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hufflepuffwritingstuff2 · 2 years

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Hi there

First of all your writing is amazing, the ideas you came up with and the form you develop them are splendid.

Also, would it be alright if I ask for villain that is followed by a hero's ghost?

It's okay if you decline my petition.

Have a nice day or night.

Hi the-black-fox! Thank you so much for the kind words, and of course you can request this! I’m sorry it took so long to write, and I hope I did it justice!

“Boo.”

Villain jumped, spilling the coffee they were holding all over their workstation. They whipped around and glared at the ghostly form in front of them.

“Do you have to do that every day?” Villain demanded.

“Until you put me back in my body, yes,” the ghost of Hero replied.

Villain hadn’t meant to separate Hero’s spirit and body, honestly, they hadn’t. They just wanted to put them to sleep for a while so they could carry out their latest scheme without interruptions. But evidently, they had spoken the incantation wrong, because instead of Hero simply falling into a deep sleep, their spirit had literally fallen out of their body.

“Listen, I’m going to put you back,” Villain said, “but if you keep jumping out and scaring me I’m never going to get anything done.”

“Well maybe if you focused more on fixing me sooner and not robbing millionaires-” Hero gestured to the coffee-stained blueprints of a wealthy business-man’s house, “-I wouldn’t spend so much time scaring you.”

Villain sighed and rubbed their temples. Villain still had to make a living; they couldn’t just put their life on hold for Hero.

“Did you know your lair is built over dead bodies?” Hero asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh yes,” hero continued, “I phased through the floorboards the other day and found at least three skeletons. You better hope your place isn’t haunted. Well, actually-” Hero looked down at their semi-transparent body, “-I guess your lair is haunted. By me anyway.”

“I really did not need to know all that.” Villain said.

Hero ignored them and faded from sight. Suddenly a window flew open, letting a harsh wind howl through the lair, scattering papers everywhere.

“That’s it!” Villain said, “I’m not dealing with you right now. I said I’ll fix you eventually, but not right this second!”

With that, Villain suited up and headed for the millionaire’s house.

…

The break-in was going smoothly. The millionaire hadn’t bothered to get the latest alarm system, so it was easy for Villain to disable. Villain had just climbed in the walk-in safe when the door slammed shut. Villain stared with wide eyes as the gears turned, locking them in. Villain ran to the door and pulled on the latch, but it was no use. They were sealed in the vault.

Villain had the distinct feeling that they were being watched. Sure enough, a familiar face phased through the door and Hero hovered in front of them.

“Lovely evening, isn’t it?” Hero echoed.

“You!” Villain snarled, “you did this! Let me out!”

“Not until you promise to put me back in my body.”

“I told you!” Villain yelled, “I will put you back, but on my own time!”

“I don’t have time to wait for you to finish all your evil schemes!” Hero shrieked, a terrifying sound. Their shrill cry echoed throughout the vault. Villain shuddered at the noise.

Hero sighed, then continued in a softer voice.

“There are people that need my help every day in this city, and you’re not doing them any favors by keeping me as a ghost.”

Villain had hoped that something positive would come out of turning Hero into a ghost. Maybe with them out of the way, they could get more work accomplished. But Hero had become more of a hassle as a spirit then they had ever been while they were alive. Villain resigned themselves to the inevitable.

“Fine,” Villain conceded, “get me out of here, and I will put you back in your body.”

…

Villain opened the ancient tome they had used to inadvertently separate Hero’s spirit and body. They turned to the page they had last used. Hero’s body sat before them, still in the chair Villain had tied them to before reciting the first incantation. Villain took a deep breath and recited the incantation backwards. They prayed they were pronouncing everything right.

Villain looked up just in time to see Hero’s ghost get sucked back into their body. Hero slowly blinked their eyes open. Hero was whole once again.

“There,” Villain snapped, “are you satisfied now?”

“Very.” Hero said, “now if you’ll just untie me…”

Villain smirked.

“That wasn’t part of the deal, little Hero.”

Hero stiffened in their chair and looked at Villain with wide eyes.

“B-but, you-”

“Promised to put you back in your body, yes,” Villain drawled, "I didn’t say anything about letting you go.”

Villain closed the ancient book with a snap. They turned on their heel and headed out, back to the millionaire’s estate, leaving a shouting Hero behind.

#hero x villain #heroes and villains #villain x hero #villains and heroes #writing #writeblr #creative writing #snippet #as requested #implied kidnapping #implied captivity #ghosts #ghost hero #magic

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nyarlathotep-thecrawlingchaos · 5 months

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I can't believe I missed chapter 7, is there some kind of taglist?

Anyway, I absolutely love Kaya and Karimi. I loved Kaya in the live action (the writing and especially the actress did her Right) and the sweet and protective older-sister-like relationship Karimi takes with her is so sweet, even if we haven't seen much of Karimi with the straw hats I can imagine how she was with them and it ties into her making the deal to save Zoro. Even if we didn't see them interact much before them it still makes sense for her character to have done that

On another note, idk what it is about this chapter that got me to think on it but the two main powers of One Piece are Odas representations of humanities powers - dreams and willpower.

The devil fruits are manifestations of humanities dreams and desires and goals - that's why they're so fantastical and crazy and why they seem to go to people who 'fit'

And haki is a manifestation of will

Thematically, I love it and could ramble for ages about it in Odas writing, but specific to Karimis story;

There's something about the fact that she hasn't mastered her devil fruit abilities. That she actively suppresses them. That the closest she's gotten to improving her control isn't even about advancing her abilities but suppressing them and their range.

And she by no means has mastered haki, but the fact that the haki she can use is armament haki? And she mastered it in order to surpress her devil fruit abilities?

Idk if it was on purpose but the thematics of it is PALPABLE

Bc Karimi has identified her goal as meeting her father. That's why she set out on the ocean. That's the thing driving her. But it's not her dream. And in the way that it is her goal and fits into the general scope of devil fruit representing goals, it's not a goal for Her. She doesn't allow herself to have her own dreams. She allows herself to have a goal but that's different and the goal she does allow herself to have isn't about her (it's still a good goal, and something she wants tho)

The fact that all the characters that master haki have dreams that they use haki (their willpower) to acheive. She hasn't mastered her willpower because she doesn't have a dream to direct her willpower to achieving. The only haki she's successfully trained is armament haki. The haki of protecting herself and others. Because that's all she's ever done. But she's doing that before she even has a dream to protect herself For. The fact that she trained her willpower for the purpose of suppressing her dreams.

I've been trying to write more but nothing I write out makes sense or is too rambly and repetitive but you get the gist, right? You Get It.

It's like that post about the Airbnb that painted over a kid's room and missed one glow in the dark star that's been painted landlord white. "You get it. You get the themes. I can't do it justice. Just look at the ceiling"

Like, "oh, her willpower manifests in protection of herself and others. Oh she's not mastered it because her grandmother would do it for her and she didn't prepare herself for the possibility that she wouldn't always be protected like that. Oh she's using her willpower to block out the manifestation of dreams. Oh her dream is to get back to her family but she fears it because she lost the last family she had and she blames herself and worries her father will too. Oh, her father wasn't there for most of her childhood and she barely knows him but she's still desparately trying to get to him Like a Child Would. Oh, he never got to see certain parts of her childhood and such milestones but she's clumsy with her powers of dreams and willpower because she doesn't know her dreams to direct her willpower towards, like a child learning to walk for the first time because it's her first time traversing these powers and she's doing it to get back to him. Like a child learning to walk just to reach their parent. So it's like he is still part of those milestones for her but he doesn't know so she can't share that with him. Oh, she loves fiercely and wholly but is still guarded because she doesn't know how to let herself be loved in return after the last person that loved her died protecting her. Oh she keeps sacrificing herself to protect others after losing a loved one for something she blames herself for. Oh she's trying to replicate her grandmother's sacrifice for her into her own sacrifices for others, even if subconsciously. Oh she wants to honour the sacrifice and make it Worth It but can't see that her living is what makes it worth it so she's trying to sacrifice herself in turn. Oh she resents the deal because it takes her away from her goal which she's devoted so much of herself to and what happens when she no longer can because of her year internship? What happens when you've devoted yourself to something before even knowing yourself? What's left when you can't get it?"

I can't do it justice. You Get It. You get the themes. Look at the ceiling.

HI!!!! I'm very normal about this and will respond in a very normal way and

Sorry I lied please forgive me ilu

Soooooo anyway I’m gonna address this a piece at a time because there’s a lot I want to address. Also about the taglist, I haven’t had anyone ask to be tagged, but I’ll be glad to tag you in the coming chapters!

So since this is so long, the rest is below the frightened Nu.

There will be a great deal more interaction with the Strawhats in the future. She especially took on a sort of big-sis role where Luffy was concerned, but she related more to Nami and Zoro. Nami because she’s on the verge of losing her home and everyone she cares about, something Karimi has already endured; Zoro, because he’s been on his own for a long time and has similarly closed himself off behind a mask of dry sarcasm and aloofness. Where Luffy wants to see everyone follow their dreams unapologetically, Karimi wants to see everyone free of the shackles that bind them; Nami from the Arlong pirates, Zoro from his own emotional shell, Usopp from his fear and tendency to lie to himself even more than he lies to others—and Kaya, from the oppression she endured under Kuro’s thumb, which alongside the Strawhats they were able to achieve. This was the first time Karimi acted of her own free will to help someone else in years; everything she’s done for the past six years has just been contract after contract. In helping free Kaya from her oppression Karimi quickly formed a soft spot for her, and wants nothing more than for her to continue to be able to thrive.

