#suffering because of her. they are a knight and they are made to protect and serving is carved into their very soul and they are hurting | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hopepetal · 7 months

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This story is set in @applestruda's boatem knights au!

Masterlist

AO3

Enjoy :)

Once upon a time, there lived a huntsman with a heart of gold.

The huntsman was of the lonely sort, for the only company he kept was that of his horse and his dogs. Save for the occasional rare trip to a village, or a passerby stumbling upon his camp, the huntsman did not interact much with others of his kind. That was just fine with him, as he had long been content with conversing with the trees. They were much better listeners than any human would be, he found, as was the case with his animals.

He had lived in the forest his whole life. He was a part of the forest's family, and respected her bounties and blessings with humble grace and thanks. He respected and protected the forest, and in return she did the same for him. During the warmer months, she'd provide him with good hunting in order to prepare him for the biting cold and sparsity of the later months.

It was during one of the colder months– a particularly bitter winter, as the huntsman had been making his way further north during the summer. He had prepared well for this trip, as he didn't wish for his animals to suffer needlessly from the cold. He had spent quite a bit of time bartering and trading to get all the equipment, but it was worth the comfort of his closest companions.

Clearly his dogs were fine, he thought to himself as they once again began chasing each other around in the snow, barking playfully and kicking up powder in his general direction. Shivering slightly and thanking the trees for breaking the wind, the huntsman led his horse carefully through the woods. His dogs ran ahead, as they usually did, and he followed their path. They were much better than actual compasses, and not because they were better at directions. The huntsman had a tendency to lose or damage the small devices, and besides, one couldn't pet a compass.

It was only when a strange bark joined the chorus that the huntsman felt fear shoot through him. His dogs did sometimes run into others of their kind, those that still felt the song of the wild in their veins. Not wanting his dogs to be injured, the huntsman hurriedly made his way to where his dogs had stopped and were growling at a wolf far larger than the huntsman had ever seen. Its fur was the same bright shade of the snow, and intelligent eyes the same sharp blue as the sky.

The huntsman called his dogs back, confused as to why the wolf wasn't attacking or running. In fact, it was quite calm for an animal of its species, laying calmly on the ground and watching the huntsman move. Taking a step forward, it became clear to him when he saw the contrast of red blood against the snow and its fur. The wolf had been caught in a trap, and had likely been stuck there for some time. It had resigned itself to its fate after struggling, and that broke the huntsman's heart.

Slowly, he approached the wolf, being careful to not make any sudden movements. It was strangely calm, especially for a trapped animal. The huntsman knelt in the snow and reached out, stopping right before his hand brushed against the wolf’s fur. Murmuring words of comfort and safety, the huntsman allowed the wolf to sniff at his hand before continuing. He found the trap its leg was caught in, sighing in relief when he recognized the type of trap. He was quick to find the release mechanism and activate it, remaining tense just in case the wolf decided to pounce. To his surprise, it didn’t, although it may have been due to the injury.

Thinking quickly, the huntsman reached into his bag and began to search for medical supplies. He wasn’t able to find any before a warm breeze swept through the clearing, and all of his dogs went still as something changed. With the sudden warmth came the sweet scent of honey apple cinnamon springtime flowers–

Ah.

That–

Woah. Big lady.

The huntsman scrambled back, eyes wide as the snow simply melted around the woman’s feet and flowers sprung from the earth. The woman wore a flowing blue dress that turned into flowers at the ends, and behind her fluttered golden wings like stained glass. Hair the colour of cherry blossoms flowed down her back, and twin antlers poked out from under her hair.

She was a fae, the huntsman did not doubt, though he had never seen nor heard of one like this. Fae didn’t usually just reveal themselves to humans, not unless they had done something wrong. The huntsman swallowed the lump in his throat and prayed to gods he wasn’t quite sure he believed in.

“Huntsman.” The fae’s voice washed over him like sunlight and warmth, and he found himself relaxing. “You have shown my youngest wolf a great kindness. I appreciate this.” With a swirling, sparkling magic, the wolf’s injury healed and the blood faded. It yipped in excitement and bounded over to the fae, pressing against her happily.

The huntsman blinked, before nodding. “You… yeah. No biggie. Uh.”

The fae laughed, a charming sound, and knelt in the circle of flowers she had created so that their heights were more level. “May I have your name?” she asked with a cheeky grin, and the huntsman shook his head. “Oh, you are smart, as well as kind. Very well. What may I call you, then?”

The huntsman felt his cheeks heating up and took a shaky breath. “Well, uh, huntsman! Huntsman is fine! I quite like that, actually.”

His stumbling amused the fae greatly, and she laughed again. “Very well then. Huntsman, to repay you for your kindness in setting my wolf free, I will gift you with one made from magic and shadows.”

The huntsman had forgotten how much emphasis the fae put on equal trade and deals. “Th–” He cut himself off quickly. “...that’s very nice,” he got out, choosing each word with care. “But will a wolf get along well with my horse and my dogs?” he asked.

The fae smiled, nodding. “Of course, dear Huntsman. It is, after all, a repayment for the kindness you showed, as we will never meet again.” With that, she began to weave magic and shadow together with her hands, a mesmerizing process that the huntsman had never seen before. From that was born a mighty wolf with a pelt as dark as the shadows and eyes the piercing yellow of the sun.

