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peachesofteal · 5 months

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18+ mdni / dark and twisty, whump

It’s snowing.

You don’t even have to move your head to see in order to know. There’s something about how it hangs in the air, how the world sounds and feels during a snowfall that blankets everything, houses, trees, mountains, your mind.

You love it. Always have. Even as a child, winter was your favorite. Winter brought you a sense of calm, of peace. It was what drove you to move out here in the first place. Chasing the snow. The feeling of a quiet forest, lying still beneath the soft spun expanse of white. The smell of the air the morning before a big snow, the eternal quiet that exists in the darkness when everything is dampened down by the weight of a million, billion unique, crystallized webs.

Except this snow feels different. It doesn't feel like a velvety white, soft dream world, but a nightmare... one filled with pain, anxiety. Why are you here? What's happened?

And why do you hurt so fucking bad?

"You're awake." A deep voice says from your side, and you flinch on instinct, immediately wishing you hadn't as lighting sharp pain shoots through your upper arm all the way to your neck, and you cry out. "Easy." It's the brown eyed man, the bigger one. He's sitting in a chair that cannot possibly be comfortable, watching you.

"Where... am I?" You manage to choke out through stiff lips, your head spinning and the world tilting at the same time. It sours your stomach, more than you thought possible, and you try to choke back the burn of bile that's racing up your throat.

"Are you going to be sick?" He reaches, stroking a finger down your face. You hold your tongue, unsure, and he must not like it, because he sighs, and then frowns at you. "Tell me."

"No, I don't-" You can't even finish your denial before your stomach is heaving, and he's springing to action shifting you amidst unbearable pain, turning you on your side to where a clean bucket sits, right beneath your bed.

"It's alright, that's it." A hand soothes up and down your back as you dry heave, sputtering on nothing, tears leaking from your eyes.

"Nnnrgh-"

"I know, I know. Poor thing." He coos, and it sounds so... endearing, so sweet yet... frightening, like the poison of a predator, a pretty display meant to draw you in before it snaps a set of jaws shut around your face.

"H-hurts." You cry as he rolls you back into your original position. "It hurts."

"I know it does, sweet girl. We're going to fix it." He dabs a cloth on your face, across your forehead and then down to clean your mouth up, just as the man with the mohawk appears on the bed, one knee down, leaning over you, concern rife in his features.

"Poor baby. Were ye sick?" You blink up at him. What is going on? He presses a glass to your lips, encouraging you to drink, and then pulling it away after you've had a few sips with a gentle 'not too much'.

"Who are you?" You smack your lips. The water is cold, refreshing, but a ting acidic, and you wonder if it's well water, maybe?

"I'm Johnny." He's setting up something, beside you. You can see him organizing something, but can't quite make them out due to your lack of mobility. "An' this is Simon. Or Si. But ye probably won't be callin' him that quite yet." Johnny and Simon. Did they find you? Did they rescue you? Why can't you remember?

"What happened?" You try again, gritting your teeth against the pain.

"Ye had an accident, remember? We talked about this yesterday? Ye slid off the road, ended up in a thick of trees. Ye're lucky the one didnae impale ye." Impale?

"And you found me?" You're starting to feel tired again, all the sudden, woozy and weird, exhaustion pulling at your limbs. Shouldn't you be in a hospital? Why haven't they taken you to a doctor?

"Aye, we did. Pulled ye free, brought ye home." Home?

"We couldn't leave you to die, and the storm is pretty bad. Pass is closed." Simon offers as an explanation, and you close your eyes. Of course. The pass is closed.

"Thank... thank you." Johnny hums, and then to your complete shock, leans forward, brushing his lips against yours as you blink furiously.

"Want ye to know, if we didnae have to do this, we wouldnae." What?

"Do what?" The broad one, Simon, casts you a mournful glance, rising from the chair. He's got a piece of leather in his hand, like a cut from a belt, and your eyes dart between them. Do what?

"Bite down on this, precious." Simon instructs, placing it against your bottom lip, to which you jerk away in protest with a whimper.

"Do what?" You try again.

"We need to set your humerus, and clavicle." Set your humerus? And your-

Oh. Oh no.

"N-no. No, you ca-can't." You stutter, but Johnny gives you a sad look, shifting on the bed to place a hand on your belly, stroking upwards to the middle of your chest, the other holding firm against your good shoulder, the one that doesn't hurt. His hand is warm, so warm against you, and his thumb rubs in a cautious motion against your skin, lightly grazing the underside of your breast. It feels weird, and wrong... intimate. "Please, don't. Please, please-"

"It's alright." He shushes you, and the pressure against your body increases as Simon wedges a thick finger between your teeth, slipping the worn leather into your mouth, bracing a hand above your elbow, and below your shoulder on the side that hurts. You gasp for air, fear shaking your body, and Johnny coos at you, telling you you'll be alright, that you're with them now and they'll take care of you, that it will only hurt for a little. "Ye'll probably pass out, bonnie. We'll get the second one done while ye're down, and I already gave ye something for the pain." He assures, like it's supposed to relieve you, and your nostrils flare as something tightens against your arm. Simon's grip.

This can't be happening. How can this happen? No, nononono-

There's a crack. A crunch. Burning, obliterating agony that's delivered to your arm like a shot. You scream and bite down at the same time, raw misery trying to claw it's way out of your throat. You think you're crying, hallucinating from the pain, having a heart attack, everything all at once. It hurts. It hurts so bad, it hurts-

"We're sorry, we're sorry." Simon soothes, thumb wiping your cheek, but you can hardly hear him, your mind starting to sever itself from your body, floating away as you slip inside a dark tomb of your mind, losing yourself to unconscious as they both stare down at you, sickeningly sweet concern layered overtop the faces of a bear and a wolf, predators licking their maws in preparation, waiting to devour their prey.

#peaches writes #ghoap x reader #ghost x soap x reader #ghost x reader x soap #simon riley x reader #john soap mactavish #simon riley #soap x reader #johnny soap mactavish #john soap mactavish x reader

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philsrosesweatshirt · 1 month

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hello (one of the) resident phannie data analyst(s) here with some parasocial stats on dnp’s movie tastes! following: distribution of dan and phil's ratings overall, movies they each rated 5 stars, their lowest-rated movies, and the similarities + differences in their tastes

(lore moment: yes i am a data analyst in my real job. yes i surprised myself with wanting to do this in my spare time. but then i remembered when we read dracula in college (yes i was an english major) and i graphed like, how many times dracula was referred to as vampire versus monster or something. so i shouldn’t be surprised.

first up, their overall rating patterns and by ~special status~ (i.e., wall-e, kill bill, avatar, lmao, plus big hero 6 for the fun of it)

dan’s rated 304 movies and phil’s rated 305. both of them have mean and median ratings of 4 with min 1 and max 5.

both rated kill bill vols. 1 and 2 a 5. wall-e got a 4.5 from dan and a 4 from phil (phake phans). both gave avatar a 3.5. and big hero 6 3.5 (dan) and 4.5 (phil)

rating distribution:

i did analyses here by genre but i need to fix the output (i’m writing all of these based on the markdown document from my phone on the subway, but i need to fix the outputs and i don’t have my computer. so those are pending but there are other genre analyses that i could do & haven’t yet!)

while i was sorting through the data i got the impression that dan overall rated movies higher than phil. so, among movies that they've both rated, here's some information

number of movies dan rated higher than phil: 65

Empire Strikes Back, Blade Runner, Return of the Jedi, My Neighbor Totoro, Back to the Future II, Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story, Phantom Mence, Donnie Darko, Attack of the Clones, Finding Nemo, Oldboy, The Notebook, Batman Begins, Brokeback Mountain, WALL-E, (500) Days of Summer, Up, The Hangover, Drive, The Cabin in the Woods, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Life of Pi, Skyfall, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Whiplash, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Room, The Hateful Eight, The Force Awakens, Manchester by the Sea, Deadpool, La La Land, Moonlight, Rogue One, Call Me By Your Name, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2., Wonder Woman, Spider-Man: Homecoming, I, Tonya, Thor: Ragnorak, Phantom Thread, Roma, The Favourite, The Lighthouse, Toy Story 4, Midsommar, Ad Astra, Knives Out, Soul, The Green Knight, No Time to Die, Don't Look Up, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Turning Red, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion, Beau is Afraid, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

number of movies phil rated higher than dan: 55

Star Wars (New Hope), Blair Witch Project, Requiem for a Dream, Memento, Ocean's Eleven, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Moonrise Kingdom, Iron Man 3, Gravity, Prisoners, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Imitation Game, Nightcrawler, John Wick, Gone Girl, Big Hero 6, Jurassic World, The Martian, The Revenant, Nocturnal Animals, Split, Get Out, Baby Driver, The Disaster Artist, Dunkirk, The Shape of Water, The Greatest Showman, The Last Jedi, Ready Player One, Crazy Rich Asians, A Star is Born, Rocketman, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Joker, The Rise of Skywalker, The Invisible Man, A Quiet Place Part II, Greenland, Tenet, Malignant, Eternals, The Matrix Resurrections, Scream (2022), Nope, Prey, Talk to Me, Avatar: The Way of the Water, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

number of movies they rated the same: 99!

Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Se7en, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Spider-Man, Lost in Translation, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Mean Girls, Howl's Moving Castle, Children of Men, The Dark Knight, Pontypool, Inglourious Basterds, Avatar, Toy Story 3, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Black Swan, The Social Network, 21 Jump Street, The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, The Conjuring, Snowpiercer, Her, Thor: The Dark World, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Boyhood, It Follows, Guardians of the Galaxy, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Interstellar, Ex Machina, The Witch, Avengers: The Age of Ultron, Mad Max: Fury Road, Inside Out, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Your Name., Arrival, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, mother!, It, Blade Runner 2049, Hereditary, Black Panther, Annihilation, A Quiet Place, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Us, Avengers: Endgame, Parasite, It Chapter Two, Marriage Story, Uncut Gems, 1917, Black Widow, The Suicide Squad, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Dune, Last Night in Soho, The Batman (2022), Everything Everywhere All at Once, X, The Northman, Top Gun: Maverick, Bullet Train, Barbarian, Pearl, M3GAN, Dungeons and Dragongs: Honor Among Thieves, Evil Dead Rise, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3., No Hard Feelings, Saltburn, Priscilla, Society of the Snow, Saw X, Leave the World Behind

i didn't analyse this by genre or anything, but i could -- so if you're interested lmk!

the 5 movies with the most different ratings between dan and phil

- Iron Man 2 (dan: 2, phil 3.5)

- The Greatest Showman (d: 2.5, p: 4)

- Malignant (d: 3, p: 4.5)

- Scream (2022) (d: 2.5, p: 4)

- Beau is Afraid (d: 3, p: 1.5)

Interesting that even though dan has more higher rated movies, 4/5 of these ones phil rated higher.

next, their 5-star movies

dan's five stars: 80

Alien, Empire Strikes Back, ET, Blade Runner, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Stand by Me, The Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, Back to the Future II, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Jurassic Park, Nightmare Before Christmas, Schindler's List, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Toy Story, Fargo, Scream, The Fifth Element, Hercules, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Fight Club, Magnolia, The Emperor's New Groove, Donnie Darko, Moulin Rouge, Shrek, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Finding Nemo, Kill Bill, Oldboy, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Shaun of the Dead, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, Revenge of the Sith, Brokeback Mountain, No Country for Old Men, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Tree of Life, 21 Jump Street, The Avengers, Life of Pi, Skyfall, Under the Skin, Whiplash, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, Sicario, The Hateful Eight, La La Land, Arrival, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, First Man, The Favourite, The Lighthouse, Parasite, Midsommar, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

phil's five stars:

Star Wars (New Hope), Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Requiem for a Dream, Memento, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 21 Jump Street, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Arrival, Dunkirk, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, Parasite, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Shawshank Redemption, Gladiator, Little Miss Sunshine

overlap: 39

Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, Arrival, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, Parasite, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick

& their lowest rated movies...

dan: matrix resurrections (1) , thor: the dark world (1.5), the rise of skywalker (1.5)

phil: crimes of the future (1), attack of the clones (1.5), thor: the dark world (1.5), don’t look up (1.5), the matrix resurrections (1.5), doctor strange in the multiverse of madness (1.5), beau is afraid (1.5), black bear (1.5)

not even chris hemsworth could save thor the dark world, i guess (kat dennings, though…)

movies they logged on the same date:

note that this is like, non-exhaustive, because this is only based on their diaries that list the date. i think in reality they've watched most of these movies together. frequently dan logged a couple days after phil which aren’t shown here. procrastination queen

Pontypool, Eternals, The Northman, Nope, Barbarian, The Banshees of Inisherin, Glass Onion, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Beau is Afraid, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3., Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Saltburn, Poor Things, Priscilla, Saw X, Leave the World Behind

movies that one logged and not the other:

dan but not phil: 85

The Exorcist, Stand by Me, The Grave of the Fireflies, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Home Alone 2, Schindler's List, Fargo, Romeo & Juliet, Hercules, Men in Black, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Mummy, The 13th Warrior, Fight Club, The Emperor's New Groove, Moulin Rouge, Shrek, Legally Blonde, Monsters, Inc, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Scooby-Doo, 28 Days Later, Matrix Reloaded, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, School of Rock, Matrix Revolutions, Saw, Shaun of the Dead, Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Revenge of the Sith, The Devil Wears Prada, Borat, Casino Royale, No Country for Old Men, Death Proof, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, There Will Be Blood, Tropic Thunder, Slumdog Millionaire, Moon, District 9, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The King's Speech, We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Tree of Life, X-Men: First Class, Prometheus, Argo, Les Miserables, Django Unchained, World War Z, Pacific Rim, Under the Skin, 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, The Babadook, The Lego Movie, x-Men: Days of Future Past, 22 Jump Street, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Theory of Everything, Green Room, Sicario, Spotlight, The Big Short, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Conjuring 2, Train to Busan, Hacksaw Ridge, Doctor Strange, Hidden Figures, Logan, You Were Never Really Here, Game Night, Isle of Dogs, First Man, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Suspiria, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Glass, Hustlers, Pig, Violent Night

phil but not dan: 86

Jaws, The Terminator, Beetlejuice, Die Hard, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Groundhog Day, The Shawshank Redemption, Leon: The Professional, The Usual Suspects, The Frighteners, The Sixth Sense, Being John Malkovich, American Beauty, The Green Mile, Gladiator, Catch Me if You Can, Elf, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan's Labyrinth, The Prestige, Zodiac, Spider-Man 3, Iron Man, Juno, Lake Mungo, Twilight, Zombieland, Kick-Ass, Brave, Evil Dead, The Great Gatsby, Now You See Me, Monsters University, Man of Steel, About Time, Dallas Buyers Club, Edge of Tomorrow, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The Boy, Raw, Finding Dory, Suicide Squad, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, John Wick: Chapter 2, Lady Bird, The Ritual, Happy Death Day, Deadpool 2, Ocean's 8, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Bird Box, Booksmart, Crawl, Spider-Man: Far From Home, The Platform, Black Bear, Palm Springs, The Empty Man, The Innocents, Titane, Old, Free Guy, The Black Phone, Fresh, Watcher, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Ambulance, Aftersun, Crimes of the Future, Fall, Bones and All, The Menu, Sanctuary, Do Revenge, Smile, Hellraiser (2022), Mr. Harrigan's Phone, Plane, Missing, Infinity Pool, Past Lives, Knock at the Cabin, Scream VI

i’m interested to see how this varies by genre!

miscellaneous non-statistical things that made me parasocially emotional and/or laugh during this process:

they watched nope together on christmas eve 2022 <3

dan rated moulin rouge a 5 <3 nature boy <3

he also rated shrek a 5. of course. (valid).

4.5 from dan and 4 from phil from the notebook

5 from danny for brokeback mountain <3 and a 4.5 from philly

cmbyn, yes, has its issues, but dan rated 4.5 and phil 4

the shape of water got a 4.5 from monsterfucker phil lester (dan gave it a 4)

surprisingly phil rated rocketman higher than dan! surprising because dan liked so many musicals

dan gave hustlers a 3.5. i don't know why i think this is funny, but i do. phil doesn't have it logged or rated, lmao.

a 4 (d) and a 3.5 (p) for barbie!

phil gave twilight a 3. lol.

phil also gave do revenge only a 3.5. tragique.

phil watched a LOT of horror alone in october 2022 (aka while dan was on tour). anyway he's just like me <3

#dan and phil #dnp #phan #dan howell #phil lester #twitter says letterboxd should have been gatekept i say 1) know your phannie history! 2) this is nothing their usernames are so obvious you #think they didn’t know this would be found? be fr!

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glittergelpensblog · 9 months

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Shadow and Song (Azriel x Reader)

As the second youngest Archeron sister, it always felt like it was you and Feyre against the world. You felt like you lost a part of yourself the day she left, and then came back to leave again. When she shows up at your door with three winged fae, you refuse to do anything but help her this time.

This chapter is mostly the building of the reader's relationship with Feyre, there will 100% be more parts :) Part Two

It was quiet in the estate, as it always was in the winter. Nothing could be heard but the soft sound of the piano you had been messing with for the past hour, unable to create anything but a deep, somber melody.

The instrument was something you had became familiar with as a child, teaching yourself different chords, stringing them together with notes to create song. It was one of the few items the collectors did not take when they came to humiliate your father that day, the scratched and worn instrument more of a hassle to remove than what it was worth.

It annoyed Nesta when you were a child, but as you grew older and your jamming of chords streamed together to sound more like music than torture, she would sit in the room with you as you played, on those long winter nights with no sound other than the soft notes and the crackling hearth.

But since Feyre left, you were unable to put together a single song that wasn't melancholy, your joy and happy tune gone with her.

You and Feyre were always the closest, being not even a year apart. You were born on the new year, and Feyre born eleven months later on Winter Solstice. Despite you being older, it was always Feyre that protected you, never letting you into the woods to help hunt, always warning you of the town boys who's stares lingered too long.

Without being allowed to help Feyre, you supported your family in different ways, you got a job as a servant woman in the local pub, serving mead and roast to loud drunken men and women.

Even with your miserable job and Feyre's hunting, your family could barely stay afloat, nearly dying every winter, either from the starvation or from the sharp words your sisters always seemed to sling at each other, tongues the only weapons your family could truly afford.

And it remained that way for what felt like eternity, the only peace that was brought to you was seeing your sister's face at the end of the day. Safe, or as safe as she could be in the conditions you all lived in.

It was Feyre who was there for you, after every bad evening at the pub, after every hurtful word thrown your way by Nesta. She would always comfort you with her warm smile, sit by your side at the piano bench, head on your shoulder as you played. She had even surprised you one night, painting deep blue mountains all over for you to see when you got home from work.