On another note, idk what it is about this chapter that got me to think on it but the two main powers of One Piece are Odas representations of humanities powers - dreams and willpower. The devil fruits are manifestations of humanities dreams and desires and goals - that's why they're so fantastical and crazy and why they seem to go to people who 'fit' And haki is a manifestation of will Thematically, I love it and could ramble for ages about it in Odas writing, but specific to Karimis story; There's something about the fact that she hasn't mastered her devil fruit abilities. That she actively suppresses them. That the closest she's gotten to improving her control isn't even about advancing her abilities but suppressing them and their range. And she by no means has mastered haki, but the fact that the haki she can use is armament haki? And she mastered it in order to surpress her devil fruit abilities? Idk if it was on purpose but the thematics of it is PALPABLE

You hit the proverbial nail on the head. She detests her devil fruit power and definitely wouldn’t consider it a good fit herself; but honestly, it does fit her and she just refuses to accept it. She acquired it far too young, spent ten years not having to contend with it due to her grandmother keeping it at bay (for more reasons than only Karimi’s comfort and sanity; Helena honestly wasn’t keen on her granddaughter knowing about her past, she wasn’t the most peaceful pirate), and then had to contend with it again after so long barely even being aware of it. But, despite her reservations, it fits her. Many given the ultimate power of auditory espionage would use it without reservations, but she considers it a violation of privacy of the most deplorable degree, and will only use it on her own behalf as a last ditch effort when everything else fails. It’s subtle compared to most devil fruit powers, and she uses it subtly. It’s a roguish power, and the majority of her other abilities and strengths rely on stealth and agility as well rather than raw physical strength.

And as someone that constantly has their guard up in every other way possible, armament haki would end up being her strongest haki, even if she were to train in another type.

Yup, once again, nail on the head. She wants to find her father because she feels he has a right to know the truth of what happened. It was his home, too. It was her grandmother, his mother. It was everyone he knew and grew up around himself. She doesn’t know at this point if he’s even aware of what happened, if he is alive. But if he is alive, she knows she’s the only one who can tell him everything. Her opinions of her father at the moment aren’t exactly the highest; all she knows is that she ate a devil fruit, he took her to her grandmother, and she never heard from him again. There’s a little bitterness there. But she feels he deserves to know…and, to her knowledge, apart from Benn Beckman, he’s the only other family member she has left that might potentially still be alive.

I get it one hundred percent. Karimi has never really had a dream, so to speak. She didn’t know about her grandmother’s past, and by the time her grandmother died all she really remembered about her father was that he was a pirate—nothing else. Her grandmother was essentially the village elder of their town (being that it used to be her base of operations when she was still a captain, and most of her crew lived there as well), and Karimi figured that was what her life was headed for. She was content with it. She looked up to her grandmother immensely, practically hero-worshipped her, and all she wanted to do was follow in her footsteps—at least, the footsteps that she knew about. She had her suspicions as she grew older that there was more to her grandmother’s past than she was willing to share, but she didn’t care about that. She cared about Helena the Grandmother, Helena the Stoic Elder, not Helena the Siren. So that was the closest thing she ever really had to a dream. Since the village was destroyed, she’s been goal-oriented. The life she wanted was torn out from under her and she doesn’t know what she wants anymore. She hasn’t taken the time to actually consider it, because she’s been too busy following that goal, made it her reason for living on—to either find her father, or at least find out what happened to him. And she has to ensure she’s well-protected to do so, so armament haki would be a given for her.

This is difficult. She has very skewed opinions of her father. Part of her, deep in her subconscious, feels there has to be a reason her father never came back, never so much as tried to contact her. But the more time that has passed with her not knowing where he is, not knowing why or how he disappeared, that part grows ever quieter. When she first set out, those were definitely her sentiments; she blamed herself, and she was terrified others would blame her, particularly her father. For most of her first year on her own, there was still news surfacing of her father’s crew here and there, and she followed it constantly; and then it just stopped. No explanation, no definitive answer, nothing. A year passed before she met and joined the Red Hair Pirates and discovered no one had heard hide nor hair of any of the crew for around a year. Benn Beckman’s opinions of her father definitely didn’t help her own already wavering opinions. Now, ten years after she first left home, she has all but convinced herself that she honestly doesn’t care what her father thinks…but a small part of her still wants to believe that there’s a good reason for why she hasn’t heard from him in so long.

“Oh, she loves fiercely and wholly but is still guarded because she doesn't know how to let herself be loved in return after the last person that loved her died protecting her.

To be fair, her grandmother wasn’t the last person she loved. Definitely the person she loved the longest and the most dearly, but not the last. There was the two years she spent with the Red Hair pirates. Shanks essentially treated her like a daughter, from day one, from the moment he knew she was Lyon's kid. While it took a bit for Beck to trust her because of his ill will toward her father, over time he became even more fiercely protective of her than Shanks, because she reminded him far more of his sister than she reminded him of that dumbass Lyon. She came to be close with the entire crew. They were like the extended family that she never had, and she still loves them dearly. Leaving them was the hardest decision she ever made—but from the start, she had never intended to stay. She never lied about that and made it clear from day one. She needed a way to familiarize herself with a life at sea, to prepare herself before she went off on her own, because her goals were hers alone and she didn’t want to wrap anyone else up in them. She also didn’t want to get close to anyone else and risk losing anyone else she loved. She failed at the latter abysmally, because even six years later, as a mercenary with no other worldly ties, she would still call Shanks her captain if anyone asked; and she would still recognize Beck as the only living blood family that she knew for a fact she had left.

Her connection to the Red Hair Pirates was a huge part of what bonded her so quickly to Luffy. Around the exact time that Karimi lost everything at fourteen years old, was when Luffy ate his devil fruit at seven years old, when Shanks saved his life and left Foosha Village for the last time after a year of making port there. While her own path didn’t cross with Luffy’s until ten years later, they both ultimately found both a mentor and a father figure in Shanks at around the same period in time.

“Oh she keeps sacrificing herself to protect others after losing a loved one for something she blames herself for. Oh she's trying to replicate her grandmother's sacrifice for her into her own sacrifices for others, even if subconsciously. Oh she wants to honour the sacrifice and make it Worth It but can't see that her living is what makes it worth it so she's trying to sacrifice herself in turn.

This is one hundred percent. Karimi considers the past ten years of her life to be “borrowed time.” Time that, essentially, she borrowed from her grandmother, who might still be alive if Karimi had just listened and done exactly as she was told in their last moments together. She has never looked at it in any other way than that, and it makes it difficult for her to place any actual value in her own continued existence. She exists, in her own mind, solely for the sake of relaying the details of the massacre of Conch Cove to her father; and beyond that, her only reason left to live is because it would be an insult to her grandmother if she didn’t.

“Oh she resents the deal because it takes her away from her goal which she's devoted so much of herself to and what happens when she no longer can because of her year internship? What happens when you've devoted yourself to something before even knowing yourself? What's left when you can't get it?"

Ooooh, she resents the deal she made with Mihawk so much. Mihawk all but makes it clear that he intended to let Zoro live (albeit clinging to life) regardless of her deal, which makes it all the more empty. An entire year that she could have spent trying to find her father, gone. All because she got drunk and prattled off some stupid offer that this self-centered and self-serving warlord decided to take her up on. All the same, she accepts it as just being par for the course, because it’s not really like she’s made any progress at all in finding anything out over the past six years. All she managed to do was amass a fair amount of berries and belongings, the majority of which was sunk to the bottom of the ocean along with her sloop by Buggy when she failed to deliver on their contract.

As a side note there I am jonesing to write Janx when he finds out his lil bro is such a ruthless mfer, to the point that I’ve already been drafting it out. Like he’s so so proud. And Karimi is borderline homicidal about it.

"That jackass is your brother?! He destroyed the past six years of my life! He's a complete psychopath!" "I know isn't it beautiful?" twitch twitch snarl "Well, you know, if it was anyone other than you." internally screaming and ready to commit murder "In my defense I haven't seen him in twenty years." "Go fuck yourself." "Fair."

I think you did it justice. And I really, really love delving into characters’ psychologies, whether it’s my own characters or otherwise, so this has been a positively wonderful experience. I’m not familiar with the post in question, but I can picture the premise. And it definitely fits Karimi. Everything has been painted over. The life she knew with her grandmother was burned and destroyed in no more than two days. But there’s still one little star left. It’s dim, it’s barely visible, but it’s there. Maybe, amid the unending disappointments of the past decade, there might be a glimmer of hope left. Maybe, maybe, her father is still out there somewhere, and maybe he isn’t the uncaring monster that she’s secretly afraid he is.

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solardick · 1 day

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They just deleted my post. Guess they dont like the truth about politics, symbols and brainwashing. And are anti-bible. Though they kept all my bs insanity and unhealthy blog ramblings of insanity.

Though on another note. That that this blog has gone persoanl

Again. Right as i het my post deleted as im wtyping about the letter X on the sun card and the russian symbols of war. Trying to usuro that place. To keep the motion of being bullied. I leave on that note. Step outside put on my ball cap. Toronto mapleleafs. And what doni see? A boy and girl playing ball. Boy with the bat girl with the glove. And then an emergency alarm goed off. An ambulance or cruiser. One of the two. The X on the suncard. And go shopping for some “healthy foods” and get eyed by a homely girl. Not beautiful. But not ugly. Onyl

A little bit. Shes getting turned on. Cuase im sexy. While shopping woth her boyfriend. Id tap that.