The huntsman watched in awe as the wolf let out a mighty bark before bounding over to him, sniffing and pressing against him like any of his dogs would. “Oh! Eeeeasy there… boy? Girl? Y’know what, doesn’t matter. Your name is Geraldine.” He looked up at the fae. “Tha– goodness, I’m not good at this. She’s perfect, thank you.”

The fae beamed. “She is in fact a she. And Geraldine is a lovely name, befitting of a mighty wolf.” She stood, her wolf at her side. “Now that your kindness has been repaid, I must be leaving. Goodbye, Huntsman, and may the wilds bless you.” She and the wolf disappeared with a warm breeze, similar to how she had appeared, leaving the huntsman stunned on the ground.

“Woah,” the huntsman breathed, glancing around at his animals. “That was… wild.”

He knew one thing, and one thing only.

He was going to find her again, somehow. He was too stubborn not to.

When Joel had said he’d find the fae again, he never thought it would be like this.

Several months had passed since they first met– and, in the fae’s mind, the only time they would meet– and it was well into the spring that he found a village that claimed to know about the fae. Did he believe them? Not really. Did he want to? Absolutely.

Which is why he found himself trekking through the nearby forest, searching for the lake they had claimed was frequented by the fae queen herself. Now, if anyone would know where he could find the fae he’d met back in the winter, it would be the fae queen, right?

The sound of water drew his attention, and Joel turned so that he would be heading in that direction. The trees began to thin out and finally, he found himself standing on the bank of a beautifully serene lake.

To his surprise, the fae he had met so long ago was also there, sitting right by the water’s edge. She hadn’t noticed him, it seemed, and for a moment he just stood there and stared until he finally blurted out, “You’re the fae queen?”

The fae startled, letting out a high pitched squeak and throwing her hand up. Joel only realized his mistake as he was thrown face first into the lake by her magic, becoming completely submerged almost instantly. Luckily for him, the fae queen (if she even was the fae queen) pulled him out coughing and spluttering not a moment later.

“I am so sorry, I didn’t realize– Huntsman?”

Joel waved at her from where he had been plopped on the ground, dripping wet. “Hey. Nice to see you again, too.”

Shocked, she took a step forward, flowers blooming at her feet like they had when he first met her. “You– how did you find me?”

Joel ran his hands through his hair, beginning the process of squeezing the water out. “Well, y’see, the locals in that village nearby said the fae queen came here a lot. So I came here to see if I could find her and ask where you are. But it turns out, you are her! Are you?” he asked after a moment, blinking up at her.

The fae laughed, though whether it was from shock or actual amusement was a mystery. “Yes, I am,” she confirmed, and waved her hand. A warm breeze washed over Joel, completely drying him off. “And you are a very lucky little human.”

“It’s genetic,” Joel quipped, “I’m just like that.”

She laughed again, this time from genuine amusement. “Indeed you are. And brave, at that. Not many humans would attempt to seek out the fae like this. May I ask why you did?”

Joel hesitated. “Uhh… well, I never got your name,” he tried, and she raised an eyebrow.

“And I never got yours,” she countered. “Names are a powerful thing, Huntsman. Especially one like mine.”

He gave her a nervous grin. “Well, I’d hope so! You are a queen, mate.”

She took a few more steps forward and settled in the grass by him, brushing out her dress. “So tell me, Huntsman, why you actually tried to find me.”

“Well,” Joel started, “for one, you’re pretty? And two, I like you? Also, I’m really stubborn and I wanted to see you again soooo…” As he spoke, he realized his cheeks were heating up once more, causing a light pink flush to appear across his face. “Oh, jeez.”

“Really?” the fae queen asked, a smile appearing on her face. “Well well well, Huntsman, that changes things.”

“Does it?” he squeaked out, the realization of what he had just said– to the highest ranking fae– starting to dawn on him. “Well, I, uh–”

“You may have my name,” she decided, “if I may have yours. The trade will be far from equal, so I also wish for your heart.”

Joel blinked. “I kinda can’t live without my heart,” he pointed out, “I need that thing.”

She laughed. “Oh, not your physical heart! Your love, companionship, that sort of thing. Being the queen is lonely, Huntsman. And you… there’s something special about you. I like that.” She looked over at him. “Your name, then?”

He cleared his throat, nodding. “Well. Joel. Joel Beans. That’s my name.”

The fae queen smiled, letting her eyes briefly flutter shut as she felt the magic of the name wash over her. Opening her eyes, she gazed directly into Joel’s. “I am Lizzie ShadowLady, queen of the fae.”

The power Lizzie’s name held washed over Joel like a tidal wave, causing his world to spin and tilt. He jolted slightly from the impact it had, though the shock was lessened by her kind smile and gentle hand that had reached out to hold his (when did that happen?). Finally, it was over, and Joel gasped. “That! Woah. Okay. Wasn’t expecting that!”

Lizzie giggled. “I didn’t think you would.”

Joel let the silence sit for a moment. “So… what now? Do you take me to the uh, fae land, whatever it is?”

