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ironboyxs · 6 months

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Sea Blood

Fandom: Percy Jackson

Pairing: Percy Jackson x Male!Brother Reader

Word count: 1491

Summary: Percy Jackson, now a young adult, lived a relatively quiet life after his many adventures as a demigod. He was in an interval of missions and taking advantage of the time in Camp Half-Blood. Then, one day, a series of events, or he would discover a secret that would change his life forever.

As incredible as it may seem, it was a calm day at Camp Half-Blood. The world wasn't about to be destroyed or anything like that. There were only young campers enjoying the summer and training as usual. Percy was happy to have some calm and peace, he was sitting with Annabeth by the sea and the two had planned a romantic picnic. Percy didn't remember the last time he was able to spend a calm moment with his girlfriend.

But well, he was Percy Jackson, peace and tranquility didn't suit him very much.

- Percy! Annabeth! Thank the gods I found you. – Will Solace came running out of breath, with a look on his face that something clearly wasn't quite right.

- What is it? Something happened? Monster? Anyone injured? – Annabeth already got up worried.

- Not exactly, it's Rachel, she... has a prophecy.

- Man, if I have to hear one more “great prophecy” I’m going to retire and live at the bottom of the sea. – Percy said, already indignant at the disapproving look that Annabeth gave him.

- It is not a “great prophecy”. – Will explained – Actually we don't know what prophecy it is, the Oracle demands to speak to you Percy.

Percy froze. That obviously couldn't be a good thing. Soon he and Annabeth were accompanying Will to the Big House where Rachel was sitting in a chair, surrounded by the flickering spirit of the Oracle of Delphi. Percy thought he would never get used to seeing his friend like this.

- Percy Jackson. – The Oracle's voice echoed throughout the room. - At high tide, the secret will be revealed, two sons of Poseidon, united by destiny. The sea will test their bond, and the fate of the demigods will depend on their union.

Rachel's head fell to the side, making her red hair cover her face, she used to get tired after prophecies but surprisingly she began to rise with difficulty from the chair.

- Rachel, be careful, you're still weak. – Said Chiron, who was watching everything from the corner of the room.

- Percy, are you okay? – Rachel asked.

- I'm the one asking you, it's not me who has a green spirit coming out of my mouth out of nowhere.

- Idiot, I'm fine. I'm referring to the prophecy.

- Another confused one... couldn't you have a chat with this spirit and see if it can be clearer?

- You know it doesn't work like that. – Rachel said, lightly punching Percy on the shoulder.

- So the prophecy is about me and Tyson, right? I will meet him at high tide, will we discover a secret that will save the demigods? Something like that?

- I don't think the prophecy is talking about Tyson... – Annabeth said.

- Annabeth, if another son of Poseidon existed, we would have noticed. – Chiron said.

- Yes, just as we perceive a son of Hades. – Annabeth wasn't sarcastic but it was obvious to her.

- You and Tyson have already been united by destiny before Percy, it has to be someone different. – Annabeth explained.

- I feel the same thing. – Rachel agreed.

And then first thing in the morning Percy was going into the sea, he knew it wouldn't be so easy to get help from his father. But he knew he could count on the ocean's help. He focused on the water, on the magical powers that could act on it. Maybe if this new demigod was manipulating the ocean in some way he would be able to feel it.

And he was right, he felt a slight tug, as if the current was telling him where to look, and soon he was letting himself be carried away by the current.

Percy follows the clues left by the water and arrives at a remote location, close to a vast and mysterious ocean. He feels an aura of aquatic power in the air and is determined to unlock the secret of the prophecy. As he walks along the beach, he notices a lone figure at the water's edge. The figure appears to be controlling the sea waves with ease.

As Percy approaches, he realizes that the figure is a young demigod, with dark hair and blue eyes, much like his own. The young man seems to be at peace with the ocean, as if it were a natural extension of it. Percy feels an immediate connection to this strange demigod, but he also realizes something is wrong. The aura of power around the boy is undeniable, but he looks tired and lost.

- Who are you? – Said the boy before Percy got closer.

He stood up and easily created a water trident in his hand.

- I'm extremely tired so if you're a monster I advise you not to irritate me now. – He seemed ready to attack if necessary.

- My name is Percy Jackson. I am a demigod, a son of Poseidon. And I don't think I need to explain the concept of this to you, apparently.

The boy looks into Percy's eyes, his own blue eyes reflecting recognition and shock.

- You are the famous Percy Jackson. I'm Y/N. I am also the son of Poseidon, the eldest son.

- Eldest? How is this possible?

- I was born before you, it's not very difficult to understand. – Y/N replied sarcastically.

- But we should have known about your existence, with everything that happened, with the danger of a son of the big three. How come we didn't know anything about you?

- When I was born, my mother didn't want me, she threw me into the sea and Poseidon dragged me to the bottom. I grew up underwater, raised by sea spirits. I was kept hidden during the Titan War.

- Couldn’t you never leave the sea? – Percy asked, imagining how difficult that must have been for the boy.

- No... but now something happened, they attacked my house in the ocean. I tried to ask Poseidon for help but he was of no use, I had no choice but to run away.

- Well then, big bro, it's time to find out together why fate brought us here.

At that moment, Percy notices that Y/N is slightly injured, although the sea water has already healed most of the injuries. Percy also notices the sadness in the boy's eyes, a loneliness he carries with him. He tries to get closer but Y/N shrinks back.

- Hey, is everything okay? – Percy asked.

- Yes... it's just that I'm not used to people. I lived basically alone. Poseidon visited me sometimes and the water spirits told me things. I always wanted to meet my famous brother. But I always thought I would be alone forever.

Percy realizes the depth of loneliness that Y/N has felt throughout his life. He extends his hand again, but this time with more kindness and patience.

- You're not alone now, Y/N. We have a lot to learn from each other. Together, we can face whatever fate has in store for us and discover more about our heritage as children of Poseidon.

Y/N still feels a little hesitant, but manages a small smile.

- Thank you, Percy. I never imagined this was possible. I look forward to this journey alongside you.

Days later...

Percy and Y/N are in Cabin 3 at Camp Half-Blood, they spent the whole night talking about the mission they would have together, about the prophecy received. Percy could tell that Y/N was still surprised by everything that was happening, but he was getting used to the new reality, he had even made some friends in the Athena cabin.

He knew that Y/N's life had been extremely lonely and he couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been to spend so many years hiding at sea. Percy wanted to make sure that even though a mission had brought them together, now Y/N had a family.

- Y/N, I want you to know that you are not alone anymore. You have a family now, and I'm here for you. Forever. We are brothers, and that means we take care of each other no matter what.

- This means a lot to me, Percy. I don't know how to thank you for all this. – Y/N said, feeling moved by Percy's words.

- No need to thank, big bro. We are on this journey together, and we will face everything head on. No matter what fate has in store for us, our brotherhood is unbreakable.

- Thanks, Percy. I look forward to facing what lies ahead with you by my side. – Y/N says with a smile.

Percy and Y/N share a moment of understanding and unity, strengthening their bond as brothers. Percy wants to make it clear that Y/N no longer needs to carry the loneliness that haunted him, because now he has a family that will support and care for him at all times.

#x male reader #percy jackson x male reader #percy jackson x reader #percy jackson x y/n #percy jackson and the olympians

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immaturityofthomasastruc · 2 months

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You know, I find it funny how MLB thinks just having those fairytale parallels is enough to warrant praise, without actually using them to explore the characters.

Using one of the examples you listed in the finale review, Ever After High took the concept of fairytales and used it to explore the characters in interesting ways. Raven outright rejected the fate people decided she should have, instead choosing to write her own story and use her magic for good. Briar HATED her story, as she knew that while she would sleep for a hundred years, her friends would all be dead when she woke up. Duchess was envious of the others, as her story was doomed to end in tragedy as the next Swan Princess…

I could go on for days. The writers of EAH used the basic concept of fairytales to create genuinely compelling characters and discuss topics like autonomy, existentialism, being your own person vs what everyone wants you to be etc. But MLB just- throws these metaphors in on a surface level and then claim that they’re reinventing the wheel. It’s so infuriating.

Again, fairy tale references and deconstructions can work if they're done right (Go! Princess Precure does a great job with this for example), but the problem with this show is that all it does with that idea is compare the story to a fairy tale without really having anything to say about the tropes commonly associated with the genre.

The idea of comparing Marinette to a knight isn't a bad one, as you could argue that superheroes are the modern day equivalent to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but the whole knight idea is just to make Marinette look like a knight, not have her follow the code of chivalry knights are known to follow. Making Adrien the "damsel" is the bigger problem here. When he was compared to the princess, it was just to portray him as helpless and in need of saving... while the fairy tale visual in "Gabriel Agreste" shows him wearing a dress while Marinette wears a suit of armor.

In other words, this show that's trying to be empowering to girls, is essentially associating feminine traits with being weak, while the character supposed to be the female role model girls look up to is only able to get the job by acting like a man. This is why this show needs more than one female writer on the crew.

Maybe I'm overthinking things because I'm not a girl, and therefore, don't see things the same way, but to me, it comes across like the writers only cared about how cool things looked rather than actually diving into what something like this symbolizes. You know, the thing Ever After High has gained a lot of praise for with its discussion of fairy tale tropes?

#immaturity of thomas astruc #iota #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #adrien agreste #cat noir #chat noir #not miraculous ladybug

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anxiousnerdwritings · 1 year

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maybe as Viserys health begins to fail Sickly!Brother’s health begins to strengthen. and the brother thinks it’s some sort of twisted joke from the gods but the families are too busy relishing in the fact he can walk more the ten feet without loosing his breath or get down the stairs without coughing a lung out.

the servants swear Alicent had whiplash the first time she saw Sickly!Brother jogging through the royal gardens in a only a pair of shorts and footwraps

I can’t help but imagine people thinking that there is actually something correlating Viserys and the Reader’s drastic changes in both their health. Like, maybe there’s a rumor that Alicent or Daemon sought out a witch who through dark magical means intertwined the Reader and Viserys’ souls somehow resulting in one falling weaker and deteriorating while the other grows healthier and stronger as the days go by. Whether it’s true or not people are completely taken aback at the miraculous change in the Reader, even Viserys is shocked but he’s happy to be seeing his beloved brother getting to live and experience life the way he should have been able to all along.

Viserys would find amusement in his last moments about the whole absurd rumor of him and the Reader being intertwined somehow. He would contentedly tell anyone that he gladly accepted his fate if it meant his brother got to live the life he had been so cruelly robbed of all these years.

Meanwhile, Alicent, Rhaenyra, Daemon and Rhaenys have never seen the Reader look or be so lively as he is now. They’ve all watched as the Reader slowly regained strength, getting to a healthier weight, being able to stand for longer periods then getting to walk without any assistance. The whole thing is surreal to all of them but they couldn’t be happier. Alicent of course is there every step of the way helping the Reader in whatever way she can and being one of the first people to witness his recovery.

You can’t imagine the pure shock and panic that fills everyone when they first witness the Reader working out or sparring in some way. Alicent damn near faints from seeing the Reader shirtless, especially since his body is forming more muscle mass and said muscle is defining itself in certain places. Basically, she can’t handle how sexy her darling is becoming and nearly passes out from a nosebleed because of it. Sir Criston Cole is barely able to catch her right before she falls to the ground and smacks her head open (he totally was checking Reader out too). Everyone would be running around trying to get the Reader back into their bed or at least to a chair so they can take it easy, meanwhile Daemon is completely filled with pride at seeing his younger brother bettering himself and making the most out of his second chance at life.

Also, I can’t help but imagine knights, Kingsguard men, and servants at King’s Landing all chasing after the Reader who is half naked jogging around and working out. They’re all trying to cover him up and get him somewhere safe and make him take it easy on all the physical activity he’s trying to do. Alicent would also be chasing the Reader down to cover him up and save him from all the predatory eyes feasting over him if it weren’t for her nearly passing out every time she catches sight of him shirtless. It was one thing seeing his body when she would tend to him when I was still sick but now that it’s defining more she can’t handle it.

Given that the Reader is healthier now, able to move around more freely from the confines of his bedchambers without the worry of him overstimulating his lungs or needing to take a rest every few minutes due to his legs giving out in him, and now that he’s shaping himself up he’s gaining more attention than he’s ever had before. Especially from the female variety and Alicent couldn’t be more appalled by it. How dare anyone even think they could have a chance with her darling?! Were any of them there for him, taking care of him when he couldn’t even lift a spoon up to feed himself? Were any of them there to witness his worst moments and feel the sheer heart wrenching fear whenever his health dropped? No, no they weren’t! No one but Alicent was there for him all this time, not anyone else and certainly not those imbecile ladies of the court or the servant girls. She was the only one there for the Reader and she would be the only to continue being there for the Reader. Meanwhile, Daemon is already plotting who to betroth the Reader to to get him away from Alicent.

Also, now that the Reader is healthier he can move to Dragonstone with Rhaenyra and Daemon or even go to Driftmark with Rhaenys and Corlys. Or hell, the Reader may even just take off on his own and adventure around the Seven Kingdoms or the free cities and see the world that he’s only read of in his books.

#anxious answers #yandere alicent hightower #yandere daemon targaryen #yandere house of the dragon #yandere game of thrones #yandere house of the dragon concept #yandere game of thrones concept #yandere concept

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artist-issues · 3 months

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On the Percy Jackson series, now that the season has concluded, do you have any thoughts on it, whether standalone or as an adaptation, about what worked and didn't work in it? I ask partly because I want to analyse it as its own thing but I can't stop getting hung up on the changes and I'm not completely sure why.