The X is a multifaceted symbol. Meaning no and yes. Usually tommy cause when ever the suncard is involved. Its a bad X. It’s treasure. Or treasure turn bad by bs? X marks the spot. If y’all a criminal.

So according to this experience Waites an asshole.

Think sje was lactose intolerate. She mentioned skemthign along those lines searching fir the item she couldnt find ont he shleves. She likes the fact that i alsompicked up some chocolat almond milk, roght beside.

She said hmm. And she’s right. Thats good stuff.

If Putin was an american he would have been assasinated by now like all americans get.

Something bothers me anout the sun card. And the X. Shouldnt it be the moon card instead?

The rising of the sheild hero? Hey look its my story in anime form. Gonlim slayer was awesome. Too. Is there goblins? No? Thrn i dont care.

Anyway the briliance of the lost post as turn to something dumb. Ugh.

Anyway to continue on.

И = and. В = in, on, at. Я = I, as in myself since the letter I capital on this type setting is obscure. A = and, but. An And with contrast. К = to, toward, by. У = at, by, near the subject. О = about; or as an English equivalent of Oh!”

? “Ok you want to see what i got.

Yoo nad you miss out on the best post ive ever was working on. Guess you inly get “12th house bs” cause its taurus. Choose better times luv. Instead of proving yourself right.

On accounted over-layering alphabets. Number 23. Outside the bounds of tarot, save for cyclic repetition. Is given letters Х and W. which is curious. Considering these are the letters for cards the moon and the sun. Х is akin to the sun card but here under the russian guise is closer to its english counterpart of letter H. Which classically is placed upon the lovers card. Curious how the sun card plays the image of a boy and a girl playing under the sun. To fallow symbolic layering. The english letter H, the lover(s) in russian is to the letter N. which is used as the strength card. Here classically shows the image of the feminine (moon) overpowering the sun. The lion. But here is given to the number 8. Letter Ж. A mirrored image of the letter K. As justice. And brought near the letter J as the chariot. Justice being blind. Cannot see its own reflection. And here number eight is brought in bounds to the tarot sequences as number 8 is given to justice. Or to waites strength as union or harmony. Which works in a way as justice is shown holding to seperate objects. Which being a number 1. And strenght shows the entanglement of the moon and the sun. But… waites lovers card. Shows the feminine overlayering the sword and the masculine overlayering the scales of balance. The angel in the sky above them serves as the negatikn dash connecting two 1s. Here there is no harmony. But a clash. An obstruction between them. The feminine and the serpent. And its reflection of the white horsemen and the spear killing the hell bound “masculine”. To fall inline with the letter Ф and the letter V. On number 22. Extinguishing the flames.

TemperaNce shows as the letter R and the russian letter Р. She’s pouring one vessel into another. Which is all good. Save that P in english is given to the hanged man. Temperance being a woman.

It would seem the purpose of the russian war supported by the latin alphebet by the americans serves a purpose of its putpetuayion for as long as possible. Considering the high general of the russian forces was given to a young man in his thirties suggests a long ongoing war that may last decades. This forces russian symbolism of its reformed alphabet on the peoples of the americas. Part of the dialogue. I was discussing in the last deleted post. Playing on the tussina war machine using alphabetical symbols foreign to their own alphabet. Letters Z, V, and letters O and X. As for the media sayign. Nations placimg a ban on displaying the letter Z. As a criminal offence. It not being a native letter of their own alphabet.

What if it was?

Co sidering the americas canada included are the nations of the moon and the russian/chinesse connection being the nations of the sun. Rising sun. As russia is still a baby considering its reformation from a dictatorial political state into a democracy that works very similarly to the united states.

Astologically speaking they would be a first quarter nation and the americas a second quarter nation. Producing a square. Of conflict.

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lshark-cs · 7 months

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Iron God Chapter 12 [Haode]

CW ABUSE Despite her initial misgivings, Pileated Woodpecker was not impossible to convince. She told Haode she would spread the word, as her contacts were numerous, despite Felltree being a small community. "Anyone and everyone who's lost someone to Styzia," she had assured him. "We outnumber them. We will have our justice."

Then she had given them three horses and sent them on their way. The mares they now rode had once belonged to the village's defenders, all of whom had been killed by the sabretooth-masked monster. Like Peck and her children, they were named after birds. Haode tried to keep himself calm in the saddle. Letting Gyrfalcon pick up on his fear would only spell trouble.

He looked between the pale mare's tufted ears and saw a log in the path. She jumped over it with ease. Behind him, Ido's mount refused the jump. Ido shouted. Sparrowhawk pranced and tossed her head.

Haode looked over his shoulder. "Stop pulling so hard on the reins. That's how you tell a horse to stop, not go."

Ido's mount lunged awkwardly over the log. Dakko followed on Blue Heron. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"The Wash," said Haode. "Remember? The village below Styzia." "That seems like the last place we'd want to be," said Dakko. "Well, except Styzia itself."

"The Wash probably provides Styzia's resources, due to its location," said Haode. "Which makes it an ideal ground to sow unrest."

Ido interrupted. "What if those people sympathize with them?"

Haode kicked his horse and snapped his head around to glare at Ido. "Anyone who sympathizes with those demons is brainwashed. We'll expose the truth."

"And how?" Ido asked.

"The truth," said Haode, "is that those monsters committed unspeakable atrocities in order to kidnap a girl, just like they kidnapped all of their so-called warriors." He looked up. "She, like all of their captives, will become the Masters' weapon. Qila and Xigon will set her like an attack dog on any who defy what they claim to be the Iron God's vision. And the cycle of oppression will continue." He clenched his hands around the reins. "That's how it will be."

"Sounds good," said Ido. "Surely they'll listen."

Haode couldn't tell whether or not Ido was being sarcastic. He decided not to press the matter. When he heard a trickle of water, he turned Gyrfalcon and rode toward it. The boys followed. They let their horses drink from the creek, then Haode led them downstream along the bank. "This must drain to somewhere," he told them. "And it could be a bluehole."

They rode along the half-frozen creek for quite some time. Haode ducked beneath the snow-weighted spruce and fir branches. Prickly green needles tugged at his hood every now and then. Below, Gyrfalcon's hooves punched holes in muddy slush. Occasionally she would slip and Haode would grab her white mane, startled and then relieved as she regained her footing.

The stream led them into a mist-shrouded bog. The trees grew shorter and scrawnier before vanishing altogether. The ground went from slush to damp moss and pungent black peat. Their horses' hooves squelched in the muck. Haode looked up. The mire stretched on as far as he could see. He took a deep breath. The air was earthy and noticeably warmer than the woods.

Something rustled in the shrubs. Haode jolted and yanked the reins. Gyrfalcon threw her head up. When Haode saw that it was only a muskrat, his panic subsided. Then he heard a chuckle behind him.

Ido rode up beside him. "Boss, that was only a muskrat."

Haode reached over and smacked him.

Dakko scolded his brother. "Don't make fun of him, Ido."

Haode tried his best to ignore them both. "I don't see a bluehole yet, and I doubt we can reach the Wash easily without one." He urged Gyrfalcon forward, but she pinned her ears and backed up. He was about to yell at her when he saw something move in the fog.

Two shapes were drawing closer to them. At first, Haode thought it was a wild horse, though a bog was a strange place for horses. Then he heard it. Click-click. Haode's heart skipped a beat. Click-click-click-click-click. Then it panted and sniffed the air.

Ido shivered beside him and struggled to keep his horse still. "That's a funny looking horse, boss."

"That's a nack, not a horse," Haode whispered. "Don't move. It'll probably go away. They don't hunt when they're alone." He caught himself trembling.

The nack lifted its pale head and sniffed the air again. Its mane fell back to reveal two short, pointed horns. Its mouth was larger, with thinner lips and sharper teeth. Steam huffed from the beast's nostrils. Its large eyes seemed to stare straight through him.

"Huh." Dakko cocked his head. "That's pretty interesting. I don't think I realized nacks were a real thing."

"There's truth in every tale," said Haode. Then he yelled at the nack. "Get away! Go!"

The nack startled and fled. Its feet splashed through the murky puddles. Haode breathed a sigh of relief and hoped there weren't more of them.

Something wailed in the distance. Another nack, no doubt. Haode cursed. Its keening sounded eerily human. Gyrfalcon whinnied. Sparrowhawk fussed as well. Blue Heron reared up and then took off. Dakko screamed and fought to stay on. Haode kicked his horse and charged after him. Ido followed suit.

Haode yelled and urged his mount. He tried to cut in front of Dakko's horse, but Blue Heron was too fast. Over the pounding of hooves in the peat and their own shouts, Haode heard the cry again. Much closer. A nack with an almost blood-red coat leaped in front of them. Their horses stopped. Blue Heron slipped in the black mud and almost fell. Dakko sobbed. "What's happening?"

The nack's tail swished. It turned its head to reveal the deep red eyes of a Ferash Therall.

"You're one of us?" Haode asked.

It responded in the Ferash Therall tongue. "More or less." The voice sounded feminine. She picked one hoof up. It flattened and grew fingers. Human skin spread up the arm. "I take many forms."