Lizzie shook her head. “Fae realm. And no, the court would not be too pleased with that. And who would look after all your animals if you were in the fae realm? No, Joel, you’ll be staying in the mortal realm for now. But! You can call my name whenever you wish and I will come to you.”

“And what about me?” Joel asked. “Do you get to say my name and have me appear?”

“Nothing of the sort! But I will be visiting you whenever I please.”

Joel flushed a brighter pink. “Just… not while I’m bathing, please. Or in any state of undress, really.”

Lizzie smirked, leaning forward. “But what if I want to?” she cooed, and Joel’s face turned completely red.

“Alright! Um! Okay! Well!” He jumped up, stumbling over his words as she laughed. “Lovely meeting you, Lizzie, but I should– uh, gotta– I– go check! On my dogs! Yeah.”

“I’ll let you go just this once!” Lizzie called after him as he fled, “but I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again very soon!”

She came to him again on a warm summer’s day, on one of his rare trips to the nearby village. If their very souls had not been so intricately connected, Joel wouldn’t have been able to recognize her. She’d used magic to change her form, clearly– before him stood a shorter woman with pink hair tied up in a bun, and human ears, and no antlers nor wings in sight. “Hello, Joel!”

Joel startled slightly, looking Lizzie up and down. “Oh– gosh, you look different. Lovely! It’s, you’re still, lovely! But different.”

Lizzie giggled, cheeks dusting a light pink as she did a little half twirl. The light green fabric of her dress shimmered in the light, and Joel noticed she had what seemed to be cherry blossoms sewn into the fabric. “Thank you!” She looked up at him with bright eyes, and smiled. “I want you to show me the mortal realm. As a human!”

Joel was slightly taken aback. “Well, I’m certainly not the best person to ask, but I’ll try. I’ll definitely try.” He held out his arm, laughing softly as Lizzie took it. “You’re lucky you caught me when I was near the village. I’m not usually around people.”

Lizzie gave him a quizzical look. “I thought humans were social creatures.”

Joel shrugged. “Not all of us, mate. I live out in the woods all alone mostly. Livin’ with my dogs and my horse.”

“And Geraldine,” Lizzie reminded him.

Joel nodded. “And Geraldine.”

The village was one of the larger ones Joel had seen, though it still wasn’t comparable to the cities he had visited. The market was bustling, with farmers and craftsmen and artisans having set up stalls to show off their wares. Lizzie was absolutely delighted, exclaiming gleefully over the variety and amount of things.

“Have you never seen these things before?” Joel asked, with quite a bit of bemusement in his tone as he watched Lizzie coo over a hand sewn blue jacket.

She shot him a look, rolling her eyes. “Of course! Of course I’ve seen these before! I’ve just never really interacted with these things, is all.” She carefully placed the jacket back before taking his arm again. “Hand-made things are so adorable! Fabulous, even! What do you mean, they just made that with no magic?”

Joel chuckled, shaking his head slightly as Lizzie took his arm once more. “It’s a skill they’ve likely spent years honing. It’s magic in its own way, if ya think about it.”

“True,” Lizzie agreed, continuing to gaze around the market. “Oh, what’s that?!” she asked, pointing toward a different stall.

“Jewelry,” Joel answered. “Best stay away from that one. They probably have iron and such in their items. Dunno if that’s bad for you or not, but better safe than sorry.”

Lizzie hummed softly. “Good idea, good idea.”

Joel continued to lead her through the market, briefly stopping by a bakery and buying some warm bread for the both of them. Lizzie was very pleased with this and happily snacked on her bread before taking the last bit of Joel’s. “You love me,” she teased when he pretended to act offended.

“I do,” he admitted, feeling his cheeks start to get a little more warm. He supposed getting flustered around the woman he liked was going to happen now and again, but gosh, it felt like he was blushing every five seconds! “And you love me. I’m a very sexy lad, you know.”

She giggled, reaching out to boop his nose. “Indeed I do.”

They spent the rest of the day wandering the village, before Joel brought her to a nearby lake to watch the sunset. It was there where she kissed him, before disappearing into the night’s shadows and leaving behind flowers where she had been standing.

Accidents happened.

Especially to those who lived far from the well lit paths, who roamed the forest freely, who forgot that as beautiful as the wilds were, they were just as dangerous.

“Oh gosh–!” he stuttered out, firing another arrow at a zombie. “Geraldine!” he shouted, but the wolf was already ripping into the undead alongside his dogs. “Good girl!” He fired another arrow, this time at an approaching skeleton. “Oh no you don’t,” he muttered, nocking another arrow.

There was a sizzle behind him. Joel whipped around and stumbled back just in time for the creeper to explode, sending him backwards and straight into the path of the skeleton’s arrow. He let out a pained shout as it pierced through his back, pain flaring up his side as he fell. Twisting just before he hit the ground so that he wouldn’t land on the arrow, Joel landed with a thud, groaning in pain. “Blummin’–” He coughed, gasping for air. “Oh, gosh. Oh gosh.”

His ears were still ringing as he tried to push himself up from the ground– failed– and fell back with what might have been a sob. Everything ached, burned with pain built up throughout the fight. His dogs were still barking, growling, tearing into the mobs, but Joel…

Joel couldn’t get up.