Of all things, Gabe is the big one for me. They turned him from a repulsive abuser to a pathetic manchild who lacks the power dynamic of his book counterpart and was so consistently treated as comic relief that I actually pitied him. The fact that he shares the fate of his book counterpart actually kind of angers me and it's hard for me to look past that. It left a mean-spirited taste in my mouth.

I don’t think I’ve talked enough about what did work, and I do think there’s a place for talking about that, so I’m glad you asked!

I think Walker Scobell could play a really excellent Percy Jackson. And I think Leah Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri are both very endearing in their roles.

I’m not going to throw shade on 14 year-old actors and actresses. There’s no shade to throw. Acting is vulnerability combined with introspection and understanding. No teenager is going to have the same level of vulnerability, understanding, and introspection, expressed with the same skill, as we’re used to seeing in adults, period. And the show doesn’t do them any favors by giving them very adult lines and very adult-behaving characters to play.

Which segues nicely into—the character’s “arcs” are completely different in the show, but they feel more like…”alternate universe” characters than “out-of-character-rewrites.” For the most part.

I already touched on how Grover is a completely different Grover in the TV show. His fear is both too serious and not extreme enough. He’s not comedic. Instead, he is a voice of reason, and he does have a maturity the other two don’t have. He’s written to talk to the other adults differently than Percy and Annabeth are—more like equals, less like teen-vs-adults. You can easily believe that Grover is a 24 year-old in a kid’s body during those scenes, like the ones with Ares.

But there’s a reason he’s not like that in the Percy Jackson books; he’s comedic, and he’s Percy’s best friend. Percy’s only 12 when they meet; it’s weird for a 12 year-old to be best friends with a 24 year-old—who BEHAVES like a 35 year-old, with all the gravity, and maturity, etc. But if the 24 year-old is a magical creature who, for his species, is still pretty young, and has a comedically immature personality, then the chemistry works much better. Anyway. Not my point.

My point is, Grover might not be Grover, but you can still see trace elements of Grover in him. Like how you can see echoes of Spider-Man in Spider-Gwen’s story. It’s an alternate-universe, not a do-over.

Grover still wants to be a seeker.

Grover still feels guilty about not taking better care of Thalia.

Grover still gets the most outraged and cares the most deeply about nature and crimes against nature.

Grover is still a peace-lover at heart, so he’s the most gentle in relational interactions.

‘That kind of stuff is still there. It’s just re-contextualized and…made less fun. That’s all. More serious. More grit.

Same thing with Annabeth:

Annabeth still wants to prove she’s the best of the best.

Annabeth’s still given up on her normal family and is most comfortable in life-or-death strategizing.

Annabeth’s still smart, but specifically wise enough to notice Percy’s heart of gold while everyone else is busy being afraid of or disappointed in him.

Same thing with Percy:

Percy still has the stubborn rebelliousness we all know and love.

Percy’s still a guy who goes with his gut first and foremost.

Percy’s still willing to sacrifice the future for the present, if the present means saving the people he loves.

Percy still makes wise-cracks at wildly inappropriate times.

And I think some of the show is really well written. Some of it. Two parts in particular stand out. The first is when Annabeth and Percy have the post-killing Medusa conversation, and they have that, “she tried to get me to betray you. What did you say? I killed her sister. What did you say? I cut off her head.” exchange. That’s great. The point of that conversation is “you can trust me because no matter how I might be tempted, this is the line I won’t cross.” But they don’t come out and say that. They have the characters say it without saying it, if that makes sense.

The second bit of good writing that comes into my brain was Luke’s conversation with Percy about being small and scary. It was such a good way to introduce the important concept of why gods need demigods/why gods fear demigods, while also lore-dropping things like “Annabeth is afraid of spiders” and “this fantasy world does have rules.” And on top of those boxes getting checked, you can also see the conversation from Luke’s point of view—he’s bitter about being thought of as a small thing to the gods, but now he’s starting to embrace the scariness part.

So some moments are good, writing-wise. Especially if you tilt your head and say “this is an alternate universe.” I just think they’re not always the right moments for Percy Jackson.

#Percy Jackson #Luke castellan #Annabeth chase #pjo #pjo series #percy series #Percy Jackson and the lightning thief #pjo tv show #Disney+#Rick Riordan #Walker Scobell

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backtothefanfiction · 11 months

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tasm!Peter x Nurse Reader

You cannot tell me post everything with Gwen when he felt able to date again (when May talks him into it), that Peter Parker wouldn’t end up with a nurse. Someone who knows the pressures of saving lives. Able to patch him up when his wounds are a little too deep and gonna take longer to heal. Someone who also works late nights so wouldn’t be bothered if he was out late on patrol…

Imagine this…

It’s Christmas a couple years after the incident. After completing her training Aunt May now puts in shifts at the hospital. She’s gone out with a few other Nurses for Christmas drinks. Peter comes to collect her as it’s late. That is when he gets introduced to you.

You are politely waiting with May until her Nephew turns up so you have your own peace of mind she will get home safe. From the way she talks about him when you work the ward together, you are expecting some nerdy guy who couldn’t get out of his parents basement, not… well, Peter.

You make polite introductions, May introducing you to each other. “Y/N this is my nephew Peter, Peter this is Y/N they work on the ward with me.”

Peter is enamoured by you immediately. Not only does he find you attractive but you also care for his Aunt and he assumes you provide the same care for your patients.

You part ways, but that won’t be the last time you see each other.

Peter keeps an eye out for you now, whenever he goes to meet May from work. You exchange small talk. He realises you work the late shift often, meaning you’re only just starting as his Aunt is finishing.

He starts spending his nights thinking of you working at the same time he is. Wonders if you’ve ever had to patch up any of the guys he’s ended up sending to the hospital over the years.

It doesn’t take May long to recognise that Peter likes you. “Ask her out already?” “What no?”

He ends up running back inside the hospital to ask you out.

You end up having a coffee date and a walk around Central Park. Conversation is easy and Peter is starting to think Gwen may have sent you to him from the great beyond because all of this felt so easy, it had to be fate.

You’ve been dating a couple months when he shows up on your doorstep with a massive gash in the side of his arm. He’d managed to get caught around a metal cable and the wound was too deep for him to heal without a little help but he knew he couldn’t just walk into the nearest hospital.

You patched him up, minimal questions asked, until you woke up next to him the following morning and his arm was almost healed. He had to come clean.

You were accepting at first. You had always admired Spider-Man and how he helped the people of the city. Protected them from the big bads and the little ones. But when Peter starts getting too comfortable around you and showing up with one too many careless injuries you start to become more and more guarded.

You find yourself checking the news app on your phone way too often. You walk into patients rooms when the news is on to watch and make sure he’s being safe.

When he comes home with 3 bullet wounds for you to patch up, one of the bullets still in his body, you realise enough is enough. “I can’t do this any more Peter.” It’s the hardest things you’ve had to do. You promise to keep his secret but dating him is too hard and for your own sanity you need to go your separate ways.

Peter reluctantly agrees to your wishes but it kills him inside. He realises he got to comfortable. Too attached to this idea you were his angel sent by Gwen that you’d put up with anything and always be there. When you’re not, Peter struggles.

He goes out looking for more fights to punish himself. Looking for bigger bads to battle hoping the victories and admiration from the crowds will fill the void inside him.

That is until he comes up against the biggest bad and his most challenging fight yet. And somehow there you are. As if by magic. As if you really are sent by Gwen, placed in the right place at the right time.

He’s so broken, on the verge of death. The bad guy got away while he lay broken in the street. Crowds gather around him. Their beloved Spider-Man is bleeding out and practically dying on the street in front of them and they have no idea what to do.

You had seen everything. It was awful. All you could do was watch on helplessly as if Peter was a dogs play thing. The man, or was it a creature, picked him up like he weighed nothing and threw his body down the street. The roof of a car caved in with the force of it as he landed on top of it, the windows crushed with the force.

Peter had managed to roll himself off the car but he staggered and stumbled, his arm wrapped protectively around his side as he stumbled down a side street. You saw the crowd begin to gather around him as you raced down the street to get to him.

You pushed your way through bodies to get to his unconscious body. You give him a quick check over as you fall to your knees. “Give them some space” you hear someone call out, ushering the crowd back a bit as you realise you’re gonna need to do CPR. You begin doing chest compressions, your hands folding over the spider emblem now torn across his chest. “Come on Pete.” You mumble as you push down, your head counting out the beats on autopilot as your training took over. You lift his mask just enough to reveal his mouth and nose as you begin to give him mouth to mouth. You don’t even know how long you keep doing that, back and forth between the two when he suddenly takes a deep breath in.

The crowd cheers around you but you are only focused on one another. And just like that it’s like the last few weeks of your break up never happened.

After resting in your bed a couple days, Peter is better equipped and healed enough to finish what he started. After that he promises to stick solely to friendly neighbourhood stuff as much as possible. And he’s good to his word for the most part.

You fall into a good routine together. When you work nights, he goes on patrol. On your nights off, you both stay in watching movies in your small apartment whilst eating ice cream and pizza.

A year later Peter is asking for Aunt May’s ring to ask you to marry him. It’s a simple engagement story. He swung you both up to the top of the Empire State Building and did the Spider-Man equivalent of getting down on one knee. He slowly lowered himself down upside down with the ring in hand before you. He’d barely gotten the words out before you were crying and shouting “Yes, Yes, YES!”

#peter parker #peter parker x reader #tasm peter parker x reader #tasm!peter imagine #the amazing Spider-Man #Peter Parker x nurse reader #andrew!peter imagine #andrew garfield peter parker #andrew!peter parker #mcu #andrew garfield!peter parker imagine #Spider-Man #tasm!peter x nurse!reader #tasm!peter x y/n #tasm!peter x reader

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yanderes-galore · 3 months

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Hi could I please request something from Disney mirrorverse , how would Yandere rivals go between Maui vs Rapunzel with a darling who came from our world if not maybe the darling a fierce warrior from her dimension? 🌸(it can be romantic or platonic or neural )

Hm, sure! I'll see what I got! Tangled and Moana are some of my favorite movies (Other than Wall-E and Encanto), especially for soundtracks, so I'm hyped!

Also, apologies for calling "Fractured" the "Shattered" last Mirrorverse fic, that's fixed now.

Edit: Sorry this isn't that intense, I couldn't figure out how to place any violent scenes so it's more just heavy manipulation.

Yandere! Mirrorverse! Maui vs Yandere! Mirrorverse! Rapunzel

(Darling from the real world)

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Overprotective behavior, Clingy behavior implied, Jealousy, Isolation, Dubious companionship.

Rapunzel is described in Mirrorverse as being full of energy and determination.

She leaps headstrong into adventure and was granted great strength and healing powers.

She is a great healing ally for her team.

Maui is described in Mirrorverse as strong and witty.

He is primarily known for his strength as a guardian, making him an excellent tank.

Of course, these guardians also share traits with their normal selves.

Rapunzel is smart, clever, playful, kind, naive, adventurous, etc.

Maui is egotistical, mischievous, self-centered, brash, occasionally bitter, insecure, brave, etc.

You meet these two upon being sent to the Mirrorverse.

As you are from our world, you may not have any powers.

Yet maybe the Stellar Mirror gave you some magic to survive in this land of Fractured.

Maybe even meeting Rapunzel and Maui was fate.

When you first enter the Mirrorverse you are confused.

You're scared when Fractured come to attack, only to be saved by Rapunzel and Maui.

Maui takes time to wipe out the Fractured while Rapunzel gets to work on healing you.

You aren't safe until they take you back to base, getting you checked and asking about yourself.

Rapunzel is the one to ask the questions, her tone is gentle as she learns about you.

When you explain where you came from, Rapunzel and the rest of the guardians are confused at first.

Then again, it can't be too different, can it?

Many guardians come from all sorts of backgrounds.

Although Rapunzel can tell from your tone you really want to get home.

So until they find a way to get you home, you're put on a team with Rapunzel and Maui.

Even if you have limited/no magic, these two can protect you the best they can through your journey.

With Maui's strength and Rapunzel's healing, you'll be fine.

The biggest issue you're dealing with... is the attachment Rapunzel and Maui have towards you.

I have a feeling Rapunzel would be very gentle and caring in her obsession but can be assertive if someone does something she doesn't like.

Meanwhile Maui would be charismatic, assertive, and charming towards his obsession regardless of his intentions.

As this is a rivalry, both of them realize how they feel towards you.

Plus, they both feel the other isn't a good fit.

Rapunzel thinks Maui will get you hurt and won't care for you as much as she can.

Maui has similar feelings except it's because he feels Rapunzel can't protect and support you as much as he can.

They could be fighting over who's your closest friend... who's your lover... something in between... but there's one thing they do agree on.

They don't want you going back home.

Can't you tell you're needed here?

They assure you they they're "looking".

However... they aren't.

Instead the two are bickering about who gets to keep you/who you like more.

Even when Mickey says he's found a way to bring you home, your two yanderes hide that info from you.

That's the one thing they agree on.

Both of the guardians want to protect you here in the Mirrorverse.

In their eyes, protecting you is keeping you here.

After all... they can't protect you if you aren't here.

What if you get hurt?

Who will be there to comfort you?

Don't you feel secure in Maui's strong arms?

Don't you feel cared for when Rapunzel speaks to you and heals your wounds?

Maybe you were brought here for a reason?

Ever thought maybe you belong here?

Maui and Rapunzel certainly think so.

While the two continue to quarrel on who deserves you, they keep telling you lies.

You should just stop trying to go home...

You belong here... with one of them.

