into the elevator at the back of the reception area. He was silent the entire ride up the tower, and dragged her out into what appeared to be a living room with a huge tv and too many couches and comfy chairs spread around it.

“Let me go!” she protested again, yanking harder against the hand holding her wrist. She really didn’t want to force him through violence. His grip should not have been that strong on her overtop of her coat. She didn’t want to force him to let she go, but she would if he didn’t knock it off and start explaining things.

Soon.

“Please do not fight me, Lady Fae. This is important,” Loki told her firmly, but not unkindly, just in a tone that told her clearly that he expected to be obeyed. She noted that while he was holding her firmly, he wasn’t hurting her, not really. He just wasn’t letting her escape. It was almost as if he were afraid of losing her if he wasn’t physically holding onto her.

She huffed, “Fine,” she grumbled and walked with him into the common room. Struggling wasn’t going to help matters any. Not if she wanted answers or her ring back.

Thor was waiting for them in the common room and stood when they entered. He had been so excited when Loki had said he wished to meet the fae lady downstairs. He was glad Loki had finally wanted to do something, anything. That that activity had to do with another person was an even better sign. Though Thor stiffened when he saw her wrist firmly in Loki’s grip; that was unacceptable behavior towards a guest. “Brother, that is not how you treat a guest…” he told Loki, his tone dry, but trying to keep the situation from turning violent. He didn’t care for how the fae lady was being treated any more than she did.

Something about the two men’s interaction brought back a memory of two boys, one with black hair in a green tunic, the other was blond in a red tunic having some kind of argument. she were standing nearby huffing in exasperation at her silly boys. Not her sons, no, her friends. She had been the same size as them.

Now where had that memory come from?

“Brother, now is not the time for you to berate me, you will understand my actions in a moment,” Loki told him, his voice calm as his hand remained clamped around her wrist, his grip not loosening at all, as if he were afraid she would disappear if he let she go. “Lady Fae, please inform my brother of your name,” he addressed her pleasantly, gently. There was a sense of caring and something that could easily be mistaken for love. Had they actually known each other.

She huffed at Loki’s treatment of her and hoped there would be explanations soon. “My name is Sigyn, what of it?” she grumbled and watched Thor’s eyes go wide after she said her name.

“You see why I did not wish to risk losing her again now that I have found her?” Loki asked his brother with desperation in his voice. Thor nodded, but didn’t say anything yet as Loki turned to her and finally dropped her wrist. “I apologize for my rough treatment, lady. I was surprised when I heard you name. There was a young noble lady on Asgard by the name of Sigyn who went missing around 500 years ago, we presumed her dead. She had been my best friend,” he added that part softly and she weren’t sure she or Thor were meant to hear those words. She saw the haunted look and pain in his eyes and all she wanted to do was go hug him.

That was a strange reaction for someone used to being alone.

“You think I’m you missing Sigyn, though surely the name can’t be that uncommon…” she said softly, the pieces coming together from what he’d said so far. He thought her his long lost friend. She couldn’t just accept it without any form of evidence, though, so she had to bring up the question.

Loki shook his head. “The name was never very popular on Asgard, and became nearly taboo to use after y-she,” he corrected quickly, very nearly saying ‘you’ to her. He couldn’t let himself have that much hope, not yet. Not without proof. “disappeared,”

Sigyn wished she could remember more of her childhood, but she couldn’t yet. She’d had to hide the memories even from herself. A golden lady had taught she that piece of magic when she were a child. When she was teaching the black haired boy.

Her memories were coming back slowly in the presence of these two men.

“You told me earlier that you were taken when you were younger, you said 500 or so mortal years, and don’t remember where you’re from,” Loki added gently to the fae lady, to the lady who looked nothing like his Sigyn, but… still seemed so familiar. He was also explaining for Thor’s benefit. The pieces were falling into place and it seemed more and more likely as the conversation went on. “The timeline fits, especially from a child’s memory…Sig was only 500 when she was taken from us,”

“True,” she agreed softly, “I had to hide my memories, even from myself to protect the people back home from the fae,” she added just as softly. She had a feeling that with these revelations, she definitely wasn’t leaving their care. She had a feeling they were right, but there was no proof. How could there be?

“Can you find your memories again?” Thor asked her gently, and gods he sounded so familiar, with that overly protective brotherly tone and the true concern in his words.

She nodded, concentration in her eyes. “Given time I can, but not soon enough to answer your questions as fast as I’d like,” she explained, Loki nodded along, seeming to know exactly what magic she’d used to hide her memories all of those years ago. He was a magician, of course he knew, or had a good idea.

Thor looked to Loki. “How do we find out the truth?” he asked Loki just as gently. He didn’t want Loki hurt if she wasn’t really his long lost best friend. The longer Loki was left to hope she was his Sigyn, the more broken hearted he would be if she weren’t. And Loki had already tried to kill himself once in recent history.

Loki considered that and both Sigyn and Thor could practically see the gears in his mind turning as he thought over the situation. “I would suggest I help her unlock her memories through magic, but I am not sure that is wise as I have never tried to look into the mind of a fae. I can contact Mother and see if she has any ideas,” Loki finally replied cautiously. He didn’t want to take risks, not with this, not with potentially hurting his Sigyn.

“Can you contact Mother from here?” Thor asked a bit incredulously. It was incredibly far from Midgard to Asgard, especially without using the Bifrost’s power. He wasn’t sure whether to believe Loki’s skill could truly reach home. “Is her ring enough of a clue? It is a noble lady’s ring, and they contain magic, do they not?” Thor was trying to come up with a solution that didn’t mean Loki had to contact Frigga between the realms. He didn’t quite believe Loki could do it as easily as he was claiming. Loki was a known liar, especially when it came to solving a mystery he wanted solved. And Loki was desperate to find out if she were his long lost best friend.

Desperate was an understatement.

“Mother and I are connected from any distance. She taught me my magic, you oaf. Yes, the rings have magic in them, spells to make sure they grow with the wearer and a protection spell on them. It protects them until they hand over the ring to the one who owns their heart,” Loki explained to his brother, though the fae took in the information as well. The information was familiar, known, but still so new to her.

Thor sighed and grumbled at his brother. “I am merely throwing out suggestions of easier ways to solve the mystery than trying to reach across the realms with magic.” The fae had been watching them silently, unobtrusively. She was quite practiced at not drawing undue attention to herself and was taking in all of the ‘new’ information as they spoke.

Loki’s eyes glazed over a little as he spoke telepathically with Frigga. Sigyn and Thor couldn’t hear the conversation, though Loki had to draw enough power and concentration that its as obvious what he was up to. /Mother, can you hear me?/ he asked her as he made the reach between the realms.

/I can hear you darling. Is there trouble?/ Frigga replied, concerned that Loki would be contacting her from Midgard. There was no other reason she could think of for Loki to be contacting her over such a long distance except for some kind of trouble.

/Not exactly…/ he paused, nervous to explain now that it was time to find out the truth. He didn’t want to lose the hope he had built that this fae lady really was his Sigyn. /There is a fae lady here who says her name is Sigyn, though we do not know if she is the same Sigyn Thor and I knew when we were younger, the same Sigyn we lost. We could use you help in confirming the truth for her/ He really meant ‘for me’, but left those words unspoken. He knew his mother would understand.

/Why would a fae lady be our missing Sigyn? Though that name is not common. It lost favor with the people after our Sigyn went missing/ she paused while she considered how to test the lady for Loki. /Though it is easy enough for me to confirm or deny. I assume she is there with you. Have her perform a piece of Asgardian magic, if she can. I taught Sigyn when you were both children so I can recognize her magic, just as I can yours/ As long as Frigga was linked with Loki she would be able to feel the fae’s power.

Loki looked at Sigyn, which was more than a little weird with his eyes glazed with magic as they were. “Lady Fae, would you be willing to perform a piece of magic for me? My mother will be able to confirm or deny you identity from that, since she taught Sigyn magic when we were children,” his voice was a little monotonous when he spoke while still in trance.

“A-alright,” she replied shyly. She wasn’t used to dealing with, or really being around people. She only had a couple friends on Midgard and liked to keep it that way. She created a little illusion rose. It was the first little spell she thought of and was the magic of her childhood, not from her powers as fae, somehow understanding the request from Loki’s question, though he hadn’t stated it.

/That is our Sigyn!/ Frigga confirmed, sounding excited that she was back from the dead. Of course she was excited. Frigga adopted all children who came into her life, especially the ones who came into her children’s lives.

/Thank you, Mother/ Loki replied and ended the connection before it drained his powers too much to keep it open. Even he had trouble holding the connection across the realms.

He turned to Sigyn properly and she saw unshed tears of joy in his eyes. “Mother confirmed it. You are of Asgard and the same Sigyn we knew when we were children,” he told her, with joy in his expression, though she had the feeling he hadn’t experienced joy in a long, long while. Sig and Thor both stared at him in disbelief, but it just clicked with her as the truth, fae could hear lies after all. Though she vowed that she was going to regain her blocked memories as soon as possible to know for sure herself.

But she remembered something… “You’re the same Loki, then? The black-haired boy I studied magic with?” she asked softly, her own eyes glazed as she fought to remember. “And hammer brain the oaf?” she looked at Thor who rolled his eyes.

“She remembers nothing else except that terrible nickname,” he grumbled and all three of them laughed.

Loki looked like he was trying to remain proper and polite, but he was fighting and failing. He rushed to her and after a moment of hesitation, a moment where she could tell him no to deny him the touch, he pulled her into his arms. She remembered that his skin was always freakishly cold, though she couldn’t feel it through her coat. “I thought I’d lost you forever,” he whispered as he held her to him.

She slowly wrapped her arms around him, comforted by the feeling of old memories, even if she didn’t quite remember them yet.

Still, being in his arms felt like home.

#Loki #Lover #Submitted fic #submission #soulbonds and fairy dust #chapter 3 #rewrite #nekoamamori

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mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune · 3 years

Photo

Credit for Invader Zim goes to Jhonen Vasquez

Credit for Powerpuff Girls goes to Craig McCracken

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I’m gonna wait a bit more, to talk about some feelings regarding PPG.

which has to do with some Positive and Negatives that has to do with the Fandom.

anyway I got this ship that pop into my head, had to draw a ship drawing of it....if they get married, that would make Dib and Gaz the new Big Siblings of Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup.

the chances of this ship getting more shippers is perhaps well, maybe small......I don’t know how many will like this ship.

also ever since finding out about Resident Evil Character

Lady Dimitrescu, I have seen or heard the word “Simp”

what does that mean anyway....?

she is a very tall lady, in theory I believe she could be a bit more taller than Slenderman himself.

speaking of height, I’m starting to think I’m not 5′5″ at all...

I mean once I thought I was 5′6″ but turns out I’m not.

so I asked my pendulum, asked it if I was 5′5″

it circled slow for No, asked if I am taller than 5′5″

still gives me a No.

asked if I’m 5′3″ and it gave a Yes.

even if it could explain how I notice how my shadow is,

it just seems so small even when I stand close to it, and check the height between myself and the shadow are about the same.

at least my shoes make me a bit taller.

I guess my pendulum could be telling me the truth

about me being 5′3″......but it could be one of it’s pranks.

I’m listening to Addict right now,

the song was created by a fan called Silva Hound,

the song then ended up having it’s own official Hazbin Hotel Music Video.

you can find the song on both Silva Hound’s channel,

as well as it’s Music Video over at Vivziepop’s channel.

and I DON’T mean the one that is called “Vivziepop Club.”

I’m still not pleased with that “club channel.”

I’m just gonna try to keep a eye out for the real episode 4

of Helluva Boss.

was playing the AU of AU FNAF game called

Five Nights of Flirting, finally got a Good Ending in them.

well the Romance ones, even if one of the characters didn’t really say they were but kind of implied it,

it is nice that they made them Ace.

well I’m Aceflux, well technically Aroaceflux.

I still find romance interesting and well do some shipping.

plus it is still possible for those who are Ace to get crushes

or fall in love, plus there are different forms of romance

that doesn’t always have to be well the intense version.

like a tender kiss on the forehead or on the cheek.

just hanging out and watching shows or movies

or reading comics or playing video games you love.

anyway I had successfully got the Romance Endings

with Jeremy and Fritz. (in two different timelines, not at the same time.)

just need to try to get the others, and maybe I will get to a True Ending.

Purple Guy is perhaps gonna be difficult for me.

or as he is known as Vincent.

I like to think of him as the Canon Purpleman’s Son,

like the one who was always bullied by his older brother.

I’m keeping the name I’m using, if I change it

it is most likely my progress from the Jeremy & Fritz’s timelines

will be lost.

well the name I’m using is well, it is spelled a bit differently.

but I decided to go with “Alice”

but I decided to spell it with a “y” instead of a “i”

that alternate way of spelling Alice is interesting,

plus they both will still sound the same.

if I have another Save, that is separate from that one.

I could always try to go with the default name “Doll”

I kind of want to think of the three versions of Doll,

being siblings, a Sister, Brother and Sibling.

it be nice if Undertale had such a option.

like you could pick to be either Female or Male

or Non-Binary/Genderfluid.

those are the three picks for Five Nights of Flirting.

well when we do play Undertale,

whatever the Bio-Sex/Gender of the Player,

it can be projected upon Frisk.

so when I play Frisk and well control them throughout the game.

I can see them as Gyno-Agender.

it isn’t like “Agender” where it is just Non-Binary.

it is a Bigender Identity, being both Binary & Non-Binary.

think of it as being a fusion, think of the song Stronger Than You.

the original from Steven Universe, but the Undertale Parody is still awesome too.

I decided to make a new tumblr avatar,

that shows both my sexuality & gender identity.

the colors I picked is suppose to be for my Aroaceflux Identity,

while inside the heart will be for my gender identity.

so it is suppose to be a Sexuality/Gender Identity type avatar flag.

also I’m gonna try to look up the whole Simp, maybe look it up later and finally figure out what it means.

cause I have No clue.

also I want to say that, it can be possible for even someone who is Ace or Aceflux, to be a empath to “pheromones”.....

even if some might think that can’t be true, I believe it is.

the best thing to keep me from picking up THOSE kinds of energies from family or others that live where I live,

is to keep wearing my bracelets that has Black Obsidian and Selenite Agate.

I started getting gems, to help me.

I even keep them under my pillow.

I even sleep with my bracelets on too, but only take them off

when I have to take a shower or bath.

but after that, I will put them back on...

it be nice if hospitals had two types of doctors,

ones that treats well the seizures that actually needs medicine in the form of pills.

and the other giving advice to just move to a place with less negative

energy from both human and supernatural.

not all seizures will be the type that needs pills.

but try telling doctors that, hey if someone goes through withdrawal

don’t just put them back on the pill thinking they need it.

they NEVER needed them in the first place, they needed to get away from the town because it is that place that was causing the dang seizures in the first place.

I....went through withdrawal before, even if now I believe I never truly needed them, just needed to move far enough away from the negative energy......

I think it is possible, when I thought I was being touched

but no one was touching me....I think it might of been something else that I couldn’t see that was perhaps, really touching me.

like you being touched on your arm or back.

I wish doctors didn’t misdiagnose so much.

not all seizures are gonna be the same, and some spiritual doctors would be nice to see too.

I can’t help but be, concerned about staying in a room too long

if I start to pick up certain energies...

plus I’m gonna try to take a break from using my pendulum,

so gonna try not to use it too much.

but only use it once in a while.

also if it is possible that those from a distant future

are messing with timelines,

and that is why I remember a story I was told before

that has to do with someone in my family....

then well I can only hope the ones messing with timelines,

will stay in their own timeline, and stop breaking reality.

timelines can become more fragile the more you try to tamper with it.

plus it is possible those who try to tamper with it,

will get karma, so it is best for them to stop before the karma becomes really REALLY bad.

even if you do try to correct the changes that were made,

that would most likely cause problems too, but you should only fix it

if it truly 100% needs to be corrected back to how it was

before some human messed with it.

if that is true, that would be on my list.

I’m Semi-Misanthrope, I still like humanity but there are ugly parts of it that makes me disappointed.

so there are still good, even if there are the bad mixed in there too.

Starlight Glimmer did the same thing, but what if she wasn’t the first?

what if Sunset was the original element of Harmony,

but Celestia changed the Pony version of her friends memories.

but in theory, if Starlight made one more change in history

it would of most likely cause a break of all reality.

I think those timelines that were created, still exist

but are now Alternate Universes, still having existence.

but not being part of the Main Timeline.

or the Beta Main Timeline, while the Alpha Main Timeline

is the one where Sunset came from I think.

I still love SVTFOE and MLPFIM,

but I just don’t like how they seem to blame the scapegoats

for what Discord, Moon Butterfly and Mina Loveberry started.

even if some fans aren’t fans of Steven Universe Future

(and that’s okay, not everyone has to like it.)

at least that show didn’t pull the same Broken Moral Compass.

the endings of those two shows were awesome,

like Luster Dawn seems like a really interesting and awesome character.

and the whole dimensions in SVTFOE, merging is awesome.

also I’m starting to wonder if Glossryck really did die

or if no longer being bond to SVTFOE’s Realm of Magic,

left him free to explore the Multiverse.

after noticing in the magic book of spells,

that had Glossryck’s to do list.

I believe in theory he is secretly alive,

even if it is off screen, and fans might need to figure it out.

I also believe it wasn’t Toffee who corrupted Star’s Wand or the Realm of Magic, that was Star.

it is possible the Dark Magic was always in The Butterfly Family.

well Negative Emotion Magic.

Toffee was never in the wands, he was just speaking through from where he was in the Realm of Magic.

I can’t be the only one who is noticing the habit

where Heroes kind of pull a Anti-Hero move

and don’t even bother to punish the ones who started the problem in the first place.

once more I still love those shows,

I just am not a fan of the Broken Moral Compasses moments,

like Star deciding to place the blame on Magic for her problems,

but it isn’t magic that was to blame, it was her family misusing it.

or the whole Cozy, Chrysalis and Tirek being turned into a statue.

I’m not sure if Discord even got punished for bringing those three together or for everything else he’s done that leads up to it.

I wonder if it’s weird to kind of start to see

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup

as Cozy, Chrysalis and Tirek’s Reincarnations.

like Buttercup being Chrysalis’s Reborn Self,

Blossom being Tirek’s Reborn Self

and lastly Bubbles being Cozy Glow Reborn Self.

of course that would be Fanon, and not canon.

anyway, once again this ship of Utonium x Membrane

might not get many shippers.

but I think that’s okay, I mean not everyone has to like this ship.

and if my pendulum keeps giving me a Yes

about being 5′3″, I guess I will have to believe it.

but I would need to gather more proof.

I will believe it’s Yes answer about having Multiracial heritage.

but I’m not gonna try to date HUMANS.

not unless they aren’t some stuck up racist shisno.

once again, I’m Semi-Misanthrope, even if I still like humanity,

the disgusting part of it just really disgusts me, and the whole racism thing is only part of it.

plus thanks to my pendulum, I now believe that Jesus

was indeed Black.

and all through out history it had been censored.

once again even though I am a Ma-Acolyte, I can still believe in Jesus too....but now I believe he was in fact Black.

my pendulum gave me a Yes, when I asked if Jesus’s Mother was White, and a Yes for Jesus being Black.

but you can’t try to force people to accept that, it is best to let them accept it by their own free will.

like I mention many times before, I do NOT like forced converting.

even if my pendulum gave a Yes

when I asked if Jesus had a interracial heritage that he had inherited from his mother Mary (Not from Joseph.)

not many people will support that, but there will still be some that will support it and believe it is true.

plus I don’t know if I should tell my family about it,

I mean I did finally talk about the whole Asexuality...

but I know there was some form of misinterpreting.

even if some who are Ace are Gay, some will be either Bi, Pan or Hetero or even Omni.