…ah.

So that’s what death felt like, then.

The sound of a skeleton falling apart ended the battle, and Joel felt soft fur press against him. He looked up to see Geraldine whimpering softly, gazing down at him with her intelligent eyes. “Hey, Geraldine,” he whispered, weakly bringing up a hand to stroke her fur. “It’s… it’s not going well. I think… this might be it for me, girl.”

Geraldine let out a soft growl that turned into a whimper, nudging his side with her nose. He winced, hissing softly. “Ahh… yep, that– that hurts. Ahhh, gosh.” His hand fell to his side. “Sorry girl,” he mumbled. “You did– you did good. Yeah. You did good.”

Geraldine whimpered again, before turning her head toward the sky and howling, the rest of Joel’s dogs joining in with her cries. Joel choked back a sob, feeling his blood seep out from the wounds that covered his body, feeling the exhaustion begin to draw darkness over his eyes. “I don’t… wanna die,” he mumbled. “I wanted to… I needed… to see her again…”

The image of his beloved came to his mind as he lay there, dying. How she had looked on their date together, when they met by the lake, when he had first seen her… It comforted him, to know that if he died here, he would die with the image of Lizzie seared into his brain.

“Lizzie…”

A warm wind carrying the sweet floral scent of honey and apples was the last thing Joel experienced before everything went black.

Joel woke up in a world not his own, in a bed softer than anything he’d ever experienced, wearing clothes that were most certainly not his.

Oh, and he was alive. Cool!

Joel pushed himself up into a sitting position with a soft groan, looking around the brightly lit room. There was a large window… door? that led out to a balcony, letting in light from outside. The room was much bigger and fancier than anything Joel had ever seen, and he wondered just where he had ended up.

The door opened, and in walked Lizzie. She was “normal sized” once more– or maybe Joel was just big now. Their eyes met, and Joel awkwardly gave her a little smile and a wave. “Heya.”

Without saying a word, Lizzie ran to him and threw her arms around him. “Oh, you–!” she spluttered, hugging him close– “How could you?! Do you know how scared I was when you called for me and I found you just, lying there? Joel!” She pulled back, cupping his face. There were tears shining in her eyes as she gazed into his. “I was so scared you were going to die!” she scolded.

Joel let out a weak laugh. “I mean, I was too. I was really scared, for a bit. But hey! I’m okay now! I’m okay!”

Lizzie pulled him into another hug. “Don’t do that again. Don’t scare me like that, Joel.”

He hugged her back, breathing in the sweet scent of flowers. “I won’t. I promise.” She pulled away again, and Joel settled back. “So… where am I?” he asked.

“When I found you in the woods and saw how injured you were, I decided to take you to the fae realm,” Lizzie explained. “You’re in the palace, in the room typically…” She flushed slightly. “...typically occupied by the fae king.”

Joel blinked. “Oh, goodness. Am I in another man’s room?”

Lizzie’s eyes widened. “No! No! Not at all, Joel! This is your room!” She paused. “Well. It will be, if you’d like.”

Joel raised an eyebrow. “Are you proposing to me? On my deathbed?”

Lizzie yelped. “Don’t say that! It’s not your deathbed, idiot!” Another pause. “...but yes, I suppose I am.”

“Well, Lizzie, I’d absolutely love that.” Joel smiled as he spoke, watching Lizzie’s face light up. “But maybe give me a bit before we get uh, married. And everything. Maybe show me around your realm a bit? Like I did with the human world.”

Lizzie grinned. “Deal.”

Joel sucked in a soft breath, eyes widening. “Wait, hold on, I didn’t– oh goodness.”

Lizzie giggled, shaking her head. “Don’t you worry, my love. I won’t harm you, nor will I let anyone else harm you. I’m the fae queen, and as such no one will lay a hand on you.”

“Okay, that’s good, because sometimes I can be a real blummin’ idiot,” Joel muttered.

“Maybe,” Lizzie agreed with a smile, “but you’re my idiot.”

As promised, Lizzie showed Joel around the fae realm.

There were many sorts of strange things there that Joel couldn’t even begin to wrap his head around (what do you mean those axolotls had wings?), but it was all beautiful. And yeah, sure, everything looks beautiful when you’re in love, blah blah blah, whatever.

“Take my hand,” Lizzie instructed Joel, standing on the shore of a crystal clear lake. “And don’t let go, alright?”

Joel grinned and did as she asked. “I would never let go of you.”

Lizzie giggled, giving his hand a soft squeeze. “Oh, you sap. Now, remember what I told you!” And with that, she pulled him forward and onto the lake.

Not into.

On.

His hand in hers, Joel found himself walking on the surface of the lake, little waves rippling out from where he stepped. “Woah– Liz, this is insane! How are you doing that?”

Lizzie giggled, wings fluttering slightly behind her. “Oh, you know. Magic!” she chirped, continuing to lead him out onto the water.

Finally, the two stood in the middle of the most beautiful lake Joel had ever seen, and Lizzie turned around to take both of his hands in hers. Joel pulled her close, an arm around her waist, and laughed at her soft giggle. “You’re beautiful,” he breathed, and she smiled up at him.