But then she was gone, and you were heartbroken. You often wondered why it had been her who had to go take care of your aunt, and not Elain or Nesta. They were more proper than the two of you anyways, would keep her better company than a huntress.

And when your dads fortune was found at the bottom of the sea, you felt empty. Feyre wasn't there to see it, to see that you made it, to see that your family had survived.

And when she came back, she found you exactly where you would always be whenever she got home. Sitting at your piano, fingers delicately toying at the keys. It was't the same piano, of course, but a shiny new one made of maple and real ivory keys, your uncomfortable wooden bench replaced by one with a plush, deep blue cushion.

You wept, you wept so hard as you turned and found her standing behind you, you had hugged your sister so tight and fought the urge to never let go.

And she was gone as soon as she had come, telling you and your sisters the story of what had truly happened. How there was no aunt, no found fortune, but a fae man who had taken her, who had taken care of your family as he had taken care of her.

You saw it in her eyes, no longer an ice cold blue, but ones that had shone like the stars in the sky. This fae man, Tamlin, made her happy, loved her, and she loved him.

It hurt to let her go, but you knew it was what was best for her. This was no longer her life. You had tired to go with her, you had begged. But her and Nesta refused, keeping you under close watch the night she left. Feyre, protecting you from the horrors of Prythian, and Nesta, stopping you from what she was sure would be certain death.

It had been months, and you still haven't heard from her, did not know if she was okay. Sometimes, you had wondered what horrors she was enduring, but you would quickly shut those thoughts out, reminding yourself of how strong she was, how she kept your family alive for years. She was a survivor, and you knew some fae woman living under a rock wouldn't change that.

The creaking of the front door snapped you from your thoughts. You never got visitors, especially with your father gone on business. Even with Grayson, it was always Elain at his home, never yours.

Not bothering to shut the cover on your piano, you sat up quickly, brushing any wrinkles out of your maroon gown before you strode towards the entrance of the home.

"Mrs. Laurent" You called, almost at the front door. "Who is here to visit?"

There was silence as you edged closer, worry starting to edge your features. Mrs. Laurent was never silent, always a light-hearted, protective woman, being the closest thing to a mother you had ever had.

You peered over the woman's soft shoulder, the breath leaving your lungs as you took in the sight before you.

It was your sister in the doorway, an unnatural beauty and elegance lining her features. The same but different in every way.

She paled instantly at the sight of you, face contorting into worry and fear. Her eyes, so beautiful, were not shining like stars how they were the last time you saw her. They were empty. So empty.

What happened to your sister?

"Feyre." You breathed, silent tears streaming down your face now. You missed her, you missed her so much.

"Y/N" She croaked, and before she could speak another word, before any tears could form in her eyes, you had all but shoved Mrs. Laurent aside, enveloping your sister in a warm embrace.

You were scared to let go, scared to leave the doorway. Knowing she was not here to stay. The longer you held onto her, the longer it would take for her to leave.

She was taller than before. She once was almost the same height as you, but now, to top of your head barely reached her nose. You knew, you knew something that happened, that this was not the Feyre you had last seen. But you did not care. She was here, right now, and you were not going to let that go.

"You're back." You whispered, silently crying into her shoulder.

#acotar imagine #acotar #acotar x reader #feyre archeron #nesta archeron #elain archeron #azriel #azriel x reader #azriel imagine #azriel acotar #cassian #cassian x reader #cassian imagine #cassian acotar #rhysand #rhysand imagine #rhysand x reader

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maplleaf · 10 months

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a/n: I can't reply bc this is a side blog. tumblr L 👎also srry for being late been busy with irl things ajeihdjd.

GEPARD LANDAU

Meeting new people and creating bonds is like second nature for the crew of the Astral Express. As a part of that family, it's hereby natural for you to do the same. Friends, or even enemies, are common to make; lovers are rare though. When Himeko suggested the youngsters of the Express should go out and bond, she didn't think it'll end up in romance.

Neither you and Gepard fell at first sight, it was closer to falling at first fight, or second to be even more specific. You definitely caught his eye when taking a small tour of Belobog. March 7th is the walking ball of energy; Dan Heng is smart and composed, the grey-haired trailblazer is... trash loving; and to him, you were like the older sibling who keeps everyone in check.

In addition, you seemed interested in his explanation of Belobog's history, the sentence being supported by your volunteer work for Belobog's museum a couple weeks after.

The next time you two met, you threw hands with him. He fought and believed in Cocolia's words, even fought against his sister for it. Yet in the end, he was knocked some sense into and was defeated.

When he saw you fight, something seemed to click like a lightswitch in him. Even if he was blocking you to your goals, you didn't want to hurt him. It end up hurting like hell, yeah, but it didn't leave any marks or cause even worse injuries.

He could see that you held back, and something about that weighed in maybe he was in the wrong. How could someone as gentle as this, be inclined to destroy the last city that exist?

After that, it was like a snowball falling from the top of a mountain until he's hit with the realization that yes; Gepard Laundau is falling for you. The Express didn't leave for awhile, and he finds himself struggling to leave your side in that time. It took some time, but he was eventually invited aboard the Astral Express.

_____

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Gepard smiled in agreement at your words. He gazed into the planet he's been living on, or commonly called Jarilo-IV. Even with the eternal winter decimating the land, it was still a magnificent view.

"Since the root of the eternal winter is solved, Belobog's temperature should be rising," you tried to comfort him, afraid he may be disappointed in the view.

Gepard's blue eyes laid on you. If he were to tell himself from the past that he would fall in love with an alien who helped solve the eternal winter's crisis, his past self wouldn't even believe it for a second.

"...the view is the planet y'know, not me," you teased him, letting out a few light laughter. Gepard's face flushed as he was caught staring, "sorry. You just looked very pretty," he blurted out, now making both of your faces red.

After bracing yourself not to stutter, you broke the silence. "...In any case, even if the Express leave we can still talk to eachother," you told the blonde whilst showing your smartphone. Belobog's phones aren't as advanced as the ones sold by the IPC, but it can still connect and chat with the messenger app of the newer designs. "Here, I'll give you my number."

Gepard gave you his device gladly, with red still dusting over his cheeks.

... away from both of your sight, a wild March 7th watches, taking a picture of you two with her camera. "Stalker Marxh 7th strikes again," the grey haired trailblazer told her and lightheartedly rolling their eyes.

"C'mon, it's cute!" she exclaimed, taking another picture.

The whole crew watched as Gepard chased after your affection similar to a puppy; a comparison Himeko had made. As long as you're happy, the Express Family is happy. By looking at your reactions to his attempts at courting, it seems you were interested in him as well.

"Young love, adorable isn't it, Welt?" Himeko said whilst drinking her cup of coffee. You just left for Belobog to see the blonde captain once more.

Welt nodded to Himeko as he sat on the couch beside her, his eyes focused on the IPC's news broadcasted on their site. "They should make it official quick, we're leaving for another planet in a few more days," he advised, receiving a chuckle from Himeko.

"Has time really passed that quickly?" the redhead smiled.

When the Express visited the Xianzhou Luofu after receiving a tip from Kafka, for some of them it was their first time; Not you though. Whilst you weren't born in the Xianzhou Luofu, you visited the large ship a couple times before.

That day, the Express Family groupchat is blessed with the picture sent by you. Your hands intertwined with Gepard's. The group chat, mainly March 7th, exploded.

In your first visit, you were fortunate enough to meet the dozing general. At the time, you didn't even know he was the general of the cloud knights. For you, he was the attractive man who somehow has birds in his hair.

By that, you meant literally. First time you saw him, you saw a bird crawl into his hair like a nest and you blurt out in front of him; "Are you a bird collector?"

Jing Yuan saw you with a surprised yet pleased smile, after hundreds of years of living; he had never been greeted like that before. "It likes to stay there," Jing Yuan chuckled, curious about your behaviour.

"Are you perhaps a visitor?"

You nodded as a response to him. "My friend was supposed to show me around, but I sorta got lost," you laughed sheepishly. "But fuck it! An adventure is an adventure."

Frankly, your carefree nature felt like fresh air compared to the stiff nature that he's always sorrounded by due to his work. To talk freely with someone who doesn't care about status, when your conversation was over; he simply thought it was a pleasant time.

You exchanged numbers right after, and he never saw you again. At least, in person.

When Jing Yuan isn't busy with work or resting, he wouldn't mind having an interesting conversation with you in his pass time. Over time, he starts to develop a small interest in you beyond friendship. What's fascinating is that you never found out what his title is; something that could be a miracle, or your lack of knowledge of the Xianzhou Luofu.... either way, he doesn't mind it.

While you two doesn't talk everyday, he gets a general idea of how you're doing, and your adventures as a Nameless. He doesn't have any strong opinions regarding the Astral Express and its passengers, but the stories that you told brought a smile to his face each time he reads it.

So when he heard about the Express' sudden visit to Xianzhou Luofu, the smile he usually has increased tenfold. The face he saw you had when his hologram appeared was absolutely priceless!

He sees you trying to balance professionalism in front of Yukong whilst clearly wanting to speak freely to him. Your face clearly holding yourself from being angry at the general but still wanting to be polite in front of Yukong.

"General?"

You crossed your arm followed by an exasperated sigh. "I should've guessed it... your outfit screams 'i am a military person'..." Jing Yuan laughed at your reaction.

"You never asked if I'm a general or not," he retorted, causing you to swing your hand through his hologram.