#yandere disney #yandere disney mirrorverse #yandere maui #yandere mirrorverse maui #yandere rapunzel #yandere mirrorverse rapunzel

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kalena-henden · 8 months

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(Pandora's) Box provided sage guides in the form of love interests. As I mentioned previously, Hongjo was able to open the box by saying, "Please, can you come?", out loud while thinking about Jaekyung being there to help her. With all of the questioning he's done both to Hongjo and Shinyu regarding their relationship and the preview next week showing that he's been told about the love spell, I realized he is the guide for their relationship to make themselves ask the hard questions, reflect on what they truly feel and lead them to action towards each other. Jaekyung is there to help her just like she magically asked. After she first opened the box, Jaekyung rejected her love confession, even though we learn later that he does indeed like her but feels he's too cold and odd to be good for her. However, Jaekyung's rejection is the very thing that compels her to cast the first spell to begin her journey towards her fate that is entwined with Shinyu. Even in this, Jaekyung was unknowingly her guide to help her do exactly what she needed to do at the right time.

It may be a cruel fate for a sage guide to be a love interest (almost as cruel as it is to be a Second Male Lead) but people need a reason to care for and meddle in someone else's life. If you're not family, a longtime friend or co-worker, or a wise old person sought out for advice then love interest is most reasonable choice. But I did say sage guides, plural, because there is another one.

Kim Wook (forever Imoogi in our hearts) has unwittingly become a sage guide for Shinyu's parents. With the opening of (Pandora's) box, all hell has broken loose and whatever curse was put on their family is in flux. It appears the curse could be temporarily curbed if you truly fall in love as Shinyu's parents did since his mom was an actress and not the normal choice for a respectable rich wife. They noted at the beginning how his dad and grandfather were bucking the trend in not dying young. It was also interesting how his father met with Nayeon separately to convince her to stay by his son's side despite the fact that he broke up with her. I'm sure this was in an attempt to save his son's life by keeping Shinyu's love by his side to curb the curse. Though he doesn't know Shinyu and Nayeon have never truly loved each other.

Which brings us back to Shinyu's parents' marriage falling apart after the box was opened because their love is entwined with the family curse. It is likely that with Shinyu's mom's love wavering for her husband, his health will start to rapidly decline. His stomach being too upset to go stargazing with his wife might have been the start of it. While their fate is tied to the outcome of whether Shinyu and Hongjo's relationship is able to break the curse, they also have their own things to work through in parallel. And like Hongjo, Shinyu's mom called up her own sage guide to help with her issues in lawyer and potential love interest Kim Wook, whom she's now running into coincidentally as well.

The Villainess Trio. Our villains are now emerging. From the beginning we had the horrible Haum Construction CEO Lee Hyunseo, now back and making shady deals with Onju's corrupt mayor, who is also the father of Nayeon, Shinyu's two-faced, vain girlfriend who's in charge of the latest Onju city project they are all working on. Shinyu left his prestigious law firm to fight corporate corruption, especially against Haum. This will now pit him directly against his girlfriend and her father.

Which bring us to their past lives and the origin of the curse. It's safe to say that the past is repeating itself with a chance to change the outcome in the present since this is clearly a reincarnation story. This means many people from the past are together in the present, including the villains who won the first time around. Nayeon joked that she was a princess in a past life. With her father mayor in the present, it would not be shocking if her father was previously a king and his daughter a princess, desperate to get her way and marry a handsome nobleman, Shinyu in his past life. He wasn't interested in her so she had a shaman put a curse on him, that he needed to fall in love to survive. Only to be thwarted by Shinyu falling in love with a court lady, Hongjo in her past life. So Princess Nayeon had her father's loyal henchman, Haum CEO in his past life, kill Court Lady Hongjo, who died in the arms of her love, Nobleman Shinyu, reaching up to caress his cheek with her bloody hand to comfort him with her final breaths. But after Court Lady Hongjo died, he still refused Princess Nayeon and died young. Unfortunately, the curse didn't just apply to him but included his entire family line. Obviously this a speculation, but I've seen enough reincarnation stories to have a rough notion of how this plays out. Facts are that Shinyu has been dreaming about his past life, saw and chased a vision of Hongjo in a court lady hanbok through the Changdeokgung Palace, and has a comforting bloody hand of one whom he killed haunting him because of his family's death curse. The rest we'll find out soon enough.

#destined with you #kdrama #kalenapost #kalenameta #destinedwithyoumeta

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sombredancer · 7 months

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How to be a more interesting character than the Main Hero (Pt.3)

Shangjue and his didi (pt.2/2)

Yuanzhi wants to save Shangjue from any kind of pain so badly, and not only because he feels guilt for brother's loss, but also because he is able to see brother's true personality: Shangjue is an invisible root of Gong tree.

When an assassin and didi have a conversation in the final part of the drama, she says that there are people, in front of whom Shangjue could be vulnerable, but Yanzhi smirks and says that the Martial World won`t allow it. And it happens to be true: he knows that Shangjue’s fiancée is an assassin and he knows that, no matter how much Shangjue is into her, she would not hesitate to kill him if she had a chance, so Shangjue`s soft spot for something (such as a woman he likes) would be his doom. But he needs to look invincible, because the whole clan counts on him and relies on him.

Because Shangjue is a root of Gong clan, everyone sees only thriving and green branches and beautiful flowers (which are wealth, power and secure of Gong clan), but no one sees that it wouldn`t be possible without a root, strong yet hidden under the soil (aka one hardworking man).

I often find the fate of Shangjue's type of heroes very unfair: a person unnoted takes care of everyone and is rewarded at the end only with sufferings and death. But this story is different, because Shangjue has got his didi, who doesn't care about world but eagerly takes care of him while he takes care of anything else. This scene was the second one during the drama that upset me a lot. I spoiled myself some shots of Yuanzhi crying over brother's body and I was sure he would die because he isn't fluffy and spotless enough to stay alive in Chinese drama. Fortunately, he didn't:

It works vice versa, too:

Yuanzhi is, I suppose, coded as someone like Asperger: he is kinda genius, he preferred insects and plants to people as he was a child, he couldn`t understand why people cry and felt uncomfortable with someone`s touching (he slipped out of Shangjue’s grip when Shangjue took his hand). And Shangjue did a great job socializing him.

Being an adolescent, Shangjue hadn`t problems with feeling expression. Things Shangjue taught his didi in a flashback are the opposite to those the Main Hero’s mum taught MH and to those Shangjue believes now. Shangjue told Yuanzhi that a man should cry because in that case someone would understand one's woe and this sympathizing could help to recuperate one's soul, but now he never cries in front of someone. However, Yuanzhi learned his lesson well and isn`t embarrassed to express his feelings freely.

I found this scene very weird (if not taking into account that the flower is obviously a red herring): the Main Hero and Shangjue both fancy girls, while didi fancies a magic flower. But later, as I finished the drama, I understood: didi fancies Shangjue the most. The unique and almost extinct flower isn`t some treasure for him, it matters only that this flower can save Shangjue`s life and increase his inner powers. The previous one was taken away from Shangjue, and Shangjue allowed it to happen, because his needs didn`t matter to him compared to prosperity of his clan. (Later, as we know, it was spent in vain by a villain, which made me feel terribly sorry for Shangjue). But his didi values him enough to try to take care of him once more (and for this time he has planted more than one, in order something would end up in Shangjue’s hands even if clansmen would need this flower, too. How smart of his!). And I like that his love is not in vain – Shangjue loves him, too, and believes him in any situation, and that warms my heart. I love their relationship a lot.

And the most vivid feeling that he freely demonstrates is a jealousy towards Shangjue’s fiancée (btw, I like that Shangjue understands it and pardons his tantrums):

"Go ahead, tell me what's on your mind." *opens his mouth to start talking* "Well, rather don`t. I can see it on your face." *smiles*

So, in the part 4 I will talk about Shangjue and her.

#cdrama #my journey to you #yun zhi yu #云之羽 #cheng lei #gong shangjue #丞磊 #mjty #gong shang jue #宫尚角 #gong yuanzhi #tian jia rui #田嘉瑞 #宫远徵 #SDaboutMJTY

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xmalereader · 2 years

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— HeartMoor — || TWO ||

Lord Morpheus X Dark Fey! Male Reader

|| Masterlist || ONE ||

Summary: Reader is a Dark Fey who has been captured and trapped by Rodrick Burgess before Dreams arrival. The two are locked away and only have each other until readers torture changes Dreams perspective and feelings towards the Dark Fey.

Warnings: Angst, Dream of the endless, torture, Dark Theme, mentions of death, death threats, language, Rodrick burgess can suck ass, Dark Fey lore, semi AU, Possessive dream, slight kissing , mentions of ravens, glimpse of death, slight fluff, courting, mentions of hell, trauma, PTSD, blood, memories.

Word count: 3.7k

—

The Dreaming is a beautiful place, full of mystery and joy. The first time he stepped out of the palace he felt safe for the first time in years, he was free from his cage and free to roam without having fear of someone coming after him. Morpheus had told him about his realm, allowing him to do as he pleased as long as he didn’t cause trouble. His first few days were spent along side Morpheus’ new companion, Matthew. A raven who was new to the dreaming and new to being a raven, the gentle bird reminded him so much of his own raven before she died.

The idea of finding a new raven was painful for him and would rather not. Rovin was his first and his last, she was a kind women who saved him from the loneliness he faced, using his own magic to grant her the ability to shift into a raven. The two stuck together through everything until her last dying breath, he didn’t even get the time to mourn properly or perhaps bury her in a place that she would love. Matthew couldn’t replace the love and care he had for Rovin but that didn’t mean that he could create a bond with the raven.

Watching him fly filled him with sadness, he missed his wings and wished to have them back. Morpheus had kept himself busy, searching everywhere for any sign of his wings. He’s been tempted to summon the fates but Lucienne had convinced him not too. Y/n didn’t know a thing about these ‘fates’ and allowed Morpheus to work in different way in finding his wings. He didn’t know how long he’s been in the Dreaming but it’s felt like an eternity.

“Doing alright there?”

Y/n has zoned out while Matthew guided him through Fiddlers Green, a beautiful area for him to relax and enjoy the nature. He was the Fey of Nature and children and he missed his own duties and knew that he wouldn’t be able to get back to them anytime soon. The human world had changed and it was becoming harder for him to hide, Morpheus welcomed him into the Dreaming but their were times where he felt like a burden and didn’t know if he should leave the place.

“Sorry, just lost in thought.” He responds back with a small smile.

Matthew stands near the bridge, wings to his sides as he tilts his head. “I get it, Lord Morpheus told me that you just woke up a few days back. Maybe you should take things slow? Perhaps visit Luciennes library or check on the boss?” He suggest, knowing how tired the Fey must be.

Y/n thinks about his options, altering a new one. “Could I head to my room instead? I’m just tired today.” Mathew caws, “Sure!” He takes off into the sky, guiding him back to the palace and over the bridge. The Fey follows the raven inside and heads up the palace stairs, following the raven who took him back to his room and let him know that he would be with the others in case he needed them. Y/n was grateful for Matthew's guidance and company, bidding the raven a soft goodbye before closing the door behind him.

He’s been spending his last few days locked away in his chambers. Even though he’s been imprisoned for years he still needed to cope to the idea of being free. Locking himself in the room was enough to let him know that no one was coming after him and that he was allowed to do as he pleases. Y/n was still hesitant around the dreaming sometimes and flinched every once an awhile whenever something or someone tried to touch him. The trauma he spent locked away was eating him alive and he was trying to cope in his own ways.

He didn’t know how Morpheus did it but yet again, the dream lord himself didn’t face an additional twenty years and was faced with torture and torment every day. Morpheus was much more powerful than him that keeping him locked in a cage with a binding circle was enough to keep him at bay. Even Rodrick Burgess feared of the binding circle breaking. Y/n wanted to give himself time, but he’s already lost so much time locked away that he couldn’t waste it anymore. He needs his wings back, they were his freedom. The freedom to fly and to soar the skies, how he missed it.

Morpheus promised to find his wings, but the Dream Lord was also busy with his realm and getting things back together along with some adjustments. He was missing two nightmares and a dream and had to get them back before any further chaos is caused. He wanted to help Morpheus but became afraid of asking, not knowing if Dream of the Endless would accept his help, until he decided to try.

On the sixth day he enters Morpheus’ Throne room. He sat at the bottom of the steps, books on both left and right side as he had one open in his lap. He was focused reading the pages that he doesn’t notice the Fey entering the room. It wasn’t until he cleared his throat that he gets his attention, head snapping up to see the Fey standing before him. Morpheus closed the book in his lap and set it aside, standing from his spot on the stairs. “Y/n, is something wrong?” Morpheus had grown protective of the Fey, after all the torture and hatred that he went through—he was still able to find a small hint of energy inside of him when he first spoke to Morpheus. Creating their strange bond and friendship.

“Nothing is wrong—I actually came ask you something.”

This gets the Lords attention. “Ask and I shall answer.”

Y/n nervously puts his hands behind his back as he started to speak. “First, I’d like to thank you again for saving me and for welcoming me into your realm. It’s a very wonderful place and full of joy and dreams.” He chuckles to himself. “Matthew told me that you’ve been having trouble locating missing Dreams and Nightmares and well, due to my absence I wish to help.”

Morpheus sighs deeply. “I appreciate your help, but these nightmares and dreams are something I do not want you facing, nor do I need you returning to the waking world after everything you’ve faced. I can’t allow you to go—“ Y/n’s hesitant smile falters.