“You’re not so hard on the eyes yourself,” she teased, gently brushing her hand against his cheek.

“I do try my best,” Joel responded, giving her a smirk. “I’m glad you approve.”

Lizzie hummed softly, swaying slightly back and forth. Joel followed her lead, trying not to think too hard about the fact that they were literally standing on water. “I more than approve,” she told him. “I love it.”

Joel raised an eyebrow. “Well, considering we’re getting married pretty soon–”

Lizzie smacked him with no real force, making an offended noise. “You shut up!” she scolded, before a smile brightened her face. “Dance with me.”

Joel’s eyes widened slightly, but he nodded. “I don’t really– I’ll do my best, mate, but no promises.”

“I’ll lead,” Lizzie promised. “Don’t you worry about a thing.”

Joel had never really danced before, but he had always been a fast learner. Being a huntsman as well meant he was in tune with his body, and had quite the knack for swift, smooth footwork. Soon, the pair were dancing to a song no one else could hear, one shared between the two of them as their hearts beat for each other.

Joel twirled Lizzie before pulling her back in, and their steps fell in sync once more. They moved together as naturally as the wind moved through the trees, flowing like water in a stream. The lake rippled as they danced, footsteps disturbing the usually calm surface.

“I thought you said you don’t dance,” Lizzie teased, her eyes shining as her wings fluttered behind her.

“I don’t!” Joel insisted. “This is all you. I’d fall over the minute you asked me to do something more fancy.”

Lizzie giggled, shaking her head slightly. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“I give myself plenty of credit!” Joel protested, pretending to be offended. “I’m great! I just don’t dance.”

“You do now!” Lizzie sang, and the pair continued to dance.

The dance ended with Joel holding Lizzie close, the both of them silent as they simply held each other. The sky was beginning to paint itself in brilliant watercolours as the sun set. Content to just be near each other, the embrace lasted several moments before the two finally pulled apart. “That was lovely,” Lizzie breathed, her cheeks pink from the exertion and excitement. “Thank you, Joel.” Joel smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Anything for you.”

The moment was so incredibly romantic that, of course, something had to go wrong. That thing being Joel forgetting about Lizzie’s earlier instructions and letting go of her hand, just for a moment. But a moment was all that was needed, and the magic connection between them was broken, plunging Joel into the lake.

Once again he found himself sitting on the bank of a lake, sopping wet with Lizzie beside him. This time she was laughing at him instead of apologizing, and Joel let out a long groan. “Yes, yes, I know, that was stupid, I look like a wet dog, can you magic me dry now?”

Lizzie giggled, her wings fluttering behind her. “A wet wolf,” she corrected, waving her hand to summon a magic breeze. “You’re still very intimidating, I promise.”

Joel grumbled, drawing his knees up to his chest. “Well now you’re just being– you’re being very rude, Liz.”

Lizzie settled down next to him on the grass. “Aww, did someone get their feelings hurt?” she cooed. “What ever shall we do about that?”

Joel rolled his eyes, trying his hardest not to smile. “You could apologize,” he pointed out. “How ‘bout a kiss?”

Lizzie beamed. “Gladly.” She gently cupped Joel’s face with her hands and leaned in to kiss him. It was tender, loving, everything it could’ve been and more. After she pulled away, she turned to gaze up at the first stars to decorate the darkening sky. “We have stories about the stars,” she told Joel, who turned to gaze up at them himself. “Some of them are thousands of years old. Other stories are so old even the wisest among us can’t remember a time when they weren’t told.”

Joel nodded, letting out a soft hum. “We have those, too. Stories, I mean. Mum told me that stars represent souls.” He shrugged. “Dunno how true that is, though. Lots of stuff was just made up a long time ago.” He leaned against Lizzie. “What are your stories about?”

Lizzie smiled softly. “There’s one in particular I’ve been wanting to share. It’s been passed down the line of fae royalty for as long as there’s been a line to pass it down. I think that if any of our stories are going to be true, it would be this one.”

Joel turned to look at Lizzie, eyes shining with curiosity. “Well, I’m all ears, if you want to tell me.”

Lizzie nodded, taking a deep breath.

Our story starts with the void and the stars. For there would be no story to tell, had they not written the beginning.

They were lonely, you see. Eternity, even when shared, is an incredible burden. One day, the void approached the stars with an idea. A simple concept, something that had been no more than a passing thought.

Creation.

The stars grew quiet so she could better listen to the void speak. Hesitantly, the void explained, growing more and more certain as they continued. With their combined power, they would be able to shape the forms of four other gods and their domains.

The first god was very similar to the stars. His domain was that of the sun, and he woke as the new star blazed into life. He was warm, compared to the cold void and the distant stars, and shone brightly.

The second god was made with the light of the sun, for her duty was to shine when he could not. Her domain was that of the moon. There was a dim glow around her as she reflected the sun’s light, the only source of warmth.

The third god was molded carefully into life. His domain was the earth, and his duty was to be a home for those who wished to live there. The void and stars took care to place his domain perfectly. Being too close to the other gods would end in disaster, as would being too far.

Finally, the last god was made. The void wished for a god who could move freely, requiring no outside energy to act. The void herself was a vast source of great power, but could not act on their own– something always had to be given in order for them to act. And so the oceans were created, the fourth god set to gently drift in the waters.