Haode's eyes shot wide open. If this was who he thought it was, they were in even worse danger than he had feared at first.

The nack looked at her newly human arm, then at Ido. She changed her other front limb, then the rest of her body to look like Ido's. She leaned back on her hindquarters and shrank into a perfect imitation of Ido, right down to the clothes and the little tuft of hair that always got in his face. The only difference Haode could see was that this shapeshifter had the calm, smug expression of someone playing a game and winning. When it spoke again, it sounded exactly like Ido. "Why the fear, vultures? You're the ones who ought to be making me afraid, don't you think?"

Haode was too terrified to move. He barely managed to speak. "Channei."

Ido whispered to himself and rocked in his saddle.

"You know me, do you?" Channei grinned. "Then surely you know you don't stand a chance if I attack." When she noticed Haode reach for his reins, she added on. "Don't even think about running. I will catch you."

Dakko caught his breath. "You're being controlled, you know that, right?"

Channei laughed at him. "And you aren't?" She looked at Haode. Her hair vanished and she grew taller as she morphed to imitate him. He heard his own voice come out of her mouth and nearly fainted. "I'd love to rip all three of you to shreds right here and now but branding my arm hurts and you aren't worth it." Haode's mirror image sneered at him. "So instead, I'm here to pass along a message from my masters. Suppose I should look the part."

Half of Channei's hair turned black, and half turned gray. She grew even taller. Frighteningly tall. Half her face wrinkled like an old woman's. When she spoke, it was with two unison voices. "Whatever your reason for seeking Kolo might be, turn back now. This is your first and only warning." She pointed to the eye on the black-haired side. "We are watching. No threat to our family will go unnoticed – or unpunished. If you value your lives, abandon this pointless quest."

Haode clenched his jaw. "Kolo is my only hope." He rocked back and forth in his saddle. "She's the only way I can survive!" He glared at Channei. "Tell your masters that I'm not afraid of them."

"But you are," said Channei. "You're terrified of them, and it's making you sick!" She erupted in laughter and then stopped herself. "I'm sorry, it's hilarious to me." She changed to look like a young blond woman. "Do you really think a bunch of angry villagers will put so much as a crack in our order?"

Haode shivered. His wasting muscles tightened. "I know what will put a crack in your order."

"Oh, you want to capture me or something?" Channei shrugged. "Go ahead. I'm actually interested to see what happens." She lifted her hands up.

"Now, Ido," said Haode.

Bolts of lightning exploded from Ido's fingertips. They cracked through Channei. She jerked and crumpled to the ground. Her limbs twitched and seized.

Haode dismounted, grabbed her, and threw her up onto Gyrfalcon's back. He got back in the saddle and kicked his mount. "Come on, boys," he growled. "Let's find that bluehole."

#original work #dark fantasy #fantasy #my writing #writing #web fiction #web novel #creative writing #iron god #original writing #writers #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writers and poets #writerscommunity

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maple-alliance · 1 year

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Drabble (Honestly wanted this to be the explanation of her hero of justice timeline, but this turned into a big ass drabble instead--)

"Wait and see, you guys. I'm going to be a hero of justice!"

Hero of Justice… A dream she has had for a long time ever since she was known as the cursed child. A childish dream, but one where she hoped to fulfill at some point in her life, but she didn't know how to tackle it with her not having magical powers back then. But that changed when Eskalade entered her life for the better…And for worse.

Back when Tear first contracted with Eskalade there was barely anything required from the contract, it was almost to good to be true, even if she was reluctant to accept the contract. However, the chance to be the hero of justice was too good to pass up.

At first the feeling of having all this power and the other benefits she got was a rush of dopamine she thought she'd never could have. And while it seem pretty good if not almost too good to pass up, as years go by and as more hardships happened, she started to realize that in the end it does start to seem to be too good to be true.

She got power, fame and wealth thanks to Eskalade, but from him she also gotten headaches, a job she honestly didn't originally want, a life of someone with a secret identity which she never questioned why she needed it in the first place this universe where magic users are all around her. And worst of all, the close bonds she had with her friends had started to be more separated from it and for what? All so she wanted to be a hero of justice?

She began thinking what had caused all of this to happen, only to end up to one simple conclusion: Eskalade's decisions and influence.

While he still isn't able to live a life free from the relic he's trapped in, it was clear that he had gained the most benefits compared to the losses he got from the contract, whereas Tear got the short end of the stick.

Not only that, but there was a drastic difference between her past self and herself now-- where her past self was someone who had trusted friends, a life she had control over-- a life where her goals were pure of heart. Now her friends became a bit more distant from her and her life wasn't the one she originally wanted and in some sense still didn't want. And her goals were still pure of heart, but due to the choices she was somewhat forced to make, the goal seemed further than ever.

That was something she was saddend by and wished to change it immediately. She had enough of having things go so wrong.

Much to her complains there was no way of breaking the contract just by request. The stubborn dragon god never knew how to give up and end the contract, but she wasn't going to give up on that either.

In the end Tear went to Fenelle to ask for a way to undo this. She originally said there was no way to get it off of her and in some ways that is still true. However, there was one option, one that she wasn't sure if it would work or worse. Tear accepted that deal and chose to go along with it anyway.

And while it was a temporary for Tear still had the option to put it on once more, at that moment she was able to take off that bracelet where Eskalade resided. Once that happened, Tear wanted to give Fennelle an embrace, shedding those tears once more. Fennelle asked what has happened all this time, but Tear wished to not talk about it for a while.

The bracelet/relic still ended up being in Tear's posession for Fennelle trusted the relic to her. That was fine, Tear wanted to have a chance to speak to Eskalade one last time and say how she felt about the whole thing in private.

Once Tear left she headed straight to barrier where it all began, where she had that relic for the firs time. It was clear to her that Eskalade didn't like what she just did, but she wanted to make it clear that she wasn't happy with what had happened to herself and the friendship she had with her friends. Eskalade wanted to explain but Tear didn't gave him the time, stating that she isn't going to continue with the contract any longer.

With her finally having the option to continue the contract now or not, she chose to terminate it. Eskalade didn't like to do it, if anything he was somewhat furious at her for going so far to be able to terminate the contract. But he didn't like her way of talking to him the last few days anyway and if anything if she really wanted it, then he's fine to go along with it under the condition that it cannot be undone. Once the contract is broken, all that power she had once had from him will be gone-- back to him.

Maybe it was her frustration and a desire to get her life back that made her go with the decision, but she went along with it.

Weeks passed after that and Tear-- so far as it seemed was just back to the same old girl she used to be. She tried fixing a bit of the bond that she and Kyle had which they did and started to be honest and explained what had happened all these years. He was shocked she didn't tell him sooned, but he undestood why she had to. Contractual obligation and all that. And the relic Eskalade resided in? It was stored in a glass container in her room. Locked and hidden from all those who dared to use his power.

It seemed like everything is starting to be as it was back before it all started, with a notable exception being Velderoth, who was by now probably caught by one of the knights trying to liberate Helliseum. He was probably punished if not executed by now for his traitorous actions. It all seemed like it was going to be like that for a good while if not for the rest of her life. She was going to miss the life of being a hero, but it was worth it to escape the influence of Eskalade.

However, the life of a hero wouldn't end there, for the people needed some help stopping the monsters that were outside the walls of Pantheon. They were short staffed and while she alone didn't get permission to help out, Kyle was with her this time and even though she wondered why she till wanted to help out, at the same time her wish to become a hero is one he knows all too well. So with Kyle's way of words she was allowed, if only under his supervision, even if they doubted Tear's skills.

Annoying how she went from a hero who was as strong if not stronger than Kyle to basically needed to be supervized by him, but she was able to help and be of use. This was the place she grew up with after all. They gave her a simple sword to fend off the monsters. Weird that she has to fight using a sword, but at least she can learn to use a sword. And with Kyle's guidance who knows? Maybe she can use a sword just as good as him someday.

At first when fending off the monsters, Tear was stumbling here and there, but she was able to fend them off. It was a weird, funny yet a moment of awe to see a friend who he thought had never fought, who had recently told him the truth, try to fight and even has some positive effect in fending off against the monsters.

As time passed fending off against the monsters, she gradually grew somewhat more confident in using the sword, having her stance become sturdier and her swings deal more damage against the monsters. Even the one who assigned the two the mission was surprised to see her skills, to the point where even Kyle was surprised and gave her a compliment or two.

"You're stronger than you were, even without those powers." A compliment that Tear never expected to hear, even if it is from Kyle himself.

Though they're able to fend off, the monsters grew in quanities rapidly, to the point where Tear began to feel overwhelmed by it. Kyle and the other was concerned that she couldn't keep it up and that she would be in danger. She was skilled with the sword, but she didn't have any magical potential….Right?

As more and more started to come, even the other two started to get occupied and they couldn't help her. She's on her own now, without Eskalade's help, without their help or anyone elses. She wished she could do something about this.

"Wait and see, you guys. I'm going to be a hero of justice!"

Why did that memory came back to her? The why she didn't have time to think. She remembered back to how strong she was back when she had that contract. Sure, she hated to be contracted by Eskalade now, but she can't deny that his powers would sure come in useful by now. She's not the strong girl she was back then-- that was she thought, until Kyle's words from before came back in her mind.

"You're stronger than you were, even without those powers."