“I know what I went through in the waking world, I lived through it and survived and I can do it again. Your already doing so much for me, please allow me to do this one thing.” He pleads, eyes soft and full of determination. He’s wants to help either it’s easy or hard he’s willing to do it. Morphues wants to reject his idea of help and make him stay in the Dreaming, he couldn’t bare to see him amongst humans again after everything they’ve done to him.

But he remember his promise. His promise of finding his wings and his promise of freedom, . Y/n had the free will to decided on staying in the Dreaming or leaving. He couldn’t stop him even if he wanted to, the man was stubborn and wouldn’t budge easily. Dream closed his eyes, relaxing before he opens them again and nods. “Very well, I’ll allow it. Under one condition.”

Y/n frowns a little more upon the condition. “What condition is that?” He asks as Morpheus gives a slight tilt of his head. “Matthew is to join you in the Waking. He will watch over you and I’ll watch through his eyes too. I want you to be safe in the Waking.”

Y/n wishes to argue but knew that it wasn’t best too. “I’ll accept the terms and conditions.” He didn’t mind Matthew or getting some company along the Waking world, he’d rather have someone next to him then he alone in such a cruel world. The king of Dreams calls out to Matthew, summoning his raven as he flies down from his post, landing next to Morpheus. “Uh, no offense but if we are to go to the human world. What do we do about the horns?”

Matthew had a point, he couldn’t enter the Waning world without being notice by his horns. He could see the change of mind in Morpheus as he opened his mouth to change the conditions until Y/n used his magic to make his horns disappear, hiding them from human eyes. “I can hide them easily.” He murmured to the two, the horns now gone along with his pointed ears, giving him a normal human look that’ll help him blend in with the others.

The raven caws in surprise. “Whoa! That’s a neat trick.” He tilts his head to the side to look at Morpheus. The king of dreams sighs to himself, “Be careful and if anything happens you report back to me.”

“Yes, your highness.” Y/n gives a sarcastic bow, bringing a small smile to the lords lips. “Again, careful in the waking. I’ll be watching.” He gives the two a final nod before Matthew flies up to his shoulder. “Ready?” The raven asks Y/n who gives a small nod. “Yeah.” His voice was hesitant, he was never one to back out but after everything he didn’t know how he’d feel being back in the waking world. He felt anxious but also excited for some reason. He didn’t know if it was because he was returning back to a familiar place or perhaps he was pushing himself to get rid of the fear of being around humans again.

The raven caws, flying off his shoulder and leading him back to the waking where they appear in a nice neighborhood. He’s standing on the opposite side of the house Matthew is perched on, looking down at a pair as they greet each other. Y/n slips his hands in the pockets of his jacket, looking up and down the street before crossing it.

He didn’t know why he was in this area, is this where he was suppose to find the nightmares and dreams that have left the Dreaming? He lifts his head up to see Matthew jumping down the roof, swooping down to a tree branch as he watched the small group of friends closely. Y/n looks over, cautiously walking down the sidewalk as he listens.

“I hope these flyers help with finding my brother.”

“I’m sure they will.”

He hears one feminine voice that sticks out to him the most, looking up to see a young girl with a handful of flyers in her hands as her companion helps her put them up. He stays behind and watched from a distance before Matthew flies down to him, landing on his shoulder. “That’s Rose Walker.”

“I thought we were looking for nightmares.” Y/n questions. “Yeah well—lord Morpheus thinks that Rose will guide us to them. She claims to be a vortex and I’ve gotta keep an eye on her.” The Fey hums to himself, giving the young girl another glance. “Then we must follow her.” He snatched one of the flyers that stuck to a tree, looking down at the picture of Rose and what suppose is her brother standing together with smiles on their faces.

‘Have you seen my brother?’ Read the flyer as he sighs to himself, his heart tugged at the thought of these two being separated. His car for children striking him again, it’s been years since he’s last taken care of children. All of the young fledglings were under his care, he’d teach them how to fly and to adapt to their roles. He also watched them grow and find their own mates, but after years his existence was wiped out by hunters who took pleasure in taking their wings and fangs along with their horns. They were hunted like animals and not many of the fledglings made it out alive, he ran away from the danger only for him to come back to massacre and genocide. His family, his people were gone.

He was the last of his kind and to be caught by Burgess who only wanted a wish to bring his own son back. Y/n refused to give the man what he wanted, even if meant losing his wings and good friend. He stares at the piece of paper, folding it up and putting it inside his pocket. “Come, Matthew. We have work to do.” The raven flaps his wings, taking off as they follow after Rose, watching as she spoke to various people about her missing brother and handing out the flyers in case anyone was to see him.

Both Matthew and Y/n remain hidden in the shadows until Rose appears in the daylight, bending down to speak to a crow while Matthew calls out to her. “No, that’s a crow.” He tells the confused vortex as she nervously chuckled, approaching the raven and then frozen in spot once she spots Y/n.

“He’s a friend, Rose meet Y/n.” Matthew is the first to introduce them. “Hello.” Rose nervously speaks out as Y/n gives her a friendly smile. “It’s nice to meet you rose, Matthew told me about you. It looks like you are important to Morpheus and wanted us to look after you.”

“You know Lord Morpheus?”

Y/n chuckled. “Something like that, we go way back.” That’s all he provides her, not really telling her the real story behind their meeting.

“Can Morpheus see me?” Roses question is targeted at Matthew as the raven squirms in his body, feathers puffing up as he answers. “Yeah—I can feel him in the back of my head—it’s weird.” Y/n didn’t know much about Morpheus’ power, all he knew was that he was an Endless who ruled the Dreaming. King of both dreams and nightmares, he knew about everything about anyone.

Y/n tilts his head in questioning, asking himself if perhaps Morpheus had ever looked into his dreams. But then again, it’s been years since he’s last had a dream. Being locked away in a basement took away a lot from him, he didn’t even have the chance to stretch out his wings before they were taken from him. His hand reached behind his back, fingers tracing over the area where his wings were suppose to be only to find nothing.

What if he never found them and they were lost forever?

The sudden thought makes him panic, eyes widening in realization as he stumbled backwards, startling Rose and Matthew. The raven flapping his wings anxiously as he calls out to him with concern in his voice. It felt like the world around him was fading out and all he could hear is the sound of his heart beating. He felt the place closing in on him and it was becoming difficult to breath.

He could hear the sound of iron chains and the sound of laughter from many people. He’s falling and couldn’t get back up, he didn’t know if he could ever get back up. He could hear Rodricks voice in his head.

“He’s worth a fortune.”

He shakes his head, wanting to get rid of the voice in his head. He couldn’t allow the old man to come back after him, no, not again. He was free, he was free…right? He feels a pair of hands on his arms, gripping him tight. Fear strikes him as he struggled in the grip, thrashing around as he screams out.

“Let go! Don’t touch me!”

He couldn’t focus, his mind was playing tricks on him. He sees the iron chains as he’s pinned down, wrapping them around his wings as they squeezed and pulled, the pain coursing through his veins and up his back. He can feel the pain again, the burn as his wings are taken from him. He can hear the mens laughter as they took the only thing that made him free.

“Stop it…” he whispers, voice hoarse.

“Y/n.” A hand touched his shoulder.

His fear comes back to him as he hissed, striking his hand at the man’s touch. “No!” His claws strike the man’s face, stumbling back as he pants heavily. His gaze moves down to his hand, claws covered in blood as he looks up to see Morpheus standing away from him, his left cheek is scratched, blood dripping down his pale face.

Y/n comes to realization at what he’s done, his eyes widen in fear. He’s back in the throne room with Matthew and Lucienne who are frozen in shock as they watch their King bleed. The Fey clenched his hand in a fist, stepping away in fear of Morpheus’ anger, in fear of himself.

“I—I didn’t—“ His voice breaks, fighting back the fear as Morpheus touched his own cheek, pulling his hand away to see the blood on his fingers, a frown on his lips as he looks up to him. He doesn’t say anything which frightens Y/n even more.

He hurt Morpheus, dream of the endless, his only friend who watched his torture and saved him from everything. He struck against someone higher than him. Y/n doesn’t know what to say anymore and in panic he runs, fleeing the palace and far away from everything and everyone. He couldn’t stay here, the dreaming wasn’t his home and never will be after what he’s done. Using his own magic he finds himself back into the Waking, standing in the middle of a random neighborhood.

He doesn’t know where his magic took him, but as long as it was far away from the Dreaming. His hand is still covered in blood, causing him to panic, shoving his hands into his pockets and running off to find something to wash it off. It doesn’t take him long to find a pond nearby, bending down to quickly wash away the blood from his finger tips, whimpering as he frantically washed his hands.

None of this was suppose to happen. He wasn’t a feral Fey who wild attack anyone without given a good reason too and ended up attacking Morpheus. He’s never done that to anyone before until now, all because of his memories and trauma. Once his hands are clean he uses his own clothes to dry them off, sniffling he holds back tears, feeling like a child again.

“My little Fey, why do you cry?” His mothers voice is soft as she cradled his face, kissing away his tears as he cries against his mother. “I didn’t mean to hurt them.” He sobbed out, curled up in a ball as he used his wings to cover himself. His mother hums softly, fingers stroking his hair back. “Nothing is ever your fault, my little phoenix. It was an accident and they know that—you could never hurt anyone.” Her whisper is soft against his temple as she holds him close.

He’s staring at his reflection by a stream that was hidden in away in the woods that he found himself on. His magic had led him here after washing away the blood from his hands, the nature scent curling around him as he feels himself relax. He hadn’t thought about his mother in years after she was claimed dead. It was only them two before he was left alone, he never had any siblings nor did he know his own father. They only had each other and now, he was alone.

Sighing deeply, he forces himself to stand and walks deeper into the woods. Far away from anyones prying eyes as he used his magic to create a barrier around him, so that no one could reach him. He creates a nest big enough for him, tiredness reaches him as he sheds the coat he wore and sets it aside, climbing into his nest and curling up into a ball. He reflex he tried to curl his wings around himself only to remember that he no longer had them. Once realization hit him he grabs the coat and wrapped it around himself, waving his hand as the tree branches covered him from human eyes. He wanted to sleep for the rest of the day, perhaps sleep for eternity if he could. His eyes grow heavy on him as they finally close, the day grows dark and he continues to rest.

Not knowing that a dark figure looks over him, standing near his nest in the dark as his blue eyes trace over his curled up body. “Rest well, little Phoenix.” Dream whispers, blowing sand at the Fey and giving him dreams for the first time in years.

#male reader #the sandman #the sandman x male reader #lord morpheus x reader #lord morpheus #tom sturridge #Tom sturridge x male reader #dream of the endless #dream #dream x male reader #au #dark Fey reader #dark Fey #mini series #dc x male reader #dc imagines

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shattereddarknessau · 2 months

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…. *the mysterious skeleton turns to face you*

So… it’s you huh….? I suppose you’re here to listen to this unfortunate backstory? Perhaps here to grant me your pity?

Now……I suppose I could tell you what happened. Not that I highly doubt you’ll be interested……hm? What’s that? …..You are?

…..*sighs* Fine. If you insist. I shall tell you the story of how Rubytale ceased to be. *the mysterious skeleton reaches for the book, and begins reading the story*

“Once apon a time, two races ruled the land, humans…and monsters. The two races were ruled by two leaders King Topaz, and Queen Aquamarine. One day, The Crystal Ruby of Balance grew out of control, causing the entire AU to vanish of the maps, and...” *he stops reading for a second*

Wait a minute….*the mysterious skeleton turns to the pages, to find false information*No….T-This is not right. It’s all wrong. Nothing in this book is right! It doesn’t talk about the REAL story at all. They’re leaving out the tragic events of his childhood. There was no “King Topaz”, damn those delusional authors. Always spreading lies about history.

…. They’re choosing to forget what REALLY happened to my people. *he disintegrates the book of lies*

I think it’s about time you learn the real story of Rubytale, the true tale.

On day, a selfish soul decided to steal the crystal to absorb its magic for their own greedy desires, oblivious to the horrible fate they have brought upon innocent people.

The crystal was the only thing keeping the world together, it was known to guarded for centuries, people praised the crystal, as if it were a might god, however, the guards had grew lazy over time, letting it slip into the wrong hands.

To the sound of footsteps approaching, the selfish soul dropped the 2,000 year old crystal on the ground and ran away in a panic to save their own skin, leaving the AU and the damaged artifact behind. The guards came back to see what the selfish individual had done.

“Oh the horror, The Crystal Ruby of Balance has been damaged, we’re all done for!!” said one of the guards in a state of fear. In a moment of despair and sadness, they dropped to their knees and begged the magic crystal for forgiveness, but it was too late.

A bright glow begin to emerge from the crystal, blinding everyone in the room, it rose to the sky like a big shining star, and began striking everything in its path.

An emergency evaluation was scheduled that morning, screams of terror can be heard all across New Home City, the crystal blocked the light of the sun itself, causing the sky to become too bright for the eyes…

Broken pieces of the crystal had formed into giant meteors that came crashing down on buildings and homes. By the afternoon, the entire city was destroyed, with some civilians injured and others killed.

The last remaining survivors ran and ran as fast as they could, yet they were no much for the rubies destructive power. No one was spared, and they were wiped out without a trace.

……

….My apologies, I shall keep reading for you.

The queen simply watched, frozen in horror of watching the entire earths population in the AU parish so easily. She knew there was not enough time left, so she grabbed her ten year old son and used her last remaining bit of magic to send him to a safe place somewhere in the multi-verse.

She had a granted him a staff as well known as ‘The summoner’ which will allow him to summon any Sans at his disposal to help him in time of need as well as travel to other worlds.

However, the child couldn’t get it to work, no matter how hard he tried. He was sent to void between the fabric of time known as the “Timespace”, it was like an empty canvas, nothing to see yet.