Life flourished on the earth. Mortals were warmed by the sun, guided by the moon, nourished by the earth, and traveled by the sea. And the void and the stars watched over them all, no longer lonely.

Lizzie’s last words rang out over the lake, Joel letting out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. There seemed to be some sort of magic in the air, as if the whole world– no, the whole universe– had stopped to listen to the story.

“I like that,” Joel decided, “it’s a pretty story.”

Lizzie smiled, nodding. “It is very pretty. I like to imagine the gods when I’m looking at the stars, or walking through a forest, or gazing out at the sea. I wonder what they’re like. If they’re real, I mean.”

Joel let out a soft huff through his nose. “They’re probably super old. I mean, can you imagine?” He paused. “...well actually yeah, you probably can, but–”

Lizzie began to laugh, shaking her head. “You’re so silly,” she told him.

The rest of the night was spent under the stars, laughing and sharing stories.

“And what do you think you’re doing, heading out all on your own?”

Scar looked up from where he was fitting the last few things into his horse’s saddlebags. Grian was standing a few feet away from him, arms crossed and eyebrows raised in question. Scar had to laugh at that. “I was invited somewhere!” he explained. “Some friends of mine are gettin’ married.”

“Friends?” Grian tilted his head slightly. “I didn’t know you had friends.”

Mumbo looked over from where he was sitting, working on some sort of flower crown. “Mate, I’m pretty sure he just told us about them the other day. Joel and Lizzie, right?”

Scar nodded, and Grian let out an annoyed trill. “Well, you didn’t tell me!” he insisted, feathers ruffling. After a moment of thought, he frowned. “Wait. Actually, I might be wrong. Must've slipped my memory… haven't been getting much sleep lately.”

“What’s this? Griba admitting he was wrong about something?” Pearl made her way over, using Grian as an armrest. “Impossible. Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”

“Get off–!” Grian ducked away, flaring out his wings to smack Pearl lightly. “I hate you. I hate you so much,” he grumbled, trying to bite back a smile.

All the commotion drew Impulse over, and he joined the other knights by the stables. “What’s going on, guys?”

“I’m going to go marry my friends,” Scar explained again, which had Grian looking slightly confused.

“You’re ordained?” the avian asked, folding his wings behind him.

Scar nodded. “Yep! Normal and horse ordained!”

Grian blinked. “Scar, you can’t marry horses.”

Scar laughed as he mounted his horse, looking down at the knights. “Those are the words of a quitter right there!”

“Well, have fun,” Impulse called over Grian’s squawking. “Be safe.”

“Don’t make any more deals with the fae!” Pearl added on, which seemed to cause Grian more panic.

“He’s going to the fae realm-?!”

With that, Scar bid the knights goodbye and left for the fae realm.

The wedding was every bit as grand as it should’ve been for a queen. Grand, fancy, and yet somehow Joel wasn’t uncomfortable in the slightest. Unlike that time he had tried on a suit in the mortal realm, nothing felt forced or too stifling– it was all perfect. How could it not be? He was marrying the most amazing, beautiful woman in the world.

Flowers bloomed anywhere and everywhere they could, letting their sweet scent perfume the air. Lights shimmered in the grand willow trees, which bordered the venue perfectly. Everything about it was magical, in both a figurative and literal sense.

So many people had come to witness the wedding. Fae, welcomed mortals, and even animals had gathered in the forest. Joel's eyes caught sight of Geraldine and the rest of his dogs, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling. His beloved horse was nearby as well, and of course Scar was there to officiate the whole thing.

“You look great!” Scar had told him, giving Joel a thumbs up. Which… wasn't very reassuring, but by then it was far too late to get cold feet.

The music began, soft and beautiful. The idle chatter from the guests immediately died down, and the whole gathering collectively held their breath as they waited.

Joel was not ashamed to admit he cried when he saw Lizzie in her wedding gown. All the love he had for her swelled up and filled him with so much joy that he simply hadn't been able to hold it in. She had joined him at the altar, and Joel had barely been able to concentrate on the proceedings. She was just so beautiful.

Finally, it was time to exchange vows. As sacred to the fae as they were, Lizzie and Joel shared their vows to each other and only each other through a magical connection. With closed eyes and loving hearts, they whispered sweet promises to each other. The weight of their vows settled comfortingly around their hearts, and then they kissed.

Once upon a time, there lived a huntsman with a heart of gold.

This is his happily ever after.

#my writing #boatem knights au #joel smallishbeans #ldshadowlady #uh.#jizzie #shadowbeans #i guess #scar #pearl #grian #mumbo #impulse #not maintagging bc like. they arent too big here #grian i cant help hes a loser with one name #anyway yay

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writerbuddha · 6 months

Note

Your blog is interesting and informative. Learning the behind the scenes stuff is interesting but I have found that I cannot accept some of the things Lucas says. Especially the discourse around attachment. Having watched the movies and read their novelizations I just do not find Lucas’s idea behind what he was trying to convey to be in his story.