The monsters were strong for her and while she's not the strong hero she was back then, she wasn't the powerless girl she was before the contract. She had a sword, she was a bit stronger, she can do this. If she couldn't become the hero Angelic Buster before, then at least she can be the hero of justice she wanted to become for so long, right?

She pushed on a bit more and while she knew she doesn't have Eskalade, what happened at that moment was bizarre for anyone who thought she doesn't have magic.

A flash of light surrounded her before she changed appearance to a familiar figure known throughout this universe with a familiar soul shooter on her right arm that blasted through the monsters. The amount of monsters being blasted away startled the monsters and causes them to scatter and retreat to the forest.

Tear didn't realize it yet what happened, but the two did. Kyle was surprised and unsure what to say, while the other guy who helped out basically had his jaw dropped.

Tear asked to the two if they're alright. They seem fine, although stunned to see her as if she was a ghost. She is unsure why they're stunned. Maybe it was due to her swordsmanship that she got? No, that wasn't it.

"…Tear, you're.." Kyle spoke, pointing at her as if to indicate she need to look at herself.

Tear wasn't sure what he was talking about, but the moment she raised her right hand was when she noticed the sould shooter, as well as what has happened. Now she's confused bewildered and similar emotions revolving around it. She doesn't have magic, right? Well if that was true nad she doesn't have Eskalade, why was she able to transform? Is she still cursed with Eskalade's power? Tear almost wanted to run, but Kyle calmed her down and told her to go see Fennelle. She told Kyle that she hasn't told the truth to her yet as she didn't know how to talk about it to her. Kyle understand and ensures her that she'll understand. She is technically her foster parent after all.

As for the other guy, they asked him to keep it a secret between the three of them for now.

Back to the sanctuary and Fennelle thought why Angelic Buster was here all of a sudden with Kyle. They explained the whole story to her, with Tear apologizing for not explaining it in the first place.

Fennelle came to the conclusion that she had been affected by the relic for so long that it's mana started to flow to her body, turning Tear from a girl without magic, to someone with magic potential. But she wishes to make sure that Tear isn't negatively affected by the relic's influnce. After diagnosing her condition, Fennelle stated that she seemed fine, it's just that she has gained magical powers, but she does wish for Tear to check up with her every now and then. That and celebrate this discovery for this meant that she can use mana, increase her mana and what not like every other nova. Though she does wonder how Tear will be able to turn back, which Tear was able to do it naturally…And back to Angelic Buster again…And back to Tear, which Fennelle was happy to see she already had control over her powers.

Now, with this power, Tear realized one thing… She was able to become Angelic Buster once more, but not without Eskalade's help anymore. She can help people now in battles without the need of the relic. She's free, LIBERATED from his influence. She can be Angelic Buster without being bound by contractual obligations. Sure, she is far weaker than she was back then, but this means that she can grow stronger without Eskalade's help.

Nearing the end of the day, Kyle asked what she's going to do now that she's able to have these powers. Tear responds, a bit concerned, but also excited and relieved.

"I…I guess I will do what I've wanted to do all this time. Be a hero of Justice."

Kyle chuckled on that, asking if she's still continuing with that dream. While Tear takes one jab back at him telling that he is still continuing with his own dream, she isn't going to deny it. This has been her dream for so long and she can now fulfill that dream however she pleases. So she nodded at that question, before asking if Kyle is okay teaching her some more sword training and to maybe join in on her adventures, not with her as just the idol of the battlefield Angelic Buster, but with her as Tear: the Angelic Buster.

Kyle wouldn't say no to Tear, especially now that she's got powers. Besides, he wanted to see what Tear had seen in her journey.

And thus on the next sunrise, they both headed off to MapleWorld, going on an adventure together-- an adventure with Kyle-- one where Tear is able just being able to be herself as Angelic Buster.

#drabble #Free; Pristine and Genuine | Hero of Justice timeline #Angelic Buster | Tear #Kaiser | Kyle

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halt-kun · 1 year

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Hunter x Hunter Chapter 161 - Face Off (4)

Let’s gooooo Bobopo died

It’s funny how they wanted to avoid infighting by taking fodders and end up with cowards causing infighting.

Anyway the poor guys have already been stuck there for a long time and it’s understandable to not want to face certain death

Killua min maxing is good

DODGEBALL, I remember this what the fuck moment and at the same time the joy of seeing dodgeball in an anime with high stakes. I miss playing dodgeball. I was shitty at catching the ball but I was very good at dodging. I always ended up in the last ones. I also wasn’t that bad at throwing and strategise on who to eliminate

Gon feels bad about Bobopo

8 members, noooow

we rarely see a head on 8 vs 8 (even if it’s more 1 vs 6 here) in anime too

I love this part of Hunter x Hunter

The number of the devil means more strength and less agility often. I just noticed the number of balls on their hands is the same as their number

Razor would definitely be bad in a direct fight. The highest number is 13 I think so it means he can only fuse two at once. Most of those are very hard to deal with and with the addition of Razor it’s a pain in the ass

I think Razor is the 14th devil

Who thinks getting hit on purpose is a good idea ?

Gon is a nice kid and person

Gon is quite right but Razor would reply you could fill in your numbers like he did, when you’ve no friends or ally, make them yourself (DIY friends, the nen ability)

I’m not pro death penalty but I won’t cry Bobopo either. He was technically killed by someone else serving their sentence though so don’t act like you’re better Razor

The cat is out of the bag

Bobopo was also dumb to try to mutiny against a monster like Razor and break the contract keeping him alive.

Anyway contracting death row inmate is kinda sus morally speaking

Anyway death row penalty is bad either way, justice making mistakes is a thing and one innocent life is one too many to be lost. I know I might want retribution such as death in some case but more violence won’t solve anything and I don’t want to live in a country that would allow such act to be carried out by justice. Finally, the justice system is there to avoid such things from happening again and death penalty has been proven to not reduce crime rates (and even increase some types of crimes) and it costs more than jail for life anyway.

Also you need to pay some people to kill other people and I’m definitely against that being a job.

Jail time is also pretty bad for most crimes because it just fucks people more and will just lead to committing crimes again. It’s not like serial killers fill jails too. Most rapists are out of them. Small fry thieves have no reason to just be imprisoned for their crime too. It serves no purpose other than cause pain and suffering to people who need help most of the time. Am I supposed to feel satisfaction from that ? Contempt ?

Anyway enough ranting on this, I’m just really annoyed by french politicians lately only talking about throwing people into cells like it will do anything and like it hasn’t been proven to lead to less safe countries. Jails are already filled to the brim

Hisoka just likes to talk and reveal important truths to people. He wants to feel smarter than everyone

Gon ? I never understood how this was supposed to be related to Ging. GI is in the real world --> Ging might be there more than if it was a virtual world ?

Togashi’s creepy faces are the bests

SHOCK then excitement

really a creepy kid this Gon

Goreinu having gorillas for a nen ability is quite funny

So maybe he’s a primatologue or maybe his wrestling involved very NSFW stuff (remembering Kurapika needed to taste and smell chains to be able to conjure them)

Also he conjures male apes ? pretty gay

FIGHT TIME

Gon seems worried

AH yes rule times

WHO DIDN’T PLAY WITH THE ‘CUSHION’ effect ?

seriously it’s a standard rule

GON !?! SEIOUSLY ?!?

Well of course he never played dodgeball with the 1 other kid of whale island but it’s not that hard. Well I can understand if it’s the first time hearing it

Weaker players of each team is out. Goreinu probably needs less focus too that way he doesn’t have to wonder about dodging or catching with three potential body but two

Razor leaves the first ball, he’s confident

Well Goreinu don’t jinx it

10 - Nice for dating but please don’t leave it to a stalker, good for careers too I guess

11 - I don’t like leaving my choices to other stuff, my destiny is in my hands and I’ll fuck it up of my own free will

12 - I’d love to just have these words everyday, I’d feel more confident. I would probably be unable to use them accordingly

13 - Worst thing, prize money for not taking chances

14 - I don’t like cutting off people from my life and anyway I don’t need scissors to do it if I need to. Would be good for victims of abuse tho

15 - I would never be able to come up with 1000 wishes (after a few years maybe)

16 - Nice advice tool

17 - Classic card, heal anything, quite efficient

18 - Drug or climax little devil, I perfectly understand getting good vibes from someone winking at me tho

Well one more chapter for today !

sorry for the prison rant

#hxh c161 #hxh liveblog #hxh manga

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rinoomi · 2 years

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you're my golden hour

#levi #levi ackerman #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot #snk #進撃の巨人 #imagine there's a pretty sunset behind #I'm too lazy to draw that pLS #he's soo pretty I can never do him justice #anyway I was drawing xiao but then ended up doodling levi #Fir draws

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kitzatara · 2 years

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Anyway in light of recent misleading and down right ooc portrayals. Here’s a list of Zatanna and how she actually treats kids in the comics.

She is very protective of kids and she would never, has never, and should never be shown as doing anything to harm or control them. She was particularly caring of Timothy Hunter, even risked her life to save him at least twice.

She dropped her own personal issues and loss of power to help the young Misty Kilgore and train her in magic. Without ulterior motives.

In the Secret Six Zatanna very recklessly wanted to help Black Alice, who I’m fairly certain she’s never met and was saddened to learn that she couldn’t do anything to actually help her without bad consequences.