Omni can have different forms of attraction.

but I want to try to wait a while to correct my family for misunderstanding Ace, I still love my family

but I know they can misunderstand things

worse than me at times, I think.

I think I should take it one step at a time,

when I’m ready I will correct them about their misunderstanding of Asexuality, as well as the whole needing to tell them that there has been lies told about a distant cousin.

I’m glad I never came out as Aroaceflux,

because if I did, I would most likely get the whole

passive aggressive treatment.

which means your family still loves you, they just can’t accept ya being that way......and it might be possible it could take most families time to fully accept.

plus the passive aggressive, is less bad, it is still bad,

but it wouldn’t be as bad as the aggressive.

it is the aggressive without the passive part.

I will try to sign back on later, so I can check on some stuff on here.

but before I sign out, I’m gonna change my avatar.

then I’m going to “Wing-Town”

I asked my pendulum, and it seems my energy wings are hugging around me right now, so I will assume I’m already in Wing-Town.

it’s like Sweater-Town, but with Earth Angel Energy Wings instead.

plus I can’t see them, but I should make sure to not go out if there are those around who can see them.

not that I can go out right now anyway.

anyway I’m just gonna hurry up and change my avatar

then I will go lay down in bed while being in Wing-Town.

then later after I finish laying down in bed

(which it is likely I might fall asleep.)

I will go and eat some good.

hope some of you like this drawing of Membrane & Utonium.

so see ya later, stay safe and remember that there many types of ships, and not all of them are romance.

go here to learn that there is more types of “ships”

https://shipping.fandom.com/wiki/Shipping_Wiki

just go to the part that says Shipping.

I believe that because people might misinterpret.

for Friendships, it is best to use “I Bud It”

and for Found Families, it is best to use “I Fam It.”

not using “I ship it” keeps from any misunderstandings.

maybe after I take a nap I will watch Kids Next Door,

and maybe even Invader Zim too, as well as some other Cartoon shows

and maybe even a few movies too.

I’m a bit tired, so I’m gonna hurry up and change my tumblr avatar

and then go lay down for maybe a hour or a few.

PS:

maybe this ship will get a lot of fan art, or not...I’m not really sure.

once again see ya later and stay safe....

#professor membrane #professor utonium #lgbtq positivity #crossover ship #otp ship #invader zim fanart #powerpuff girls fanart #kissing

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therainroguefanfiction · 4 years

Text

☁ Drifting Away (Giotto) #06

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Previous

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

☁ Protectors ✗ Future ✗ Threat ☁

“My name is Rorian and I’m the boss of the Gardiano Famiglia,” Byakudera, now known as Rorian, said as he stared at you, one leg crossed over the other and his arms folded over his chest. “And we need your help.”

“I’m Salmon, the lightning guardian.” Red pushed his glasses up with his index finger, smiling shyly at you. “I’m the protector of the first generation lightning guardian, Lampo.”

“Protector?” you blinked in confusion.

“Allow me to explain,” Salmon picked up the laptop and moved to sit beside you, the laptop on his legs. He tapped a few keys and the screen lit up. “You see, we’re from the future, too. Beyond your time period, though; we’re from ten years after your time. We borrowed Shouichi Irie’s technology to come here.”

“You know Shouichi?” Of all the questions plaguing your mind at that moment, that would be the one that you asked. You nearly facepalmed.

“T-That’s right,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his head as his cheeks flushed. “He’s my older cousin.”

“Should have known,” you muttered under your breath, glancing off to the side.

Rorian cleared his throat, glaring at the both of you. “Small details are unimportant. Get back on topic.”

“R-Right. You remember Kikyo, one of the real six funeral wreaths?” You nodded and he continued. “He was angry about Byakuran being defeated and even more angry that he had been kept alive by the Varia’s sun guardian. He used Shouichi’s technology to come to this point on the timeline. He plans to use his power to completely annihilate the Vongola. We are here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Kikyo has to be stopped but he mustn’t be killed. We have to take him back to the future alive or it could disrupt the flow of time indefinitely. You won’t be able to return home until this matter is resolved,” Rorian stood and walked to the side of the room, behind the couch you sat on and poured himself a cup of coffee.

Two questions entered your mind, glowing brighter than the rest. “Oi, Rorian. Can I ask you something?”

He raised an eyebrow as he sat back down. You took his silence as a confirmation to continue.

“Can I call you Rory? And are you somehow related to Byakuran or Gokudera?”

His eye twitched. “No. You may not call me Rory.”

“Dude, you totally just avoided my second question,” you stared at him blankly. “I am so~ calling you Rory-chan now.”

His reddish purple eyes closed in an attempt to keep his annoyance level under control.

“He’s Byakuran’s little brother,” Salmon answered, typing away on his laptop. He froze, however, at the killer intent rolling off of his boss and the evil glare he was now receiving. He gulped. “Y-Y/N needs to know everything. Sylvian agrees with me!”

“I don’t give a damn if the queen of England agrees with you. I am the boss and what I say goes.”

“But, boss – !”

“Why’s it matter?” You interrupted, looking at the male curiously. “It’s the little details that make the big picture clear, ya know.”

Rorian sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead as if he had a bad headache. It was obvious he had no intention of answering the question.

“That’s an easy one,” A man appeared in the doorway, walking over and sitting next to Rorian. His hair was a spikey silver, tied back in a low ponytail that stopped mid-back, and his eyes were a bright emerald green. “Rory believed that you wouldn’t want to help if you knew that he and the devil-bitch were related. We need your help and we can’t afford to lose you.”

You snickered at his word choice. ‘Oh yeah, we are going to be good friends,’ “Clearly, he’s not a bad person, he just has an attitude problem. And he doesn’t seem too happy about Byakuran’s decisions or Kikyo’s plan. I feel… I feel like I can trust him. And both of you, too.”

“Oh?” The unnamed male stood and moved over to stand in front of you, arms crossed and eyes searching. He stood that way for several minutes like he was reading a book before his lips pulled up into a smile. “Your instincts are pretty good,” he held out a ringed hand. “My name is Sylvian, Cloud guardian and protector of Alaude.”

“Fun,” you grinned, sliding your hand into his own. He chuckled in response, taking a seat on the other side of you. “I have a question, though. Why me?” The three men looked at you and you clarified, “I don’t mind. I think it’s pretty cool to meet the first-gen in person. I just don’t understand why I was chosen to help you all stop Kikyo. I mean, Tsuna’s stronger than I am plus he’s the boss. Why didn’t you pick him?”

“Although Sawada Tsunayoshi is very strong, he’s not the one to save the first-generation family. Only the bearer of the fire ring can save them.”

The four of you turned towards the door and your eyes widened. The man that stood there, his dark red orbs trained on you, his hair the same as Zakuro’s. He resembled him, too, but he looked older, more mature, and laid back. The man stepped forward, his eyes never leaving your form.

“The fire guardians, the ones that no one knows about. We are the strongest of them all, second only to the boss,” his ruby-red eyes glanced at Rorian before returning to you.

“So you’re the fire guardian?” you questioned, moving to stand in front of him. He towered over you, at least six-foot-three.

He nodded. “I was the fire guardian for the Millefiore originally. My younger brother was also a real funeral wreath, but that bastard betrayed him and now he’s dead,” he paused. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not in this for revenge. I always thought what Byakuran did was wrong, but I bit my tongue and stayed with the Millefiore in order to watch over my brother, but I refused to fight for them. When I found out my brother had been killed, I left.”

“Zakun was the one who informed us of Kikyo’s plan,” Sylvian said, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand. “Kikyo attempted to get Zakun to join, but he refused and came to us. The fire rings are very picky, which is why several generations of the ring were skipped. So many people tried to bare the ring, but it refused them every time. Like a spoiled child,” he muttered the last part under his breath, but you all heard it.

“When the young tenth generation Vongola went to the future to stop Byakuran with the power of the Vongola rings – ” Zakun paused, walking over to sit on the same couch as Rorian, ” – everything began to change. When your boss defeated Byakuran. When Yuni gave her life to revive the fallen Arcobaleno. All of this changed the future. Everyone that had been killed and all of the destruction caused by Byakuran was reversed. This included bringing my brother back to life, but his memories of the event have been removed. Since Kikyo was left alive, his memories weren’t tampered with.”

“Our goal is to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself. If Kikyo succeeds, the world is doomed. It’s our job to protect the first-generation family. And yours, as well. Only the fire guardians are strong enough to support us,” Rorian sipped his coffee, “We have yet to find the third.”

“The third?” you questioned, sitting back down between Sylvian and Salmon.

“That’s correct. We have the fire guardian for the Millefiore and Gardiano Family; Zakun. And the tenth generation Vongola fire guardian; You. But we still need the first generation Vongola fire guardian.” Salmon explained, pulling up the chart for the rings on his computer.

“I didn’t think there was one.”

“There isn’t.”

“Then how…?”

“Giotto already had his core family when he first formed the Vongola. The fire guardian wasn’t necessary. However, now he is. It’s your job to take the fire ring from the Primo and find its rightful owner,” Rorian told you, his expression dead serious.

“Woah, hold on a damn minute,” you shot up, glaring at the white-haired male. “You want me to steal the fire ring? You’re nuts!”

“It’s necessary.”

“They’re already suspicious of me. If I do this and get caught, I’ll never gain their trust!”

“Would you rather explain the situation?” he questioned, eyes narrowed in annoyance as his voice dripped with sarcasm. “I’m sure he’ll believe you.”

“You little…”

“Well, I’ll be taking you back now,” Sylvian announced, grabbing your arm and pulling you toward the door you had entered in at. Your cries of protest were ignored as he roughly pulled you through the winding hallways. Sylvian kept quiet until the pair of you had exited the house and made your way out onto the street. “I knew the two of you were going to clash.”

“I can’t do this,” you muttered, staring at the pale hand clasped around your wrist. The last thing you wanted was for the Primo to hate you or to find that he can’t trust you. And stealing from him? You just couldn’t.

“I understand that,” he sighed, turning around and placing his hands on your shoulders. His eyes looked sympathetic as they bore into your own. “I understand your feelings, I do, but you have to make a decision. You can choose not to take the ring and the chance of the Primo being murdered will increase. Or you can take the ring, risk him no longer trusting you, but save his life, not to mention the lives of your own family.”

You bit your lip and looked at the ground. When he put it that way, it made your decision pretty clear.

“Oh, and what do we have here?”

Both of you looked up towards the voice and you scowled. Of all the times for him to appear, it had to be now.

Daemon Spade stood there, a smirk on his lips as his blue orbs darted back and forth between the two of you. “You found a friend? How sweet.”

“Che,” you glared at him before returning to Sylvian, who looked indifferent to the whole situation. “Thank you for everything. And I’ll think it over, I promise.” You sent him a small smile before heading towards Spade.

He chuckled as you passed but said nothing, turning around to follow after you. He picked up his pace so that he was walking in front of you; you had no clue where you were going, after all. Everything you had been told weighed on your mind. You felt relieved that you knew why you had been brought here and that you did have a chance of returning to your own era, but the weight of the new information took its place, weighing even heavier than the first. You had some serious thinking to do.

♠ Namimori, Japan – Future ♠

Tsuna sat in his classroom, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. Class was in session, but he wasn’t paying attention to anything the teacher was saying. He was too worried to concentrate. You had been gone for a while now, which wasn’t exactly abnormal, but you usually at least called or texted him when you were gone for an extended period of time.

It was also rare for you not to tell him that you were going away for a while.

He was extremely worried. What if you had been kidnapped? The possibility was unlikely. You could have easily fought off anyone who attempted it. What if you were hurt? You never let that stop you before. What else was left? You could have been lost since your sense of direction wasn’t the greatest, but you would have called had that been the case. There was no other option left. It was almost as if you had vanished from the face of the Earth.

The situation had an eerie feeling to it, and he didn’t like that. Not one bit.

Tsuna sighed as he entered his home, kicking his shoes off before climbing the stairs. When he entered his bedroom, he was surprised at the sight before him. Reborn was sitting on his desk, drinking a cup of coffee. Lambo was beside him, tied up and hanging from the ceiling. He was crying and calling out threats towards Reborn, who simply ignored him.

“R-Reborn!” Tsuna ran over, dropping his bag onto the floor. Before he could touch Lambo, Reborn cocked his gun and aimed it at him.

“Don’t touch him,” Reborn lowered his gun and it returned to its original form as Leon. “Lambo is the reason Y/N is missing.”

“Eh?” he blinked, “What are you talking about, Reborn? What could he possibly have to do with this?”

“I did some digging and found out what happened five days ago. Y/N was over there sleeping while you were at school. He hit them with the 10-Year-Bazooka while they were sleeping.”

“Is it malfunctioning again?”

“No, I don’t believe so.”

“Don’t tell me…” Tsuna grabbed his hair, a high pitched hiiie~ leaving his throat. “A repeat of the future incident?!”

“It’s possible, but something feels off about this,” Reborn pulled his fedora down over to cover his dark pools of knowledge. “The 10-Year-Bazooka is gone and only Y/N was taken.”

“W-What do we do?”

“There’s nothing we can do,” Reborn jumped off the table and headed towards the door. “We can only wait.”

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

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hermionegranger56 · 4 years

Text

ok lads its time for my breakdown of folklore, something absolutely no one is asking for but here we are!! this album. thIs ALBUMMMM. dear GOD. the intersection of my two favorite things, taylor swift and indie folk???? i feel like i’m dreaming. when she announced the surprise drop i literally burst into tears and evidently for good reason lol.

anywho here’s the thing. Red has been my all time favorite album for 8 years now. it holds such an important place in my life and i never thought anything she did could come close (though Lover almost did). but this. THIS IS BETTER THAN RED

the lyrical genius is unmatched here. taylor isn’t just writing songs here, this is POETRY. every song is nuanced, intricate, devastatingly beautiful, with words that’ll haunt me for a long time. and the fact that it’s stories, literal folklore, no longer just about her own life is incredibly creative and is executed so well for someone who has interwoven her life into her entire body of music thus far. folklore blends facts with fiction so seamlessly and is a true exhibition of taylor’s power as a songwriter.

and the vibessss!! from haunting heartbreak songs, to ethereal lost-in-the-woods vibes, to a comforting return to her old self, this album has everything. taylor is without a doubt one of the most versatile artists of our generation, having success and skill in multiple genres and folklore only solidifies this fact.

ALL RIGHT KIDS LETS JUMP IN

the 1: hell yeah explicit tswift give it to me lol you ARE on some new shit!! ok when i first listened to this i hadn’t read her statement about the other perspectives and i was about to RIOT about her and joe breaking up (like they could ever lol). this is such a catchy beat, such a casual?? look at such a painful feeling? a really good start to this album. the part where she goes another day waking up aLONE killlllllls me wow

fave lines: “in my defense i have none/for never leaving well enough alone”

cardigan: (don’t get me started on the mv it’s gorgeous) YES THE TEENAGE LOVE TRIANGLE suchhh a good concept!! the melody of this song is unreal, the chorus makes me want to scream it’s so beautiful, the i-i-i is SOMETHING ELSE. it’s crazy how just the melody makes betty’s pain so palpable, but so enchanting at the same time. it’s bittersweet and cinematic and i’m in love. PETER LOSING WENDY GOD. easily top 5 song here

fave lines: “when you are young they assume you know nothing”, “cause i knew you/ heartbeat on the high line/ once in 20 lifetimes i” “you drew stars around my scars/but now i’m bleeding”

the last great american dynasty: watch hill!!! her watch hill house!! i live near there!! oh i think this song is so clever and i love how it ties into mad woman as well as harkens back to starlight. i LOVE the way she ties her self in, “and then it was bought by me” like ughhh her mind? and its catchy AF

fave lines: “i had a marvelous time ruining everything”

exile: YOU KNOW HOW TO DO AN INDIE ALBUM??? BRING BON IVER INTO THIS SHIT!! wowww this song is haunting and is definitely the “i’m you but stronger” version of The Last Time. the overlap of both of them singing and their parallel lines are flawless. i could play this on repeat for hours and contemplate my whole existence

fave lines: “you never gave a warning sign/i gave so many signs”

my tears ricochet: ok somehow a track 5 with tears in the title is not the saddest song here but DAMN is it good. I love the visual of someone watching over their funeral and reacting. the music is stunningggg here. ALSO i am pretty convinced this is about the whole scott/scooter drama, like the lyrics fit so well? and she said it was the first song she wrote so the timeline kinda fits?? geniusss

fave lines: “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace”, “and if i’m dead to you/why are you at the wake?”

mirrorball: ohhhh this one is so pretty!! it just makes me want to dance around the kitchen with the person i love??? its comforting, ethereal, happyyy ugh i love it. I also think it could be about her relationship with her fans? like her music shows us different sides of ourselves idk? or just absorbing into a relationship?

fave lines: “on my tallest tiptoes/shining just for you”

seven: i’m gonna call this now: this is going to be the most underrated song on this album. it is STUNNING. POETIC. HEARTBREAKING. the music is so hauntingly nostalgic. and the lyrics, holy absolute shit. they’re a delicate testament to childhood, memory, and innocent love. it’s gut wrenching and i love it so so much

fave lines: “i’ve been meaning to tell you/i think your house is haunted/your dad is always mad/and that must be why”, “and just like folk song/our love will be passed on”, “before i learned civility/ i used to scream ferociously” ALL OF IT

august: and now we get the girl james cheated with’s perspective, which i think is great. its sunny, wistful and sad underneath all that beautiful production. when she slides from the chorus to the “back when we we’re changing for the better” and hits that “mineeee to lose” GOD, it just fills your chest. i feel like even if you never have, this makes anyone feel like they know exactly what a summer fling feels like. one of my faves

fave lines: “august slipped away/like a bottle of wine”, “cancel my plans just in case you call/ and say meet me behind the mall”

this is me trying: the slow pacing of this melody serves to show these EXQUISITE lyrics here. this is so intimate and personal and i feel like everyone can relate to this feeling of just trying to hold on and put on a brave face?

fave lines: “they told me all of my cages were mental/ so i got wasted like all my potential”

illicit affairs: ok all you need to know about this one is a) I’m obsessed b) this is the closest she has come to creating a bridge that makes me feel like the All Too Well bridge has, like scream sobbing in the car type vibe??? its unreal. and this song makes me feel that shitty feeling of: “this was supposed to be casual but oops its very much not” hmmm maybe that’s where the scream sobbing comes from hahah

fave lines: “don’t call me kid/don’t call me baby/look at this godforsaken mess that you made me/you showed me colors you know i can’t see with anyone else”

invisible string: this. THIS is probably her most stunning love song. like. i thought it was Lover. i was wrong. this one is confidently from Taylor’s perspective, about Joe and dear lord i want a love like theirs. and shit does this song put the folk in folklore, the music is so simple and gorgeous and harkens back to her country roots without losing this new sound she has. and the first few notes remind me of Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens so instantly im sold. this and betty are tied for my number 1, it’s just too beautiful

fave lines: “time curious time/give me no compasses/give me no signs” “isn’t it just so pretty to think/all along there was some invisible string/tying you to me”, “cold was steel of the axe that i had to grind/for the boys who broke my heart/now i buy their babies presents”, “hell was the journey/but it brought me heaven”

mad woman: FUCK YOU FOREVERRRRRR!!! yes taylor said fuckkkk ugh i LOVE this vibe, the revenge of the mad woman that the town cast out is so eerie and powerful, i’m obsessed. it ties back into the maddest woman of TLGAD and it feels like a spiritual sequel to The Man, the same feminist thread weaving through it. the lyrics are razor sharp and biting, i love it

fave lines: “and you poke that bear/till the claws come out/ and you find something/ to wrap your noose around”, “it’s obvious wanting me dead has really brought you two together”

epiphany: so uhhh THIS is the saddest song on folklore. fight me. the seamless comparison between wartime and the pandemic and waiting for some epiphany that could make sense of all the horrors surrounding the both. idk man, as someone who’s been a covid nurse since March, i just….this one HURTS. similar to Soon You’ll Get Better tbh

fave lines: “hold your hand through plastic now/doc i think she’s crashing out/and somethings you just can’t speak about”

betty: OH I LOVE IT WITH MY WHOLE HEART! this is such a TRIUMPHANT return to old taylor, it is so joyful but sad at the same time?? the harmonica?? the last part of the love triangle?? it sounds like Taylor Swift and Fearless all grown up and it makes me ache for back then, but love where we are right now. tbh the first time i heard this i sobbed through the whole thing just out of pure nostalgia. she’s back but at the same time she never left. this feels like a love song to original fans and it. is. incredible. my favoriteeee goddd

fave lines: THE WHOLE CHORUS BABYYYYY

peace: it’s gorgeous, especially the guitarrr ugh. this feels like delicate’s quiet older sister. i think it’s definitely about joe and how taylor, despite loving him, still has these insecurities and fears about what a relationship with someone in her position could be like? like there will be struggles, but he’s her family and she “would die for you in secret”. stunning

fave lines: “i’m a fire and i’ll keep your brittle heart warm”, “the devils in the detail/but you’ve got a friend in me”, “give you my wild/give you a child”

hoax: i’m surprised she ended it on a sad one (but we still have the lakes!!) but this song is hauntingly beautiful WOW. every line of this absolutely floors me. i think this one will also be largely underrated, but it is pure poetry and deserves so so much hype

fave lines: “stood on the cliffside/screaming give me a reason/your faithless love’s the only hoax i believe in”, “it still hurts underneath my scars/from when they pulled me apart/but what you did was just as dark” “my kingdom come undone/ my broken drum/ you have beaten my heart”

ANYWHO TAYLOR HAS PRODUCED HER BEST WORK TO DATE AND IM READY FOR SAD GIRL AUTUMN

#taylor swift #folklore #tswift #folklore the album #taylor swift folklore #ts8 folklore #folklore era #betty #august #cardigan #exile

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jemmafitzsimmons · 5 years

Note

For the prompt thing! If you haven't done it already 😊 FitzSimmons + 18 😀

thank you for the prompt! hope you enjoy!

with this ring, may you always know one thing… (~3.5k)

Summary: Post season five. Back on Earth, Fitz employs Deke’s help in conquering his life’s most recent dilemma - picking out a new ring for Jemma.

read below or on AO3!