"How was i supposed to know?!"

Your reaction brought a smile to his face, an expression that your companions at the Express (and Yukong) noted. Welt watched as his fellow passenger of the Astral Express talked with the highly esteemed general like an old friend. He glanced to the person beside him before sighing;

"March, put your camera down."

The starskiff haven stopped at the dock as Jing Yuan emerged from the transportation. The crisis that the Xianzhou Luofu experienced is finally over as life continued on as usual. For Jing Yuan, he's forced to go through much more paperwork than before, but as long as the Xianzhou Luofu is safe, he can make a few sacrifices.

As walked to the central area, he spots a familiar figure looking over to the clouds. The laziness tiredness that's caused by his recent workload seems to dissappear as he approached the person.

"A spectacular view, isn't it?" Jing Yuan chuckled, talking loud enough for you to hear. Your gaze didn't move from the clouds, as his voice is far too recognizable.

"It is... I might come here again if I can get a vacation day from Trailblazing," you could feel Jing Yuan walking closer to you. Your eyes finally moved to him, "let me guess, your 'secret' job gave you mountains of work to do."

Jing Yuan lets out a few light laughs, leaning against the railing as well. "If you know about it, then it's not a secret anymore," he answered. "But yes, they did."

You sighed, stretching your back before leaning forward to view the majestic view once more. "Too bad~ I guess we can't talk to eachother as often anymore, then."

The white haired general took it as a challenge, raising his eyebrow with a smirk. "How are you so confident? I may end up disturbing you at every hour of the day to prove it wrong."

You faked yourself shuddering at the thought, "no thanks... I'd rather join the anti-matter legion if that's the case."

A curiosity then begin to pollute your mind, begging for an answer. "Why did you hide it from me, the general thing?"

Jing Yuan had to thought of an answer before properly saying it. He didn't want misunderstandings after all. "The people I meet will always be unique and different due to this job, and yet their attitude towards me would be similair; with the exception of a few."

"...you were simply different, a breath of fresh air." He chuckled, "My name is well-known around the Xianzhou Luofu and even beyond; to meet and be close with someone who would strive away from the formalities that I've grown accustomed to, I didn't want it to change."

"All living beings with basic thoughts would change their behavior after knowing something new about someone, if you knew about my occupation and title; I feared there might be a change in behavior," he confessed, knowing you won't react negatively. Jing Yuan felt safe enough to confide in you with his occasional day-to-day life frustrations; this seems like the same to him.

You listened closely to his words, feeling your heart ache in glee. Even if he weren't a general, you would feel the same appreciation for him for opening up to you.

"And do I have any changed behaviors now?" you asked, raising an eyebrow wanting to tease him.

Jing Yuan chuckled, "perhaps... you've became slightly more bold," he teased, receiving a smack to his back from you for payback.

The reaction caused you two to laugh. A comforting silence overcame the general and the Nameless. Quietness began to fill your ears.

Your hand slowly went to Jing Yuan's, trailing until your hand is on top of his. Despite you taking the first initiatives, he was the one who interlocked your fingers first; you following not long after.

Words doesn't need to be spoken, as silence seems so be stronger than any words could've been.

"I meant it! Dan Heng, you've lived here before right. It's clear there's some kind of spark in the general's expression!"

"And I've never seen them interact before, I don't have any references to make an assumption."

As the two bickered, the grey haired trailblazer held up the foto Tingyun gave them. "It's on a discount~ since you're a friend of the two," she winked, giving them a QR code for the payment.

The picture is of Jing Yuan holding hands with a fellow Nameless and Astral Express crew. Both of them looking at the clouds of the Xianzhou Luofu. It didn't show their faces, only their backs; and yet from where the photo was taken; it's clear as day that they're holding hands.

Tha Trailblazer sighed, "...this feels exploitative," they sighed but still scanning the QR code, paying for the single picture.

"It's fine, since you're a friend it wouldn't be a problem" Tingyun reassured the trailblazer, seeing the payment confirmation on her device. "Thank you for purchasing, loyal customer!"

March 7th heard Tingyun talking to the Trailblazer, her focus drifted towards them. She gave a hand gesture beckoning them to come closer to her, "did you buy Jing Yuan photos? He would probably be fine if you started taking pictures for free after we saved the Luofu!"

"Techniqally...yes?" The Trailblazer answered, showing their two friends the picture. Dan Heng raised his eyebrow, rarely being physically surprised, whilst March 7th excitedly took a picture of the picture.

"No way?! Is this real?" March 7th exclaimed, tapping on the Trailblazer's shoulder excitedly, "quick quick, text (y/n) about it."

Hearing that, the Trailblazer opened up their chat with the person in question. They sent the picture with the question; "whats this??"

You seemed to reply in an instant, ":)"

March 7th looked over to the Trailblazer's shoulder, "let me see..." she's caught dumbfounded at the weird and cryptic answer. "Hey, what's this kind of answer?! Send another one."

The Trailblazer nodded at her request, sending the most clear cut, gramatically correct, tear-bringing sentence;

"Answer plz."

They got left on read.

#watched the spiderverse movie ysterday #hobie brown BDJDBRJHDUDJRBRJ love my lil anarchist 😄😄#honkai starrail #honkai starrail x reader #jing yuan #jing yuan x reader #jing yuan x gn reader #jing yuan x male reader #gepard #gepard x reader #gepard x male reader #gepard x gn reader #hsr

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dailyadventureprompts · 12 hours

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Dungeon: Grandfather's Hungering Maw

Said to have been carved by an exiled dwarven king after his name and ignominious deeds were stricken from the records of his clan, this brooding edifice contains a darkness far deeper than any normal glacial cave.

The dungeon's name comes from a settlement in the foothills, with a mostly human population ignorant of the monument's dwarven origins. In their myths the face is infact that of a great giant, tricked by the folkhero founder of their village into staying very, very still while he was served a great feast, growing so spoiled and indolent that he was eventually buried by the mountain snow and froze solid. A recent series of avalanches that've buried paths and even destroyed homesteads have put it into people's heads that grandfather might be waking up.

Adventure Hooks:

A merchant caravan the party is riding along with takes a detour up into the highlands, following rumours of a village that's paying a premium for foodstuffs of late. Upon arrival they're strongarmed out of their cargo by a crowd of armed villagers, who heap the provisions on an overburned yak cart set to depart up the mountain on the next day. Fear of the giant has made some of the villagers turn into a panicked mob, emptying the granaries and raiding their neighbour's larders to supply ever larger and hastier "tribute" runs up to the mountain's mouth. Food is growing scarce in the village, and those with the foresight to worry about winter provisions dare not speak up: An old woman was accidentally killed trying to fend off the toughs uprooting her garden, and her still warm body was piled into the yak cart next to her unripe rutabagas.

Seeking the power of her infamous ancestor, a disfavoured daughter of the dwarven throne has ventured to the Maw with a group of sellswords in tow in the hopes of discovering the means of making herself queen. Down into the mountain's gullet they've found a great labyrinth, hewn over centuries by the still shuffling corpse of the nameless king, unable to fully rest until he has constructed a tomb worthy of his hubris. The would be ruler and her entourage are eating well thanks to the unsuspecting villagers' food deliveries, and have a few agents in town helping the process along while they continue their delve.

There's more than a stone worn skeleton and a few fortune hunters inhabiting the depths. A millennia ago Ahlkenahl the Vanquisher was a feared demon of war, thought invincible before the dwarven king forged a ring with the fiend's true name inscribed upon it and forced the Vanquisher to pledge an oath of eternal servitude. Driven into exile along with his mortal captor, Ahlkenahl has resentfully laboured alongside the king as he descended into witless undeath, even centuries after the ring was lost somewhere in the tomb along with the chipped fingerbone it rested on. The demon's occasional demolition filled bouts of rage cause the avalanches on the mountain's exterior, and they've only grown more frequent as he's attempted to stop the Heir and her underlings from finding the ring.

It's a three way race between the players, the dwarven heir, and the fiend to see who can find the ring first, having to not only battle eachother, but subterranean monsters, collapsing tunnels, and freezing glacier caverns along the way. Of course Ahlkenahl doesn't play fair, as the fiend can revive any body that finds its way into the Hungering Maw (such as dead villagers loaded on the Yak cart or slain sellswords) into undead minions, growing in strength as the situation becomes more desperate. The fiend can even send the undead down into the valley to do his bidding, chasing after whichever group managed to get the ring first or even go on a murder-filled supply run to bring back more bodies.

Simply getting the ring isn't enough to control Ahlhenahl, as the war-demon's true name is written in an infernal script that must be researched before it can be understood and spoken aloud. This gives the party a chance to catch up if the heir makes it out of the labyrinth with the prize and vice versa. It likewise gives Ahlkenahl's undead minions time to become a real threat both in number and as he deliberately creates more fearsome versions.

The Vanquisher can freely communicate with anyone holding the ring, an ability originally intended to allow the exiled king to command his bound demon in the field which now allows Ahlkenahl to whisper temptation into the ear of whoever holds it. Think of what he could do for them if they let him out of the labyrinth, the enemies he could slay, the kingdom he could carve on their behalf. Sure it would mean unleashing a walking massacre on the landscape but what's a little carnage between pactmates?

Art1 Art2

#mountain #dungeon #dwarf #mountain dungeon #caravan #fiend #demon #highlands #mid level #low level #undead

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esamastation · 6 months

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Part forty of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine

"My king told me - Junshang asked to see this lowly cultivator?"