Zee was horrified by the sacrificial ritual that Brother Night performed to get his powers. She forces him to relinquish his power and is genuinely relieved when she set those children’s souls free.

In a short story when children were hospitalized by poisoned hallucinogenic candy on Halloween, Zatanna finds the culprits and gives them the same candy in revenge fir harming the kids. Then in a separate Halloween story Zatanna goes out of her way to prevent older kids from scaring a young girl and gives her a happy Halloween

She found a baby with Timothy Hunter that she thought had been wounded and she swore revenge until the child was revealed to be okay. She is also very kind to and looks out for Molly who is struggling in the same comic due to her faerie curse and Timothys unintentional inattentiveness.

She risks her own safety to protect the civilians and children of enemies. Enemies who were trying to hunt down and exterminate magic users like herself.

In Injustice she is particularly sought after by other heroes to watch their children. John and Dinah both give their children to her to protect in the tower of Fate in case they didn’t make it back.

Zatanna stayed hours after a show for an orphanage to perform for the children for free and make them laugh.

When i tell you never in her life would she do anything to harm a child or manipulate them in any way, i mean it. She is not who Young Justice portrays her as in the final episode of the arc. It doesn’t matter if you like the arc or not, if you have any takeaway it should be that that’s not who Zatanna is. It’s almost akin to Bruce killing in the DCEU. It’s just not accurate.

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baronessblixen · 2 years

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christmas prompt: (au) Melissa and the gunmen are fighting over the last christmas tree at the store and mulder and scully intervene and meet!

Thank you so much for this prompt! I hope I did it justice. I don't often write AU, but I had so much fun with it. Tagging @today-in-fic

Wc: 1229.

The Day I First Saw You

His mood has already plummeted into nothingness when he hears the commotion. There are few people here in the store; it's Christmas Eve and most people have all they want and need at home.

Still, it takes Mulder a moment to realize that the sound of angry, fighting people is coming exactly from where he left his friends. He sighs, making his way back to them.

He didn't want to come here in the first place. Why do they need a tree now? When Christmas is almost over anyway? They had three weeks to buy one. Mulder couldn't care less. For the tree or the festivities. He shouldn't have asked the Lone Gunmen if he could spend Christmas with them in the first place. Looks like he's still always making the wrong choices.

There they are: Frohike, Byers and Langley, who is wearing a Santa hat and clinging to a shrimpy fir, looking ridiculous.

"We saw it first!" He complains now, his glasses fogging up from his fury.

"You did not!" A woman with long, wavy hair retorts, trying to push him away.

"Please refrain from violence," Byers says, sounding anxious.

"This is my tree," the woman says. "Its aura is clearly attuned to mine."

"Its what?" Langley asks, exchanging looks with his friends. Mulder can no longer stand here and do nothing. He takes a step forward, opens his mouth and-

"Stop fighting about the damn tree," a voice that's decidedly not his own says. "We can go somewhere else, Missy." It's another woman, smaller than her companion, with hair that looks like a golden autumn sunset. Mulder finds himself gaping at her.

"It has to be this tree," the woman - Missy, Mulder thinks - sobs and gives Langley a death glare. Mulder doubts he can even see it, considering how fogged up his glasses are by now.

"We need this tree," Frohike says, stepping forward. It's three against two and Mulder has never been one to fight unfair.

"Actually, we don't," he says, causing everyone to stare at him. The woman, the tiny, feisty one, looks him up and down as if appraising him. He wants her to like what he sees even though she's a complete stranger.

"What are you doing?" Langley asks.

"How about," Mulder clears his throat, buying himself some time. "We, um- you know. The two of us will discuss it and make a decision." He points at the smaller woman, whose eyebrows shoot to the sky.

"We?" She asks, pointing back at him.

"Do it," Missy nudges her. "I want this tree. It's mine."

"It's my tree but yeah, fine with me," Langley says with a shrug.

"Don't run away with it," Mulder warns his friends and they nod. He and the woman stand to the side, keeping an eye on the tree and the squabblers.

"Hi," he says with a smile, extending his hand. "My name is Mulder, Fox Mulder. But everyone calls me Mulder."

"Everyone?" She asks, taking his hand. Her own is soft and feels small in his. But her handshake is firm, not shy at all. "I'm Dana. Dana Scully. But no one calls me by my last name."

He's still smiling at her - and she's smiling back. Dana Scully. Her name sounds like it has the power to change his life.

"A shame, Scully." He winks at her and she playfully rolls her eyes. Someone clears their throat, reminding them to get on. They're not here to make acquaintances or to flirt. Though both options sound more appealing to him. There's something about her that draws him in, makes him forget everything that's gone wrong this year. Hell, his whole life.

"We're a bit- that's my sister Missy over there - we had a tree until last night when her girlfriend left her and took the tree with her," Dana explains, bringing him back to their problem at hand.

"She took the tree?"

Dana nods. "She knows how much Missy loves Christmas and she just up and left with it." Mulder casts a glance at Missy, whose face is pale and tear-streaked. She's wearing a reindeer sweater, reading 'I'm cooler than your grandma'. This woman deserves a Christmas tree, no matter how ugly it may be.

"The boys didn't care about the tree until I said I'd spend the day with them," Mulder says.

"So the tree is for you." He hasn't thought about it before and looking over at his friends now, his heart softens. They're doing this for him. As misguided as it may seem, they were just thinking about him and trying to spread some Christmas joy to cheer him up.

"Seems that way. My, um, my father, he... he passed away recently and I think they feel sorry for me."

"I'm so sorry for your loss." She touches his arm and when he looks at her, he sees genuineness in her beautiful, blue eyes. He doesn't have the heart to tell her that he and his father weren't close. His father's death didn't hit him as hard as his mother uninviting him. She wants to be alone this year, she said. He knows what that means. There's a new man in her life and there's no place for her son.

"Missy will understand. You take the-"

"No, no," he says quickly. "I don't care about having a tree. The Three Stooges did that all on their own. You have the tree. I want you to have it. It's my Christmas wish."

"Your Christmas wish, huh? Anyone ever tell you you're full of shit, Fox Mulder?" There's a twinkle in her eyes that fills him with new hope. Whatever challenges she's throwing at him, he wants to take them.

"Oh, you'd be surprised."

"Would I be?"

"Hey Mulder," Langley yells, interrupting their moment. "Can we take this tree home now?"

"Sorry, boys." Langley groans but gives over the tree to Missy who, in a fit of giddy excitement, hugs not only Langley but also Frohike and Byers.

"So this is it then," he says, reluctant to say goodbye.

"I guess so. Unless... what are you doing on New Year's Eve? Feel free to decline but Missy always throws a party. It's fun and it's my last day hurrah before I start my new job. Why don't you come? You can bring your friends too? Just as a peace offering for stealing the last tree from you."

"I'd love that," he says, his heart in his throat, his hands sticky like a teenager's. He watches her scribble down a phone number and an address.

"I hope I'll see you again... Mulder." She hands him the piece of paper with a big smile before she joins her sister to help her with the fir.

"Mulder, what the fuck happened here?" Langley asks him, hitting his shoulder. But he's still thinking about the way she said his name. He wants to hear it again.

"She was hot," Frohike throws in unnecessarily.

"Now we need to change our plans for Christmas," Byers says with a sigh.

Mulder is still holding the piece of paper, not listening at all. He still feels the touch of Dana Scully's hand as it brushed his.

He will have to see her again because she just walked out of this store not just with a Christmas tree but his heart, too.

#ficmas2021 #this really was so much fun omg who knew!#thank you so much anon #hope you like it #msr #xf fanfic #my writing #my fic

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the-gay-prometheus · 3 years

Text

Frankenstein AU Segment - “A Time to Mourn” Part 1

Uh- hi - I couldn’t figure out a better title for this one so. We’re stuck with this for now until I think of something better.

Anyways.

This one takes place quite a while after the segment called 'Try.' There's a bit of context missing because of this but... Hopefully it's not too confusing.

A bit of background on this. I knew for a while that I wanted to introduce Ernest and Elizabeth into the main story by having Victor, Henry, and Agape visit William’s grave and be found entirely by accident, but I wasn’t really sure how I wanted to make that happen. And then, in my brain’s infinite wisdom, I came up with.... whatever the hell this is.

Fun fact - part of the writing process for this legitimately had me physically sobbing. Which is kind of sad considering... this isn’t even close to the most painful part of the AU as a whole. Point is though, it took me way longer to write because how in the world do you put into words something that there are no words to describe? I know for sure I still wasn’t able to do it justice despite spending weeks thinking it over and writing and rewriting it, but I think I got it as close as I could possibly get.

Now on to the somewhat disappointing part: this segment is technically going to be posted in two parts. I didn’t intend for it to end up being another two-parter, but what ended up happening was that I suddenly realized I had five pages of content written for it already despite still having more to write and, if I had ended up introducing Ernest the way I originally wanted to, that would have taken up another page or two at least. That would have ended up being a nine to ten page segment - which is waaaay too long if you ask me. This does unfortunately mean that Ernest’s true introduction is going to be delayed, but....

There is a bright side to this, though! I have a new idea for the full introduction of Ernest, and this means that Ernest will actually be getting a segment that is primarily focused on himself way sooner than I originally anticipated. I think he deserves as much, to be honest.

...All of that out of the way, on to the story.

A few warnings for this one: Mentions of blood, death of a child, and breaking bones (if you catch any I missed, please let me know asap!)