The jewelry shop at the end of the road was completely empty save for the lone shopkeeper behind the back counter, the flashing (and slightly rusting) open sign in the window the only other evidence that the establishment hadn’t been completely abandoned. From their spot outside the catty-cornered convenience store, Fitz hadn’t shifted his attention away from the tiny shop for a while now, which wasn’t helping his poor ice cream as it melted down the cone onto his hand.

“Watch it, you’re making a mess,” Deke warned him, shaking his head in disapproval as he shoved him a napkin. “What a waste.”

Fitz wiped his hand clean before reluctantly taking another taste of his ice cream. “I don’t know if this is a good idea,” he said after, the sweet vanilla flavor doing little to ease the tension inside his stomach.

“Ice cream is always a good idea.”

“No, I don’t mean this,” Fitz said, gesturing to the soft serve cone in his hand, “I mean…” He nodded his head in the direction of the shop across the street.

“Ah, right. That makes more sense.”

After handing over the rest of his soiled cone to Deke, he sunk down heavily onto a nearby bench, Deke following him soon after.

It wasn’t how he pictured it—picking out something as significant and special as an engagement ring, with his grandson of all people. He thought maybe he’d ask for his mother’s ring, the idea surfacing in his mind mere moments after him and Jemma had officially gotten together back at the Playground. She was the one who didn’t want to waste any more time, after all. But considering that that ring was originally picked out by someone he’d rather erase from his memory, he thought against it. Then he thought maybe he’d ask Coulson to go with him to pick one out, but upon glancing up at the cockpit of the Zephyr after they found him in space and seeing the name engraved in such a fashion, he soon realized that wasn’t an option anymore. And then at one point in time since he’d gotten back, still recuperating after what they all considered the craziest rescue mission in all of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s history, he even considered crafting a ring for her himself. But with her so closely attached to his hip in the lab ever since they’d returned to the Lighthouse, it was nearly impossible for him to hide any of his projects from her.

So, he was left with Deke. Not that that was necessarily a terrible thing—Deke was surprisingly supportive even if they had technically just met a few weeks prior, their friendship still in the early stages as Fitz grew accustomed to a new companion always hovering in the lab.

But beyond the company, there was also the problem that had been nagging at Fitz ever since they’d ventured outside for the day: picking out a ring in the first place.

He heard Deke rustling around in his backpack, eventually handing him a steel vacuum sealed bottle.

“Here, drink this,” he said. “You’ll feel better.”

Fitz gave him a quizzical look. “Is that…? Do you just carry some with you everywhere?”

“Well, you never know when you’ll need a pick-me-up.”

Reluctantly, Fitz took a small swig, grimacing at the taste and reminding himself to later introduce Deke to a stronger variety of alcoholic beverages.

They sat in silence for a bit, and then it wasn’t long before Fitz felt a light bump against his arm from Deke and he knew he couldn’t stay quiet forever. Fitz pressed his lips into a firm line, shaking his head. “She already has a ring,” he explained, handing Deke back the bottle. “One that she wore for an entire year before she found me, one that I… well not me, but… a version of me put on her finger as a promise to be with her forever. And then that me broke that bloody promise, so that ring is all she has left.”

“Hey, that’s not true.” With the ice cream finally finished off, Deke leaned in closer to Fitz, his voice a mix of encouragement and sympathy. “Sure, there was another version of you that lived through that time with her. But it’s not like that was a completely different version of you. You’re still here.” When Fitz didn’t respond, his eyes still staring at his lap, Deke poked him in his arm again. “Come on, you still planned to propose to her once you woke up in the future, right?”

“Yeah, of course,” Fitz said instantly, looking up.

“See,” Deke emphasized. “You’re still you, still the person she wants to marry. And she doesn’t have to let go of that ring if she doesn’t want to.”

Pulling in his lips, Fitz nodded. He knew Jemma kept their original rings in a box buried in her things. When they got back to the Lighthouse, she used to wear them on a simple chain to keep them close, but after a few days since his return—bittersweet days filled with physical comfort and quiet conversations in their bunk more than anything else—the rings disappeared from around her neck. Not wanting to question her or bring up more painful memories as she finally settled into her feelings of relief from having him home, he found them again one early morning at the bottom of a drawer, choosing never to mention it unless she brought it up herself.

“But you can still give her something that’s from you,” Deke went on. “Something that… that doesn’t have to remind her of what happened.” His expression shifted, his eyes becoming brighter than before. “The you from that timeline didn’t even pick out that ring. I did. It was all last minute, could have been a total disaster, really. And sure, that ring is always gonna be special to her in a way, but this one is gonna be even better because you picked it out.”

Through a sigh, Fitz gave him a single nod. He couldn’t help but agree. At least this time around, he had the luxury of planning it all out himself, wanting to wait for just the right moment to ask her.

“I’m just here for moral support,” Deke added with a shrug, placing his hand on Fitz’s shoulder. “And to make sure you don’t go crazy over budget. Or choose the same one as last time. But I guess that’s impossible because apparently there are like a million to choose from.”

Fitz raised his eyebrows.

“I did a little research,” Deke explained. “Rings are expensive.”

“Yeah,” Fitz replied through a laugh. “Which is why I gotta make sure I pick the right one.”

At this, Deke’s expression grew more serious. “She’s gonna love it no matter what.”

Swallowing hard, Fitz sat in silence as he took in his new friend’s words. Deke may not be right about a lot of things, but there was no denying that he was right on this occasion.

Before Fitz could overthink the entire plan a second longer, Deke slung his backpack over his shoulder and near dragged Fitz across the road to the jewelry shop. The tiny bell that rang as they opened the front door alerted the shopkeeper, who looked up with hopeful eyes and a wide smile.

“How can I help you two gentlemen?” she asked.

“I’m looking to…” The words caught in Fitz’s throat, and as he hesitated for a few seconds, he turned to Deke, who nodded at him encouragingly. Clearing his throat, Fitz looked back to the shopkeeper. “I’m here to purchase a ring. I’m proposing to my girlfriend.”

Her face lit up at his words as she gestured toward the counter on the far wall. “Ah, right this way, then.”

As they approached the glass case, Fitz’s eyes widened, his previous nerves returning to his stomach, but for an entirely different reason. Despite the small size of the shop and the town itself, the jewelry case was chock-full of sparking pieces, each one more intricate and beautiful than the last.

“You were right,” Fitz said, lightly patting Deke’s arm. “There are a million to choose from.”

“Are you looking for one in particular, a certain style perhaps?” the woman asked.

Fitz opened his mouth to answer, but he couldn’t think of a response. This entire time pondering whether he should even pick out a new ring in the first place, he’d never stopped to consider how difficult it would be to actually choose one out of so many.

Deke seemed to notice his dilemma, so he leaned slightly over the counter and whispered, “Could we just browse on our own for a little while?”

The woman gave them a soft smile. “Take your time. I’ll be here if you have any questions.”

“Thank you,” Fitz told her.

Returning his eyes to the case, he spent a solid ten minutes taking in all of the choices of rings. He didn’t realize there could be so many different styles, settings, and colors – no wonder it was difficult for Jemma to make any sort of fashion decision when there were so many options. And this wasn’t going to be a simple piece like a dress she would eventually outwear or a necklace that could easily be replaced. It needed to stand the test of time.

“Well,” Deke said after a while, “what do you think? Anything catch your eye?”

“I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about jewelry.” Through his search, he’d eliminated quite a few choices straightaway before coming across a few rings he thought looked nice, especially one in particular near the back that seemed to somehow sparkle even brighter than the rest. “What about that one?” he asked Deke, pointing towards it.

Deke nodded. “Yeah, I like it a lot. Plus, admit it or not, but you’ve been staring at it this entire time.”

It was one of the simpler rings in the collection, Fitz knowing some of the flashier options wouldn’t be suitable for Jemma’s tastes. The one in question featured a single square cut stone set in a delicate white gold band. Most of the other rings almost felt like a fantasy—meant for couples looking for something extravagant to go along with their equally extravagant weddings. But he knew Jemma didn’t want any of that, and he wanted the ring she wore for the rest of her life to be something that captured what he loved most about her. Of course, he would always see her as the most brilliant and beautiful person in the universe, but she was so much more than that, and when he thought of them as they were together now, it was always about the simple things. The way a single glance from her across the lab caused his heart to seize even after all this time, the way her hand always seemed to seek out his in any moment they were alone, the way she said ‘I love you’ as if it was the first time the words had ever fallen off her tongue. After the whirlwind that was the last five or so years, plus the agonizing year of being apart, simple was a relief. And so a simple ring seemed like the most fitting choice.

The shopkeeper quietly approached the counter to check in, so Fitz pointed towards the ring underneath the glass.

“Can I see that one there?” he asked.

“Of course.” After pulling the tray of rings out of the case and retrieving the one he sought, she held it up for him. The overhead light brought out its shine even more, and as he held it between his fingers, he knew from that moment on that it would forever live on Jemma’s hand. If she said yes, of course.

“That’s a princess cut diamond,” the woman said. “Beautiful choice. Definitely a classic look.”

“That’s good,” Deke replied, turning to Fitz. “Classic is good, right?”

“Yeah,” he said, his voice just above a whisper. “It’s perfect.”

“Is this the one?” the shopkeeper asked.

With a small smile, he looked up and nodded.

“She’s a lucky girl,” she said.

“Nah,” Fitz said more to himself. “I’m the lucky one.”

The little ping signaling the completion of the bio-simulation rang on her computer, but Jemma didn’t stir from her desk chair where she lay sound asleep. It was much later than she normally would have stayed up working in the lab, but Fitz knew she was determined by her latest experiments and wasn’t surprised she had worked herself to the point of exhaustion. As he squeezed himself through the door of the lab, opening it just wide enough to slip through as to not disturb her, a faint smile washed over his face at the sight of her curled up underneath a blanket, her hand still inches away from her keyboard as if she had nodded off mid thought.

It was his blanket, technically. After what had been one of the lowest points in his life—on his own in space and forced to work for some unknown alien species, eventually being separated from Enoch, and then having no way of knowing if he’d ever be reunited with his family again—they’d found each other. Their reunion on Enoch’s ship was a mess of tears and clinging desperately to each other, and in that moment, Enoch had draped the blanket over his shoulders, more for comfort than anything else. Even if Fitz wasn’t sure if his Chronicom friend could feel emotions quite as deeply as humans, he liked to think in some way that Enoch understood their feelings of relief. And Jemma, forever grateful for Enoch’s help in bringing Fitz back to her, had grown attached to the simple blanket ever since.

Once Fitz finally reached her side in the lab, he swept a stray hair out of her face, the simple motion bringing her back, her eyes fluttering open.

“Oh, hi,” she said, squinting her eyes as she readjusted to her surroundings.

“Hey.”

“What time is it?”

He glanced at her monitor. “Almost midnight.”

She groaned, stretching her arms above her head. “Didn’t realize it was so late.” Through a yawn, she reached for his hand, pulling it into her lap. “Did you have a good time with Deke? I know he’s been itching to spend some time with you, and the fresh air must have been great as well.”

He hummed in response, hiding a small smile. “It was a good day. Found some cool shops, it was nice. How was yours?”

“Promising. Still need to work out a few kinks in the simulation, but hopefully after you and I look at it, it should work itself out.”

“Yeah, we can look at it tomorrow. Ready to call it a night?”

“Definitely.” But as she moved to stand, her foot suddenly caught the corner of her blanket, which resulted in her tumbling forward before catching herself on the edge of her workbench but not before a handful of files fell off the surface and scattered across the floor.

“Whoa, easy there,” Fitz said through a chuckle, catching her by the waist.

“Oh, bloody hell,” Jemma grumbled. Through a huff, she bent over to begin cleaning up the mess.

Fitz kneeled down to help, trying to follow her system as he recognized the color-coded pages. “Someone needs a real bed,” he teased.

“Mmm. Good idea.”

It only took a moment for them to collect the papers and reorganize them to Jemma’s liking. When they were finished, Jemma stood and hugged the blanket to her chest. “Okay, come on,” she urged Fitz with a yawn, holding out her hand to help him off the floor.

Hesitating, he didn’t take her hand right away and resisted when she tried to pull him up.

“Fitz?”

Looking down at her feet, he let out a slow exhale.

It was a better moment than any other. They were alone, it was quiet. And here he was—already on one knee. With a wave of butterflies swooping through his stomach, he met her eyes.

“What are you doing?” she asked, raising her brow.

Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, he lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “What I should have done a lot sooner.”

The realization of what he was about to do seemed to hit her instantaneously, her bright but tired smile morphing into a look of surprise before transforming into one of complete overwhelming emotion.

“Fitz,” she said, her voice thick.

“I’ve probably thought about this moment…” He shook his head, glancing off to the side as the look on her face made it difficult to hold himself together. “…a thousand times over by now. And every time, I think of something else I want to say, a different time and place to say it.” With a pause, he pulled on her hand and nodded for her to sit, pulling the rolling chair closer so he could rest their hands on her knees. “Because this is it. I don’t get to do this again. I don’t get another second chance.”

She sucked in a breath, her bottom lip trembling as she tilted her head.

“I don’t want to wait anymore. I’ve known for the longest time that I want to be with you forever, and nothing is ever gonna change that. Not space, not time. Not… not even death.”

Jemma’s tears were flowing freely now, and through a sharp exhale, she gripped his hands more firmly in her lap.

“You deserve the world and so much more,” he told her, “so I hope to give you all of me, even if that doesn’t seem enough.”

“It is enough, and you already do.” She reached for him then, pulling him desperately close until his head was in her lap, her own head resting on top of his.

Reveling in the quiet, he took in the feeling of her breaths against his neck, the soft strokes of her fingers through his hair. His knees were starting to ache, and he could feel her limbs growing heavy through her exhaustion, but he could have stayed with her there hours longer—just the two of them holding each other up for as long as they could.

“I love you so much,” she murmured against his skin some time later.

“I love you, too.”

“And I can’t wait to marry you.”

He thought for a second that he’d misheard her, so he slowly lifted his head from her lap to find her eyes, a laugh almost escaping his lips.

“Jemma, I… I haven’t even asked yet.”

At once, her eyes grew wide in horror. “Oh, no, no, no. I’m so sorry. I just ruined it, didn’t I?”

“No, never,” he assured her, squeezing her knee. “But now that I have your full attention…” Keeping his gaze on her, he reached into his pocket, finding the small velvet box and holding it between their hands.

“Jemma Anne Simmons…” he said, lifting the top to reveal the treasure within, “will you marry me?”

He held his breath, briefly wondering if she was going to make him wait long for her reply, but he didn’t have to think on it for more than a half second because she was already lurching forward and pressing her lips to his.

“Yes,” she said against his lips, “of course, I will.” When they parted, she pressed more kisses to his cheeks and forehead. “When did you…?” she asked when she eventually pulled back. “You weren’t just exploring the town, were you?”

“No, we made a bit of a detour. What do you think?”

“It’s perfect.” Her face crumbled again as she took in the ring, sniffing and wiping under her eyes as she watched him remove it carefully from the box. And when he slowly slid it onto her finger and they stared at it together, it was somehow even more exquisite than before. But it wasn’t all that surprising—she always managed to bring light to whatever she touched, and the ring was no exception.

“Alright, Fiancée,” he said, patting her leg before pushing himself up and smiling despite himself as her face lit up upon hearing the word. “Bed. For real this time. Got blanket?”

Through a laugh, she pulled at the cozy throw, previously left forgotten in the back of her chair, and bundled it up in her arms, giving him a firm nod. “Yes, blanket is secure.”

“Good.” With a slight groan, he hooked his arms under her and then a bit unsteadily lifted her up out of the chair.

“Fitz,” she protested. “I’m tired, but also fully capable of walking. And someone is bound to also be awake at this hour.”

“Come on, it’s a special occasion.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re thinking of the ritual for one’s wedding night.”

“Well, I hardly think we’re traditional.”

After a smile spread across on her face, she thankfully gave in, tucking her head into the crook of his neck as they left the empty lab for the night. Moving slowly down the darkened halls, he thought of how much she’d carried him over the past few weeks, helping him find his way back to her after such a dreadful time apart. Even if he still had a long way to go in lifting her up just as much as she had done since his return, he thought of that moment as a hopeful start.

🍦💍

#fitzsimmons #fstag #fsfic #aosficnet #agents of shield #leo fitz #jemma simmons #deke shaw #fic #mine #mel writes #oneshot*#lifeofamonkeybum

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nappainanotherdimension · 5 years

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NappainAnotherDimension’s Verses {For Mobile Users}

Hell Verse

Open Starter

Tag: #Wearing a Halo but ain't no Angel (Hell verse canon)

Setting: After his death in Dragonball Z's Saiyan Saga, in Hell based on what is shown in the series that is influenced by Japanese and Chinese folklore.

Nappa's Motivation: To explore Hell, look for opponents to fight, get stronger, or learn how to get out of Hell. Will settle for good company though.

Intended Audience: Muses who can visit Hell, will eventually go there for one reason or another, or anyone who wants to interact with the ghost of Nappa.

Space Escapades Verse

Tag: #Fond Memories of Past Exploits (Space Escapades verse Canon)

Setting: Before the Saiyan Saga in Dragonball Z, and after the destruction of Planet Vegeta. Sometimes I may also specify that this is after their successful takeover of Shikk, when Nappa got so mad at Frieza he charged at him with aggressive intent. Where it takes place can be anywhere in space. Be it within his own galaxy or in the galaxy of another muse.