"Shishu thinks too lowly of himself. Surely he's still a Peak Lord of The Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, is he not?"

The great hall in the Northern Fortress hall is empty, bar the two of them, all the demonic courtiers dismissed. The emptiness of the place makes its gleaming floors and vaulted ceiling seem vaster than it even usually seems, as every word echoes in the icy palace.

The Demon Lord sitting upon the throne isn't the Northern King, however - but his master. The Half Heavenly Demon, Luo Binghe.

And the man before him was once - and in some ways still is - his Martial Uncle, Shang Qinghua of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect's An Ding Peak.

Who is, quite plainly, shaking in his boots.

"Haha," he laughs, desperate, "I suppose they haven't kicked me out yet?"

Luo Binghe blinks, slow, like a predator.

Shang Qinghua squirms. "What - what can this Shishu do for Lord Luo?"

"Today this Lord announced a hunt," Luo Binghe said. "For any artefact, knowledge or skill that has to do with the transmigration of souls."

Shang Qinghua startles at that, then gapes at the Demon Lord, and then he looks at the floor. "That is - very interesting, my Lord?" he manages.

"Any member of this Lord's court that brings credible information is to be rewarded a wish within this Lord's ability to grant," Luo Binghe continues, watching him closely, unblinking.

Shang Qinghua looks helplessly away. "A - an incredible boon for anyone -" he gulps, as he sees something sharp and blue in the corner of his eye.

WARNING, it says, in bold, flashing letters.

"Mobei-jun then informed this Lord that his servant," Luo Binghe puts an emphasis on that, "has secret knowledge. That he speaks of other worlds. Of things this world lacks."

Shang Qinghua wets his lips, swallows, says nothing.

Luo Binghe is still and silent for a moment, watching him writhe. "Do you know why you have been called before this Lord?"

"This lowly one dares not guess," the Peak Lord of An Ding barely whispers, as the flashing blue screen presses closer.

Another slow predator's blink. "Is Shishu afraid?"

Shang Qinghua is terrified, thanks! "Lord Luo is powerful and unpredictable."

The Demon Lord scoffs and stands - and moves away while Shang Qinghua flinches. He faces instead the great ice windows behind the throne, looking over the fortress and, behind it, the Northern Desert. "This Lord has been informed that the reason he cannot resurrect his Shizun is because Shizun has departed from this world," he says in a voice that grows low with frustration. "That he is somewhere else now. He cannot be found in any realms this Lord has access to. He is, therefore, in another world."

Shang Qinghua's breath hitches. "My Lord has this from a credible source?"

"Madam Meiyin is one of the strongest foretellers in the Demon Realm," Luo Binghe says grimly, glaring at the view outside.

"... She is, yeah," Shang Qinghua says under his breath and then, even quieter, "... Shit."

Luo Binghe looks at him over his shoulder. "Does Shishu know what she means?"

"... N-not exactly, no, but -" Shang Qinghua looks away, incredibly guilty, squirming with awkward unease. The warning is still there, inching ever closer. "He might've - read some things, yes -"

Luo Binghe turns to face him fully. With the desert and the snowy fortress behind him, bright with eternal winter, he's left in his own shadow, and the only visible features in his face are his glowing red eyes - and the vicious demon mark on his forehead.

"What things has Shishu read?"

"Aiyah," the Peak Lord whimpers, caught between the Protagonist and the System and feeling the squeeze. "Nothing very recently, my Lord, I swear! It's only the words, transmigration of souls, are very familiar - where, may this one ask, where did Lord Luo hear of them?"

"They were spoken by Mobei-jun. He heard Shishu mention it," Luo Binghe says, his voice lowering to gravel. "What, exactly, does Shishu know?"

The System window sort of shakes at him, and Shang Qinghua despairs, lighting incense in his heart for himself and then for Cucumber-bro - who he will absolutely throw under the bus if it means he'll live to see another day.

Ah, Mobei-jun, his incredible perfect King, why did he have to be so -! If Shang Qinghua had realised Mobei-jun could actually hear him, he would've been more careful around him! Mobei-jun never reacted, never asked, never - ah!

"Shishu?" Luo Binghe growls and takes a step forward.

"This lowly servant doesn't know how it works," Shang Qinghua babbles, keeping a side eye on the System window. "Or what triggers it. Death, maybe! It's, the transmigration of souls is, like… like reincarnation, but sideways?"

"This Lord knows his Shizun hasn't reincarnated," Luo Binghe says very firmly.

Ahh, scary. "L-like this one said, sideways!" Shang Qinghua says feebly. "I-its not reincarnation, exactly. It's more like… possession?" Ahh, the System didn't like that at all! "This Shishu really can't say more, begging Lord Luo's pardon!"

It has already been too much.

Luo Binghe stares at him, and stares at him, and stares at him, and Shang Qinghua is going to see his gaze in his nightmares! "Shizun… Shizun is possessing someone…?"

Shang Qinghua backs away from the tendrils of demonic energy rising from Luo Binghe. "Maybe! Not exactly! The previous host usually dies, haha," no, no, no, don't take his B-points, take Cucumber-bro's points, he's the one this is all about, and it's not like he needs them anymore!

Ahh, Luo Binghe is coming closer, this is the worst! "There's compatibility, kinda! I think!" Shang Qinghua babbles in panic. "The soul is attracted to a body that suits it! They always were so alike, really, it was so uncanny at times? So it's not really like possession, more like - like reoccupation?"

Luo Binghe's eyes sharpen - like cat's eyes, detecting prey. "... what?"

Fuck! Shang Qinghua puts his hands up against whatever is to come, but it doesn't come, neither from the System, nor the Demon Lord. Luo Binghe's eyes pass him by as he thinks, his gaze flicking to and fro as the half-demon searches his memories and flexes his intellect.

Both which Shang Qinghua knows are considerable.

"Shizun… isn't the original Shen Qingqiu, is he?" The Protagonist murmurs. "Shizun changed. This disciple remembers it well, when Shizun became kind, when Shizun became generous. And Shang-shishu knew," Luo Binghe says, and his gaze refocuses. "Shang-shishu knows Shizun was a result of the transmigration of souls. Shishu knows where Shizun comes from!"

"Aaahh," Shang Qinghua whimpers. "My Lord Luo -!"

Luo Binghe leans in and says, with absolute certainty. "Shishu will tell this Lord all he knows of Shizun. He will leave nothing out."

Shang Qinghua is going to cry. Please, System, have mercy on his soul - because Cucumber-bro would not!

Ahh, rip, hamster-man.

#fanfiction #ff7 #svsss #ffvii #luo binghe #shang qinghua

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varijeri · 7 months

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so i was watching Fit's stream and he was cleaning up a Federation outpost.... what's up with the outpost names huh? long post warning TL;DR at bottom.

Sector A's outpost names are derived from Slavic mythology; specifically special places from the myths. after searching these names online i found this website: https://meettheslavs.com/slavic-mythological-places/ taking from the website; 1. there's a "mystical mountain of Vitor" that's "built in heaven" and "hard to find because it changes its location as soon as the wind blows in a different direction". it's also said to have dragons living on it (this is the one Fit was sent to for repairs, and it also had weird blue draconic-looking creatures around it. it was also an icy mountain...) 2. there's a "Buyan/Bujan Island", described to "appear and disappear with the tides" and be the "dwelling place of three brothers, the Northern, Western and Eastern winds". 3. there's a "Kingdom of Opona", an "imaginary place [that] existed at the edge of the Earth which [ancient Russians] imagined as a flat plane." it was believed "free and happy [peasants]" lived in this country under a "true and just" ruler. 4. there's a "Vyraj/Viraj", a "resting place for the souls and spirits" AKA the equivalent of Heaven in Slavic mythology. it's "a place where birds find their retreat in the winter". (notably this outpost is inactive) 5. lastly there's a "Nav/Nawia", a "mysterious place for the souls of the dead", and "often interpreted as another version of the imaginary place Vyraj", so AKA Hell or the Underworld. (the Hell outpost is active but not the Heaven outpost???) If Outpost Vitor sort of matches the description from the myth, maybe the other outposts do too? so like Bujan is on an island in the sea, Opona is super far out in a village maybe, Viraj and Nawia i have no clue... Sector B's outpost names are derived from Norse mythology; specifically Norse gods. being a nerd i noticed this instantly which was what tipped me off to search up Sector A's names. taking from various sources, but mostly from their Wikipedia articles: 1. "Tyr" is an one-armed god representing justice and fair treaties despite being a god of war, who lost his arm in the process of binding Fenrir the wolf. he dies in Ragnarök. 2. "Odin/Woden/Wodan" is the ruler of Asgard, the All-Father, and the one-eyed god of wisdom war, and death. he presided over Valhalla, a sacred hall that housed dead warriors in preparation for Ragnarok. he dies in Ragnarök. 3. "Thor/Donar" is probably the most popular Norse god, the god of thunder. the embodiment of strength, he is the protector of the Æsir and the humans. he dies in Ragnarök. 4. "Máni" is the god of the Moon and brother of Sol, the goddess of the Sun. they is eternally chased by Skoll and Hati, two wolves who seek to plunge the world into chaos by eating the Sun and Moon. he dies in Ragnarök. 5. Outpost Frïja I believe is "Frigg", the Queen of Asgard and the goddess of marriage, family and motherhood. she lives in Ragnarök. notably, all five gods (and goddess) lend their names to days of the week (Máni -> Monday, Tyr -> Tuesday, Woden -> Wednesday, Thor -> Thursday, and Frigg -> Friday). none of these outposts are active, they are all inactive or under maintenance, so i'm inclined to believe these aren't as important right now as compared to Sector A... still, these outposts are named after Slavic and Norse myths for a reason possibly so these might be significant. Nothing particularly comes to mind but if anyone has any idea feel free to add on... TL;DR: Federation Outpost names from Fit's stream have Slavic/Norse mythology inspired names, possible significance?