As always, likes, reblogs, and comments of any kind are highly appreciated!

It was before the sun rose that Victor awoke, somehow feeling entirely alert despite having only slept a few hours. He sat up in bed, staring at the wall in silence as he prepared himself for the day and the journey ahead. Henry stirred beside him, and though Victor hushed him quietly, his hazel eyes shuttered open. Still half asleep, he yawned and wriggled slightly, pulling the blanket over himself more before slowly starting to half sit upright. “Mm… it’s not already time for you to leave yet, is it?” he grumbled, voice raspy from sleep.

“If I want to make this as quick a trip as possible, yes,” Victor sighed in return, reaching over and taking Henry’s hand.

“And you promise you’ll be back in two days at most?”

“I promise,” Victor answered quietly, lifting his hand and gingerly kissing the back of it. Henry smiled slightly, shifting his grip and returning the kiss with one of his own on the back of Victor’s hand. Victor smiled back, but the expression soon faded into a more solemn one. “Do you promise you’ll keep him here until I come back?” Henry nodded.

“I promise. We’ll… probably go climbing or something,” he replied, sitting more upright and leaning his head on Victor’s shoulder. Victor rested his head against Henry’s, staring ahead once again.

“You should probably talk to him today, while you’re at it,” he suggested. Henry glanced up at him.

“Only if he brings it up. I don’t think he’d take it well if I was the one to bring it up.” Victor was silent, but nodded after a moment. With great effort, he pried himself away from Henry and slipped out of bed to prepare himself for the journey ahead. As he dressed himself, Henry stretched and pulled himself out of bed, walking over and wrapping his arms around Victor from behind once he was fully dressed in his traveling clothes. Victor leaned back into him as Henry placed his chin on his shoulder, raising one hand and placing his palm on Henry’s cheek. “I wish I could come with you,” Henry murmured quietly.

“I know,” Victor replied, “but someone needs to stay and make sure Agape doesn’t leave.” He sighed softly. “In a perfect world you could come with me and I could trust he wouldn’t follow but… we both know him. He’d follow even if he promised not to.” Henry nodded.

“You’re right. But I’ll still miss you.” Victor smiled, pulling back and turning to face him. He stood on his toes and rested his arms on Henry’s shoulders before kissing him softly, Henry reciprocating as he wrapped his arms back around him.

“I know,” Victor answered as he pulled back again. “I’ll miss you too.” Despite Henry’s reluctance to let him go, Victor moved to grab his black coat from the hook by the bedroom door.

“Please take care of yourself while you’re gone,” Henry requested, walking over and helping him to put the coat on. Victor nodded, popping the collar up.

“I will, as best as I’m able.” Just as he opened the door, Henry took hold of his arm and pulled him in for one last kiss, which Victor certainly didn’t protest to. After a moment, he gently tapped Henry’s shoulder, and Henry begrudgingly broke away, a sort of pouting expression in his eyes that made Victor smile. He walked out of the room, silently opening the front door and stepping outside. Henry followed him to the door, standing in the doorway as Victor took a moment to look up at the starry morning sky, admiring how the black of night had begun to lighten around the horizon with the coming sunrise.

“Victor?” Henry called as he watched his husband begin to make his way toward the trail that would lead down the mountain. Victor paused and turned.

“Hm?”

“I love you.” Victor smiled.

“I love you too. I’ll be back before you know it.” With that, he turned again, and disappeared into the trees.

---

“Agape?” Henry called out, worry in his voice as he trudged through the forest, frantically searching in every direction. “Agape?!” After Victor left, he had crawled back into bed and - despite intending to only sleep until just after the sun fully rose, he had managed to sleep in until noon. When he awoke, he realized that his son was nowhere to be found. Though he tried to keep calm, he was terrified. After all, he promised Victor that he wouldn’t let him leave, but now he couldn’t even find him. He searched each of Agape’s usual favorite thinking spots - the pool in the mossy clearing, the circle of stones that looked like they had been intentionally placed in the middle of a stand of silver fir, the grove of collapsed larches from some long-past avalanche, the massive waterfall that dropped from the edge of a cliff and left the forest around it coated in mist - he was still nowhere to be found. The final place he could think to check was the alpine meadow on the other end of the forest, and as he passed through the final tangle of branches, he breathed a sigh of relief as he caught sight of the one he was looking for. Agape stood very still, his long black hair and dark cloak gently billowing in the mountain breeze as he overlooked the peaks on the horizon. Henry approached him slowly and solemnly, standing at his side and staring off in the same direction. “Agape I… I was hoping you would have come and talked to me this morning.”

“You were still asleep when I awoke,” Agape replied after a moment’s silence. “I did not wish to wake you.”

“Instead you worried me half sick,” Henry pointed out, turning his eyes to him.

“That was not my intention.” As he stared out over the distant heights, Henry searched his expression for how he was feeling. “I needed some time to… think.”

“About?” Henry asked, sitting on the grass and motioning for him to sit as well. Agape looked down at him, and hesitated for a moment before sitting beside him.

“I required time to think about what I should do,” he concluded, looking down as he brushed his fingers through the grass around him. He turned, his eyes settling on a patch of wildflowers further down the slope. “I… wish to pay my respects.” Henry tensed.

“That’s… that’s a wonderful idea Agape but, well-” He paused, unsure of how to word it and worried he might take it the wrong way. “Well… Victor- he… See, that’s- that’s where Victor is off to at the moment. And he specifically requested to be-” He cut himself off as Agape suddenly stood, and began walking over to the patch of wildflowers. “Agape?” The tall figure bent down, and began plucking a few of the flowers. Curious, Henry stood and walked over to him. As he walked over, Agape straightened himself upright, and held out a small handful of the flowers for Henry to see.

“As I recall, flowers are a customary gift for the dead, correct?” he asked. Henry was about to reply, when he caught sight of the flowers that Agape held. They were small, pale blue, and grew in clusters on long, vibrant green stems. “Myosotis alpestris,” he recited, recalling the scientific name from one of his and Victor’s many excursions to this spot. “Commonly known as-”

“Forget-me-nots,” Henry breathed, looking up at him. Agape nodded.

“Indeed. They seem… most appropriate.” Suddenly Henry was conflicted. On one hand, he knew Victor needed time to grieve alone. After all, it had been two years, and all that time, he never really had a moment to spend truly grieving. But on the other hand… there was Agape. Clearly seeking something, likely closure or forgiveness, and who was he to deny him that? “If I wish to arrive there in a timely fashion I should leave presently,” Agape continued, breaking him from his thoughts.

“I’m coming with you,” Henry blurted out before he could consider trying to change his son’s mind. Agape gave him an odd, yet comforted look.

“I would much appreciate your accompaniment, Henry, but if that is the case then we truly must leave right away unless you intend for me to carry you.” Henry shook his head.

“That won’t be necessary,” he answered. “Though I may take you up on that offer on the way back.” Agape nodded.

“I understand. In which case, let us be on our way.”

---

By the time Victor arrived at his family’s cemetery, it was well into the night and the full moon coated the land in an eerie pale gleam. Throughout his journey he had felt strangely numb, as though the reality of it all still hadn’t set in yet - which was especially strange, considering it had been two years now. Still, as he stepped beyond the gate, it seemed as though the weight of every body that lay beneath was piled on top of him and for a moment he struggled to breathe. Memories flooded back of his time in Ingolstadt, digging through graves in the middle of the night, sorting through corpses, picking and choosing which parts he would take and which he would leave behind. Although he knew he had nothing to fear, a chill ran down his spine as he felt like a hundred spirits had gathered around him to judge him for his actions. He shook the thought away, gripping at the collar of his coat and pulling it to cover his face as he walked onward. Searching through the names he once played amongst as a child, he finally came across the headstone he was looking for, and upon seeing it he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Resting serenely beneath a willow was a small granite stone that read ‘William Frankenstein ~ Tragically murdered on May 7th aged 8 years.’ It felt like a nightmare. It felt like it shouldn’t be real. Even after all this time, he couldn’t picture it. The last time he had seen his brother, he was no more than an infant, and he couldn’t fathom what the body six feet beneath where he stood might have looked like. Though his throat was suddenly dry, he shuddered and swallowed hard as he reached out and placed a hand on the cold stone.

“I-” His voice cracked as he began to speak. “I don’t… I don’t know what to say to you. I… I don’t have the words.” He hesitated, clenching his eyes shut. “How, William- how have I continued on knowing that your innocent blood is on my hands? I’m... I never should have-” He sucked in a shaky breath, then suddenly recoiled as a horrible vision swam in his mind. He could see it clearly: his creation’s horrible hand upon the throat of a child, yellow eyes burning with fury as he squeezed the life out of his infant brother. A squeak of disgust escaped his throat at the thought, and he trembled. “I never should have done it. I never should have created it. I- If I hadn’t you would still be alive and- and-” His trembling worsened and he broke into a cold sweat. “Good god William, what the hell am I doing? That thing, that demon, he slaughtered you with his bare hand, and here I am playing the father figure. You, my own brother, perished from his malice and I have been treating him with dignity he most certainly doesn’t deserve!” he exclaimed, his voice hoarse. “How blinded by my own fear of what he might do have I been? How insulting it must be to see me treat your murderer with such care.” He nearly fell as his trembling worsened, and he caught his fall upon the edge of the headstone with a gasp. Slowly, he recovered and stood. “How-” he was cut off by the sound of footsteps, and for a moment fear gripped him until he turned. Walking into the cemetery were two familiar shapes, and though in other circumstances he might have been glad to see them, in this particular moment he felt his blood boil with rage. “You’ve got an awful lot of nerve to follow me here,” he seethed as they approached, his eyes narrowed as he glared at them. Henry sighed, glancing away as he stopped just a few feet from where Victor stood.