Nappa's Motivation: Nappa is still loyal to serving Vegeta, and is still a mid-level soldier in Frieza’s Planet Trade Organization. Which means he’s still assigned to purge planets in his galaxy. So he’ll still be pretty aggressive. If this is after the mission on Shikk, then Nappa could be taking some unofficial vacation time, and be less hostile towards other planets and people.

Intended Audience: Muses who are from other sci-fi series or play alien characters.

What If Nappa Lived Verse

Canon Divergent AU

Tag: #If Things Were Different (What if Nappa Lived verse Canon)

Setting: Set anytime after the Saiyan saga, but is typically after the events on Namek. Usually on the planet Earth, but can also be on other planets and in space in his own galaxy or in the galaxy of another muse.

Nappa's Motivation: After the events on Namek, Nappa now lives on Earth and is an ally of the main characters of Dragonball Z. This is perhaps the most canon-divergent of the verses in terms of Nappa’s character. He no longer feels as destructive as he used to be, and he’s much calmer than before. When he does feel bored, he will venture out into space with a Capsule Corp. ship made for him.

Intended Audience: Canon and OC muses who wouldn’t otherwise get to interact with him because of his death in the Saiyan saga. Also works well with any humans or other muses who stay on Earth. Of course this can also still work for other sci-fi and alien muses who would rather interact with Nappa after he’s moved on from his life in the Planet Trade Organization.

WINL Verse Space Escapades

Sub-verse for If Nappa Lived verse

Tag: #Livin' the Dream (WINL Space Escapades)

Setting: This is a verse within the What if Nappa Lived verse. Set anytime after the Namek saga, or after the Cell Saga. Usually Nappa is traveling out into space visiting distant planets from Earth.

Nappa's Motivation: When Nappa is restless on Earth and there’s no big bad to fight, he likes to go out into space. Depending on what time a thread takes place in the DBZ timeline will dictate how “good” Nappa is. After the Namek Saga, he still has a mean streak going on, but after the Cell Saga, he’s mostly "good."

Intended Audience: Muses who are from other sci-fi series or play alien characters who want to interact. Also good for fellow DBZ canon and OC muses who want a thread with a sci-fi setting.

Xenoverse 2 Mentor Verse

A Time For Change Intro

Directly tied to the Hell verse

Tag: #A Saiyan Outta Time (Conton City Verse)

Setting: Conton City and wherever else the Time Patrollers are allowed to go for training.

Nappa's Motivation: Nappa’s taken out of the original timeline and Hell to be available as a mentor for Time Patrollers. So his motivation is to help other characters to continue living in Conton City. This verse is my take on a redemption arc for Nappa that picks up from DBZ canon.

Intended Audience: For Xenoverse 1 and 2's cast and for the many OCs created for this setting.

FighterZ Verse

More information post coming soon

Tag: #Leaving All but the Future Far Behind (Tenchi Muyo! verse Canon)

Setting: Set within the side of Space where Jurai rules and the Galaxy Police enforces the various laws of their galaxy.

Nappa's Motivation: After being insulted by Frieza for taking 3 days to conquer Shikk, Nappa decides to go AWOL when he realizes he lost his desire to kill and destroy for the tyrant he and his comrades work for. Upon being accosted by Galaxy Police Detective Mihoshi Kuramitsu, he decides to play along with getting arrested. After helping her solve a cold case, Nappa comes to Earth with Mihoshi to meet the Masaki family. (Though really it's just to keep an eye on a dangerous visitor.)

Intended Audience: A niche crossover for Tenchi Muyo! canon muses to interact with Nappa since I roleplay with a few of them in a connected narrative since we all know each other through our mutual love for the series. Also open to other muses who are from any of the Tenchi series.

Star Wars Verse

Sub-verse to Space Escapades verse

Crossover for Star Wars muses

Tag: #Visiting a Galaxy Far Far Away (Star Wars AU canon verse)

Setting: Takes place before the events of Saiyan Saga. Either in the Star Wars or DBZ setting. Depends on the partner and the plot of the thread.

Nappa's Motivation: Nappa is still a soldier from the Planet Trade Organization and will take on jobs for anyone Frieza is working with.

Intended Audience: A niche crossover for the occasional Star Wars canon or OC character.

#Mobile Verses #Mobile Resource

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travllingbunny · 5 years

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The 100 rewatch: 1x12/1x13 We Are Grounders (Part 1&Part 2)

So I’ve come to the end of my rewatch of season 1. (The season 2 opener post will come soon. I’ve already rewatched it.) Overall my opinions on the quality of the season haven’t changed much, though I did like some episodes more and some episodes less this time. It was, however, interesting to see how much foreshadowing there was of later events and how many moments later got callbacks and parallels in later seasons.

I’ve also tried to now keep track of the timeline and body count in every episode...but I’m now starting to realize, after how confusing the numbers got in 1x11 and in these two episodes, that I’ve probably given it much more thought than the writers ever did. In the end, I had to look up The 100 wiki – but it seems just as confused as I am.

Back when I first binged the show, some 7 months ago, I was posting about it on SpoilerTV in the daily discussion threads. Sometimes I wrote just a few lines, but about this two-parter, I wrote a very detailed post - and I wish I had posted it on Tumblr, too. Maybe I’ll dig it up and post it as an annex or something. Funny thing, before that, after 1x11, I made my list of predictions for the two-part finale, and all of them turned out to be true. I liked it anyway - predicting things isn’t always bad, it may mean that the storytelling is logical and that plot points were well foreshadowed. But it’s also one of the reasons why I didn’t find it as mind-blowing as the S2 one or S4 , or even S5 one. (But it’s certainly miles better than the S3 finale. Although that’s not saying much, since the latter was pretty anticlimactic and is one of my least favorite episodes.)

I’ve always felt that Part 1 was the stronger episode, and that hasn’t changed.

Ranking and ratings of season 1 episodes:

1x12 We Are Grounders part 1 - 10/10

1x13 We Are Grounders part 2 - 9/10

1x08 Day Trip - 9/10

1x10 I Am Become Death - 9/10

1x05 Twilight's Last Gleaming - 8.5/10

1x06 His Sister's Keeper - 8/10

1x03 Earth Kills - 8/10

1x11 The Calm - 8/10

1x04 Murphy's Law - 7/10

1x07 Contents Under Pressure - 6.5/10

1x09 Unity Day - 6/10

1x02 Earth Skills - 4.5/10

1x01 The Pilot - 4.5/10

Season 1 overall - 7.54/10

Part 1

One of the few things I didn’t guess about this finale in advance was Ark coming down the way it did. It’s kind of funny that Kane tried to have a sacrificial redemptive death, but Jaha got there first, and had his best and most useful and most heroic moment ever… but then the show didn’t let Jaha have a redemptive death but let him live. And then he went on to make terrible mistakes and be an antagonist for at least 2 seasons, before having a morally grey (and most suited to his character) role in S4.

Every time someone tries to sacrifice themselves on The 100, they live on, and almost every time a major character has a big heroic moment, they are brought low the next season and make terrible mistakes and/or do antiheroic things.

I like it whenever the show has a flashback of the life on the Ark or goes into the past in some other way. And it’s always nice to have another little reminder of the time when Wells used to exist for 3 episodes, which usually happens through his father’s memories or hallucinations. Here it’s Jaha watching an old video of Wells and Clarke, which helps him figure out the solution to how to bring the Ark to the ground.

And look at Jaha opening a 97 year old bottle of scotch, “The Baton” This bottle is almost a recurring character - doesn’t it also appear in the season 4 finale?

I remember that I Kane and Abby’s chemistry was so obvious in this episode, and their scenes so close and extremely friendly (what a contrast to where they started... like mother, like daughter?) that I made a comment that they seemed like they were going to start making out any moment, LOL. And I wasn’t even shipping them then, it was more like “Wait, is this going to be a thing now?” Well, I wasn’t wrong, it just took them 2 more seasons.

A few bullet points about things first mentioned in this episode:

First appearance of Tristan, sent by Lexa, who tells Clarke “I’m the man sent to slaughter your people”. Well, at least no one can say the guy is not honest and straightforward. Also the first time we hear about the existence of “the Commander” and learn that Anya isn’t actually the leader of the Grounders. An interesting bit of trivia I’ve learned since is that the Commander was originally supposed to be a child. JRoth must be really In love with this idea, since he went back to it eventually with Madi.

First time we hear about and see the Reapers, and the scenes with them looked like something right out of a horror movie and was genuinely horrifying. Lincoln not answering Finn’s question what they are but simply saying “Pray you never find out” was, of course, a way to keep it a mystery for us a bit longer, but now we know it was really more about, pray you never get to become one, which happens with Lincoln in season 2, while Finn will unleash his inner monster in another way.

First mention of Luna by name, though Lincoln had already talked about her people to Octavia earlier in the season. I wonder how much of her role was already planned in season 1. With all the Mount Weather mentions and other things like the acid fog, Lincoln’s drawings etc., it’s clear that the main arc of the first 2 seasons was planned since the beginning, with Grounders as secondary antagonists that the 100 mostly deal with in season 1, and the Mountain Men as the main villains, who will get focused on in season 2. But I’m not sure that this was the case with any of the season 3 arcs.

Lincoln finally explains why he is helping the 100 and that it’s not just about Octavia: “What my people are doing to your people isn’t right”. The same reason why Maya and the other rebels in MW will be helping the Delinquents in season 2. In the show where people too often justify their actions by “it was for my people”, it is great to have characters who prioritize what is right.

And god, how good it feels to hear lines like that again. Maybe JRoth and the rest of the writers should have rewatched season 1 and remember the things that actually happened in their own show? Back when they still hadn’t gotten it into their heads that the 100 were somehow the bad guys in that scenario because they were desperately trying to survive after being forced to go to the ground (sent by the Arker leadership because the Arkers were going to die in space), and that Grounders were somehow the good guys for attacking and trying to kill them all for no reason but paranoia and prejudice?

Two big things that happen to Finn: he has a reaction to having directly killed someone for the first time (even though it was a Reaper) and then made his big love declaration to Clarke- only to be rejected, in one of my favorite moments of season 1. I’ve always found Clarke’s reactions throughout that storyline and particularly in this scene really relatable - her feelings for him haven’t gone, but she was hurt and couldn’t trust him or go there again. “You broke my heart... I’m sorry. I can’t.” I always thought that she would never give him a chance again, and that, while the feelings were still there, she was slowly starting to move on and that, in any case, he was her past rather than her future, long before he killed a bunch of people and she had to mercy kill him. Overall, while I really didn’t like Finn/Clarke or Finn/Raven as relationships, the atypical way the C/F/R love triangle was resolved (both girls reject Finn, and become friends) was one of my favorite things about S1.

Finn’s line “I should have fought for you” always struck me as odd (that’s not exactly what I’d say was the problem: he should have been honest with her and told her he had a girlfriend, or then he should have been honest with Raven and told her the truth, he shouldn’t have been playing both of them, he should have made up his mind and been honest about it rather than waiting for Raven to dump him…), and I’m not sure what exactly he meant (fought against whom? Or did he just mean, been more decisive and not let passively wait for things to happen?) but I guess it reflects Finn’s state of mind? He was always trying to play a white knight, first to Raven on the Ark, then to Clarke. And in retrospect, this may be one of the first signs that of where he ends up in S2, when he becomes violent and obsessed with the idea that he’s going to find and save Clarke. But the show has never been fully clear on how much his mental state was PTSD due to war and fighting, and how much his increasingly unhealthy obsession with Clarke.

Speaking of saving Clarke, the fact that Bellamy was able to be very rational about the fact Clarke, Finn and Monty were missing and focus on protecting the camp rather than going on a rescue mission, as opposed to the way he acted in 3x02 when he learned Clarke was in danger and immediately got dressed as an Ice Nation warrior and went on his own behind enemy lines to rescue her, says a lot about how much Bellamy’s feelings for Clarke became stronger between the end of season 1 and beginning of season 3.

This was the episode when Bellamy definitely became one of my 2 favorite characters, with how he dealt with the Murphy situation, and showed what a leader he had become. (Which Jasper also recognized, verbally and with a big hug.) If I were to dig up my SpoilerTV post I wrote back then, you’d see a lot of very embarrassing fangirling over Bellamy. ;)

This time I was able to focus more on Murphy’s motivations and characterization, which I didn’t think that much before. When Murphy is trying to taunt Bellamy - after putting a noose around his neck - saying things like “You think you’re so brave”, “You think you’re stronger than me” – I’m pretty sure that’s what Murphy thinks, deep inside. He has a deep inferiority complex. Which is exactly why he wanted revenge on Bellamy in such a way, hoping to see him afraid and brought low. He used to defer to Bellamy in the early days at the ground, so when Bellamy threw him to the wolves, then later tried to kill him in rage, exiled him and showed multiple times how little he respected him or cared for him (compared to, say, a little girl), that must have brought on a lot of resentment. But the whole “I know the truth, you’re a coward” thing would work better if it wasn’t in a situation where Bellamy was risking his life to save Jasper and actually being just as awesome as Murphy was trying to prove he wasn’t, so the whole revenge attempt was a huge, pathetic failure by Murphy. And Murphy going on about how he’s maybe now going to become the leader of the 100 after both “the princess” and “the king” die, now seems less like a villain’s threat, and more like empty bragging that he probably didn’t even believe in himself. He knows he’s not a leader type and he’s much better at making people hate him than follow him.

The speech Bellamy gives at the camp is impassioned and emotion-driven and gets the Delinquents full of passion to stay and fight – for a moment, until Clarke gives her short speech where she simply points out that they’re likely to die if they stay and convinces them to leave. This is a good example why and how the idea of Bellamy as “the Heart” and Clarke as “the Head” makes sense: it’s not that he is all emotion and can’t think rationally or that she’s emotionless – both of these things are obviously untrue – or that he’s always acting on emotion or that she’s always making her decisions rationally (there are plenty of examples of either of them doing the opposite), but it’s how they tend to approach leadership and decision-making and the arguments they used to appeal to people: his tend to be emotional, hers practical.

Part 2

…And Clarke points that out to Bellamy when she convinces him to go with the others rather than stay on his own to fight, in one of her many pep talks to Bellamy about what a great leader he is. “You inspire them”. (She’ll tell him the same in the S4 finale.)

The Blake siblings scene was beautiful and emotional and one of my favorite scenes in season 1. But now, after that relationship got a lot more dysfunctional in the following seasons, I can’t help but notice that, while Bellamy takes back his statement from 1x06 that his life ended when Octavia was born, saying it was the opposite, Octavia never really took back her accusations that Bellamy was at fault for their mother dying and pretty much everything. (In the following seasons, Octavia will keep the tradition of always blaming Bellamy for everything ever. She does, however, tell him“I love you, big brother”. I believe she says that two more times, in the S4 finale and the S5 finale. But in the latter, it understandably doesn’t get quite the same response.

And here we go again, Murphy is once more captured and tortured by the Grounders… how many times does Murphy get tortured or has other bad things happen to him during seasons 1-3?

Fans who like Finn more than I do have argued that he jumped in and saved Bellamy during the battle because they are comrades. But since he was earlier willing to let Bellamy stay behind and probably be killed, I think the main reason Finn did it was because Clarke was showing concern for Bellamy and upset about him potentially dying.

My main problem with Part 2 was always the scene where Clarke has to pull the lever and close the dropship door, before Jasper incinerates everyone outside. Or rather specifically, the scene where she and Finn stare at each other for a couple of seconds during battle, with dramatic music and all, which was weird because he was pretty close by and it looked like she could have yelled at him to get inside, and he could have come inside, so I was never sure if the scene was just badly done, or if it was supposed to be deeply meaningful (Finn starting to lose it and desperate to prove himself as her hero? A reaction to her rejection? PTSD? All of that at once?) but it didn’t quite work because she looked frozen and emotional, but he was just kind of blankly staring at her… And I’m afraid I still don’t have no idea what the scene was supposed to be.

In any case, the entire thing with Clarke’s dramatic and heartbreaking choice to close to door on Finn and Bellamy to save the others should have felt more epic and had more weight, but it kind of does not. It happens quickly, and then there’s more focus on whether the Delinquent crowd will act inhumane and lynch a vastly outnumbered Anya. And, of course, there’s also the fact that I’m pretty sure no one in the audience ever thought Finn or Bellamy were actually dead. But at least the scene where Clarke goes outside and stares at two charred skeletons was good because you really felt what she must have been thinking.

However, I love the parallel/contrast to this scene in the S5 finale, when Clarke keeps waiting for Bellamy to come inside the ship and doesn’t pull the lever to close the door (while Raven is hurrying her to do it, same as Miller was here).

The visual of the Ark coming down is beautiful - it looks like a ‘falling star’ - a callback to the earlier conversations about making a wish on a star.

Kane and Abby looking at the Earth together kinds of reminds me of Bellamy and Clarke watching the new planet in the S5 finale. (Except the former two at this point aren’t nearly as close to pull each other in an embrace.)

The ending with the Mountain Men is well done, but that was one of the things I predicted at the time: that the finale will mostly be about fighting Grounders, and then the Mountain Men will appear at the end, and they will be very technologically advanced. With so many mentions of them, it wasn’t hard to guess they had to be the S2 antagonists who appear at the very end of S1 in a cliffhanger - shows often do that. (I actually didn’t even make the Mount Weather connection, since I’m not from USA and had no idea what it was. But the mysterious Mountain Men had to be different from Grounders and Reapers, and the opposite of what you’d normally expect from people called ‘mountain men”. Which doesn’t mean it was not a good twist - it’s just hard to fully surprise fans like me who have watched so much TV .)

Timeline: I used to think season 1 lasted about a month, month and a half, but now it seems that it can’t be more than 3 weeks, at most. And even that’s a stretch.

We know for sure that episodes 1-6 lasted 10 days (and a week passed between 1x03 and 1x04), but events in episodes 1x06 to 1x09 were happening very fast, it couldn’t have been more than a couple of days, and ditto for episodes 1x10-1x13. The only possible times when more time could have passed was between 1x9 and 1x10.

Body count:

Part 1:

1 Delinquent (Myles), wounded last episode and now murdered by Murphy as revenge for the lynching.

1 patient on the Ark that Abby wasn’t able to save.

1 Grounder killed off-screen by Lincoln

2 or 3 Reapers

1 or 2 unfortunate Grounders being eaten or about to be eaten by the Reapers.

Part 2: Lots of people.

About 300 Trikru warriors (and some of the Reapers who had been fighting them, probably) – most of them burned in the ring of fire.

Either 31 or 29 Delinquents – first a redshirt Drew, killed by a scout before the battle, then a bunch of them in battle with the Trikru (or maybe burned). This is where it gets confusing. At the start of Part 2, Bellamy feels he’s failed and says there have been 18 dead, and Clarke tries to comfort him, saying 82 are still alive. But only 16 Delinquents were killed before 1x13. So, either 1) two more died of that illness or were killed by the Grounders off-screen, or 2) he was assuming Monty and Murphy were dead or would soon be dead. And in season 3, Bellamy tells Kane “Trikru killed 37 of my friends before you even touched the ground”. Out of the 16 Delinquents who definitely died in the first 12 episodes, 6 were killed by Grounders (3 directly, 3 by bio warfare/illness). That would mean either 2 more + Drew + 29 in battle, or Drew + 31 in battle. In any case, in season 2, 48 were captured in Mount Weather, while 6 survived outside of it (Octavia, Murphy, Finn, Monroe, Sterling, and one boy killed by Tristan in 2x01) – which would make 54, plus Bellamy and Raven.

A bunch of people died in the landing of the Ark, but there’s no info how many. In 1x07 they said there were 2,237 people on the Ark. (Which means that, before they sent the 100 to the ground and Raven took the escape pod, there were at least 2339.) In 1x11, Kane said there were about 1,000 survivors on the Ark. But he also said 1,500 died in the shutdown of the Ark, which definitely doesn’t add up, as it would mean there were about 2,500 people before that, and that’s without the few hundred that died with Diana on the Exodus ship (which Kane may or may not counted?). Either Kane is terrible at math, or the writers got things mixed up. Anyway, let’s say that 1,000 survived, that means about 1,200 died either on Exodus or due to the shutdown on the Ark. But some of the 12 stations probably exploded before touching the ground, so a few hundred more Arkers probably died.