#qsmp #qsmp liveblogging #qsmp theories #qsmp theory #qsmp fit #qsmp liveblog

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unikornu · 1 year

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Erethea’s treasures 💎

[EU] Unikornu

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leggerefiore · 5 months

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How would the Pokémon villains ask their partner to marry them?

cw: proposals, fluff

characters: Lysandre, Maxie, Archie, Volo, Cyrus

🔥Lysandre🍷

☕️ Truthfully, he is not sure why he has not proposed to you at some point. Lysandre does not expect to find another person he views as beautiful as nor does he think he would have you slip away from him, yet somehow, in the midst of his plans, it just never comes up. His work consumes him, and he barely has the time to contemplate marriage in his schedule. Yet, it crosses his mind after listening to a grunt talk about his plans to pay for his spouse's entrance fee. It suddenly occurs to him that many men his age and position are married. For a moment, he feels foolish for not acting sooner. There was no need to wait for his beautiful world to get married, after all.

☕️ He spends time bouncing ideas about how to do it with those he feels most comfortable with. Sycamore ends up encouraging him to do just do it naturally. Feeling that if he tries to make a show of it, that would become uncomfortable or distressed by what is supposed to be a happy moment. Malva asks if he cannot just delay it a bit longer, which he ignores. Suddenly, his perfect world cannot be achieved unless he is married. Lysandre begins to make plans for a trip in order to get away from work and make a memorable thing for you both. (Perhaps a proper farewell and remembrance of this world to him partially.)

☕️ A ring was bought to be something discreet yet meaningful. He had been extremely picky to the point that having it commissioned to be custom-made had been the only way to fulfil whatever he felt was necessary for his ring. A Hessonite Garnet had caught his attention, and a golden band felt like the only pairing he would allow. When he finally had it, his heart felt at ease. The orange shade of the gem was a colour that he had long since been fascinated with.

☕️ A trip to Snowbelle for a quiet getaway in the colder locale proved something much needed for both of you. Spending time cuddled up in a cabin was a pleasant escape from the endless stresses related to both of his organisations. Though, there were also a few trips out into the nearby forest for a relaxing hike and a trip to a nearby mountain range to try skiing and other winter proclivities. Of course, it was after a long day spent out in the freezing weather that he found himself with you snuggled into his side in front of a fire. The crackling of flames made his mind wander. The ring box was pulled out of his slacks' pocket.

“For many years now, I have been blessed to have you at my side,” Lysandre spoke with his voice down to a soft rumble, “I am eternally thankful that you and I met, and would never wish to lose you.” He grasped your left hand within his own as he knelt before you. His height made it feel a bit ineffective, but his eyes met yours with a strange gentleness that was solely reserved for those he deeply cared about. He brought out the ring and watched as it glimmered in the fire's light.

“Will you marry me, my love?” he asked with an exposed heart. Your denial could well and truly destroy him. “There is no other I find as perfect as you… Please, let us spend the rest of our lives entwined.”

☀️Maxie🌋

🪨 He thinks about it unfortunately pretty often. Most men his age are married. Though, granted, most men his age also did not nearly destroy the world in pursuit of their own ideals. But, he did have a partner. One he was quite committed to. One that, if provided the opportunity, he would marry. Yet, he just had not found it in himself for so many reasons. His plans had required his full attention previously. Though, now, nothing like that stood in his way. A slight insecurity burned the Great Maxie's chest. He was not someone worthy of such things after what he did. An off-handed comment from Archie about you being his spouse is what finally set him over.

🪨 He quietly debates how to get everything together. There were many things that would need to be done in the case you said yes. Like meeting each other's families properly for a wedding discussion. Maxie truly did not want to do that part, but it was what was proper. He has a headache thinking about how to do it, too. Rings were the most common choice for proposing to a partner, so he knew he would need to look into that as well. Detailed lists are made and spied upon by Tabitha, who makes the rare decision to interfere. A suggestion to take you on a trip to Lavaridge seemed to make Maxie become a bit more grounded towards you.

🪨 Maxie about drives every possible jeweller in Hoenn insane. He is far too picky about the origins and details related to the gems in their rings, which makes him an annoying customer. There is little debate about what ring exactly he plans to give to you. He had already designed it on his computer and was searching for a shop either willing to make it or with something close enough that he could feel contented with it. A ruby ring with a golden band. He would settle for no more or less. The shimmering red of the gem may have reminded him of the shade of the Red Orb, but it also forced to mind his team's colour. Not to mention it just being his favourite gem. Somehow, he eventually found someone through Steven, who only sent aid when seeing a fellow rock enthusiastic in him.

🪨 The trip that Tabitha suggested ended up being a wonderful idea. A traditional inn and the shifting of the season into autumn made for a relaxing visit to the area and hot springs. While he may not enjoy the cold, he could recognise a good pairing. You seemed to enjoy the trip, too. Happy to get away from all the stresses of helping him run Team Magma and Courtney's new persistent glaring regiment. It was after a trip to the hot spring, that you found yourselves alone in your room, watching as the sun set behind the mountainous surroundings of the town. The swirling of leaves in the air and a quiet moment made him recall the ring box in his pocket.

“For what reason that has continued to see you at my side after my incalculable lapse in judgement, I do not know,” he began quietly, feeling that insecurity rise once again. You could do much better than him; you deserved much better than him. But, when you looked at him with eyes full of love, those thoughts were forced back. “I am ever thankful that I still have you in my life and that I was stopped before I destroyed this world,” Maxie felt his hand come to grasp yours. You felt so warm in his grip, your pulse beating in tandem with his own.

The ring was revealed by him as he swallowed. His glasses felt much too heavy on his face as he became aware of just how surreal everything was. “My dear, will you marry me?” The question felt like a solid weight in the air. “I don't think there's another person that I could see myself living out the end of my days with.”

🌧Archie🌊

💧 It crosses his mind a few times. He has been with for so long, and you have stuck at his side through his worst moments. Honestly, he just felt like it did not need to be done. You both clearly were basically married without all the official documents and what have you. The whole of Team Aqua already thought you to be his spouse, anyway. Something official felt redundant. Though, the second he heard Maxie intended to get married, suddenly his opinion shifted hard. Of course, the nerd would feel the need to go through all the legal channels and whatever else. He refused to let the redhead get ahead of him, however.

💧 He debates how to go about it. Between asking Matt and him just telling Archie to go ahead and do it with little thought, to Shelly forcing him to actually be realistic and doing something romantic first, he felt a bit confused. He sighed as the admin made him remember that he probably should speak to his and your families, but he felt that was all tiring. Who cared about tradition? All that mattered was love, and he certainly had that. He did find the talk about a gift of jewellery while doing it more interesting. Could he get you something to better match his anchor? His interest was not in the expected avenues. Archie highly doubted you were going to say no.

💧 He pretty quickly settles on a sapphire ring. It's blue, he likes blue, and it makes him think of the Blue Orb. It works pretty much to fulfil everything he would possibly need it to. Though, despite the insistence of the store clerk to go for a silver band, he demands a golden one. He needed it to match his necklace, after all. His original plan had been to get you a necklace like his, but Shelly shut that down the second it left his mouth. (Matt told him to still go for it, but he could tell the ring was probably a better choice in the end.)

💧 He takes you out for a quiet stroll on the beach of Lilycove as the sun was setting. The sound of the waves lapping against the shore almost felt in tune with his heartbeat. His eyes darted to you a few times, taking in how the light made you almost seem to be glowing. The ocean was nothing but a complimentary scenery as he felt whatever small nervousness melt away. You stuck with him even after the Kyogre madness and supported him wholeheartedly when he changed the direction of his team. He reached into the unzipped part of his wetsuit to go for the ring box.

“Luvdisc, I know tha' I have made some pretty unforgivable mistakes,” Archie felt a rare, sheepish grin fall across his face, “And I'm thankful that you have stuck by me through all that.” His eyes met yours as you cocked a brow up at where he could possibly be going with this. The two of you had long since discussed everything that happened, but he felt the urge to preface it all with that. He grasped your hand tightly as his usual grin split his face. There was nothing to worry about, the Aqua Leader reassured himself.

“Let's get married,” he proudly announced while pulling out the ring, “I already see ya as my spouse, so why not just make it official? I want to spend every day to come at your side.”

💫Volo📜

⭐️ Marriage never crosses his mind. Honestly, he doesn't even consider a long term in his life about most things. Marriage is not something overly common in Hisui. Sure, his people had traditions like it and the clans did, too. In his case, marriages were usually decided by the parents of the person, which resembled what most of the Galaxy Team seemed to favour. But, he could tell you viewed it differently. It was obvious you wanted whatever it was you saw it as with him. And then, after what happened at the Temple of Sinnoh between you both, he just saw it as impossible.

⭐️ Volo listened intensely to what you had to say about your time period as you went on about it. From what he deciphered, it was clear marriage is mostly viewed as a romantic thing to do in your time, not as a way of combing powers or funds. It interests him, as you continued onto proposals and modern married life. All of it interested him, but everything was impossible in the period you both resided in. Marriage between you two would be essentially nothing more than a quiet declaration between you both. There would be no rings or jewellery, only a common understanding of a dedicated relationship. While, he would have been fine with that, something told him that you would crave the image you had in your head of a wedding ceremony.