With his world gone forever and everyone he cared about, he cried for hours and hours, he screamed for help, he sat for hours hoping someone would COME TO HIS AID AND TELL HIM THAT EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE OKAY….that he was safe now….that someone now cares for him…

..And yet….NOBODY CAME… “Where is my savior?” he said…

“Where was my happy ending damn it?! I don’t deserve to suffer like this!” The child shouted in a fit of rage.

“The story is incomplete there has to be more to it than this… this can’t be my fate. It just can’t be, someone has to come for me, they just gotta!”

The child repeatedly said to himself every day, hoping to keep his sanity alive, as the the days became weeks, and the weeks became months, and months became years.

The years of isolation and loneliness took every last bit of a motion that poor child had left in his heart, he grew emotionless, dull, unable to smile again. He swore to kill the bastard responsible, and when he did, he would bathe in their blood.

And would you like to know who the child was?

That child….was ME….

The End of Dark’s Backstory.

(P.S The art was drawn by his younger self to explain his POV of the story and how it affected him badly)

Original Rubytale by (rubytale-chapter2)

#dark’s backstory #backstory #dark au #rtsdau #rtshattereddarkness #undertale au #undertale multiverse #darksdau #dark!ruby #bad ending #sans au #utmv #my au #rubytale

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starlight-tav · 2 months

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Mortal Again

Gale x Trans Male Tav

Content: smut, minor act 2 spoilers, slightly angsty gale, lots of fluff and trust, anal sex (Amethyst uses magic to enlarge his bottom growth for penetration), hope

Summary: Gale doesn't know why Amethyst cares for him, but he finally confesses that he wants him. In return, Amethyst gives him everything.

Gale can hardly believe it on the best of days – that Amethyst would have affection for someone like him. He is a constellation of insecurity, ravenous ambition, and spurned desires. And now he is also given unto death by the gods themselves. What can he offer him, save for blathering lectures and ill-wrought witticisms?

Gods, but he wishes Tara were here; well, rather he wishes he were at home in Waterdeep and her good company. For all is foolhardiness, she offers him remarkably little judgment. Constructive criticism? Aplenty. But judgment? No. She only wishes to see him contented. And, if he were completely honest with himself, she seems to know better than he how to achieve that. Always has.

Gale draws in a surplus of breath and releases it like a field ox under heavy yoke. Amethyst's ears perk at the sound from his perch at Astarion's tent. To the vampire spawn's great relief, the half-elf's words trail off as he becomes distracted by the wizard's distress.

"Just go to him," Astarion groans, momentarily dropping his mending work to his lap. "And leave me to my task. You're annoying me."

Amethyst glares at Astarion and the spawn shoos him. The urge to stubbornly remain at his companion's side out of spite is strong, but the desire to investigate Gale's weariness is stronger.

Amethyst stands and crosses camp. He finds Gale seated on a stool, book unopened in his lap, with a ponderous frown creasing his brow.

"Care to share the burden, my dear?" Amethyst ventures, squatting in his usual way in front of Gale so he can look up into the wizard's eyes.

Immediately, Gale's brow softens, and a smile graces his lips as if unbidden. He opens his mouth to protest, but his thoughts of Tara chastise him as though she were actually present. She would urge him to be honest with one he claims to be so fond of. So, he asks Amethyst to join him for a walk.

The pair travel in companionable silence to a knoll blanketed in the dark grass so common here in the Shadow-cursed Lands. Gale sits first and then gestures for Amethyst to join him.

"I've been thinking about you," Gale begins, eyes trained on a crooked tree just ahead of them. "And how strange it is that you've come to care for me."

Amethyst's pale brows furrow as he examines Gale's expression. He doesn't know what he sees there, so he waits for Gale to continue.

"The truth is, I fear I have too little time left and even fewer virtues to give you. In a wry twist of fate, it seems that the very thing that could fashion me into a far worthier man would also bring our journey together to an end. You deserve more than a fool. More than a sacrificial lamb. More than I am. And yet…"

Gale suddenly turns to look at Amethyst, and just as Gale softened the moment he heard the half-elf's voice, so too did Amethyst melt into the warmth of the wizard's gaze.

"…And yet, selfishly, I want you. I want to give myself to you. A paltry offering, I am, but-"

Amethyst surges forward and quiets Gale with a touch of his lips to the corner of the wizard's mouth.

He pulls away from Gale, just enough to capture his eyes with his own, and assures him with confidence and grace, "There is nothing meager about what you are willing to share with me, Gale. I want it all. I want you. And you can have all of me in return."

Perhaps it is the earnestness with which Amethyst speaks, but Gale finds neither will nor word of protest within himself. Instead, he leans into his companion and kisses him delicately.

Amethyst responds eagerly, pressing into Gale's body, his hand finding the back of Gale's neck to pull him closer.

Gale marvels at the balance Amethyst strikes between insistence and restraint, and chuckles against his lips.

"What's so funny?" Amethyst asks, smiling in between pecks to Gale's cheek and jaw.

Gale's hand travels the length of Amethyst's arm and shoulder to tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck as the warlock-sorcerer nips at his skin. "Nothing. You're perfect," he says. Amethyst hums against him and sucks lightly at his throat.

Gale moans, a quiet and desperate little sound.

"Like that?" Amethyst asks.

"Yes." Gale tugs on Amethyst's hair so the man looks up at him. "I'm all yours, Amethyst."

The way that Gale says it makes his meaning clear, and Amethyst grins before pressing an agonizingly chaste kiss to Gale's adam's apple.

"Want me to mark you?" He asks, nipping playfully. "Want me to write my desire into your skin?"

"Yes. Gods, yes."

Amethyst latches onto Gale, sucking bruises into the column of his throat, and Gale's grip in his white hair tightens.

The half-elf hums with pleasure at the sting on his scalp and the sound makes Gale's cock throb.

Gale nearly whimpers his lover's name and Amethyst bites him in response.

"I want to fuck you," Amethyst speaks against Gale's skin, voice darkened with need.

"I would like that very much." Gale cards his fingers through Amethyst's hair. "I want it to be perfect. I want to bond with you the way the gods do." Amethyst freezes for a brief moment, body gone rigid against Gale's before he slowly disentangles from the Wizard.

"What's wrong?" Gale asks, voice gone tight with restrained panic.

Amethyst uses both of his hands to tenderly hold Gale's face, thumbs gently tracing his cheek bones.

"Gale, I am no god," he says, sadness where desire filled his voice only a moment ago. "I neither need nor want perfection."

Like hearth fire, the words soothe something deep inside Gale's heart. Maybe Tara is not the only one with insight into Gale's needs.

"Okay," Gale smiles and presses his lips to Amethyst's forehead. "What do you have in mind?"

"Just be with me, hm?" Amethyst asks.

Gale nods.

Amethyst grins and stands, pulling Gale up with him. They return to camp and surreptitiously gather their bedrolls before returning to their secluded glade. They create a comfortable pallet for themselves and kneel naked before one another, lips joining in a feverish kiss.

Pink blooms beneath Amethyst's ravenous mouth from Gale's jaw to his hips, and it drives the wizard mad. When his lover's tongue finally meets his aching cock, Gale whines like he never has before.

"Please," he begs, adjusting his position so he can spread his legs to suit Amethyst's broad shoulders. "More."

Amethyst hums contentedly, dragging his tongue from base to tip before sucking the head into his mouth.

Gale's toes curl and he groans with the release of weeks of want. With anyone else, he'd have been embarrassed at his easy arousal, but Amethyst responds so greedily to his pleasure that he couldn't be ashamed even if he'd been able to think through the unspent lust.

The half-elf's teeth gently scrape along the underside of Gale's cock and the wizard trembles, his fists bunching in the blanket beneath them. Amethyst lets Gale fall from his mouth so he can speak an incantation to oil his fingers.

He presses the pad of his thumb to Gale's asshole and looks up at him, "May I?"

"Yes, by all means," Gale nods, grinning.

Amethyst dips his thumb into Gale for a brief moment before replacing it with his index finger. Gale had never had something this solid and warm inside of him before, and the feel of it sends sparks up the length of his spine.

"Amethyst, please," he requests sweetly.

Amethyst takes his dick back into his mouth, sinking his finger as far into Gale as it will go, and a melodic whine spills from between Gale's lips. Amethyst slips a second finger into Gale and the wizard gasps when he presses into his prostate.

"Oh, hells," Gale sighs. "More. Please, more."

Amethyst happily gives Gale what he asks of him. He swallows around his cock and soon presses a third finger into him.

"Amethyst, please, I'm close," Gale says, tangling his hand in his lover's hair.

Amethyst releases Gale from his mouth and halts his fingers, keeping him full but no longer stimulating him.

"Gale?"

Gale props himself up on an elbow to meet the warlock-sorcerer's gaze. "Yes, my love?"

"I'd like to fuck you now."

Gale quirks an eyebrow, "Is… that not what you've been doing?"

Amethyst chuckles and moves forward to kiss Gale. The wizard's asshole clenches around his fingers, and Amethyst pulls them out until Gale whines.

"I have something else in mind," the half-elf whispers. "Do you trust me?"

Gale nods, "Of course."

The warlock-sorcerer presses his lips to Gale's chastely and grins. He speaks an incantation and Gale's eyes widen. The wizard's eyes fall to the space between his lover's legs and watch as his small cock grows large enough to penetrate him. Gale's cheeks grow warm and his heart rate increases.

"Of all the ways I've used magic for intimacy, never have I considered this," he says, giggling with genuine glee.

"When you're a man like me, innovation is sometimes necessary," Amethyst smiles and Gale sees the vulnerability in his lilac eyes. He realizes belatedly that Amethyst may not have been as confident as he seemed earlier. His heart fills with admiration.

Gale kisses his lover and speaks his desire against his lips.

"I want you," he says. "I want your cock inside me. Please?"

Amethyst shivers and presses his tongue into Gale's mouth, voracious with lust and relief.

Gale feels the length of him between them as they embrace, and it stokes the fire burning in his belly.

"Amethyst, please," he urges, desperation growing.

Without further preamble, Amethyst dips his fingers into his own cunt and uses the slick to coat his cock. He lines himself with Gale's asshole and kisses him again as he presses inside.

Amethyst may not be a god, but his body meeting Gale's is an act of divinity such that Gale breathes his name in supplication.

"You feel so good," Amethyst praises him, panting into his neck as he rocks his hips against Gale's ass.

Gale hooks his ankles behind Amethyst's back, pulling him closer, deeper. Amethyst is hard and warm inside of him; and so, so corporeal. He is a comforting weight pressing him into the earth, so substantial – so real.

"More," he pleads.

Gale doesn't know how, but Amethyst understands what he needs. His lover tugs Gale's hair free of its tie and combs his fingers through it a few times before tugging his head back. Amethyst latches onto his wizard's neck, leaving marks upon his skin like tenets etched in stone.

Without warning, the heat in Gale's belly swells, and he cums between their bodies with a strangled cry of his lover's name.

"Fuck, Gale," Amethyst shudders and releases, his slick trickling down the inside of his own thigh.

Moments pass with them entangled, breathing in the scent of their coupling while their hearts race together. Amethyst lets go of his concentration, and his cock returns to its smaller state. Gale clenches around nothing, missing its warm immediately.

Amethyst affectionately noses the lines of Gale's orb marking, and it occurs to Gale that he is wholly satisfied. The revelation stirs his emotions and his eyes blur with unshed tears.

"I had forgotten," he starts to speak, pausing to swallow around the lump in his throat. "I had forgotten how good it could feel to be so mortal."

Amethyst's gem-like eyes meet his and Gale smiles.

"Thank you," the wizard says.

Amethyst kisses Gale, a sweet lingering touch of lips.

"You make me happy, Gale," Amethyst says with earnest adoration.

"You make me happy too," Gale promises.

They lay together for a long while before Gale conjures fresh water for them to wash up with. Amethyst balls up the blanket that was on top of their little pallet and promises himself it'll get washed tomorrow. He and Gale cuddle beneath Amethyst's raggedy quilt, which is thankfully mostly clean.

While Amethyst naps, Gale scratches lovingly at his scalp and considers himself anew. Tonight, he made love as mortals do – filthy, sweaty, earthen love – and it was the sweetest pleasure he's ever experienced. For the first time in well over a year, he feels truly happy. To be here. To be mortal. To be with a man who may yet love him.

This is hope, he thinks. And he resolves not to squander it. He will find a way to defeat the Absolute and to live, goddess be damned.

#gale has not had sex in a long time so he's needy okay #he's a good boy and i love him and want to give himi what he needs #also fuck mystra #also posted on ao3 #gale x male tav #trans male tav #trans tav #gale x named tav #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #gale bg3 #bg3 #baldur’s gate 3 #gale smut #bg3 smut #my tav

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sparklecryptid · 6 months

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AtB+bi!Luche AU: I'd love to see how Luche's life would be - different and similar in one with a group of tight-knit siblings who openly care for her.

Luche knows she has siblings. She knows this.

She never plans to meet them, to let them know she is their sister. Luche has no time to stray from the path in front of her - she has no time to consider what could be if they put all their magic and might together. Luche can't leave the future of their world to a flimsy chance that they might be able to change things.

Besides Luche is destined to die a traitor. There is no place for her in the family they will make.

Ace - being the contrary shit he is - seems determined to prove her wrong. He is wary of her at first, as if he knows of who she will be - about who she should become - but then he sees ice swallow a daemon whole and Luche's magic scattering in the air like snow and something like wonder fills his eyes as Ace's own magic - light and bright and horrible - thunders through the air and shatters the ice statues to pieces.