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justsomebucky · 6 years

Text

Flicker

Summary: Canon(ish). Being in a relationship with a superhero is hard work.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x fem!reader

Word Count: 2,222

Warnings: language, timeline manipulation, angst, heavy self-reflection, no dialogue for once, cheesy, you know how I am already come on

A/N: This is my one-shot for @buckthegrump’s angst & fluff challenge, where my prompt was the song “Flicker” by Niall Horan. I love this song, and it made me so sad I got out of bed (where I was being sad) to come write this sad (but hopeful) stream-of-conscious thing. Oh also it’s my first Steve fic, so please be gentle. I want to protect him, ohmygod.

You opened one eye slowly, then the other, waiting for them to adjust to the darkness. It was still early, much earlier than you were used to waking, but he’d already left - at least, his side of the bed was cold. A closer look at the smooth sheets suggested that he’d never come to bed at all.

The telltale signs of the needle scratching over his favorite Harry James record (at a low volume of course, because he was always polite like that) had announced his unexpected late arrival the night before. You figured he’d come find you, maybe call out your name softly as he searched each room just to see your face again after so long.

No such luck.

And you could have untangled your legs from your sheets and made your way into the living room to sit with him while he relaxed after a long day of…whatever it was he had done…but you didn’t. You stayed in your darkened bedroom, tangled in the sheets, eyes wide open as you stared at the bedroom door, willing him to walk through it.

It wasn’t a contest.

Neither of you were mad.

Something was just off, something was missing and had been for a while.

When you first met Steve Rogers, you kinda sorta knew who he was already.

Okay…that was a load of bullshit.

You knew exactly who he was, and that’s precisely why you tried to avoid him. And you didn’t just duck your head or leave the room, either, you flat-out made it clear that you understood what he did as a day job and while you respected the hell out of him, you wanted no part of it.

Your friends thought you were crazy. They wondered how you could possibly turn down the chance to be the girlfriend of one of the most famous men in the world. How could someone turn down handsome Steve Freakin’ Rogers, the original Avenger?

First of all, he would age much, much slower than you. How would that feel to turn look in the mirror one day and see your wrinkled face and grey hair while he still looked like a hot twenty-something?

Second, the danger of it all would keep you up at night with worry. You were already anxious enough, you didn’t need fifty more reasons to want to cry yourself to sleep.

Third, you knew that if you were ever to be with him, you’d be fourth place (at best) in his life, behind the rest of the world, the Avengers, and his unflinching sense of duty.

He tried here and there to use his sincerity, even a little bit of that old-fashioned charm, to take you out for a nice dinner or something. Each time, you gave him a big smile and told him he would meet a lucky lady someday, to save it for her.

But one day he approached you without all the charm and intensity you’d come to expect, and it was just…different.

His eyes were vulnerable, his shoulders drooping…and you weren’t one to swoop in and fix people or anything, but that had just been so out-of-character for him, for Steve Freakin’ Rogers, that you couldn’t help but put your reservations aside and try to at least be a good friend.

He’d lost so much time and so many people over the years that he became really good at hiding his own pain, but not in front of you. Even though you’d done all you could to avoid this man, for some reason you could read him, and he was hurting so much.

You started letting him in little by little, guarding your own heart while trying to repair his, but it was all for naught.

Steve Freakin’ Rogers, ya know...

And your feelings were stronger than you could have predicted.

When it was good, it was so good. The beginning, the honeymoon phase when a relationship is shiny and new and everything in the world is right, was probably the happiest you’d ever been in your entire life.

He’d leave from time to time, but it was never for that long at first. He kept you updated on everything he could, even learned how to Facetime for you, and his absence just made your reunions that much sweeter.

Like any cliché romance with a superhero though, the danger grew, and so did Steve’s unwillingness to step aside. That was just another thing you loved about him, though it made your heart sink just like you had predicted.

He was a good man…you couldn’t possibly hold him back from something he was meant to do.

And so each time he went away, he chipped off another piece of you and took it with him, leaving it wherever he ended up and inconveniently forgetting to return it.

Your work suffered. Your health became less-than-stellar, from both lack of sleep and lack of appetite.

Steve would come home and he would notice your state, but you would brush it off and say it was allergies or the neighbors were loud or work was stressing you out.

You never ever ever wanted to tell him the truth:

You weren’t sure how much longer you could keep being the girlfriend of Steve Freakin’ Rogers.

It made you feel weak; neither of you needed that. He needed you to be strong in the moments he couldn’t be, when he actually found time to come home to you, because he’d spent all his energy and strength on everyone else. You were lucky he was coming home at all; so many others weren’t as fortunate in life.

He bought your excuses at first, or at least he acted like he did.

Worried glances, furrowed brows, and attempts to get you to eat and sleep were all noted but disregarded as you changed the topic and fussed over him.

Where did that cut come from?

What happened to your motorcycle this time?

You didn’t call, I was so worried…

So no, it didn’t surprise you when he didn’t come into the bedroom to greet you, to hold you in his arms like he used to.

The distance was just too far anymore.

He didn’t leave a note before he took off either, something you realized when the first rays of sunshine hit your skin and you finally made your way to the living room.

You ran your fingers over the record player, noticing that he’d put the album back in its sleeve and in its place on the shelf. His leather jacket, not needed in the springtime heatwave, was hanging by the door. It was like he had never been there at all. The room reminded you of that exhibit in the Smithsonian, another pristine tribute to the former life of Captain America right in your own apartment. The difference was, you didn’t have a plaque describing what happened here. There was no video showing highlights of your time with him.

No note...

In the great scheme of things, you felt inconsequential.

None of his possessions made you feel any closer to him. None of them brought you solace on the long nights when you sat up wondering why you weren’t as important as strangers on the street to the man you loved.

Even the leather jacket, which you’d wrapped around yourself on more than one occasion, held no comfort for you anymore. His scent had worn off a long time ago.

He was simply fading away, and you hated it.

You longed for a resolution.

You could see it in your mind; he would walk in, and you would ask him to have a seat on the couch, and you would tell him that it was over. The sleepless nights could be someone else’s for a change, because you weren’t getting any younger and you needed some stability.

You needed some effort from a partner.

Your day passed by like it normally would for a Saturday spent alone. The sun got higher in the sky as you checked off a few errands and grabbed lunch at a little café that you’d become a regular at. Table for one? Yes, thank you.

You kept going, though, having gotten this solo act down pretty well by now.

After a while, the sun dipped lower in the sky, the city lights began to shine, the air became a little cooler, and you finally let yourself think about him again.

Part of the walk home included trudging past the first place you had ever laid eyes on Steve Rogers in person. He’d been jogging past your apartment, looking every bit the handsome superhero you’d seen on the news. Your chest tightened at the memory of him doing a double-take in your direction. He had become so distracted that he nearly fell face-first over a bicycle on the sidewalk.

And yeah, you still felt a little smug that you’d affected him that much just by existing.

What happened to those days?

Now he couldn’t even be bothered to wake you up in the next room when he was home for the first time in weeks.

You shook your head, refusing to tarnish such a happy, hilarious memory. If things truly weren’t going to work out, you were damn determined to at least stay friends. He was such a good man, he at least deserved that sort of closure.

The stairwell of your building was haunted by the ghosts of the two of you racing up to your floor (first one there gets to pick the movie!), and of him reaching for your hand the first time (see, this isn’t so bad, is it?). Even the landing near your front door brought back memories of all the times he wasn’t willing to wait until you were inside to kiss you, instead pressing you against the wall feverishly before his lips covered yours (I want you…).

Your heart was aching by the time you opened the door and went back inside.

Something was off again, though.

He was back.

Since the living room and kitchen were empty, you moved as quietly as possibly to the bedroom door, even though his heightened sense of hearing probably alerted him to your presence the second you got to the top of the stairs.

He was there, lying on his back and staring at the ceiling, and he made no move to look at you even when you stood in the doorway and waited.

Now there was a choice before you, and while your instincts told you to sleep on the couch that night, you moved forward into the darkened room and around to the other side of the bed.

It would be so much work, and he might not even be interested anymore, but you had to know for sure if there was anything left...if a future would be possible in those circumstances, even as friends.

You gave him one last chance as you paused at the side of the bed, waiting in case he wanted to protest, to reject you and tell you not tonight or something.

He didn’t move a muscle...didn’t even blink.

You slipped off your shoes and crawled on top of the messy sheets until you were on your side facing him, though you didn’t reach out for him just yet.

His hair was longer, you noted, and he had a beard that was sort of dark and messy. It made him look dangerous, a little wilder than you were used to seeing.

God, you loved it.

After a minute, he wordlessly lifted his arm in an open, unspoken truce. You almost immediately tucked yourself against his body, letting your free arm wrap around his stomach as you pressed your head gently to his chest.

You heard his heartbeat, that’s how silent it was in the room.

It got you thinking about that sound and how much you’d missed it over the last few weeks. It made you think of the first night you’d spent with him, curled around him after an intimate moment, listening as his racing heart tried desperately to calm itself.

You thought about all the heartbeats you’d shared with him…all of your own heartbeats that were skipped because he smiled at you or kissed you, or you saw him across the room.

You wondered how you ever got to a place where someone’s heartbeat meant so much to you.

There, inside your chest, a tiny flicker of hope was starting to form. He was there, wasn’t he? He’d reciprocated.

He was holding you again, wasn’t he?

The flicker grew a little stronger as his heartbeat got a little louder.

Steve Freakin’ Rogers’ arm tightened around you, and a second later you felt his lips place a gentle kiss on the top of your head.

Your self-preservation instincts were screaming inside your head by then, but his heartbeat did its best to drown it all out. This was your Steve Rogers, the man you’d fallen so deeply in love with that you’d promised to never lose sight of that love even in the darkest of moments.

That promise sparked some electric courage as you shifted to meet his gaze.

His blue eyes looked back at yours, searching in the dark for an echo, a sign…

…for that flicker of hope.

Your smile ignited.

---

#steve rogers x reader #steve x reader #captain america x reader #steve rogers fanfiction #my first steve fic!!!#steve rogers x reader angst #jsb flicker #i'm so nervous #its 1am i need to sleep omg #emilyswritingchallenge

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misunderstoodkings · 5 years

Text

Return of a Former King: The Determination of a Father

((This is something that should have been a long time ago. Originally planned to be an in-blog Mini-event after Homecoming. I’ll be rewriting the few pieces I put out there for it already, this is going to be long, under readmore for that reason.))

Somewhere on the Bridge Between Worlds, a little prince waits for the return of his King. He was off saving the day again, at least in his mind. It was taking longer than usual, and there were times he felt afraid that they were lost. Their strong bond fading and returning...

He knew he had to wait, but...it was driving him mad. After a bit of hesitation, the moth decided to distract himself by seeing what it was like to explore one of the Timelines on his own. Perhaps he could prove himself by saving someone alone.

Prismatic wings carried him off down the bright blue bridge, the only light in this world of darkness. Passing by door after door, each leading to a world where something was different...or maybe the same. One could never really tell until they explored.

He wasn’t entirely sure which one he should go through, taking a peek in one at random to see if one grasped his interest. But none of them did, until....without even passing through, he felt a pang of pain and sorrow run down his spine. Stopping right in front of one of the doors, someone needed help.

Without a second of hesitation, the prince darted through the door, finding himself in the depths of Waterfall. The smell of water in the air, the sound of it rushing by...it reminded him of times long past. The Echo Flowers weren’t too far away, he’d see if he could stop by afterwards, wondering if any nice messages were left.

A scream, of fear or pain, he couldn’t tell. But it didn’t matter, rushing right after it with developed instinct. Years ago he would’ve run away instead...but now he was supposed to be a hero, like his king. Wings carried him over the streams and gaps in the path with ease, he could get their faster than any other monster in this place but....it was already too late.

The moth arrived at a disturbing scene, but also...a memory not quite his own. Two piles of monster dust on the ground, and a large, feral beast of a monster. Snapping its head towards him with eyes blind to everything but violence and fury. In other timelines, this is where he would be, having lost his own parents to such a beast....but there was no sight or sound of himself, perhaps he did not exist here.

And if he did, maybe he was away right now...this would be the perfect chance to do right by himself. While he was distracted with thought, the feral monster had started charging. He only had a second to react, but he already knew what to do...the same thing he did with his king. He channeled all the Blue energy he could into a radiant aura, filling the entire room.

The beast faltered, already starting to calm down from it, eyes fading from red to cyan. But the sound of crackling white noise filled the air, one of its eyes turning into a strange grey static. Red returned to the other eye, as if it developed complete immunity.

It charged again, and the moth put even more into the Aura, trying to make it denser and stronger. But to no avail, a glitch, an error protected the beast somehow. It simply charged forward, claw reeling back to strike. A scream pierced the air, the sensation of pain rushing through him, and then...darkness. Complete and utter darkness.

An unknown amount of time later, a fair distance back on the bridge, one of the doors wavered. The hulking form of a Boss Monster breaching through it. Looking haggard and weak, he almost collapsed on the glowing floor beneath him. But, he just managed to keep himself standing, looking around for his prince. “Vibrance...?”

They were supposed to be waiting here for him. How long was he gone? Time worked differently here, one could never really tell how it flowed from within the bridge. He could’ve been away for mere minutes, hours, or even days. It had seemed like only a day or two to him, even with some of the...strange occurrences that happened in there.

Even in the state he was in, the former king had to push forward to find his companion. Nose twitching as he sniffed the air, the moth’s aura carried with it a scent he could recognize. He’d follow it like a trail, wondering if perhaps the boy had decided to explore on his own to pass the time...despite knowing how unsafe it was.

“I swear to the stars....if that boy got hurt....” He mumbled to himself, using his trident as a walking stick as he followed the scent. As it was, that smell was the only thing keeping him calm, without the boy’s aura around to sedate him. All the stresses and strains from the fight before were piling on his psyche.

Heavy steps echoed in the emptiness of the bridge, the trail seeming to go on and on for eons. But finally, he found himself at a door it seemed to go right into. He felt a sharp pain across his chest while he stood there, to him, a sign that he needed to go quick.

The large monster jumped through into Waterfall, the sensation of dread immediately filling his mind. How many times had he lived through that scene? Always by himself here, just in case...it didn’t happen every time, in fact it was quite rare...but he always worried that they’d come across it.

Ears twitched as the sound of a bestial howl filled the air, confirming his fears. The feral monster, sparked by unknown circumstances to be let loose in Waterfall. Always stopped by the same monster...except this time. Amongst the howl he could hear the sound of static, familiar to him because of...Them.

Fear seeded anger as he rushed through the winding paths of Waterfall. Even if he couldn’t fly, he would be faster than it if it decided to run from the area. He arrived to find it sniffing at the dust on the ground, the king barely able to hold himself long enough to determine that was only enough for two monsters at most...where is the third then?

At the moment he didn’t care, as the feral one turned to him snarling. Hollow saw the static in the eye, one of his glitches. An experiment or an accident? Whichever it was, it had to be put down. It didn’t even stand a chance, charging at him recklessly, only to be pierced through by his trident. But instead of turning into dust, the body turned to static and vanished like an image on a TV being turned off.

Perhaps he was the source of them in every timeline...the thought never occurred to him before. Not that it was crossing his mind at the moment, only a mix of wild emotions. “Where...is...he? He was here...the trail is here...but it just...vanishes....” The smell in the air was fading, finding it difficult to remain calm. He searched around the area, but the scent was only there anymore.

Darkness, like nothing he’d ever encountered before. The bridge rest in a void of its own...but this...it was the Void...he only knew about it from the stories his king told him. About an old friend that lived there, the one that gave them the bracers. How did he end up here? “H-hello?” No response from the silence.

“Mister...scientist guy...? A-are you here? I...I don’t know your...name. He...he never told me. Said it would be...safe...safer....” Still no response, but he could hear movement of some sort. Barely audible, like a form gliding across the ground without footsteps. Cloth dragging on a hard surface.

Blue eyes followed the sound, glimpsing something white in the darkness moving. Their color briefly shifting to red as he felt ready to snap, but quickly returning to blue. “Where...where am I? Where....is he? He...he needs me...if I’m not there...he’ll....hurt someone.”

The white object approached, close enough he could tell it was bone. It was him, a skeleton...and finally a voice responded. Crackling, broken, clouded in white noise with words difficult to distinguish.

“T̞͕o҉̪̥͙̠̠ͅơ̘ ̜l̡ͅa͇͙̭̤t̢̫̞̲͙͕͙e̞̤͎͉̬̼̲.” They backed away for a moment, far enough they vanished. The moth’s eyes locked on the darkness, waiting for their return. “W-wh-...what do you mean? C-can you speak...clearer?”

Silence again, for a few moments. They returned, carrying something in each hand. The first, a small box in his right, which they lifted and attached to their neck bones. When they spoke, the static got filtered out by the box, and the sound was...marginally clearer. “How’s this......boy?”

“B-better...” Vibrance stated, waiting to see if his earlier questions would get answered now. And perhaps a new one, about the other object the skeleton was holding. He couldn’t quite see it all too clearly.

“You are in...my domain now. You...are dying...I have saved you...again. He is where you fell...he has slain the beast...his mind already descends without you. Just...like...before. Thus....it is up to me to stop it, by saving you....before he ends another world....if he does...it’ll be your fault...stupid boy. Should’ve stayed where he was told...” Though it was difficult to discern emotion from a box speaking this voice...he knew that last part was laced with condescension.

“How...-?” Was all he managed to get out before something was jabbed into his arm, a needle. “Plucked from the time of death...the void stabilizes the fallen...just long enough...but without Determination...one cannot survive for long...not without an Error occurring. Then you would be...trapped like me...for all time....only able to leave when needed...when called....by him...like before...”

“Wait...are...are you?” He asked, curiously. “The very same...I come from your Timeline...I am his Gaster...I helped you two escape...to redeem...but now you’ve gone and done this...he’s going to hate me...but it is necessary... he’s changed...but not enough...”

Another sharp pain, in his other arm. The moth tried to move away from it, but the deep wound in his chest hurt more, keeping him in place. Even as it started to seal itself up. “Two doses, and you’re already healing...I was correct...you are compatible.”

“Two...of...of what?” His question was met with a bony laugh. “You’ll find out...when you wake...when he gets here. As soon as he figures out how...now sleep.” Vibrance tried to respond, but he felt drowsy and his words were slurred. It was long before he was out.

Back in Waterfall, Hollow searched around for any small sign of where his prince went. He knew what would happen if he spent too long alone, especially in the already broken state he was in now. Having to do what he did...he could feel his thoughts fading into rage.

The former king couldn’t find anything but dust. Maybe he managed to escape last second, just as he arrived? He started to type on the bracer, trying to open a new Door. But every code he typed in was answered with an error. “No Compatible Location Found, Door Cannot Be Created.” After a few attempts, he started to bash it like a broken radio.

Luckily, whatever material his friend made it from was too strong for even him to break easily. He kept hitting it until it beeped, a voice recording sounding out...his voice. “If you encounter any errors with this device, please seek out your nearest Gaster for repairs. If there are none in the current world, please enter the following Door Code. Regardless of location, this door is guaranteed to open. Please, do not open it in such a place that another could follow.”

After listening to the numbers and letters it listed off...for some reason they sounded familiar, he went to find a slightly more secluded area. He knew the perfect place, sad as it may have been to have it be there...where most of him found his savior.

Typing in the code, the device crackled with electricity. A sharp whine filled the air, its tone deepening over a few seconds, the sound seeming to shake the area around him. A grey light, formed of static shot out and punctured the wall in front of him. After a few moments, the light drew out an outline of a door, and betwixt the frames it appeared, also made of static.