⭐️ Before he had time to even discuss such things with you, you were gone. The sky which spit you out in Hisui had consumed you once more and taken you back from whence you came. His frustration boiled in his chest. Arceus was mocking him at this point. He gripped a precious agate bracelet in his hand as he glared harshly at the sky. The accessory was difficult to obtain, having to sway previous merchant connections to have it. His plan had been to offer it as a gift before promising to spend his life at your side. It was far too late for that now. He fell to his knees in exhaustive feelings.

⭐️ It was his immortal life that granted him a second chance, he realised. What was meant to be a punishment – a curse, benefitted him greatly. You were in the future, after all. He had nothing but time. Which is how he ended up intercepting you as you stepped out into a more isolated place within Sinnoh. You had just held some sort of meeting with a descendant of his, something he cared little for. The bracelet was still with him all these years later. Volo caught your hand as he gave one of his more friendly smiles. Whatever stunned state you fell into passed quickly. The yellow agate caught the light dully as he slid it onto your wrist.

“... My, don't you look surprised?” he chuckled at your reaction to seeing him again, “I told you, didn't I? I'd meet Arceus even if it took me centuries.” His eyes met yours, feelings twisting in them plainly. It had been so long for him, yet no time for you. Unfair, he wanted to call, completely unfair. Your mind raced with so many things. It was certainly a bold move to propose so soon after re-meeting for the first time in who knew exactly how long, but he did not care. There had been more than enough time for him to reflect on his feelings.

“No matter, that's irrelevant,” he shook his head and pulled you close to him, smiling even brighter at you, “My love, let us finally be together. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of time with you.”

🌌Cyrus🛰

☄️ It crosses his mind at some point when he realises his age. Sure, many people hold off on marriage well into their thirties, and many people even then still opt against marriage due to how stressful it could be. Memories of attempts of arranged marriages by his parents scorn his mind. Business partners still offer their sisters and daughters to him in order to better strengthen deals and raise his status. It was after one of those particular meetings that he felt the urge to finally marry you. His plans had failed, already. There was no point in delaying things further here.

☄️ Cyrus plans a nice dinner at one of the more expensive restaurants in Jubilife, trying to set the mood more than his original plans. Mars had seen his notes about telling you plainly that he planned to merge your family registers and have you legally listed as his spouse. It seemed easier than all the elaborate bells and whistles of inviting you to marriage. A ceremony was deeply unwanted by him. He knew you would not say no, but she insisted on him being romantic and being polite to at least consider your feelings. Besides, it was not like he had parents for you to discuss this with, and yours likely would not be opposed to a marriage with him. At least, as long as they did not know of his previous plans, he supposed.

☄️ He struggled with what to do. Mars insisted he get you a gift. A ring screamed romance to her, but she suggested that he focus on something that you would like. A ring was a common choice, so he presumed it was the safest option. A bright heliodor gem with a silver band seemed pleasant enough to suffice. The clerk had ecstatically explained to him the meanings of them gem, but he cared little to recall much more than some odd association with leadership. Though, the name itself was admittedly what attracted him. Perhaps your waxing poetic about his name's meaning had unconsciously wore off on him.

☄️ It was after the dinner that he brought you out to an isolated place within the city that he took your hand within his as he turned to face you. His eyes gazed at your ring finger as thoughts rushed through his mind. He hated how breathless he felt. The thought of you both unified together made him feel strange. Feeling in general was hard for him, but the idea of finally tying himself to this world was exhausting. Your voice calling his name with a lightly concerned tone snapped him out of it. His hand fished the ring box out from his suit coat pocket.

“... I know I am not the easiest person to live with,” Cyrus began while meeting your eyes, “Every day I am eternally grateful that I have you in my life still. Your presence calms me down from the strange emotional turmoil that foolishly claims me.” He stops himself from going further. Memories of all the time you two had spent together dances behind his eyes. You were the only reason he left the Distortion World. The ring is presented by him with a desperate need to hide his shaking hands.

“Allow us to marry,” he forced down any unwanted hesitation, “I believe you are the only person I could ever wish to spend my days with.”

#pokemon x reader #volo x reader #cyrus x reader #lysandre x reader #maxie x reader #archie x reader #pokemon archie x reader #pokemon lysandre x reader #pokemon maxie x reader #pokemon volo x reader #pokemon cyrus x reader #pokemon/reader #archie/reader #maxie/reader #lysandre/reader #volo/reader #cyrus/reader

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drunkwhenimadethis · 3 months

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In the white lucid morning, glowing still with rain and winter scent, I committed myself to you again, secretly, in silence. Love—eternal, devotional—rose its perfumed head. Calm ecstatic hymns drown out the emptiness that I had, up until the last moment, been perceiving as caused by you. And warm sensations rise like spring river water thawing out to wash over the pain I had thought you were giving me. Regardless of the black countryside and your wild snorting horse and your endless drawing of swords, I will no longer permit a dark word against you, I will not allow my inner flock of vultures to hunt hungrily for your decay. For you alone I am not who I once was. For you alone I find no joy in battle. For you alone I wait for the dance of war to dwindle. I recognize and protect your weaknesses which call for such rigid strategies, I see the logic in your once incomprehensible stance. I love you also when you wear that mask of blood and when you disguise your heavenly scent with bad behaviors. There is a cost that comes with loving a soldier of this world. Our land is full of thunder and you are the one I watch shyly, recognizing, awe-overflowing, that you do not want to fight but it is all that you know, and so go. I remain here, affections transforming into humble duty, preparing your ointments and your stew. I will remain alive feeding on meat and memory’s warm liquids, listening to the musical tones of nature, imagining that it is your harsh voice somewhere over the mountain ranges that commands the winds to move in such a magical direction.

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liveinalovelyway · 2 months

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Hello! :)

I thought it might be fun to start a little music blog since I am so so so passionate about my favorite songs artists. so very. Listening to new music and making all kinds of different playlists have been big hobbies of mine for a while now and I’m hoping this will be a nice little hangout spot where I can talk about my favorite things <3

Some of my very favorite artists!

Guns N’ Roses, Pink Floyd, Jeff Buckley, David Gilmour, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Misfits, The Smashing Pumpkins, Ghost, Mac DeMarco, Fleet Foxes, Palace, Dr. Dog and Frank Sinatra to name just a few :D

+ my Spotify <3 (descriptions of all of my playlists under the cut!)

find beauty in ordinary things - my very favorite songs at the moment yaya

through hardships to the stars - pretty songs <3

you’re gonna make it if you try - soft rock / progressive rock / psychedelic rock type songs

take your time, don’t live too fast - classic rock songs

your zenith fades into eternity - pretty new/modern rock

know it’s for the better - heavy ballads and things of the sort

be patient with your life - pretty chill songs

put your mind at ease - super chill songs

we’re a long way from the past - very pretty old timey songs

things are subject to change - cool old timey songs

near to the sun in the day - mornin’ songs

near to the moon at night - nighttime songs

to live in fear is to not live at all - happy songs :)

like the mountains in springtime - upbeat and invigorating mountain songs / walkin’ songs

love is stronger than hate - nice and comfy songs

slow down, you’re doing fine - calm, comfy and quiet songs

hold on to the dream - super sleepy songs to go to sleep to zzz

all things must pass - songs that i think sound very eighties

sketch the trees and the daffodils - spring songs

flaming flowers that brightly blaze - summer songs

swirling clouds in violet haze - autumn songs

catch the breeze and the winter chills - winter songs

you’ve gotta make it your own way - every Guns N’ Roses song (except one that.. that yeah..) in order of my favorites :) “don’t cry” i cried. he crew. we crode.

you are young and life is long - every Pink Floyd song (except the instrumental and/or wacky ones) in order of my favorites :)

it takes strength to be gentle and kind - every Jeff Buckley song in order of my favorites :) YEOUCH

take one day at a time - every David Gilmour song in order of my favorites :)

we are here to revel forevermore - every Ghost song (except Ashes because it scares me) in order of my favorites :)

sunlight over me no matter what i do - every Fleet Foxes song in order of my favorites :)

lord have mercy - the guns n roses “trilogy” / shot through the heart knees buckling turning into a pulp my gut is wretched gnawing at the bars of my cell sliding down the wall weeping on my hands and knees punching the ground writhing in my straight jacket this time i’m really gonna do it. in a good way <333

(apolocheese for that one, I think its funny..)

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viviennevermillion · 10 months

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ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ

❝ always there to warm you in the winter.... always there with shelter from the rain... always there to catch you when you're falling... always there to stand you up again... family...❞ — Lady & the Tramp 2

notes: i see chapter 7 part 4 did things to our puny little minds. part of @briarvalleyarchives "anthems of old" event. a short story about lilia, malleus and whom they've lost.

warnings: character death, major chapter 7 spoilers

The winter after the beloved princess had passed was a cruel and solemn one. The snowflakes would travel through the cold air of Briar Valley as they had done so many times in the years prior and hit the ground, melting into the ones that had come before; a fate that was all too familiar to the residents of the small nation. The war had left its scars upon the lands. Beasts had run rampant in the villages; destroying homes that had been carefully built with love and dedication. The caves in the mountains were stripped of their glamour, the crystals that had reflected the sunlight that would, despite all odds, break through the cracks, were stolen by beasts unfamiliar to the once peaceful home of the fae.