“I know- I’m sorry but-”

“No, Henry,’” Victor snapped, clenching his fists. “You. Promised.”

“Yes, I did, and I shouldn’t have. This isn’t about me and it isn’t about you either. He-” Agape slowly walked forward, his expression seemingly blank as his yellow eyes stared down at the headstone. Victor felt rage coursing through him at the sight, his mind still reeling from the dreadful vision he had witnessed only moments ago.

“Get the hell out of my sight,” Victor snarled at the creature, his hand shaking as he forcefully pointed toward the exit. Agape didn’t respond, instead simply taking another silent step. Henry wanted to speak up, but kept his mouth shut, knowing nothing he would say could possibly help. “How dare you come here! After what you did to him you-” He cut himself off as the creature took another step. “Are you listening to me? Get. Out!” he cried, pointing once again toward the exit. Another step. “I swear if you take one more step I will not be responsible for my actions,” he hissed. Another step, suddenly more unsteady this time. Victor felt fury swell within him and he suddenly lunged toward his creation. Henry grabbed him before he could lay so much as a finger on Agape, and Victor in turn was about to push him away to make another attempt at striking the creature, when his eyes caught sight of pale blue clutched between his creation’s boney hands. He hesitated suddenly, his vision focusing to realize that Agape held a small bouquet of various wildflowers he had plucked along the journey to the cemetery, though most numerous in the assortment was forget-me-nots. His eyes widened and he felt some of his rage dissipate as Agape took another faltering step. Henry, seeing that Agape was struggling, instinctively moved to help him, but Victor raised an arm and stopped him. “Agape?” Victor managed to hoarsely call out. The creature did not answer, and simply took another step, now standing directly over the grave. All seemed unnaturally silent, no rustling of branches in the breeze or calls of nocturnal creatures, just silence. Victor felt his heart sink as he beheld his creation suddenly tense hard. “...Agape-”

There was a war suddenly raging within the creature’s heart. Such was his anguish at the thought of his crimes that he felt as though every stitch was tearing out of its seam. His memory flooded with dreaded images he had tried so hard to suppress, and it overwhelmed him. As he tried to keep his composure, his grasp on the flowers tightened. Terror gripped him as the soft crumpling of the stems sounded more like sickening cracks in his ears and the damp feeling of now crushed stalks felt more like blood covering his hands. Though they were only wilted flowers, in the vision of his troubled mind, he held the broken neck of a young boy, and in horror he released his grip. He stared down at his hands, shaking violently, before suddenly collapsing to his knees. An indescribably banshee-like scream of pure agony escaped him as he threaded his fingers through his long black hair and gripped the locks tightly as though he were ready to rip them from his own skull. Both Victor and Henry flinched at the dreadful noise, Henry turning away and Victor struggling to hold back a sob of his own. Tears gushed from Agape’s eyes, falling heavy into the grass below, and he struggled to breathe between the cries of despair that escaped him.

As Victor took in a shaky breath, he felt himself tremble as his thoughts flooded with everything he had just said. After all this time, he had never really considered how Agape might have been reflecting on his own actions, or how he too might have been hiding just how much emotional pain he was in regarding that fateful event. And, if this was still the cold hearted murderer he had considered his creation might be, then why would he be in such clearly torturous distress over the death over the one he himself had killed? Worse yet, he knew better - he had seen just how far Agape had come in coping with his emotions and relating to others. He had seen the amount of care and sympathy this miraculous creature showed toward Henry and himself, how selfless he had always been. After all, even though Victor wished that perhaps he had stayed dead, it was out of a deep familial love that Agape had used the very elixir and device that was meant to create an everlasting companion for himself to instead restore his creator - his father - to life. And, in a very real sense, Agape was still a child. For a child to spend two years silently coping with a trauma so intense, though it may have been a trauma the child himself caused, was a burden that Victor could barely comprehend. All at once, whatever malice he still held for his creation within him melted away, and, making the first move, he walked toward his son and shakily placed a hand on his shoulder.

Agape had finally begun to quiet himself while Victor had been hesitating to make any movement, but as soon as he felt the hand of his father placed gently upon him, he felt a sudden swell of heartbreaking pain and he lurched with a sob. In his mind, he deserved no sympathy, and feeling that this man who had just moments prior hurled threats at him was moved so deeply by his grief that he might entirely change his own damaged perspective, shattered his already guilt ridden soul. Victor himself could no longer hold back his emotions, breaking into tears of his own. He flinched slightly as he suddenly felt a hand placed on his shoulder, and exhaled a shaky breath as he recognized the gentle touch as his husband’s. Henry lingered there behind him for a moment, but slowly moved to his son’s other side, kneeling beside him and resting a hand gently upon his back. Though he opened his mouth to speak, he was shocked into silence as Victor spoke instead.

“I am so-” He hesitated, tensing and shuddering before inhaling sharply and continuing. “So sorry.” The words hurt to say, there was no denying that. The moment they left his lips it felt like a dagger cutting into his chest and a fire burning in his throat. Agape’s still tear-filled eyes widened as he heard them, but he stayed silent, not daring to speak in fear of even the slightest chance that his words may only serve to condemn himself more. Once he regained his composure, Victor went on. “I may be cursed with the knowledge of what happened, with knowing that what I did played a part in sealing his fate, but you…” He swallowed hard, and knelt down beside him, reaching out and turning Agape’s face toward him though his son’s yellow eyes averted from his gaze. “You who have changed and grown, who I have watched make such strides of progress toward returning to the kind and gentle soul you once possessed-” Agape winced at his words, strands of his long black hair falling over his face and hiding his eyes. Victor gently pushed the locks away, tucking them behind his ear. “To be forever stained with vivid memories of what you once did, and to hide the pain it must have caused you as you came to realize that action was such a grievous atrocity for the sake of keeping peace - I can only imagine what a living hell it must have been for all that time.” Picking up one of the flowers, though damaged, he held it up and inspected the pale blue of its tiny petals. “I thought maybe you had simply… forgotten. That maybe to you it had been such an inconsequential action, that maybe all it was, was a means to an end.” He placed the flower down in front of the headstone, and gazed upon the engraving. “It doesn’t make logical sense, though, to think that you might have forgotten, given your… impeccable memory. So maybe that was a lie I told myself - to make blaming you and resenting you justifiable.” He glanced over at Henry, who was staring at him from Agape’s other side with a kind, compassionate smile despite the tears still rolling down his freckled cheeks, and in an instant his guilt and regret melted away into a gentle warmth that seeped through him and turned his pained expression into a similarly soft smile. Agape’s immense frame trembled with a long, labored exhale.

“I am undeserving of your sympathy, Victor. The crime I committed was unforgivable.”

“He never said that your crime was forgiven,” Henry pointed out gently. Agape gave him a pained glance. “Killing a child for the sake of gaining compassion by force is unforgivable, it’s true. But no matter how unforgivable an action may be, no man is born or created innately knowing what is forgivable and what is not. It’s what he chooses to do with the knowledge of his actions that determines whether he himself is worthy of forgiveness or not.” There was a long pause as Agape considered what Henry said.

“Given all I have done and everything I am, would I be considered worthy? Was his murder not so damning that I should be forever condemned? Is there any stride I could make that could in some way restore my dignity of one worth the forgiveness of those he so grievously harmed?” He struggled to steady his voice between each still labored breath, each pulse within him carrying a dull ache of still ever-growing guilt and shame.

“Well,” Victor began, reaching out to him and wiping the tears from his eyes. “All things considered, I would say-” He cut himself off as he perceived in his peripheral vision a gleaming light that seemed to be quickly approaching. He looked to Henry, who seemed to be staring out at the glow with squinted eyes. “Henry,” he whispered somewhat harshly. Henry turned his gaze back down to him. “What is it?”

“Someone is coming,” Henry whispered back. Agape flinched at his words and made a quiet noise almost like a yelp, suddenly clutching at the edges of his cloak and pulling it tighter around himself. Both Victor and Henry hushed him softly, though they looked to each other with concern.

“What do we do?” Footsteps could be heard approaching through the grass beyond - two steps and a gentle tap with each stride. Henry lifted his eyes back up toward the approaching figure.

“...I’ll handle it,” he muttered. “Besides, we can’t risk… you know,” he added, gesturing toward Agape. Victor nodded silently, dropping his eyes to the ground and placing a hand back up onto Agape’s shoulder and squeezing tightly - half to reassure him, and half to give himself something to hold on to as he tried not to imagine the worst. Gently pulling the hood of Agape’s cloak over his head, Henry stood, turning toward the figure and trying to determine who it might be. The voice that called out from beyond sent a sudden chill through Victor’s veins and a new fear gripped at his heart. He wasn’t ready for this. Not here. Not now.

“Hello? Who’s there?”

#frankenstein au #tw blood mention #tw broken bones mention #tw death mention #I actually attempted proofreading on this lmao. we'll see if it made much of a difference or not but there were things i ended up changing!#so... good for me! i call that character development on my part i think lmao

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