Aside from the strange visual of it, this looked like any other door that it opened. He hesitated for a moment, but headed through. His safety wasn’t important right now...he had to find his savior.

“Well this was unexpected...” Vibrance’s eyes opened slowly, looking up at the broken skull hovering above him. This time he could see a cracked skeletal hand, holding a magnifying glass as he was observed. It was nigh impossible to notice in this environment, but they were wearing all black. But the soft light he radiated while awake was enough to reveal it.

“I was always curious about the colors...all too familiar to me. It seems...one doesn’t need ‘those’ to be able to achieve such a thing. I wonder if you have Boss ancestry....if so, that would explain compatibility.” Though the words sounded like they were coming from far away, despite him being so close...they at least could be understood.

“I’ll have to look into the history of our timeline...see if any insectoids from before the war were Boss Monsters...regardless...this may cause some complications...mixing such blood with Determination might result in-...” A beep sounded out, coming from a short distance away, an alarm of some sort.

The skeleton moved to check it, laughing to himself. “It appears stupidity won out...he managed to brute force his way into finding what he needed. Your king will be here shortly, boy. I’ll need to prepare myself to be beaten to bone dust...luckily I can’t die anymore, but it still hurts. Who knows how many times he’ll kill me because of what I’ve done this time...? Especially with what I just learned...wonder if he’ll give me a moment to tell him...probably not.”

Despite what sounded like an inevitability, he seemed all too calm with what was going to happen. Vibrance shifted, noticing the lack of pain, finally able to sit up. But, he felt something tug on his arms, he was chained to the table, only enough freedom to move around on it. “I..I’ll talk to him...he...he won’t h-hurt you if I say so....and even still....I can-”

“Sorry to tell you boy...I can feel his anger building already. The void screams with it...hell, if it weren’t for my permission given, he wouldn’t even be allowed in here like that. Your voice won’t reach him like that...and...in the state you’re in, your magic is gone too. At least, until the assimilation process is complete. Determination is powerful indeed, but until the body accepts it entirely...you’re nothing more than a normal monster. I’ll be fine...hopefully....not sure what he can do with those new powers of his. Oh, that feels like green...that’s not good.’

Somewhere else, in the depths of the void, rage approaches. After entering through the door of static, Hollow could feel the pain of his bond. Though his steps were strong, they were silent in this place, everything was silent. And that made him even more furious...the rapid descent of a mad king in a world of utter silence.

The closer he got to his destination, the worse the pain he felt, burning on the inside. That is what angered him most, he knew that feeling better than any monster. Having spent some of his youth assisting his friend in some experiments...given why he was here, and what he felt, it was obvious who was his current subject.

Hollow wasn’t even walking with the help of his trident anymore, snarling with fury it was instead held ready for action. One step sparked with green energy, flooding his form to heal its wounds from prior battles, and even relieving some of his exhaustion. He knew not why...even those voices were silent here. Perhaps they knew what was coming...

He walked countless steps before seeing a small glimmer of light piercing the darkness. A soft white against the black all around. And now, all that mattered to him was that light...that’s where he would be...and him. “Time to meet again...old friend....”

As he got close enough, he could hear their voices, the only sound here. But out this far, he couldn’t speak himself, the void devouring his voice. They spoke of him arriving soon, his prince was worried about something, he couldn’t quite understand all the words.

It wouldn’t be long now, his rage on the brink of breaking in its entirety. Maybe, just maybe he’d have enough wits about him to ask at least one question before something bad happened.

“Ok...good...he’s not entirely gone yet. But you’re not quite there either, definitely won’t be before he arrives. Maybe about....five, ten minutes? Wonder how long I’ll last before I fight back...you just...lay there, be quiet, and...try to heal faster? Look healthy, maybe he won’t be as mad....at least the giant gaping gash is gone...but he can probably smell what I did with those souls of his.”

He could still think...at least a little bit, as he arrived at the scene. Gaster standing to one side of a small table, resting on which was Vibrance, looking weak...lacking color. Raising his trident to point at the skeleton, one word managed to find its way out. “Why?”

“Oh good you can still talk...right...well, I saved him, isn’t it obvious? He went and got himself almost killed...so I rescued him. Had to bring him here so he wouldn’t turn to dust before I could....you know...?” He backed away a bit from the points, sharp as they were, right in his bony face.

“What?” Another singular word, but to Gaster, at least it was talking. It was, however, a bad question to ask him. “What? Are you talking about the...beast? Because that wasn’t my fault, well it was, but it wasn’t.” A shake of the head in response.

“Right, of course not. Well...I did what I had to, that’s all I’ll say. He’s fine now, still recovering, but he can leave. Just...take him and go....please....you’re losing yourself.” That last sentence sparked a snarl from the king, who approached the moth on the table, trident still pointed at Gaster.

A claw rest on Vibrance’s chest, the earlier pain in his own told him that’s where there should have been a scar. On contact, the souls within him stirred, they could feel it. “No....” Head turned to the other, eyes alight with rage. “I was worried that would happen...right...so...yes...I used...Determination. But, as you can see, he’s fine...hasn’t melted or turned to dust...he’s....compatible. In fact there’s more to-”

The trident slammed on the ground, purple chains erupting from beneath the skeleton to trap him in place. “Silence...” Gaster struggled against his prison, “Oh my, these are some strong chains aren’t they. Purple soul right? Enhanced with Boss Magic...I’d need my blasters to break these but...you know. They went away with Sans...”

He suddenly felt an immense gravity pressing down on him, the most familiar of the bunch. Blue magic, funnily enough still not as strong as Sans. “Silence...” He heard again, and this time he kept his mouth shut. The trident was in his face again, a ball of Yellow energy forming between the points.

“Determination...” Not allowed to speak, Gaster only nodded his head frantically. Moments later a blast whizzed past, chipping away a fragment of his skull. It only stung, but it sent the right message. “Compatible?” It seemed Hollow could only speak one word at a time, perhaps anymore would let the rage fly free and he knew that.

Another nod from the skeleton. “Boss?” This question, he wasn’t sure about. He didn’t know enough about the past to know the answer. So, all he could do was shrug. “More...” One last nod, followed by a blast chipping away at his other cheek. “Explain....” Silence for a moment, cooling down perhaps? “Speak...”

“His colors, sire...you should recognize them now that you’re...like this. Still incomplete you are but...” A shot right into his chest. “Sorry. It’s soul magic...while he doesn’t actually have multiple souls like you...he has the same magic. Part of his heritage, perhaps...but, the Determination. Well, it’s acting funny because of it...like what happens to Asriel in some timelines.”

That name sparked something different in him. Hollow swung his trident as it turned a light blue, Gaster flinched as it passed right through him. Was that, a fraction of mercy? “Sorry...again...um...well, I believe that....once he heals fully...he’ll be stronger, much stronger....not sure how strong, but...it could be good...or bad. But it’s too late to stop it now. He doesn’t have parents anymore, or anyone else for that matter since you killed them all. So...there’s no one to take it from him.”

The trident came back, orange this time. Gaster couldn’t move, still trapped, so he felt it slam against his side. That did more than sting, he felt something shatter. Stars did it suck being immortal. “Ow....ow....be happy he doesn’t have souls. He won’t change, not too much. And he still has his own Soul, so he can’t possibly end up like him.” One more slam to his side, he figured out that it meant to shut up.

“Take?” The trident was in his face, ready to fire, waiting for an answer. “Yes...a compatible Soul can take determination from one who’s been injected with it. Either one that has it, or one directly connected to it. Given that his entire family is gone, the only option is a Monster that already has Determination. But...who knows how many Timelines we’d have to dig through before we found one? And one willing, as well.”

Hollow pointed at himself, “Take...” Gaster was aghast at the statement, “You aren’t compatible sire. You have no relation to him and you lack Determination...only some monsters can develop it on their own. Yes, you are a Boss Monster, so it’s possible, but...” A shot was fired through the center of his scalp.

Though it technically didn’t kill him, the pain of it made the world go dark for a moment. Darker than usual, at least. When he could see again, Hollow was holding Vibrance in his arms, breaking the chains would have been easy for him, they weren’t made out of Purple Magic after all.

As soon as Hollow saw him come to, another shot was fire straight through him. This time he didn’t even get a chance to pass out, it was followed by another, and another, a dozen more at least. “You did this...you’re a genius....you should’ve found another way.” There was anger in his voice, hatred, pain...and sadness.

The shots stopped, but now in the darkness he could feel himself being struck over and over. “You can’t die...but I can make you miserable...especially with a few select words...” He felt the chains vanish, and the weight lifted....and then even less weight as the blue magic raised him up. He could only assume to be face to face with the former king. “We’re no longer friends...”

Just as he was about to toss the skeleton away, he felt a small hand against his chest. “St...stop...he saved me....stop....” He still couldn’t use his magic, but he had his words. And at least he could tell his king might listen. He’d expected far worse back there, this was the best outcome he could’ve thought of. “We....can fix it...if you stop....” He hugged his king as best he could in his weakened state.

Gaster felt the weightlessness cease and he dropped abruptly to the floor. After a few seconds he could see again, and he could feel his bones mending together from the void. He couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s naivete. “It’s impossible...no one is compatible.”

The face peeked around the large form, “N-nothing is impossible...with him.” Vibrance turned to look up, Hollow was still looking away. “He can do it...” Gaster wasn’t sure what to say in response to that. But, it seemed Hollow did. “If he thinks I can, then I can...he is my determination...I don’t need the real thing. We’re leaving.” With that, he started walking away, the skeleton pondering to himself what exactly would happen after they left.

He could stop them, he had the power, he was in control here when he needed to be. But no...if they wanted to deal with this alone, so be it. A wave of his hand and the exit door opened. If that’s what they wanted...he’d ensure they landed somewhere that might help.

Hollow wasn’t surprised to see the sudden Door appear, expecting that the scientist wanted them out before he did something even worse. He surprised himself that he didn’t dust the skeleton, but Vibrance was laying right there...he had to control himself. Just seeing the moth calmed him, even without the magic that usually sedated him.

What did shock him, was where the Door led. A place long forgotten, emptier than the Void they just left. A place they once called Home...literally. A house, in the depths of the underground, far beneath the mountain in the dusty ruins. What once was simply the dust of time, was now that of monsters long since dead by his own claws.

It was where he lived with Her, oh so long ago...and his first son...and Them...”How...dare...he...” He could feel the rage building again, dropping them off in this of all places. Where it all went wrong, where it all started and ended...their timeline, their world. But, a hand on his chest immediately brought that anger down...and forward he walked.

Steps echoed in the empty tunnels of the ruins as he approached his old home, memories of the family he once had bubbling to the top of his mind. “Tori....Asriel....Chara....“ In some timelines, a fourth name would be on that list. But in his own, Frisk never fell here, he never got to meet them. Perhaps, if they had....then it wouldn’t have happened the way it did.

He didn’t even know the name of the seventh Soul he claimed, the one that finished the set. They didn’t exist, they were the catalyst that fueled his power....their own divided amongst the other six. For all intents and purposes, he didn’t have Determination, because he burned it all away while destroying this world. It should have destroyed him instead, but he was....Compatible, as Gaster would put it.

Hollow stood at the front door, even though there wasn’t one. He smashed it in when he hunted her down, she was one of the first he killed. He knew that of all monsters, she had the most power, and if given time, would be able to stop him...he put an end to that before she got the chance. Even fueled by bloodlust, the calculating mind of a former general worked...

“You never got to live here...she would’ve loved you, I’m sure. You’ve seen her, in some timelines we’ve visited. Maybe next time I’ll let you talk...let her meet the son she never had. But first...” After glancing into the wrecked living room, wood shards and dust all over the place, he headed down the hall. For the most part, it was still intact, having not needed to tear down the whole place since she was sitting by the fire.

He passed by her bedroom door, pausing, wondering if he should go in...then his own, another pause. And last, the former king went to the last door, Asriel’s room. Technically, Vibrance was his son, so now...it was his room. “And perhaps we’ll find a Timeline where he’s alive, so you can meet him too...well...aside from the one you have met....the one that’s like how I am now. Of course, he has Determination, I don’t...for now at least.”

Vibrance had been letting his king talk, not entirely sure what to say. Part of him was worried, they were back home after all this time...what if he said something wrong? All this dark energy in the air, it might set him off again, with no way to stop him the way he is now.

He felt it best to let Hollow reminisce, to simply think and talk to himself out loud. The moth listened, of course, but he had his own memories to think about. He had his parents, they were weak, almost invisible until the end of it all. Hiding away in the dark depths of Waterfall as the whole world fell apart around them. It was only when he was strong enough, that they were noticed...a tiny flame in the middle of nowhere.

His own parents tried to stand up to the king, but of course, he was an unstoppable force. At least, to any normal power or magic. But Soul Magic, as he’d recently learned it actually was...was different, and his didn’t have the same effects. It worked on emotions, not bodies or souls. He remembered how he stopped Hollow in his tracks with his screams, his aura...that afterward he trained to perfect. To sedate the mighty beast in dire times.

Lost in his thoughts, Vibrance felt himself be set down on the small bed of the former prince. Looking around at the various oddities in the room, he knew where he was, he just didn’t want to say it out loud. And finally something clicked, something that was said just outside this room. “F-for now....?”

“Gaster was wrong...I may not have it anymore, but I once had Determination from the seventh Soul...a Red Soul. I should still be able to do it...to take it from you. I don’t know how, and I don’t know what will happen, but I’m going to try...I don’t want you to end up like him...or like me.”

Vibrance wasn’t sure about this plan. It might work, it might not...if it did work, what if he went back to what he was back then? What if the new Determination brought out that evil again? Would his magic come back in time to stop him? “B-but....”

“I’m doing this...not as your king, but as your Father. Even if my former determination doesn’t count...to me, you are a son....our bond is strong enough to make this work. And I’ll be fine...I’m stronger now. The souls have finally woken up, they speak to me, they’ll help make this work...they promised.”

“Dad....?” A claw was pressed against his lips, shushing him. They rarely spoke of each other like that, but they both felt the same way. After all this time together, they were a family...the only family left from this world. Even if its beginnings were a bit odd.

The claw moved, hand opening to settle on his chest as Hollow closed his eyes to focus. Vibrance did the same, not entirely sure what to do. They didn’t time to ask Gaster what the actual process was...how it worked, how it happened. But they’d figure it out, they always succeeded in the end, somehow.

The moth felt something stir inside him, and green magic flow over his body. One eye cracked open to see the king’s hand shimmering, not just with the Green soul’s energy, but all of them. They were all working together at this, what happened behind that other door exactly?

Antennae twitched, he could hear soft voices. Was it the souls? They were all speaking together, thinking, saying the same thing. “Oh no...quickly, quickly...something’s wrong...the skeleton...he didn’t see, no didn’t see...already has it, already has red, already has determination...should be fine, should be fine but not....almost too late, quickly.”

The souls’ had access to at least Hollow’s surface thoughts, and could hear what he hears whenever they were active. While they didn’t fully understand it, they knew enough about Determination. Hollow, while under the name of Asgore, had been part of the research after all. And while he talked to Gaster, those thoughts surfaced.

“Power growing, too strong, too strong. Is it too late? Not too late, maybe too late...quickly.” While those voices circled around, he felt a burning in his chest. All his own magic seemed to start bleeding out, his aura returning, but it was different. “Oh no, too late, far too late, quicker, quicker.”

“D-....da....dad.” The heat was too much, he squirmed in place as Hollow opened his eyes. Before he could react there was a burst of red energy that knocked him away, and he felt anger fill him, unprovoked. The red was replaced by dark blue, and he felt sad...a familiar feeling. But stronger than what he was used to. “Vibrance...?”

It was difficult to see, the aura was brighter than ever, blinding almost...and he recognized it. “Asriel...? No...Vibrance...that damned fool, he should’ve looked closer. His madness blinded him...” He had to get up, had to move forward.

But the blue lightened, and he felt calm, too calm. He couldn’t bring himself to get up, just wanting to relax and lay there. He had to fight it, but...he couldn’t, he was too weak. Still not fully recovered...then he too heard the voices. He knew them now, all six of them. “Get up, quickly get up, still time, still time...still together, he’s still together we can save him...like he saved us, saved all of us...saved the king.”

The large monster felt himself move, like a puppet dragged by strings. And, he was actually being dragged, he could see the faint outline of purple chains around his wrist pulling him forward. A blue energy around his chest lifting him up. Something striking his back to push, no, two things. While he was walking it was one, whenever he faltered and stopped another. A blend of green and yellow energy formed a shield in front of him to block the radiant light.

They were all working together, carrying him forward...how times have changed. Not too long ago they were all silent, now, they were helping him all together. It was a slow process, and the voices kept repeating, almost a chant to drive him on. Until finally, the green energy pulling from the shield to coat his claws as they rest on Vibrance’s chest.

He focused, hard, putting all he could into it. All six joined together, focusing their energies with him. A pulse of red energy, mixing in to create a rainbow of light that spread along the moth’s body. He could feel something leave himself, and something else come in...not entirely sure what it meant.

Vibrance felt the same thing. Amongst the painful burning energy that felt like it was tearing him apart, he suddenly felt a little emptier...until something else filled the gap. Both of them heard the voices. “What was that? Don’t know, unsure, can’t tell. Can only see red, so much red...is it fixed? Feel’s different...but same...feels better? Can’t tell.”

The burning sensation started to fade, but the bright aura didn’t. He felt better, but still strong. Vibrance was able to focus again, he could feel his grasp on his magic and managed to stop the light with some effort. Soon, it faded, though not entirely. Back to the norm, a gentle radiance of soft blue light. The way he’d always been since they first left...but slightly different somehow.

Hollow’s hand didn’t move, and he didn’t speak at all as the light faded. There was a sound coming from him, he was, crying? Vibrance went to speak up, his voice cracking a bit as the word came out, “Dad?” The hand moved, scooping him up into a tight hug. “I don’t know what happened...but I think it worked...you’re fine...you’ll always be fine while I’m around...” At least...he hoped.

But what exactly did happen....? Deep within, the souls spoke where he couldn’t hear. In the depths of his Soul where they once resided. “So much red, too much red, what is it? Not the same as before, different so different...something happened...pure, not stolen, not given....his own? Is that possible? Can’t tell...don’t understand. Skeleton might know...can’t ask, can’t make him ask...”

They decided it would be best to spend the night there. As far as they could tell, everything was normal, or at least as normal as it could be. Vibrance felt better, as did Hollow, even better than before. After resting, they headed back to the Bridge, at least the Bracers worked again. The former king figure it must’ve been the presence of an Error that locked it up. “Back to work...son. Countless more timelines to help...”

“And...l-let’s try and st...stay together this time...dad.”

Secret Report #???-6: A once in an eternity occurrence...two Monsters, both with Determination of their own, both with Soul Magic. One, of natural ways, the other taken from Souls of others, and then given...as strange as it sounds. One given Determination without knowing about the existing presence, destabilizing because of it. The other attempting to take it willingly...and in the process, they exchange their own. The effects of it, still unknown. The given Determination suppressed, but the originals...still there. Will both become stronger because of it? Must observe, learn more about it.

#The King's Savior [Vibrance]#King of Nothing [Hollow]#a very long drabble #post-homecoming drabble #a long time coming #new info regarding Vibrance #and more about Hollow's souls #and a bunch of other stuff #have a good read #final count: 6200 words

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secretagentspydetectiveninja · 7 years

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The Misadventures of Prince Kim - chapter 30

(Sorry for the long wait, it was a busy month! Aaaaaand also this chapter was nigh-impossible to write. Kim’s not even in it. My life is a lie.)

(Here on AO3 too)

The oracle room felt different at this time of evening – though that may have been because of the scented candles that were everywhere. Fu was feeding Wayzz bits of lettuce and cucumber when Alix entered.