This really hit home for me when rewatching The Clone Wars. In the episode Voyage of Temptation (season 2 episode 13) Obi-Wan and Anakin have this discussion:

Obi-Wan My duty as a Jedi demanded I be elsewhere.

Anakin Demanded? But it’s obvious you had feelings for her. Surely that would affect your decision.

Obi-Wan Oh, it did. I live by the Jedi Code.

Anakin Of course. As Master Yoda says, “A Jedi must not form attachments.”

Obi-Wan Yes. But he usually leaves out the undercurrent of remorse.

I cannot square the idea that a Jedi would feel an undercurrent of remorse about not having a supposedly negative thing in their life. The only thing I can conclude is that it does not mean a negative and just means having a partner. Having love.

I'm really glad you like my blog, Anon! :)

What I take from your message is that you're a bit confused about attachment and non-attachment and how not forming attachments is guiding the life of a Jedi Knight.

You seem to equate "attachment" with "love" and "having a partner." However, this isn't quite right: attachment is the feeling that you like or love something or someone, paired with the feeling that you would be unhappy without them. Attachment is not the same as liking or loving, because attachment is characterized by the feeling that you have to have the things or people you like or love in your life to keep yourself happy. Once you feel this, you start to want things to not to change, to stay as they are, you want to permanently have things. But everything changes, things come and things go, you can't stop that. Attachment is an unrealistic and unreasonable desire that will lead to the fear of loss, and out of that comes anger, and from that comes hate. And being filled by fear, anger and hate is suffering.

The things we're attached to are most likely very positive, very good and very enjoyable, since we love and like them. Having a romantic partner and a romantic, loving relationship with that partner is not a problem at all, because that's not an attachment. Rather, attachment is the harmful and destructive way of relating to having a romantic partner and a romantic, loving relationship with that partner.

Let's go through this dialogue in Voyage of Temptation!

ANAKIN: You didn't stay to help her? OBI-WAN: That would have been problematic. My duty as a Jedi demanded I be elsewhere. ANAKIN: Demanded? But it's obvious you had feelings for her. Surely that would affect your decision. OBI-WAN: Oh, it did. I live by the Jedi code. ANAKIN: Of course. As master Yoda says, "a Jedi must not form attachments." OBI-WAN: Yes. But he usually leaves out the undercurrent of remorse.

It would be important to be able to distinguish between not forming attachments and the life of the Jedi Knight made possible by not forming attachments, since the two are related, but very different.

ANAKIN: You didn't stay to help her? OBI-WAN: That would have been problematic. My duty as a Jedi demanded I be elsewhere.

Jedi Knights aren't where they would like to be, but where they are needed, and for a good Jedi Knight, who lives on compassion, the two are the same. They dedicate themselves to serve the entire known universe, to guard peace and justice, to settle disputes and make sure that everyone is protected. Obi-Wan couldn't stay with Satine, because as he tells Anakin, his Jedi duty demanded him to be elsewhere. He isn't saying, his duty as a Jedi was to "be nowhere near her," because a Jedi is not allowed to have partners and love.

The reason why Jedi Knights aren't entering marriages and romantic relationships is not that these would be attachments. They won't do it because it's simply impractical. The duty of the parent and spouse, who has to protect and support their family and the duty of the Jedi, who has to guard peace and justice in the entire universe cannot be fulfilled at the same time.

ANAKIN: Demanded? But it's obvious you had feelings for her. Surely that would affect your decision. OBI-WAN: Oh, it did. I live by the Jedi code. ANAKIN: Of course. As master Yoda says, "a Jedi must not form attachments."

Attachment is a very conditional way of relating to others. It says, "You make me very happy, I enjoy you so much, so I love you and I cherish you." It says, "You make me very unhappy, I despise you so much, I I hate you and I want to harm you." And it says, "You do not make me feel happy nor unhappy, I have no concern for you." And these are walking hand in hand: when Padmé made Anakin feel very happy, he wanted her to be safe, he was willing to pledge loyalty to Darth Sidious to keep her alive and in his life, but on Mustafar, when she made him feel unhappy, he wanted her to be miserable and he choked her. A Jedi Knight shall not form attachments, rather, they must have unconditional love, which is compassion. True love says, "I want you to be happy and free from suffering."

It's an aspiration coming from the simple realization that we're the same human beings in wanting to be happy and free from suffering. This can extend to all living things: the people who make us feel happy, the people who make us feel unhappy and the rest. Obi-Wan had to adhere to the Jedi code, "a Jedi must not form attachments." Compassion is central to a Jedi Knight's life. So, Obi-Wan had to make a decision that is based on compassion, the concern for the well-being of everyone, not just the concern for the woman he has romantic feelings for, who he likes and cherishes. Satine had a hard task ahead of her, but the war was over and she was safe. Others, however, were in need of the protection and guidance of the Jedi.

OBI-WAN: Yes. But he usually leaves out the undercurrent of remorse.

What Obi-Wan feels an undercurrent of remorse about not having is a very positive thing: it's the relationship that he had with Satine, what he sacrificed for the life of a Jedi Knight. It was a hard choice, he loved Satine greatly. He doesn't feel bad about serving others as a Jedi Knight, but he does feel bad about leaving Satine.