Ace turns to Luche and he laughs. When asked why Ace's grin is blinding.

"I can work with this." That's all he says before telling Luche about their siblings as they head back to the port.

Looking back Luche is sure this is when the threads of fate began to twist and fray.

Thanatos and Ardor are-

Odd. They take one look at her and Luche feels like she's being judged. She is, but not for the reasons her clan judged her. No. Ardor and Thanatos think she's too skinny. They keep shoving food onto her plate from their own plates and Luche doesn't know how two decline politely.

Persephone saves her. Astrals bless her.

"I think our sister has had enough," Persephone says dryly, "At this rate the two of you will be flesh and bone and she'll be the healthiest of all of us."

"I don't think Thanatos can get skinnier," Ardor says with a raised brow.

"His elbows are deadly," Ace agrees as he finally settles down to eat after finishing cooking, "Bony bastard."

"Why are you guys always picking on me?" Thanatos whines and Luche feels a smile tug her lips.

It's a strange feeling.

Not an unwelcome one.

Thanatos likes picking at the tendrils of the Curse. He is determined to find a way to break it; or at least lessen it's impact. It's a shame, he had declared, that his darling dearest sister is unable to feel warmth.

Mercury had agreed and banned Luche from ever setting foot in Niflheim. It's too cold, Mercury had said, And you're already frozen. Best not risk it.

Luche doesn't know how to tell them that she doesn't mind the curse - that her clan doesn't either - they've all learned to live with it after all.

Luche had thought about telling them to leave it be but-

Jupiter had given her a look and Jules had been in the room.

They don't argue in front of Jules. Jules deserves better than that.

Shiva shouldn't be here. Shiva shouldn't be on this battlefield staring Luche down but she is. She is because Luche is stupid and the act of weaving her magic into the curse to strengthen both her magic and the curse might have saved her men - might have won her the day - but at what cost?

Her life. Her life is the cost. Her breath comes slower now and she can feel the frostbite settling on her skin, held at bay only by the way Tredd uses his blessing to fight the curse that seeps into Luche's bones.

Luche doesn't know what her siblings are doing but they're-

Close? Why are they so close?

Something breaks in the air around her and it's warmth that chases the chill away-

Luche faints.

(Her siblings hold a prophecy and a curse in their hands.

They break them both,)

#a darkness born in youth verse #all the bastards verse

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via-the-ghoul · 5 months

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A Hanging Dying dream forever repeating

AKA: the Via-Verse’s version of Alagadda’s origin.

After working off and on on this for months and debating whether or not I should post it, it’s finally, finally here! This takes some elements from other tales, but I made it my own lol.

Anyways, TW: mind-altering, body horror, death by childbirth, heavy usage of blood, emotional child abuse, plague (which has descriptions of killing people), religious themes, child abandonment, mild gore, medical themes, suicide by hanging, slit throats, and someone snaps their own neck at one point, a knife’s briefly mentioned, cosmic horror, chains, brief mentions of drinking, someone plays with another person’s trauma in an attempt to manipulate them.

Sorry about the long list of TWs, but it’s just text, no pictures.

Anyways, here we go! (The document this is saved on is 12 pages long what is wrong with me lol)

Have you ever heard of Alagadda? Probably not, most haven’t these days. It was a kingdom long ago, before it became something else at the cost of memory. Do you wish to know what happened? …Good.

It all started as most stories do: before anything noteworthily weird happened. There was a king, there was a queen, she was pregnant, they loved each other very much, and the kingdom loved them. Nothing that made it seem too different from most kingdoms.

Except, of course, for one thing. The king had a certain secret, one that would hand the ink and pen to the hands of fate for Alagadda.

He had a love for forbidden magics. His nights spent at the Wanderer’s Library, writing the names of Gods and various sights across the sea of universes. Eventually, the Way he used just closed up, but that didn’t matter. He already had what he needed to grant his greatest wish.

Dyo’s surroundings felt like a dream to him. A faint memory of a dream from centuries back, that was what this was. He knew he wasn’t in Alagadda anymore, and he felt off. Was this fear, or bewilderment? And what were these colors? And why wasn’t this entirely unfamiliar?

He could hear birds chirping somewhere on his left. Why was the sound’s location so clear? And what kind of birds were these, with a song so beautiful and clear, something he could sing along to if he possessed vocal chords?

What was this strange, new, beautiful world? The sky above him, it was blue? Was that the word for it? Why did he know the word?

Gosh, if only he still had his body. Then he could investigate this strange new world he was thrown into. See the birds. Maybe sing.

The king wished that him, his queen, and his future child would live forever. The kingdom loved them, and he loved his queen, so there was no problem he could think of. Plus he had a common trait to most mortals: thantophobia. He was a strange man driven by fear. Not very strange, actually, when comparing him to others.

He whispered into the abyss, and three brothers answered. The youngest draped in darkness, his pale face standing out with a sliver grin. The middle a strange mismash of armor and arms, dust and clutter. The eldest of pale colors, faced in pure shadows and towering over the night sky. Three ways to die. A deal was made, a game of cards for immortality.

He fought for this immortality, he really did. He was able to top the two younger. But the eldest defeated him, far, far too easily, crushing the built up hope. And then they returned to the shadows without a word, leaving him alone.

The queen gave birth three days later. The child survived, but she faded away. The child didn’t cry, covered in their mother’s blood. The king didn’t understand why, and did not hold the child. So they remained, wrapped in dark clothes by the midwife, for someone else to take care of.

Time seemed to return to a familiar melding for Dyo. He couldn’t tell how many hours it took before the sun began to set. He knew that soon, a familiar night would appear. He felt strangely sad, he rather liked this new day. But he couldn’t really hear the birds anymore, and he was rather tired of being stuck in one place. Perhaps something familiar would help this horrid wait for some poor soul to come across him.

However, a new sound came from his right. Faint, but approaching. He had heard variations of this sound back home, and it sometimes appeared in this new daytime, but never was the crushing of leaves back home, and never was it approaching him here.

Footsteps. The stepper was probably wearing boots, from the sound of it. He honestly couldn’t wait, he really wanted to move around this new world. See the birds. He wondered what new colors they would be.

The footsteps got closer and closer, until finally a shadow covered Dyo. He could feel himself smiling. He never smiled back home. He could get used to this new world. He felt a gloved hand grab him, and hold it up to the mysterious face of the new being. The face…

It was probably the most horrific face Dyo had ever seen.

The plague came after that. Sores spotted the people of the kingdom, blood and bile coming from screeching mouths. The screams of the people echoing in the streets for years. The inescapable smell of death. But the king never heard them, never smelled rot or tasted bile.

The king had hidden deep in his castle, sobbing, mourning his queen, and only his queen for all those years. Unaware of the state of his people. He had put the lords in charge of it all, the kingdom and his child. His child…

His child grew strange. They were quiet, and rarely smiled, but weren't mean. They did try to help the people, as much as a child could. Sometimes, when there was no hope that someone would survive, they would sit by their side until they fell, no matter how the doctors warned against it. Strangely, the child never grew ill themself. Despite most people accepting the child, there were… rumors about the kid. Whispers of being the devil’s child and witchcraft, which the child somewhat heard. They didn’t believe it, but… it explained why their father never played with them like other fathers did.

10 years after it all, the king finally listened, having returned from his sorrows. He heard the screams. He saw the blood, and he saw the corpses. But he didn’t blame himself, no.

He blamed the child. He accused them of not being his child, of having been a spirit possessing them sent by the brothers to torment him, bringing the plague with them wherever they went. A monster that must have killed the real child.

The child didn’t understand. They had never met their father before this, but they heard they weren’t supposed to do this. They were supposed to love their children. That was what they saw with the fathers in the street. Was this why he never showed himself? Were they really a monster? A fake? Were those whispers right?

The king ordered the child to be locked away in their room, and never let out. Proclaimed them to be a contamination spreading monster. Some believed and some didn’t, but the ones that didn’t didn’t do anything to stop it.

Perhaps they were supposed to be locked away, perhaps there was something wrong with them. That was what they wondered, anyway. Their father hid away from them for so long, after all. Perhaps this was the reason. Perhaps they were born of dust and shadows, their mother unable to bear the beast she created. Perhaps everyone was right, perhaps they doomed the townsfolk they loved by existing.

The child began to cry.

There was something completely off about the figure’s face. It had the same mask-face as the people back home, but there was something off about its construction. The mask felt too organic, the yellow eyes uncovered, sunken deep in its head. Too expressive, too wrong, that was the eyes. It’s eyes, something changed in Dyo upon seeing the creature’s eyes.

Memories began to appear in his head, of long before, of a state of wakefulness, of trees and blue birds, and colors! So many forgotten colors, bright orange paints like the sky when the sun rose, the green grass and trees he could get lost in, a blue sky, a blue sky! And purple, purple was his closest friend’s favorite.

His childhood friend. The king’s child. By the stars, the king had a child! Why couldn’t he remember more about this lost child?! What happened to them?

Dyo didn’t see the strangely beautiful abomination for long, as it wordlessly put it in a dark brown bag. Brown, he could remember the color of tree trunks and dying leaves and the child’s eyes. The child…

Though now he was in darkness, he could tell the entity would let him out sooner or later, it had too. Perhaps there were more wonderful joys he had forgotten that the entity would show him. Though, why weren’t all these joys back home? Why were they hidden away? And what happened to his friend…

The king tried again the next morning. He knew he may not be able to resurrect his wife, or his child, but he was willing to try to give himself immortality again. Not with the brothers, of course. He simply called into the void, hoping someone, anyone would answer.

Something did come out, draped in dark robes and with a hidden face behind bandages, if it even had a face. They called themself an ambassador of a faceless being. They promised the king much more than immortality. They said they could make the king a God. A God… a God could bring back his wife and child. A God would never die. He could have it all, as long as he did what the thing said. The king smiled for the first time in ten years.

Meanwhile, our child looked out their window. A small wave to a boy their age they got along with, but the boy didn’t see. Perhaps the boy would forget about them. And they’d be up here forever. If they weren't such a clever child, perhaps they would try to jump out the open window. Alas, the child didn’t wish to die. Maybe not wanting to sacrifice themselves for the kingdom was part of being a monster. Not wanting to kill the twisted, sick devil that cursed the town-

It was at that time a crow landed at the window. The child liked crows, even though their father didn’t, as they were always nearby when they went to visit their mother’s grave, back before the tower. It was strangely comforting to them. So the child then took a piece of lavender from their shelf. It died when they plucked it, and it was rotting, being here for years, but the child didn’t care. They placed the lavender in front of the crow, and it picked it up. It almost seemed to smile before flying off. The child felt better. Maybe they were not a monster. Crows seemed more trustworthy than the king anyway.

Time was melding again in the bag. Or perhaps it was Dyo not liking the dark. It felt like he was floating in the darkest void, where no one could hear him scream, even if he had the vocal cords necessary. Gosh, perhaps the entity would give Dyo a body so he could actually talk!

A sudden blast of light and another gloved hand later, he was out of the bag. Apparently the entity lived in some sort of cave. He could make out some sort of cloth in the background. He didn’t know why, but Dyo figured it was called a blanket. People… slept on blankets. They never slept back in Allagadda.

He saw a table with another cloth on it, this one not a blanket for sleep. It was soaked in red blood. Medical cloth. This was a doctor of some sort. The entity placed him on said table, laying on the cave’s wall. The blood was dry, but the blanket was somewhat wet. Attempts of cleaning blood that never really worked. The doctor stared at him, before staying one sentence, in a dark, echoey voice.

“I know you are alive.”

Three years passed, and the kingdom grew strange. The king started to paint over anything that wasn’t black, white, yellow, or red. His favorite colors. More people started to wear masks, masquerade masks, forever. No one seemed to question any of this, and just went along.

The child meanwhile, disappeared. They had attempted escape twice before, and the lack of fighting back once they were caught again made them think escape wouldn’t be much of an issue. As the plague had been fading out, the king simply assumed they returned to the darkness they came from. This is not what happened, they merely escaped, without anyone noticing this time. Though some suspicion was casted on the new young court jester, theories they let out the kid, nothing ever came of it.

The child had grabbed a mask and ran off with it. No one was to see their face, no one was to know who they were. They cut their hair and changed their name. They ran to the town doctor, and claimed to be an orphan child seeking apprenticeship. The doctor took pity on the kid, and took them in. No one realized who they really were. No one claimed them a child of the devil, or a witch.

Dyo wished he could respond to this, he really could. He really wished that he and the entity could have spoken this whole time, about the sky, and the birds, and all these questions that were in his metaphorical brain. But he had no host, and he couldn’t look into this thing’s mind. Maybe he was still getting used to this dimension? He simply frowned. The entity tilted his head a bit.

“Huh, I thought you could still speak in this state. I must have overestimated you, my apologies. Hold on.” The entity picked him up again, and flipped Dyo around. Now they could only see the cave wall. The entity better have a good explanation for this when he actually gets a body.

He could still hear, however. He could hear the bag opening, tools being taken out, as well as something soft. Sewing, wet tearing sounds, soft fleshy noises? How did he not feel any of those in the bag!? And why did the entity think he wouldn’t want to see this over a boring old cave wall?

After what seemed like hours, he was flipped back around to see the entity’s crude creation. Flesh draped over bones, a tear in the “face” to simulate a mouth, bulging eyes and no hair. A small mannikin of flesh.

“I could have done better, but you will just destroy it anyway. No use wasting more spare parts than necessary.” The entity sighed before placing Dyo over its face.

Finally, he was getting pretty bored.