“Ah, so you survived the earthquake!” he said in an overly cheerful voice, not even looking up at her.

“Didn’t everyone? It wasn’t a very big one…”

“It was certainly bigger than the one that will happen here in about three years’ time. That one will probably be caused by the collapse of a nearby mining cave. I don’t foresee anyone dying in that one either.”

“Whatever.” She sat down on the other side of the turtle, her precious pet snake draped around her neck. “I’m not here to talk about earthquakes. You said you’d tell me what’s going on with my snake and weird dreams and whatever, so please do.”

Fu sighed. “Are you sure you want to know? As I tell many students, ignorance is bliss sometimes. In your case, what I am about to tell you won’t necessarily make you happy. In fact, it’s likely to do the opposite.”

“I don’t care, I just want to know.”

“Fine.”

He put down the piece of lettuce and sat back.

“As you know, I have the powers of being able to see into the future. Most people think this is something unusual, but the truth is that many people have unique powers that seem unexplainable. They just never discover them and therefore never use them. In my youth I did a lot of research on all the different types of powers that people could potentially have – weather manipulation was the most common, and ability to control luck was the least. Many students here at this school have latent powers, something I can detect. I usually inform them in their third year – though I make exceptions for weather manipulators. I’ve already informed Aurore and Mireille of their local weather powers, and I’m sure they have a lot of fun with that.”

“Aurore and Mireille can control the weather? That’s so cool! But what does that have to do with anything?”

“I’m getting there. For most people, their powers are very weak. Neither Aurore nor Mireille can do much other than summon a few raindrops or keep a single cloud at bay. However, some people have much stronger powers, since their powers are linked to an animal – like a guardian spirit of some sort. For me it’s my turtle, Wayzz. He and I are linked, and therefore my oracle powers are strengthened beyond what they would be if I wasn’t connected to him. His lifespan will match mine. If I die, so will he. And if he dies, so will I. We must protect each other. That is the burden of having such strong powers.”

Their lifespans would match? Just like Alix and her snake. But that meant…

“Are you telling me I have secret superpowers or something?” she said, unable to stop herself grinning. Ignorance was bliss, was it? No way – this sounded awesome!

“That’s one way to put it, yes.”

“That is so cool! So what powers do I have? Do I have laser vision or something? Please tell me I have laser vision.”

“You don’t have laser vision.”

“But it’s something cool, right?”

“That depends on how you look at it,” Fu said, oddly calm in the face of her excitement. “From seeing your future, and from what you’ve told me, I can deduce that you have what I call timeline powers.”

“Time travel?!”

“No, not time travel! Timelines. There are plenty of alternate timelines that exist, and most people have no way to access them. But it seems that you have the ability to see the events of other timelines.”

“So…” She tried to make sense of what he was saying. It was all too vague. “I’m basically psychic?”

Fu shrugged. “If you want to call it that, sure. Anyway, it explains the odd things that happened to you this summer. Since you didn’t know about your powers, you never consciously tried to use them, but you were already subconsciously doing it without realizing. That’s why you sometimes have weird dreams or unexplainable bouts of emotion – it’s the events of other timelines bleeding over into your mind. For example, if something bad happened in another timeline, you might have dreams about it or feel unreasonably upset about it without knowing why.”

Was that it? Then everything that happened this summer was because bad things were happening in other timelines? Was that how it worked? It was all so hard to take in.

“And I know these powers don’t seem as special as controlling the weather or having laser vision,” Fu continued, “but they can certainly be very useful. You can learn a lot about yourself, learn from mistakes you made in other timelines, that sort of thing. But a warning: you might not like what you see in other timelines. These are the kind of powers that can easily drive someone mad. That’s what I meant by ignorance is bliss.”

So. She had superpowers, supposedly. It still wasn’t sinking in.

That dream she had of her snake dying, that must have been something that happened in another timeline then. So it wasn’t a vision. Or was it?

“You still haven’t properly told me how long my snake is going to live,” she said.

Fu blinked, surprised at the sudden change in topic. “It will live roughly as long as you do. It’s your guardian animal.”

“But you said that if the snake dies, I die. And snake lifespans aren’t very long. So–”

“Its lifespan will extend to match yours, don’t worry. You have no more chance of dying at 30 than anyone else. So if you live a long, prosperous life, then so will your snake. I’m not going to tell you the exact age you will die but I can promise you it’s longer than a normal snake lifespan.”

So her snake wasn’t going to die in the near future. Or even the far future. And if it was going to die when she did, then she would never have to live without it.

The relief that hit her was enough to make her feel dizzy. The snake, as if it could read her thoughts, nuzzled its head against the side of her face. This snake, this precious queen cobra… it was magic! How cool was that? It was going to live way longer than any normal snake, it was psychically connected to her, she could use it to see other timelines and laugh at whatever stupid stuff all the other Alixes were getting up to…

But wait.

If her snake had been beheaded in one timeline then… surely that meant that she must have died too in that timeline? And what about that dream Jalil had about her dying? Wait – did he have those powers too?

“I think my brother also has timeline powers,” she said. “Can I tell him about it?”

“You can tell anyone you want. They’re your powers. And it is common for them to run in families, though multiple siblings having the same powers is fairly rare.”

In that case she was definitely telling Jalil everything. And she definitely had to try out her powers too. It sounded like the coolest thing ever.

One thing was still playing on her mind for now, though.

“So if my snake dies,” she said, “would I just drop dead on the spot? What would happen?”

“There is actually very little research on that,” Fu said. “It seems that once someone’s guardian animal dies, something will happen to them in the following weeks that will kill them too. The stronger the person’s fighting spirit is, the longer it will take for them to die, but the longer they will suffer. And within a few weeks, they will be dead. No matter what.”

Well, that was cheerful. A long, drawn-out death? At least she had cool superpowers to make up for it.

“Thank you for telling me all this,” she said to Fu, standing up. “I’m gonna go test out my powers now.”

“I wish you luck. Use them well.”

She was just leaving the room when he spoke again.

“Oh – I just remembered! Have you heard of the butterfly effect?”

She nodded. Of course she had heard of it, sci-fi movies did indeed exist in the world and she had seen them. It was something to do with a tiny change in original circumstances causing drastically different outcomes. There were plenty of time travel movies about it. Someone would go back in time, accidentally change one tiny thing, and come back to a world that was unrecognizable.

“In that case keep a lookout for it,” Fu said. “It might explain some things.”

Right. This timeline business was at least a little bit like time travel, wasn’t it? She loved time travel movies. This was going to be so much fun!

Sitting at the desk in her room a few minutes later, she got out a pen and paper, ready to write about the things she was about to find out. If other things were happening in other timelines, that might make for awesome movie ideas in this one. She remembered last year Nino being rather inquisitive about how to make movies. Maybe she could give him some ideas and he could make one himself.

“Alright,” she muttered to her snake, who seemed to have the same determined expression on its face as she did. “Time to explore some timelines.”

Now that she knew about it, it wasn’t even difficult. All she had to do was close her eyes and think about it.

There! It was like watching a movie. Or maybe like a weird dream. She could consciously look through the events of other timelines with almost no effort. And it was so much fun, just like she’d expected it to be! In one timeline she’d lost a Monopoly game much worse than she had lost it in this timeline, ha, take that! And in another timeline she hadn’t even adopted her pet snake until this year? Come on, that was ridiculous! Clearly she was the most superior version of Alix out of all the timelines. These other ones all just seemed like dorks.

Wow, it really was just like watching a movie. These other timelines, they were just like her normal life, and yet… some things were different. Memories that were slightly off. Things she didn’t quite remember having happened, or that had happened differently. Little changes here and there.

Or sometimes big changes.

Yes… some things in the other timelines seemed to be very different indeed. Events that had flat-out not happened at all in her normal life. People acting differently. The other versions of herself acting differently. And not always in a good way.

As she looked further and further into the other timelines, one thing was becoming clear.

Bad things had happened in those timelines.

She’d had a nasty summer after all, hadn’t she? It seemed that the other timelines were the cause of her miserable state of mind. Those other Alixes, their summers had been a whole lot worse.

Ignorance is bliss… that was what Fu had told her. And maybe he was right. Maybe she should just stop now, rather than finding out what her life could have been like if things had gone wrong somewhere down the line. Maybe it would make her unhappy if she knew the truth.

But there was no way she could stop. Her morbid curiosity got the better of her. Going through the timelines one by one, she started writing down everything she could about them on the piece of paper. Maybe that would put her mind at ease somewhat.

-There seem to be three other timelines I can look at and they’re all really depressing, ugh, but I gave them nicknames anyway: Death Timeline, House Arrest Timeline, Escape Timeline

DEATH TIMELINE

-So in this timeline for some reason this version of me didn’t have a pet snake, I guess she never went to that snake pond at night when she was a toddler or something

-And then at some point during the year – spring holidays I think? The timeline memories are kinda wishy-washy – she finally went there and adopted him, but had to keep him as a secret pet and didn’t tell her family about him

-At the start of the summer holidays she got grounded for some reason, I don’t know why, it kinda makes me feel nauseous when I try to figure it out so I give up

-And then her poor snake was discovered but they didn’t know it was a pet, they thought it was just a normal dangerous snake that got into the palace somehow, so it was beheaded. That explains why in my normal timeline I had that bad nightmare about it. It really did happen. Just in another universe.

-Naturally, when she saw that her pet had been killed, she was so grief-stricken she uh… well, threw a hell of a lot of temper tantrums, that’s for sure. Everyone thought she’d gone nuts and put her under house arrest and wouldn’t let her talk to anyone. They even sent away Jalil. No wonder I missed him a lot in the summer, even though he was right there, and no wonder I didn’t want Adrien to go back into house arrest… maybe I subconsciously knew how bad it felt.

-That’s not the worst part. The painful, grisly, nasty, agonizing death by snake bite a month or two later was the worst part. She managed to escape house arrest but yeah, ended up being bitten by a venomous cobra, and it did not end well. At least that explains why my hand hurt so much that one night near the end of the holidays. But if all I felt in this timeline was a fraction of the pain, then how much worse would it really have felt…? Okay that’s kinda haunting

HOUSE ARREST TIMELINE

-So in this timeline, at the oracle session, Fu told this Alix that there won’t be a succession crisis after her rule, and she was understandably pretty annoyed about that

-She also got grounded at the start of the summer holidays, I still don’t know why? The memories are so fuzzy and I’m trying to see but all I’m getting is that… she was like… told that she was forcibly betrothed to someone for some reason…?

-Oh heck it wasn’t just anyone, it was Kim, okay wow (still don’t know why she was grounded though)

-Anyway since she was still annoyed about the answer she got at the oracle session, she was just pretty miserable all summer and at the end the holidays when she wasn’t allowed back to school, she tried to escape but failed. (At least the snake lived this time!)

-So yeah, that timeline version of me is still alive, but stuck at home with no contact with anyone, not even Jalil, and also is apparently going to marry Kim. Oh, I just can’t wait to see his face when I tell him about that in this timeline!

ESCAPE TIMELINE

-Seems like everything here is roughly the same as in the House Arrest Timeline, except that Fu gave the answer that yes there will be a succession crisis after her rule, so during the holidays she was way more rebellious about the house arrest thing and especially about the marrying Kim thing

-At the end of the holidays she actually managed to escape and get back to school, and I guess she’s still there? Just like I am? But she can’t go back home now because she knows she would be under much closer watch this time and not allowed to escape again, so I guess she’ll have to find some way out of this. Huh, that’s kind of like Adrien’s situation.

-Oh wait, that really IS like Adrien’s situation – seems like she became much closer friends with him than I did, because of it. The only reason she isn’t a hunted fugitive like him is because she’s a pharaoh rather than like, a princess or something, so her kingdom’s not exactly allowed to send guards to kidnap her. But other than that it’s literally the same as what happened to Adrien.

-Okay so she bonded with Adrien over their shared sucky lives, way more than I did in this timeline, seems like she was really overprotective of him too, even Chloé and Lila didn’t talk to him that much in comparison

-And then after the earthquake earlier it looks like instead of talking to Marinette, Adrien talked to her instead, and–

She stopped writing abruptly. No way… no way! First Kim, and now Adrien? But Adrien told her he liked Marinette! He and Marinette even got together earlier! He was going to stay in her kingdom for the holidays and everything! So then… how?

Without even thinking, she stood up and went over to Adrien’s room as quick as she could, knocking on his door rather loudly. He opened it quickly.

“Oh hey Alix, what’s–”

“You’re definitely in love with Marinette, right?”

Adrien didn’t reply for a few seconds, slightly taken aback. “Well yes, of course…”

“No one else?”

“No, definitely not! I got over Kim a long time ago, I promise!”

Kim? Pfff, it wasn’t Kim who Adrien had confessed his love to in the Escape Timeline. And it wasn’t Marinette either!

“Is something wrong?” Adrien asked, concerned.

“No, I was just, uh…” She scrambled to think of an excuse. “…want to set Kim up with someone, so… I was just checking…”

His face broke into a relieved smile. “Oh, good! I was hoping nothing was wrong. Maybe things are actually starting to go right these days.”

“Yeah, in this timeline.”

“What?”

“Nothing. See you later.”

She walked off again, leaving Adrien standing there rather bewildered.

Back in her room, she carried on her notes.

-Turns out Adrien has a crush on the Escape Timeline version of me. And she doesn’t mind. She did tell him she doesn’t like him back like that, but still. She doesn’t mind. And she told him that too.

-I guess he’s not into Marinette in that timeline then. I honestly can’t wrap my head around that. How the heck do crushes work, anyway?? Why can’t I ever get one???

-Anyway, she has to marry Kim in that timeline, so it isn’t like Adrien would have a chance even if she did impossibly like him back like that. I still can’t figure out why she was forced into a betrothal with Kim, though, in all three other timelines, since clearly that didn’t happen this time. I didn’t even get grounded! (For once in my life.)

-Whenever I try and work it out, it’s all fuzzy and hazy, like my brain’s trying to block it out or something… I think it’s something to do with the spring holidays? That the other timeline versions of me didn’t take the snake to the pond that time when teaching Kim to rollerskate, and so he didn’t get distracted, and… he asked for that stupid mistletoe kiss…

-Oh my god, I think she agreed to be his sweetheart?? For like two days or something?? I’m gonna throw up

-Is that why she got grounded? Because let’s be real, dad would definitely ground me for something like that. But forced into betrothal too? I’m still missing something here. And I’m still gonna throw up. I’m feeling pretty glad I turned Kim down in this timeline, that’s for sure. Friendship is underrated.

She put the pen down, her hand starting to cramp up from writing so much so quickly. Alright, maybe Fu was kind of right about the whole ‘ignorance is bliss’ thing. These other timelines were both weird and depressing. Did she just live in the best possible timeline then? The one where she wasn’t a fugitive, wasn’t under house arrest, wasn’t forced into marriage, wasn’t dead?

Unable to stop herself, she looked back into the Escape Timeline. What was her timeline twin from there doing? After all, both of them were at school. Surely the twin must have also asked about the snake at this year’s oracle session, and got the same answer. And that meant that she could access all the timelines too.

But wait… surely that meant… they could communicate with each other? Across timelines? By both accessing each other’s timeline at the same time?

Alix was not sure she even wanted to speak to her weird timeline twin. But the next thing she knew, she could see the twin in her mind’s eye, glaring right at her rather stubbornly.

“You’re just lucky. You know that, right?”

The twin had spoken to her. The voice was the same as her own, yet somewhat more… malicious. Unwelcoming. And full to the brim with bitter jealousy.

“You’re lucky that you live in the best timeline. Don’t think I don’t know that you’re laughing away at the misfortunes of the rest of us, planning to tell your friends about it as if it’s all some kind of joke.”

Could she speak back? She may as well try.

“I’m not laughing at you, and I definitely don’t think it’s a joke.”

Yes, she could speak back. The twin narrowed her eyes.

“But you’re still not taking it seriously. You died in one of the timelines. Very nastily. And things are not going very well for me or the one who’s under house arrest.”

“Well what do you want me to do about it? I can’t exactly do anything from here to improve your life for you! Just, I don’t know, get your friends to help you? Like…” She cleared her throat. “Imperial Prince Adrien?”

“Don’t you even talk about him,” the twin snapped. “I know what it’s like to go through what he’s been through. You have no idea. You’ve barely even made proper friends with him. Unlike you, I actually care about him.”

“Um, I grabbed a sword blade for that guy. I very much do care about him.”

“But you don’t understand him. If you did, he would have fallen in love with you too. But anyway, that doesn’t matter – I told him I just want to be his friend. It’s not like I’ve got any other friends.”

“What about K–”

“Kim and Max? Oh please. You know why I can’t be friends with them.”

“Because of the betrothal thing?” she asked. “Surely that’s no reason to stop being friends with them?”

“No, you idiot, I can’t talk to them because it’s too awkward now. Which you would know if you actually bothered looking through more of the timelines than just that horrible morbidly fascinating one where you died by snake bite.”

“What do you mean it’s awkward? Is this because of the mistletoe kiss? It didn’t make things awkward for me! And I did try looking at other stuff in the timelines, but it was making me feel sick, so I stopped.”

The twin had a rather wicked expression on her face. “You naïve, innocent little sunflower. You are so oblivious, and I’m keeping it that way. Listen – I’ve made stupid mistakes in my timeline and it’s messed up my life. The only reason you haven’t done the same is because you’re lucky enough that your circumstances were different, entirely by chance. So learn from my mistakes without having to suffer through them, okay? Don’t count on luck to always save you. If the timelines branch again then you might find yourself on the unlucky ‘bad ending’ side next time.”

The twin gave her one last glare, then disappeared again.

Wow, she seemed pretty insufferable. No wonder she only had one friend. But perhaps her advice hadn’t been so bad. Learn from the mistakes of other timelines…

Alix picked up her sceptre and dialled a number.

“Hello?”

“Hey Jalil, do you have time right now? I have something very long and important to tell you about…”

#i am about to throw my laptop out of the window this FRICKING CHAPTER #kim and max will be back next time i promise #royalty au #miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #alix kubdel #... like no one else is in this chapter much tbh #i just wanted to give her her own side plot and it sorta spiralled whoops #random stuff #the misadventures of prince kim #aish writes

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harumeowz · 7 years

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hhBUCKLE UP DEAR FOLLOWERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN MY STUFF BECAUSE TODAY I WILL TALK ABOUT THIS BABY, MY FIRST OC EVER MADE AND THE ORIGIN OF MY USERNAME: MARS I realized at some point that I never said or explained anything about her, but she pops up every now and then in eg the Diabolik Lovers fandom. Most of my friends also know her from exactly this fandom, however I never really explained anything, she was just there and that’s it. Today, I want to take her, with all of her design and story flaws, back to her origins and explain a couple of things in hopes I might someday have some roleplays going on with this very character, the one I treasure the most, and enable people to understand her as a being. If you don’t want to read all and just want to know a certain aspect: I did put structure into this, the main focus of each part are in bold so that you can find whatever you might be looking for more easily.