Because some beasts were not as easy to handle as the demon beasts that came from the mountains to wreak havoc in the settlements. No one knew that better than the fearsome General Vanrouge. From the moment Lady Mallenoa had entered her eternal slumber; with no amount of love able to wake her once more, it was as though winter never ended. Memories of times gone by would flash through his mind; the way they had played in the snow as children and the young princess would never go easy on him; using her magic to turn the previously innocent game into a battlefield of snowballs that left Lilia no room to fight back. It took centuries for him to be able to hold a candle to her power.

Now the snow was stained with the blood of his enemies. At the time, the general had never taken a moment to think about whether the Silver Owls he had slain had a family waiting for them at home as well. They had taken his, so they were undeserving of theirs. General Vanrouge had been consumed by the rage and bitterness in his heart, destroying all who dared stand in his path, for his heart now belonged to battle. This way, he wouldn't have to mourn the past.

He remembered vividly, always, the day they laid her to rest. It seemed as though the whole kingdom was present to say their goodbyes to her. Each citizen who attended the burial was dressed in black for this day, illuminated in the dead of night only by the candles they held as the princess was carried in a casket to her final resting place. The queen had placed a single rose on the ground that to Lilia seemed as though it had swallowed her. Lilia had walked up to the grave later when everyone had left. He thought of the egg still rested and protected within the chambers of the castle. "I promise, for as long as I live, no harm shall come to it. And not a day will go by....that I don't miss your smile", his voice cracked as the tears started streaming down his face. The seasons would go by and yet the cold never passed. Not when the sun would rise on the next day, not when it had risen a hundred years later.

General Vanrouge remembered how she had taught him to play stringed instruments, something he found boring and pointless as a child. Princess Mallenoa always had such a soothing voice. He remembered how she'd sit next to her egg with Prince Levan and sing a soft song to the unborn child. Now Lilia's heart sang without a sound; a quiet melody of grief and unrest. Her funeral was the last time he had allowed himself to cry. The numbness in his heart when he'd open his eyes in the morning didn't fade for decades, centuries even. These were lifespans in the eyes of a child of man; and they seemed to have forgotten all about the devastation they had brought to Briar Valley just a few hundred years later. But a soldier's heart never forgets. It never forgives. That was what Lilia thought at the time. Pain had made him heartless and his heart had been locked away for he feared the pain it held more than any foe on the battlefield. He only hoped, wherever she was now, that she had found peace.

How many times had he wished to feel again? To wake up in the morning and hear her pounding on his door, angry about something. It had annoyed him at the time. But she had been alive.

Yes, the seasons had gone by, yet eternal winter resided in the hearts of the people. But nothing stopped another day. Nothing stopped the inevitable; that the general's heart would thaw one day and spring would arrive in Briar Valley.

It was a miracle. At this point, the egg was more of a reminder of a future that would never be. A memory. Something to make one realize that the royal family would die with Queen Maleficia; the future of the kingdom as uncertain as it had been since the day the war ended. And who would blame anyone? It had been centuries.

But Malleus was spring.

He was the reason General Vanrouge shed a tear once more. One of relief and of love he thought he no longer had inside him. He had smiled when he first saw the little dragon fae with his eggshell on his small face. A smile he was sure the princess would have teased him for. After all, wasn't it him who had always said that he hated children? Who had refused to hold her egg when she had offered it to him? Yet in that moment, he couldn't help to do so. He had picked the little prince up and looked at the queen with the brightest smile she had seen on him in centuries. Tears were streaming down his face as the small fae was just looking up at him with awe and curiosity in his eyes. People say that when someone passes, in a way they are still with you. Lilia had always thought that this was bullshit, he had been far too bitter to notice. But in that moment, he realized that Mallenoa was all around him. He held her legacy in his arms. "She saved us once again, didn't she?", he had whispered quietly, wiping the tears from his face.

The little prince grew up healthy and not one bit less of a fire hazard than his mother had been. He grew up unaware of the bloodshed that had stained his beloved homeland when his egg had come into existence. Unaware of what his parents had sacrificed, of what Lilia had sacrificed, so that he could live and grow. But he had often wondered what it would be like if his parents were still around. Sometimes Malleus would sneak out of the castle, quietly observing the people in the village at the foot of the mountain in awe. He saw little children, not much older than him, protesting under tears because they didn't want to go clothes shopping for their uncle's 900th birthday as they were dragged by their parents' hand and promised their favorite candy if they would go along without making a fuss. He witnessed a mother explaining to her toddler what a bird was. He watched and listened as a father read his son a story on a bench by the fountain. Lilia had read him lots of stories before. But Malleus had always wondered what his father's voice would have sounded like doing this.

The prince spent most of his days alone in the castle. Lilia still had work to do and his grandmother was busy ruling an entire country as he would come to do one day as well. So as soon as Malleus had learnt to read, he would spend his time in the library, curiously exploring stories from a world beyond the castle walls; hoping that he would one day spread his wings to set off and see it for himself. Lots of the stories contained themes of family but few of the families looked quite like his. There was always a mother, a father and at least one child. Malleus would take the books and show it to his guardian, asking Lilia what his father was like and whether he would have taken him fishing like the farmer did with his son in the picture book. There was a flash of pain on Lilia's expression that Malleus had never noticed back then. "I'm sure he would have", the older fae had answered. The stories Malleus heard about his own parents were always short and vague. But Lilia had told him that they were exceptional people who would be proud of him if they could see him now.

Malleus had always wondered what having a father was like. He would get his answer when Lilia took a small human into his custody. Malleus was curious about the baby, always sneaking out to visit the cottage in the forest to see what his guardian was up to. At first he was pouting because Lilia was now giving most of his attention to someone else. But with time he had grown to care for the little child of man. Lilia seemed much happier now. Time had healed his wounds despite the scars of battle and loss never truly fading. He would arrive at the castle to do a task the queen had assigned to him and the prince would greet him to ask about how Silver was doing. Malleus was happy that Silver got to grew up with a father. He never fathomed that both of them could lose him.

The world was simple back then. It was just the castle, Malleus, his grandmother, Lilia and the little human he was raising and that Malleus would often play with or read to when Lilia had work to do at the palace. He couldn't ever have imagined going to Night Raven College and finding the world had changed so much from the one he read about in books. Or that his third year would mark his last with Lilia. That he would see Silver cry and grieve like this.

The world outside of Briar Valley was one he had always longed to see and that brought him many curious, but happy memories. He had learnt about the Halloween traditions of other nations and celebrated the holiday together with them. He had cooked a meal for the first time and the person he had served it to had enjoyed it. He had seen other countries and took part in their culture.

Even Lilia still found the school to be a place for new experiences. He had met a friend on this strange invention called the "Internet" and treasured that friendship despite never having met this friend in person. This online friend would often talk to Lilia in the chat, casually mentioning how he had obtained the newest addition of his favorite manga or played a game with his brother. Lilia would hesitate for a moment, recalling memories that seemed so long ago to him now.

"I had a sister... once."

He deleted the words before he had sent them. No need to bother Gloomurai with a sob story from his life that happened centuries ago. Little did he know that the stranger on the other side of the screen understood all about the struggle of losing a sibling.

Yes, Night Raven College was full of new beginnings for Malleus and his family. But it was the way of the world that nothing could truly last forever, tragic and unfair as it was. Nothing stops another day. Not even a sleeping curse or an overblot dragon. The spell laid waste to Sage's Island, and although the damage was way less than it could have been, the aftermath of it could still be seen everywhere one looked. Malleus felt ashamed of what he had done and Lilia was reminded of scenes from the war long ago.

But everyone joined together to help and rebuild what had been destroyed. Night Raven College and Royal Sword Academy. Fairies and Humans.

"Seems as though we avoided the worst case, huh?", Lilia mused as he noticed Queen Maleficia, the dragon fairy who had raised him since he was a baby, standing next to him. The queen nodded and noted what a bureaucratical nightmare this whole ordeal would be despite all.

Lilia looked at the scene that was unfolding before his eyes. The fae who had come to the island to break through the spell and fight against Malleus's overblot were now helping the locals rebuild their houses with magic. The students would hand out meals to everyone who helped. The citizens were already planting new seeds in place of the trees and fields that had been destroyed. They would one day grow into an idyllic image of a peaceful home. Just as Malleus and Silver had grown into formidable people. The young prince had fallen further than he ever did before, but now the old general was certain that he could stand on his own feet at last. Both of his sons could. And the bat fae was glad that he could depart knowing this much.

"It seems the children of man truly know no rest when it comes to progress", the queen remarked, looking at the humans who fixed the fields beside the village and the fae soldiers who were assisting them.

"It appears so"

"What are they planting?"

Lilia looked at the rising sun, remembering the faith that Princess Mallenoa once had; that mankind and fae would one day live in peace and help each other grow. He had called it foolish at the time, mocking his sister's words by calling them a fever dream. Yet this was just another way in which she had changed his world, just as the little prince he raised had been. There was a smile on his face as he thought about how this day might just mark the beginning of the future the princess had envisioned.

"Hope."

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst chapter 7 spoilers #twst spoilers #twst chapter 7 #malleus draconia #malleus #lilia vanrouge #lilia #general lilia #twst fanfic #twst fanfiction #mallenoa draconia #maleficia draconia #malleus x reader #malleus draconia x reader #lilia vanrouge x reader #lilia x reader

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