The years went on. No one mentioned the king’s child anymore. It was getting harder to see any colors that weren’t the king’s favorite, even in the yellowing sky.

The people began to change as well. They seemed to be losing themselves, more and more thinking merely of parties and wine. It didn’t affect everyone, but most that weren’t inflicted ran to other kingdoms. Eventually, the only people not affected were the town doctor, and our child. Our child…

Our child wasn’t much of a child anymore, and despite having hid it so well, they never forgot their past. They could still be found laying the last bits of rotting lavender at the Queen’s grave. Sometimes, they’d talk to the crows, simple little greetings, but still.

You see, that one crow in the old prison, it would come back. The child would talk to it eventually, when they ran out of lavender. They were friends. Once, the crow even gave a piece of rotting lavender to the child. They never forgot that. They even took it with them when they escaped, though they had now lost that decaying flower. The child spoke better with crows than people since then.

Though one day, 20 years after the day the king first invoked the three brothers, it was time for the final step of the thing’s plan. No one could have guessed. No one but the king knew the thing. And the king was too entranced to question its word. No one could have guessed what it wanted.

“Thank you, you do not know how frustrating it is to need to talk but have no mouth! I am sincerely grateful-”

“Why are you here?”

“...Huh?”

“Why are you here and not… there?” The entity’s voice was cold and stern. Clearly not a fan of Alagadda.

“Oh, right, I was so ungratefully thrown out of my home for daring to be worried about my king, daring to question the ambassador, daring to care about my people!” Dyo was still, admitting, getting used to puppeting a body in this world, and this body didn’t have all the necessary parts to move, but he tried dramatically throwing his hand to his face and his other hand where his heart would be. The intent could probably be read however, judging by the entity’s reaction.

“Sounds about right. There is no care in that kingdom, no sense. The moment someone begins to fall out of line…”

“Not a fan huh?”

“Of course not! That kingdom is an artery in the body of the pestilence. It is filled with animal instincts, only chaos, consuming, destruction with no rhyme or reason, and that ambassador would not have it any other way.”

“...Have you been there before?” A potential way back. As much as he liked this new world, he did want to go back. He couldn’t get revenge without going back. The entity hesitated before giving their answer.

“Yes. I am waiting until I have made enough progress on my cure to retur-”

“How did you get there? Have some unfinished business I need to, well, finish.” The entity froze. Something about that question thawed away all that cold from the entity. In there, somewhere, was something afraid to lose him.

“You… Want to go back there? What could there be to justify entering that place again, when you have just begun to find yourself again?”

Dyo tilted the fleshy thing’s head, and paused.

They found the king in the middle of his court, hanging by a rope. But no one seemed to care. They simply threw him in the grave, not bothering to remove the rope or even bury him. He just laid there, as crows feasted on the body. Even the town doctor, so far unaffected by anything, found herself uncaring to the king. Her apprentice never really cared for the king at all anyway.

That night, however, they still couldn’t sleep. They still wondered what could have happened to prompt this, so they looked out the window. What if the king really did love them, and this was their fault? No, that couldn’t be the case. Perhaps they’d see a crow outside, something to ground them in reality.

However, they didn’t see that. Instead, they saw… something slowly moving, for walking or even stepping didn’t feel right, through the street, rope around their neck. They couldn’t make out a single other feature, but enough was enough, and they could read context clues, they were not sticking around any longer. The town was going mad, and the apprentice and the doctor could not do anything about it. They had to leave, they had to. They panicked, putting on their mask, before they ran downstairs in an attempt to get their superior out with them…

The doctor was dead. Simply lying there, throat slit. Knife next to her. Blood was everywhere around her. Far too much blood for this type of wound.

The apprentice was horrified, and ran outside. It didn’t matter how, they had to get out of here as quickly as possible, and never look back. They’d mourn later.

But as they ran, they heard something behind them. Something was chasing them, but that wasn’t what they heard. It must have been floating, as they could also hear faint sounds of wind. No, the apprentice heard the thing talk. The voice sounded like a wind chime, neutral and sing-song. The apprentice didn’t want to listen to what it was saying. It clearly had bad intentions.

“THIS IS MY KINGDOM NOW. ACCEPT YOUR DESTINY AND TURN AROUND.”

The apprentice just kept running, and running, and not turning back. This wasn’t a home anymore. They didn’t know anything about the thing, but they knew the thing didn’t have good intentions. They knew their kingdom wouldn’t be a good place to be. Especially with the blood they felt on the ground.

And they did it. They ran all the way out. Perhaps they were tired, perhaps they thought they were safe, but they looked back. They’d never been anywhere else before.

A chain wrapped around their torso. Knocking them down, pulling them back into the kingdom, back with that… thing.

“YOU FOOLISH, FOOLISH CREATURE. YOUR DYING BLOOD WILL FLOW TO THE HIDDEN ONE, AND YOU SOUL WILL ROT IN YOUR COT FOREVERMORE. NO ONE WILL REMEMBER YOU. IT IS YOUR PURPOSE.”

The apprentice was terrified, they really were, but they didn’t show it. They knew damn well that no matter where this was going, they would die. But they knew the thing wanted them to bleed as they died. So maybe, if they died bloodlessly, they’d be safe from the… thing. They didn’t know, but they didn’t want this thing to have their soul. If they were right, perhaps they’d be somewhere safe, far away from this thing. Perhaps their mom would be there. Their knowledge of anatomy left them with one real option now, even if they were scared to die. It was on their own terms, at least.

Before the apprentice could fully be dragged back into the town, they wrapped their shaking hands around their own neck, and turned it as hard as they could.

“...what do you mean by finding myself? I’ve always known myself!” Dyo smiled, trying to ignore how much he only remembered after waking up here. That didn’t mean he wasn’t the same old Dyo. The entity’s head tilted.

“Alagadda used to not be a dream-state pocket world. It was a kingdom here once, until the Ambassador appeared. He changed people into caricatures of themselves obsessed with the king. Take yourself, for instance.” Dyo wasn’t smiling anymore. He could remember it now, figments of what Alagadda was. Blue sky. Their friend, the king’s child, a child around his age at the time, who he was close with, but disappeared one day, and then everything was foggy.

“When I knew you, you loved theater so much. You were so happy, I remember your smile so well, even after all this time. You wanted to be an actor. You became the court jester instead, suddenly obsessed with the king. It took a toll on you. You were miserable the last time I saw you, and when we met again today, I assumed you were warped so much that you were just… gone.”

Dyo remembered a lot more as they said this. The theater. There was a theater, where no actors killed themselves at the end. Where dying in the play didn’t mean anything for you. He had wanted to be there, with the actors themselves. They seemed to be having so much fun, and he’d practice his silly little improvised monologues to his friend. His friend, his only friend at the time…

They still couldn’t remember who this entity was. Strange. Maybe if he played his cards right, he could get the entity to jog his memory…

“I missed you. I mourned you. I, I should stop. This is a lot to take in-”

“No, please continue. Who, who was I, to you?”

It didn’t matter, it didn’t matter, it didn’t have to matter! The king doubted this kid even existed, they didn’t have to be in the kingdom. It wouldn’t affect the plan at all. They were entirely optional, and had willingly thrown away a chance at eternity. Strange. They did not accept the purpose of being locked away forever. So they left the child to rot away, feasted on by bugs and crows.

The king was hanging at their throne again, twitching, faint breaths, but no words. The three lords and the court jester each also hanged in a different corner of the court, each noose done too tight, blood dripping from their necks. The Ambassador held up a golden cup, and blood, all of the blood throughout the entire kingdom, flowed into it. The Ambassador went to the twitching, shaking king, who began to slowly reach for the figure.

“WITH THESE, THEIR BLOOD, IT IS THE HANGED KING’S.”

They held up the cup for the king, who held it himself. He held the cup behind his veil, to his small, rotting lips. He began to sip from the cup.

And then he dropped it.

“...We were close, very close.” The entity said. Dyo simply waited for them to continue, but they didn’t.

“...And…”

“My apologies. I tend not to dwell on the past, considering how warped the kingdom has become, so I tend not to talk about it. No one has heard of the kingdom anyway.”

“Heh. Strange that I can’t remember you though. Can you turn into a bird or something?” the entity let out the smallest of laughs.

“No, no, I just was successful in leaving my old life behind.”

In all fairness, Dyo wasn’t entirely honest anymore. His disappeared friend and this mysterious person claiming to have been his friend… it couldn’t entirely be a coincidence. But something felt… off. Something else happened. This wasn’t just an Alagaddan who left, something changed about them. Sure, there was no influence from the Ambassador, but there was something else Dyo couldn’t put a metaphorical finger on. Maybe if they played their cards right, he could get the figure to reveal it. Reveal if they could be friends again.

“Well then, what’s your new life like? This boring old cave doesn’t really jog the imagination, you know?” Maybe they’d give away a God or two with the details.

“I seek to cure the pestilence.”

“For anyone in particular?”

“Humanity.”

“...Why, though?”

“I believe that curing such a horrible ailment is simply the right thing to do, and it is why I am still here.”

Ok this wasn’t going anywhere. Why they are still here, though…

“What do you mean, why you’re still here? What happened to you?”

The hanged king was dead, the hanged king was alive. The kingdom was dead, the kingdom was alive. No one was truly dead, and the only one truly alive was the Ambassador, the real one in control. Everything was on repeat. Everyone would go through the motions of partying, drinking, forever and ever. The kingdom didn’t exist and it did exist. It was somewhere else. No one back on Earth remembered it.

Everyone would go through their motions, like a play, of sorts. Everyone had their roles to play. The lords walked with the people, and the king wrigged and withered chained on his throne, but the Ambassador was the one in charge. It was like a dream for them. Everyone only remembered what they wanted them to remember, and that didn’t include that child.

That child… the Ambassador barely thought about them. They were dead. They were dead, and they’d never know what the kingdom became. That was that.

The Ambassador was intelligent. They knew everything that had gone done in the walls of the kingdom, the many that entered, the few who’d left. They had trapped another goddess, one of the moon, in a cycle of trying to destroy the king, being attacked and almost killed by them, before returning to the sky to rest, before coming down again once per year. They even had found a use for the prison meant to contain that child, keeping the bird who’d betrayed the queen in there before repeating the cycle. They knew a lot.

But they were not entirely correct about that child.

“Whatever do you mean by that, Dyo?”

“It sounds like something should’ve killed you, but didn’t. Whatever happened-”

“Enough about me. I am afraid I have come across much more selfish than I truly am, I do not wish to dwell any more on me, let alone my past.”

“No, no. Tell me what happened. Now.” Dyo was getting impatient. This being clearly was hiding something. Dyo didn’t like when things were hidden. He needed to know it all.

“No.”

“I don’t think you know what’s really happened to me, do you? I… I am royalty these days! You better explain exactly who you are now!” Dyo forced the body up, and stared down the being. They didn’t look like much, muscle-wise.

“No.”

“You have no one, do you? That’s why you’re all alone here. No one would miss you if I were to-”

The entity ripped the mask right off the body, cutting Dyo off.

“I really let myself hope…” it said. Its eyes were filled with fire. But now, Dyo felt a bit more… comfortable here. He could speak in the entity’s mind.

“How rude. I bet if your father cared about you he’d be very disappointed.”

Dyo couldn’t really see where the entity was taking him, but that remark seemed to make them go faster. Seemed to, as they were rather slow either way.

“Why are you gripping me so hard? I thought we were friends!”

“We were, yes. You have made it clear that we are not now.” They did loosen up a bit though. Nice to know Dyo had found a way under their skin.

“Didn’t you miss me?”

“Yes, and I still do. Here we are.”

They were back in that field. A couple of dark birds flew off as they arrived. Maybe they were the same ones from before, maybe not.

The entity left him on the ground, face down, before beginning to leave. Dyo could not believe this rudeness!

“Hey, don’t leave me like this! At least let me see the stars!”

The entity didn’t respond.

It all started unlike how most stories do, with a young human snapping their own neck in a final act of defiance towards a God. Said God had then returned to their kingdom, but the human had woken up somewhere else.

Said somewhere wasn’t too different from the place they left, but there were more trees, and there was no kingdom. Or was there? It was very dark, the person couldn’t tell. Was this what death was like? They slowly got up, putting a hand on a tree. No reason to stay here all alone, when they could explore this strange world. …Until he heard a coo behind him.

Turning around, they saw someone. A crow. The person let out a small smile.

“Hello,” Said the human. After everything that happened that night, it was nice to see something, anything familiar. They sat down in front of the crow.

And then it wasn’t a crow. It was a being wearing shadows like a robe over their pale body. Its gray eyes stared into the person, into all they ever were. Horrible and beautiful.

“Oh.” The human did not react with fear, or even shock. Strangely, the figure still brought them comfort. Perhaps the being had been there their whole life, under the appearance of the crow. Perhaps it was some sort of guardian angel. Or perhaps it was one strange coincidence. It didn’t matter anymore.

“GREETINGS.” A voice akin to if whispers in the darkness spoke loudly instead came from the thing.

The two simply sat there for a bit. Until they began to talk again. About the kingdom, and about the thing that warped it in its own image. About the thing that drove it. About the curse that was still in the human’s blood, even if they escaped the kingdom. Even if their mind was clean. This burning red malice, it still lingered in the kingdom. In humanity. And whether they liked it or not, the human was a part of this now.

A deal was struck there. The king was never correct about their child’s identity, they were never some spreader of disease sent by the brothers to torment the king. They were merely a child who wanted to help the people of Alagadda. But they were not a mere child anymore, and the people of Alagadda could not be helped anymore either. They were consumed by a plague of madness, one the human could never hope to stop with what they currently knew.