I want to start with explaining what ‘power’ she has, because obviously if you have a character from the fantasy/mystic kind of genre, there is always a little something. And I will tell you ahead, Mars is my strongest character of all of my OCs I have ever created. However, she has limits, she is not some goddess that you cannot beat, but she is also my only character who has that much power. You might call her a Mary-sue or OP, and I think that’s okay! I would love to discuss these flaws with people, that way I might be able to develop her as a character even further so, go ahead! Now, her power is based on those from the ‘Jak and Daxter’ franchise. For those of you who do not know, in this game on the PS2 and PSP platform, you play a character called ‘Jak’ and run through wild adventures with an open world concept, doing missions and what not. It was my favorite game as a kid and even nowadays I still play it! You see, in the world of Jak, there is a very certain energy source that comes in different variations called Eco. There are the basic Eco energy everyone can use, I think four(?), and then there are two energy sources limited to Jak only, in the game that is. The dark and light Eco, originated from the two divine races of Precursors for light Eco and the Dark Makers, obviously for the dark Eco. In the game, Jak uses these energy sources for different skills, but we will get to that later. He acquired these powers by forced experimentation and being exposed to both energy sources. So far so good, you still with me? Now comes my personal headcanon related to the game, which is also partly canon within the game. These two divine species once ruled over the universe in which the game takes place, however it is also said that there were once Precursors and Dark Makers everywhere, not only limited to their universe. But there are so few left that it is only limited to this universe. The idea of Mars is based on the fact that there are only a very few of both species left and that they are shattered in different universes and timelines. Unlike in the games, I picture these two divines as very human. In the game, the Precursors are shown as animals, I’m trashing this idea because honestly, they are gods, I’m pretty sure they can change their form and body to their own needs and having this kind of body in the Jak universe is just more convenient for them on that planet to stay hidden. So, what if there was another universe in which both of the divines did not fight one another, but lived in a balanced and harmonic way? Let’s keep this idea, shall we? At some point, because of their lowering numbers, these two divine species started a war and only some of them refused to join in as they have a job to do, being worshiped and what not. To keep them from extermination, however, they decided they have to go into hiding. Okay stay with me now! This is the point in which different timelines, parallel universes and what not plays an important role, and it’s where Mars finally appears for the first time! The first Mars, let’s call her like that for now, along with the rest of the little population on this planet offered their bodies and souls to the divines that wished to go into hiding. They shall bond with one of the humans and lend them their strengths and power, in exchange the human has to fulfill the wishes of the gods. Now, not every soul was compatible to the gods, and perhaps there would have been more potential bonding partners. Let’s say that the only way to find that out was through trying. If you were compatible, congrats! You now got two gods bond to your soul’s very core! If you were not compatible.. Well.. It was nice knowing you. Bonding with these gods, from my point of view, takes a strong and stable, but also resistant soul because of the heavy and powerful souls of the gods. So if you don’t have these matches, your soul would collapse and you would die, that easy really, no? Through sheer luck, Mars just happened to be a fitting candidate and thus had two goddesses bond to her soul - and about that, yes I do believe these gods have genders, these two happened to be female because people thought it might increase the chance of a successful bonding if the gods and the humans shared their biological gender. And now, look, if you were gained that much power in a matter of minutes, the power would most likely overflow and cause damage because you wouldn’t be able to control it. Same goes to Mars, she didn’t know much about those powers as she never witnessed them and only heard from stories about big heroes of ancient times to have powers like those of the protagonist Jak. Not only did she lose control, but the impact of these two divine souls coming together with a mortal soul, having to squeeze themselves into a much much smaller vessel was so big that it caused the destruction of her planet. Yes I know, that’s a lot. But don’t expect that Mars with her still mortal body would have survived that because, spoiler alert! No she didn’t. However, now with an immortal soul, she could not pass on to any form of afterlife or alike. She is reborn in a different timeline with different restrictions that I personally modify to be able to put her into roleplays in different fandoms and what not. The current Mars is the, based on stories and roleplays, fourth reincarnation of the original Mars. There might be more in between, but those are the only ones Mars can actually remember.

Now that I explained how she gained these powers, let’s talk about them in detail, what do they do exactly? Well, I’m gonna skip tall of the skills and powers of the Eco and just sum it up, however if you do want to know more about it, read it here for the dark powers and here for light powers. In general, dark power bear destruction, for Mars in form of claws, the energy is poisonous to normal beings and causes a lot of damage. Using it is extremely exhausting, restraining it even more so, and she HAS to restrain it as these two goddesses are reduced to their minimum. While being just a soul, their natural instinct to either destroy or heal is so overwhelmingly strong that Mars needs to restrain both. Light powers bring protection or creation, this includes healing abilities or a bubble-like shield around its user. Using this is extremely emotionally draining. Okay, we got these two covered, how about the rest? Mars can die, she takes a little bit more damage before doing so but her body is not immortal. Though, because of the power of the Eco, Mars has enhanced self healing (and because of this, and to prevent Mars from having to start from the beginning all the time, she does not age from a certain point on) as well as enhanced speed and strength. It’s not a lot, but she is definitely faster and stronger than normal human beings. But, as she is more the agile type, she is way faster than other fantastic beings while, for a supernatural, she might be considered rather weak in form of physical strength. As I mentioned earlier, I see these divine beings as humans instead of animals because I believe they can shift into whatever they need to be. Mars inherited this ability, but only to a very certain degree. She can morph into one, and only one other form, which is a black cat (fun fact: why black? Because the black Eco is usually the stronger side inside of her and the one she has to put more energy into to restrain). As a cat, she knows and remembers whatever her human form remembers, but when she turns back, she loses a lot of those memories so that only fragments of her time as a cat are left. What else is there she can do? She can, or rather has to travel to different universes or timelines. She cannot stay in these for a long period of time though as she is bond to whichever timeline or universe her body is born in. If she would, her body would deteriorate and rot away at an alarming pace. Whenever she leaves this timeline she, as in her body, was born in, she is at first unable to use any of her Eco powers. That is because her soul is bond to the other timeline. Sure, she can go where ever she wants to and her soul doesn’t exactly leave her body. But her soul doesn’t have any connection to this other timeline and is naturally drawn back to its origins. Without a stable connection to this other timeline, her soul cannot stabilize and harmonize with the other two souls, making her unable to use the Eco powers, it’s also why her body starts to rot away as a measure to be able to release her soul and return to the original timeline. She needs an anchor in that other timeline that, up until now in the roleplays I had with my friends, was a connection to other beings, an emotional or at best spiritual bond to another human(ish) soul. This bond would also enable her to stay for a much much longer period of time, too.

Okay so, the next thing I want to talk about are her reincarnations. As I mentioned a couple of times already, her body is not immortal and thus she can die. When she does, her soul will travel to the next best empty, pure vessel. This is usually an unborn baby (as I believe unborn babies do not have a soul from the very beginning, but only when they are about to be born or when their body is more or less complete). Until a certain age, the new Mars doesn’t know about anything like that. She doesn’t know that the name of her soul and of her ‘true self’, per say, is Mars. Like we all do, she is given a name by her new parents. The.. Let’s call it ‘awakening’ only happens when she is mentally mature enough to endure it, which is around 17 to 21. She just suddenly knows a lot of things, of course she can never be certain if it’s just a weird illusion or if the things she knows are actually true. Anyway, she just knows about things like Eco and what not. That doesn’t mean that she can automatically remember her past lives and also doesn’t mean she can use these powers right away. They need to get triggered somehow, and that will eventually happen. Canonically, Mars can remember four of her lives, including her current one that is. She knows about the fate of the original Mars, who by the way died at the age of 15, and knows there are at least two past incarnations of hers. Sometimes, trauma or illnesses can effect the current Mars as well. In general, Mars keeps her main personality traits, which I will talk about later, and her basic appearance, so green eyes and natural brown, curly and thick hair, but any scar she gained in her last life will appear on her reincarnations. Her personality can be changed by either past life’s traumas (for example, in one of her past lives she almost got burnt alive and lost her family, resulting in a fear of fire and also paranoia towards strangers due to the background of why and how she almost got burnt alive) or by her own experiences in her new life.

Whew! Okay! So far so good, we’re getting to the current Mars as a person now! Let’s finally talk about her personality and mentality. Mars is one of those mom friends, seriously. She is that kind of person that wouldn’t drink at a party just to make sure she could drive your drunk ass back home safely and make sure you also actually get into your house. So yeah, she just cares a lot, at some point even too much. Mars isn’t obsessed when it comes to helping others or something like that, no no. She just puts the needs of others above her own, sometimes even to the point of completely neglecting her own needs and wishes, which often damages her because she didn’t eat or sleep in order to help a friend. She also believes in the good in people. Let me give you an example in the form of a roleplay story I had with my GF. The brother of Mars’ best friend is evil, by now it should be was evil. She told me she only created him to move on with a plot or have something exciting happen and in any other roleplay she had so far, he died. Now, with Mars though, he lived on and started to change. Even though everyone else hates his guts because of good reasons, Mars still refused to kill him when she had the chance, even after he basically mentally abused her and triggered an old, but heavy trauma of hers. She is so stubborn with these things that she just couldn’t just kill him or let him be. She helped him move on from an old emotional scar and gained a lot of disapproval by her best friends because of that. Mars did it anyway because of that belief in the good inside of people. That also shows how stubborn Mars can be, if she sets a goal for herself, she would do anything to fulfill this goal no matter what or how much damage it might cause her or others, though she tries to avoid that as much as possible. She also has the tendency to burden herself with the problems of others. It’s actually pretty common for her to break down under the pressure and stress she puts on herself. And of course, she would never tell a soul about her problems or whatever she is trying to deal with. Mars can be very unstable and, on her worst days, extremely moody. But she goes through life with a big, warm smile for everyone, despite her issues. She doesn’t want people to know how pathetic and weak she can be when she happens to slip back into depressions, which happens quite often without anyone noticing. Mars always tries to lighten up the mood with cheesy or stupid jokes and has a very sarcastic and kind of dark humor from time to time. Despite how helpful she can be, Mars is also very awkward around new people which is either displayed through clumsiness and awkward stuttering or just being really cold and distanced towards them. Well, first impression, everybody! Let’s talk about her mental state now. I’m warning you ahead. If you are sensitive to any of the following topics, trigger warning: Depression, self-harm, suicide and mention of emotional/physical abuse and mention of rape. As I mentioned already, she is very unstable and is suffering from always returning depressions. She has extremely low self-confidence, which is why she believes so much in other people instead, and really hates herself and her body. She dislikes the scars and often regrets things she did in the past. She takes each and every mistake very personally and whenever someone would abuse her in any way, she would probably believe that yes, this is what she deserves. Because of her heavy self-hatred, Mars tends to grab a blade real quick and ‘punish’ herself, either for doing something wrong or for hurting someone else (small note here: self inflicted injuries do not heal as quickly as other injuries and will leave scars, so her arms and legs look pretty bad, thus she often tries to hide or cover those up somehow). In one of her previous lives, she was kidnapped and experimented on and raped, so even as a new reincarnation, she often scares away from sexual interactions or the touch of men when she doesn’t trust them the slightest. It takes a longer time for her to open up to a man than to a woman. You could even say that, at some points, she is extremely scared of having a relationship. This though is also because of her many losses. Whether it was a lover or family, she went through both losses and is now scared of getting too emotionally attached to others (she only has a best friend because that said best friend is immortal and the chance of losing her is way lower, haha..). In her last life (and her shortest one yet), she was emotionally abused and manipulated by someone she thought of as a friend. When that friend then finally betrayed her and left her broken and physically injured, Mars was not able to take the psychological pain and committed suicide. This, in her new life, is showing by her self-harming nature and hatred towards herself.

Okay that was really heavy, let’s move on to a lighter theme. Hobbies, interests and likes/dislikes! If there is one thing Mars loves above all else, concerning interests that is, then it’s music and art! She loves listening to any music. Even if it’s not her style, she will still acknowledge that music and appreciate it. But she does not only listen to music, she plays several instruments she learnt over the years, including piano, guitar (classic, electric and bass) and the violin. Though she is less experienced when it comes to violin, she is a passionate guitarist and pianist and sometimes composes her own music. She can also sing! But not that good, it’s just kind of average, but it goes well enough with her instrumental skills so that you can actually bear to listen to her. Mars loves animals, she would hate to having to put down an animal due to an illness or injury. She often takes care of stray animals whenever she can. Her favorite food is tuna with bread and steak. She hates confrontations, especially if it’s about her and her ‘healthy’ coping methods. She also doesn’t like kids that much, though there are some exceptions, and doesn’t want any either. She hates dark places, but loves the night and finds comfort in it. She sometimes reads, but often lacks the endurance to read the whole book if it doesn’t interest her (and its pretty common for her to reread a book she is extremely fond of).

So, what about her orientation? Mars is bisexual. Though she never had a relationship with another women, she can definitely imagine having one and would not shy away from trying it. And perhaps biromantic would be the more exact formulation? Because Mars doesn’t care much about sexual interactions, because of the issues mentioned earlier, and would prefer cuddling and holding hands over a heated make out session anytime.

She also has a religion! Even though she has two divine beings inside of her, they didn’t exactly have a set religion, they just got worshiped and that’s it. But at some point, Mars adapted to the religion explained and described in the books of PC and Kristin Cast called ‘House of Night’. To sum it up, it’s basically a religion with the focus on the five natural elements (so air, water, fire, earth and spirit) as well as the moon and the goddess of the moon Nyx. The religion involved rituals and using the power of the elements. Mars has a natural connection to the element earth, but it doesn’t do much besides of just giving her some comfort and a peace of mind. However, the rituals do work, they aren’t strong but they’re there.

I will not write anything about her past itself, because honestly I could probably write a book about this. But hey, I already put some fragments every here and there, so that should cover up the basics and what not. But I’m open to talk about the basics to anyone who is interested. But yeah, that’s Mars.

#Oc #Original character #Explanation #Mars explained #character bio #character reference #timelines #jak and daxter #eco powers #supernatural #house of night #references #roleplay #religion #nature #natural elements #Nyx

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adam16bit · 7 years

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Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

I just replayed this one, and boy howdy is it still fun. I got it originally in 1988, and the NES Classic Edition version is pretty much the same with a few tweaks - some flickering has been altered, the opening crawl is fixed a bit, and the same unusual-for-Zelda gameplay is there. During the latter days of the NES era, the game was referred to as either “Zelda II” or “Link” on school buses or on playgrounds around here, and “Link” makes a lot more sense once you place the game in history - it’s very un-Zelda in its gameplay, but ground zero for much of what would come to follow in future games.

This 8-bit NES game introduces towns of people, a magic meter, special sword moves, and the now nearly commonplace “Shadow Link” enemy. It has a lot more in common with games like Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest in terms of layout, gameplay, and upgrades than it does other Zelda games, but it also had a nifty overworld map with enemy battles represented like random encounters from Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy - but you cold avoid some of them.

Marketing

I’ve got almost no memory of the TV ad - it’s on YouTube, but it didn’t get the play as the numerous spots for the original The Legend of Zelda including one with John Kassir (aka The Crypt Keeper) which was most memorable. Seriously, if you’ve never seen it, it’s like someone unearthed some early German expressionist film and made used it to sell game software.

The common thread in the marketing is some dude yelling out “ZELDA!” all the time, which is something they could have stood to keep doing for future games.

The second game got a decent spread in the pre-Nintendo Power magazine Nintendo Fun Club News, which was free and had some nice art in it. As a kid I don’t remember being at all awed by any of this - I just knew I liked the first one and wanted to play the second one.

Gameplay

It’s a lot more like Metroid or other action platformers, with few upgrades of interest. It’s a short game with 7 palaces, one slog through a mountain, and a bunch of little action scenes along the way. Eight towns - many of which had names that would be used later like Mido and Ruto - housed helpful tips and disiniformation alongside new magic spells which came courtesy of some of the earliest “fetch quests” in console gaming.

Jumping was tough to judge, but this generation of games was almost entirely defined by how good you were at being able to judge your jumping ability. As Simon Belmont, or Mikey, or Mario. Numerous pits of lava waited to dissolve your organs, plus there were many villains as strong as (or stronger than) you. The Ironknuckles are tough, but even tougher if you’re underpowered.

Unlike other games, you have one sword. That’s it. You can gain experience points to power it up (like the magic meter, and your endurance for health) but there’s no Master Sword or Magical Sword waiting for you in a cave somewhere on your way to warrior-godhood. You’ve got one shield, one sword, and one pair of pants. As adventurers go, Link isn’t all that well-equipped.

His lack of preparations really shines as he storms through dungeons to find special equipment locked away from mere mortals. Equipment like... a candle. Or a cross. Unlike the original game, you didn’t get cool new bonus weapons or weird multi-purpose accessories, but rather a raft or a whistle which you’d need one or two times at best. When engaged in combat, the only real changes you could make to your fighting style were “Upthrust” and “Downthrust” attacks with your sword - which really did make combat a lot more fun and exciting. Every game would be well-served to incorporate these.

Bosses & Enemies

There were a decent smattering of creatures in the game, including returning favorites like Moblins, Octoroks, Tektites, and Leevers. Zoras took an entirely new form as quadrupedal land lizards with fireproof skin rather than water folk, plus the RPG staple of a blue slime (and red slime) would appear as Bits and Bots. You’d also fight lizard knights, bird knights, club-throwing bull monsters, and super-weak bouncing werewolves. It was the 1980s, it was fun.

The bosses were pretty nifty too - a horse-headed minotaur named Horsehead was joined by Helmethead the knight, Rebonack the knight-on-horse, the wizard Carock, the ambiguous Gooma, the dragon Barba, and the pain-in-my-ass Thunderbird.

Gooma’s interesting as the defender of level 5′s Island Palace. He looks like a big muscular barbarian with a chain weapon, complete with Lemmy’s facial hair. However, the fandom seems to be showing him as a Minotaur as official art goes... this makes no sense to me. He made for an interesting battle.

Thunderbird was also dubbed “Angel of Death,” as it was a difficult not-quite-final boss battle that required you spend half of your magic meter merely to make him mortal. And then you’d need to spend more if you had any intention of actually winning the fight after going through a giant golden maze with one preposterously tough sword-throwing monster after another. To merely get to this creature took me about a month originally... and it took me a couple of years after that to actually beat him. It was definitely a feeling of accomplishment.

Graphics & Sound

On an HDTV it still looks and sounds pretty great - I love most of the random encounter scenery, and the music is exactly as I remember. The palace music is great, and the overworld theme is pretty familiar territory. Oddly, a few of the sound effect do sound different - the most obvious to me was the crumbling bridge/falling blocks. The character animation is still pretty fantastic, as Link has a few good poses. Some of the enemies look fantastic, but most are just 1-2 frames of animation or are bouncing cardboard cut-outs. The characters were colorful and stand out against the backgrounds nicely, with some of the most gorgeous 8-bit background negative space this side of Blaster Master.

Link himself is expressive, showing a big smile when he turns to you upon finding a new special item - but this pride actually can be your downfall! If you find a new Bowl of Hearts or Flute or Candle, you pause to show off - and your enemies can still move and attack. I don’t know if this was a bug or a feature, but it certainly feels like a brief lesson in responsibility. If you don’t do your chores of killing every single living thing on the screen, you might have to go through all of those battles again after you die.

A New Quest

After recovering the third Triforce and saving Zelda, Link gets another new adventure - essentially a New Game Plus mode. You start out with your skills intact, but none of your stuff. Your up/down thrusts, magic, and levels? Yes. Items, heart and magic containers? No. You can bypass most of the towns completely and skip a lot of caves - fetch quests, searching out P-Bags for experience, and even killing random monsters no longer serves a purpose. The new quest looks exactly like the original quest, but you’re stronger. There are no remixed dungeons or new twists to the fabric of space and time like the original The Legend of Zelda.

But Wait! There’s Less!

Despite being successful, this was Link’s final outing on the NES and this particular Link’s final adventure of any sort. Depending on which version of the timeline you believe in, the Super NES (and subsequent GameBoy title) were prequels taking place in a different generation entirely. The two NES games would be an alternate timeline more or less erased from the franchise history, with the 1998 Nintendo64 game The Ocarina of Time now seemingly serving as the central spoke in the wheel of the franchise.

We never got a Zelda III - I wish Nintendo would consider a faux 8-bit sequel, perhaps giving us a new downloadable game of what a new 8-bit entry in 1989 or 1990 might have looked like.

It was a fun replay... I just wish that, like other 8-bit series of this era (Mario, Wizards & Warriors, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Dragon Warrior) that it got to the magic number - three.

#zelda #zelda ii: the adventure of link #video games #NES Classic Edition

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