So, the human would perfect a cure to the madness of spilt blood, eradicate it, and then they would return to the darkness they were in now. Or die trying. This was to be the human’s purpose, to cleanse the red-stained madness, one they took without hesitation. Only once it was gone, or if the physical burden on their rotten form grew too much, should they return here. To be a savior, to free the people of Alagadda, and help this… thing, that the king was wrong to use as an insult, who was better family than the king. This was something that the human accepted.

…Oh, who am I kidding?

They were not human anymore.

Come on, where was it? They knew it was somewhere in this journal- aw, there it was, right at the beginning. A simple list of names. Not every name, just the ones they could remember. A collection of them, lined up neatly. So many still unaccounted for.

The people of Alagadda. All gone from life and from memory. They couldn’t hope to remember every single name, but they put the ones they could here, as a memorial. It was necessary, since they were the only one who could mourn Alagadda.

They had hesitated at first, reading his name again, but it was needed at this point. His name was one of the first ones written, as the memories of him were some of the fresher, even now. They were close once, very close. But he changed. Sure, the kingdom changed everyone, but once away from the kingdom, he was still much more cruel. They did not wish for any part of this man to be remembered anymore, but they couldn’t just erase it. They couldn’t erase that boy who saw he was having a bad day and created poetry on the spot just to make them feel better, playing in the flowers, laughing together…

The doctor crossed out Dyo’s name. Never again, not even in death. Never ever, ever again. That boy was gone.

…Though, they figured the old them was gone too. They were not a quiet child worried about a father who never looked at him with love. They couldn’t care less about the king anymore. They were helping people now. They were untraceable to the kingdom now, no one needed to know, no one, no one.

No matter. It still hurt, just how much the two had grown apart. Perhaps it was meant to be, the two being driven apart. Maybe they should’ve stopped being sentimental and smashed the damned mask to smithereens.

This was why they didn’t sleep that night. What if Dyo came back? What if somehow, he saw the light? Or what if he came back to attack them again, and they had another chance to crush him?

But all throughout the night, Dyo did not return. It was quiet. Under different circumstances, they believed it would have been calming. But they couldn’t relax, Dyo could show up again, or someone sick could show up at their door needing help.

But as the sun rose, no one showed up. A part of them was sad Dyo didn’t show up again, but they buried that part of themselves. Their time as a child, as an allagadan, ended centuries ago. They were a professional, a doctor, they couldn’t keep thinking about the past, there were people they needed to save.

#via #via rambles #scp #scp foundation #scp fandom #scp alagadda #scp 2264 #the hanged king #the ambassador #scp three brothers death #the three brothers #scp three brothers #scp 035 #scp 049

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10piecechickennuggy · 7 months

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Magic and Secrets, Chapter 3 - Sanji x Witch!OC

WARNING: Mature content ahead!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece or the art featured above. This is a fan-created work featuring an original character.

Read Chapter 2 Here

Read Chapter 1 Here

The patter of footsteps echoed throughout the mansion, a young girl giggling as she ran through her home. She was supposed to be in her room. She’d been told that there would be punishment if she disobeyed. But curiosity had wormed its way into Vera’s naive mind.

It had been easy to escape. Her mother hadn’t even bothered to lock the door, knowing Vera could easily open it with magic. Praesentia’s voice had been stern as she threatened her daughter, and for a moment Vera did feel true fear. But the allure of secret agendas and forbidden knowledge proved too strong.

“The brat has to go!” Her footsteps halted just short of her stepfather’s study. Careful to not make a sound, she pressed herself flat to the wall and focused her hearing.

“Darling, I know you don’t want her. And neither do I. But what do you suggest we do?” Her mother’s voice was laden with frustration.

“I’d love nothing more than to wring her neck myself.” Misericors seethed with rage, no doubt fantasizing about murdering the girl.

“And what would the other Celestial Dragons say if you did?” Praesentia’s voice rose in volume, an accusatory inflection to it. “She’s a God, just as we are. If you kill her and they find out, we’ll be cast out of Mariejois! Our fate would be worse than the Donquixotes!”

“The Donquixotes?!” A piece of furniture fell, the resulting thud startling Vera. But still she did not move. “If anyone deserves their fate it’s that whelp! She and Doflamingo are the only two left carrying that disgraceful family’s blood!”

Praesentia sighed, no doubt exasperated by the conversation that had been ongoing since her daughter’s birth. “You know we can’t do that without risking our own lives. Product of an affair or not, she’s still a Celestial Dragon. And a purebred one at that, …” her words trailed off at the end of her statement, seeming to lose herself in thought.

“I don’t want to hear about your infidelity! I want that girl out of my home!” Misericors was almost screaming now, no doubt red in the face.

“There is a way we could get rid of her.” Praesentia began hesitantly. “But it would take time.”

“Out with it!”

“We could sell her into an arranged marriage.”

Misericors was quiet as he mulled over the proposal. When he spoke again, his voice had calmed. “That would make her somewhat useful. And in the meantime, she could work with the slaves. Say that she’s being taught homemaking for the sake of her future husband.”

“Yes!” Praesentia clapped in delight at her husband’s words. “I have no doubt a royal family would pay greatly to be married into the Domain of the Gods. And if we train her as a slave, she’ll be so obedient !”

A hand clasped over Vera’s mouth, maintaining her silence as tears welled in her eyes. She willed the sobs to stay down, her body shaking in fear at what she’d heard. She turned to run back to her room, ready to dive under the covers of her bed and pretend she hadn’t just eavesdropped on a conversation which sealed her fate to a life of misery.

“You impudent little pest!” She’d been caught. Vera halted her movements, freezing mid-step as she turned to face her mother. The older woman marched forward, gripping Vera’s arm painfully tight.

“I told you to stay put!” Her hand rose, palm open before coming down fast. The harsh slap reverberated off the ornately decorated walls, paintings of smiling faces inside gilded frames mocked the young girl. “But I suppose you did save me the trouble of explaining things.” Praesentia released her daughter’s arm, leaving Vera to fall backwards.

“I’ll have the slaves move her things.” Misericors scowled down at his stepdaughter like one would an insect. “Tomorrow, you’ll start working.”

Vera gulped at the statement. She was only five years old, and yet she knew her very existence was a mistake. A mistake for which she would be punished relentlessly.

***

Dark eyes gazed through glass towards the horizon. Endless blue in all directions, calm waves and sparsely clouded skies met Vera’s vision. How many days had they been at sea? Time seemed to blur when the scenery and weather were unchanging. A small part of her wondered if Nami had gotten them lost. She sighed and resumed reading the book cradled in her lap.

The library door swung open to reveal an exuberant Sanji, a tray of beverages in one hand. He twirled to Robin first, offering her an ornate teacup upon its matching saucer. Steam wafted into the air.

“Herbal Rose tea with honey.” The historian took the delicate porcelain into her hand. Sanji stood upright, smiling wide. “A delicate and sweet blend for an equally graceful beauty.”

Robin thanked the cook with a smile, her voice soft and eyes kind. Sanji took this as his opportunity to spin towards the window seat where Vera lounged. Upon reaching his destination, he knelt at her side and offered a glass. “And a mango smoothie for the alluring enchantress.”

Vera blushed and took the beverage from the blonde. She immediately took a sip, her face lighting up. “Wow, Sanji! This is even better than yesterday’s acai bowl!”

The chef beamed. “You’re too kind.” He tucked the tray neatly under his arm and turned to exit. Just before leaving, he announced, “Lunch will be ready in a few hours. I’ll come retrieve you when it’s time.”

Once the library door had closed, Robin addressed her companion with amusement evident in her voice. “He seems fond of you.”

Vera turned away, hiding her darkening cheeks. She glanced down just in time to see a head of blonde hair entering the ship’s kitchen, a trail of smoke cut off by the closing door. “He’s fond of anything in a dress.”

Robin chuckled, a loose fist covering her mouth as she did. “Whatever you say.” She took a long sip of her tea, punctuating her suspicions.

Laughter caught the witch’s attention, drifting to the ship’s bow where three distinct figures sat on a wooden banister. Fishing poles were clenched firmly in Usopp and Luffy’s hands, long lines cast into the sea below. Chopper sat beside them, his hooved feet dangling over the ledge. The group appeared incredibly carefree despite two thirds of them being unable to swim.

Across the deck, Franky sat working on an indistinguishable project. Tools were strewn around him and he was clearly working on something. But what that something was, Vera couldn’t tell. The cyborg sat back, admiring his work before looking upward. His eyes met Vera’s and he smiled, waving up to his new crewmate. Vera waves back weakly, placating the man who quickly returned to his task.

Nami stood at the helm, her gaze shifting between the log pose on her wrist and the map held in her other hand. As abruptly as he had entered the library, a beverage wielding Sanji nearly pirouetted across the deck. He landed on one knee, appearing to propose with the colorful drink he offered the ginger navigator. Once the drink had been taken, the cook stood and began visibly gushing over the woman. Though she couldn’t hear what was being said, Vera could tell that verbal honey poured from his mouth in proclamations of his adoration.

The witch’s eyebrows furrowed. Why did the scene before her cause such discomfort? She stood, sending the book she held away with a soft muttering before exiting the room.

Now in a proper foul mood, Vera searched for something to occupy her attention. But being confined to a single ship - no matter how large Sunny was - her options proved limited. Weighing her options, she eventually decided the greatest potential lay with the crow’s nest and a particular swordsman.

Upon lifting the heavy wood of the trap door, sounds of clanking metal and grunts invaded the air. Vera lifted herself into the room, greeted with the sight of a shirtless, sweaty Zoro on his back, a bar with several large weights attached to either side held firmly in his grip. A large scar spanning the man’s broad chest caught her gaze, noting its jagged contrast to the straight line over Zoro’s missing eye.

“What?” The word came out sounding more like a growl. At first, Vera wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. But as he continued lifting the metal bar, the swordsman’s single eye came to meet with hers - a look of expectation on his face.

“Sorry.” The girl’s fingers toyed with the hem of her skirt, eyes studying the grain lines in the wooden floor.

Metal clanked loudly as the bar was returned to its rack, causing Vera’s attention to return to the green-haired man. Zoro now sat upright, a rag being pressed to his dripping forehead. “What do you want?” This time the question came clear, laced with annoyance.

“I-”

“Out with it.” His arms were crossed over his chest, creating an intimidating pose.

“Is it alright if I stay here for a bit?” Her words were quiet and fast. She wondered for a moment if they’d even reached the swordsman, but he replied with a simple nod before bringing a bottle to his lips.

Vera sighed, taking a moment to look out the windows which encircled the room. A 360 degree view of nothing but clear blue, the only difference being that she could now see more of the seemingly unending ocean than the library could offer.

Vera sat on one of the many benches lining the walls, her gaze returning to Zoro as he reached for a dumbbell. “Is it really okay for me to be here?” She asked, not expecting an answer from the man.

“I said it was fine, didn’t I?” Zoro eyed her whilst his biceps flexed.

The witch shook her head. “I mean on the crew.” The only response she received was a raised eyebrow, and so she continued. “You all barely know me. And sure we haven’t been at sea for long, but I haven’t done anything useful and I feel like I’m just wasting your resources by being here.”

Zoro scoffed, setting the weight down and reaching for his swords. Vera gulped, bracing herself for the attack. With three swords, surely it’d be as painless as possible. He’d behead her in one swift motion and the crew would be rid of a nuisance.

Her eyes squeezed shut in anticipation for the impact. But all that happened was a small click of Zoro’s tongue before he rushed forward, thrusting open the window behind her. Vera opened her eyes in time to see the swordsman lean out the window and shout to the crew below. “Marines! Straight ahead!”

Vera turned, looking out past Sunny’s figurehead and to a tiny dot on the horizon. She’d originally mistaken the ship for a wave or a bird, nothing worthy of a second glance. But upon further inspection, the large white and blue sails were unmistakable. Zoro had rushed out of the crow’s nest before Vera could register his actions. Upon hearing the trap door slam, she was knocked from her thoughts and sprang to follow.

The main deck was in a state of chaos. Bodies ran about, executing orders which Nami shouted. Sails were unfurled and the ship lurched as canvas caught new wind.

A thunderous boom suddenly overpowered all other noise. Vera turned just in time to see a cannonball flying her way. She took a defensive stance, ready to utter a spell when a blur of red ran past her. In an instant, Luffy was in the air. He’d inflated his body to an impossible size, causing the cannonball to bounce off into the water upon impact.

More deafening noise and several balls of iron were headed their way. Zoro and Sanji were the next to jump into action. Zoro swung his swords, a wave of energy cutting a cannonball in half. Sanji leapt out, his leg darkening from the knee down with armament Haki. With a single kick, the offending mass was sent down in a splash.

These people were monsters. In the best possible way.

Another boom and the Sunny heaved, firing a cannon of its own. Vera watched as the ammunition landed just to the left of the Marine vessel. She clutched a railing, steadying herself and fixing her resolve. She would prove useful in this battle.

The enemy ship drew nearer - when had it gotten so close? Marines could be seen, aiming rifles now. Luffy had jumped into the air, his gum gum powers hurtling the man toward yet another cannonball. With the distracting iron, he’d failed to notice the men taking aim from the deck.

Vera acted fast, rushing forward and thrusting her hand outward. With splayed fingers and fear in her eyes, she shouted a spell. “Deleo te in planum astrale, offenso glandibus!”

The men fired their weapons, plumes of smoke rising into the air. But no bullets came. Luffy landed back on the Sunny and turned to his newest crew member with a grin. “Thanks, Vera!”

The girl gave a thumbs up and a weak smile before the world turned black.

Read Chapter 4 Here

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