But Satine didn't ask him to leave the Order, and by the end of the arc, they were both able to find peace, knowing that they made the right decision. I've already posted this quote from the great Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk and teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, but it's still explains this perfectly: "As a monastic you lead a life of monastic celibacy and community, and if the one you love realizes that, she will not suffer and you will not suffer, because love is much more than having a sexual relationship. Because of great love you can sacrifice that aspect of love, and your love becomes much greater. That nourishes you, that nourishes the other person, and finally your love will have no limit. That is the Buddha’s love."

Obviously, the disappearance of a loved one from our lives will never be easy, will bring sadness, and their absence will always be felt. But the severe pain, sorrow, regret over this, the anguish that we are not with them, the intense yearning to be with them, to get them back is stemming from our desire to hold on to what we find pleasant, good and joyous, from the inability to accept that we can never truly have, own, possess anything. If we cease the unrealistic and unreasonable yearning, we’re able to allow change, to allow death to enter into our lives and seeing it as a natural part of it. And we can be at peace.

#star wars #george lucas #jedi order #obi wan kenobi #obi wan x satine #satine kryze #clone wars #voyage of temptation #attachment #love vs attachment #anon ask #obitine

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strawberrylabs · 7 months

Text

Whumptober day 9 with Kaeya and Diluc!

Prompt: "You're a liar"

Whumptober masterlist

she/her version, he/him version

Summary: As the youngest child of the Ragnvindr house hold, you suffered years alone after your brothers falling out. But how would they react when a certain harbinger decides to sieze this oppertunity?

Warnings: Dottore (fuck him), death, injections, fighting, mentions of inhumane experiments

You were only young when Kaeya came to the Ragnvindr household.

You couldn’t explain it, but straight away you treated him as you did your biological brother.

Diluc and Kaeya often teased you as brothers do, but they were also protective of you.

You were close with both of them, but you were especially close to Kaeya, much to Diluc’s chagrin.

Mainly because Diluc, while still having fun with pranks and such, was still sure to follow your father’s rules.

Kaeya however, had a knack for bending the rules and finding loopholes.

And if you ask a little kid whether they’d rather have dessert or dinner first, it’s obvious what the choice would be.

Kaeya always dragged you with him when exploring Windwail Highland, hand clasped around yours.

Of course he originally just wanted to have fun with his little sibling, but when you looked at him with pleading eyes asking to bring Diluc, he couldn’t refuse.

And of course Diluc couldn’t refuse you either.

That was often how it went; Kaeya and you going on adventures, you making Diluc come along, the three of you having fun and creating memories.

As you grew older, the boys taught you how to use your weapon of choice.

You often trained with them, being taught little tips and tricks as your strength increased.

When your brothers joined the knights, you would go visit him and Kaeya with lunch made for the three of you.

It was more than you could ask for. A loving father, and two older brothers who adored you!

…

But you weren’t able to hold on to your happiness forever.

The night of your father’s death, you clung to your father’s corpse. The ringing in your ears only subsided when you heard the clash of swords.

You screamed at your brothers to stop, hot, fat tears rolling down your face as your mind screams at you to do something before you lose someone else.

When Kaeya got his vision near moments before what would have been his final moments, you finally moved.

You ran and hugged Diluc around his waist, halting his movements.

“Dammit! Let go!”

He tried to shake you off as your wails got louder and more persistent.

After some time, Diluc finally stopped moving. Your grip loosened as he walked away from you.

Before Kaeya could leave, you ran to him, crushing him in a hug.

“Hey.. C’mon now, you shouldn’t be hugging a traitor.. ‘Luc might get mad.” Kaeya went to tussle your hair habitually, before stopping when he felt a certain fiery gaze watching his every move.

He goes to push you off, but you cling tighter.

“You’re not a traitor, you’re my brother! I don’t care why you’re here or why you were sent here, I just care that you’re Kaeya and you’re my brother and I refuse to lose anyone else I love!”

Your eyes stung with salt and loss.

The blue haired man finally caved and hugged you back, gripping you like a lifeline.

“Please don’t leave.. Promise me!”

Kaeya stutters a moment

“I… I promise. I’m your big brother after all. I promise I’ll still be there for you…”

You don’t quite remember how long you were in Kaeya’s hold before Diluc pried you from him. You didn’t fight him. Kaeya promised you. And you trusted him.

You let Diluc drag you away from him.

You saw both of your brothers at your father’s funeral. Although none of you spoke. None of you stood together. The tensions were too high for that.

Kaeya and Diluc weren’t talking for obvious reasons.

Diluc wasn’t talking to you because of your promise with Kaeya.

Kaeya wasn’t talking to you because he didn’t want to get into another fight with Diluc.

And you weren’t talking to either of them for fear of whoever you didn’t talk to getting the wrong idea.

Oh how you wish you had the courage to talk to both of them that day.

Because your father’s funeral was the last time you spoke to either of your brothers for a long time. A very, long time.

When Diluc left for Sneznyah, he only left a note for you stating that he would be back. Didn’t say when, didn’t say where he went or what he was doing. Just that he would be back.

To say you were devastated was an understatement.

You locked yourself in your room for a few days after that, trying to figure out what you had done in your few years of existence for the archons to hate you enough to take away your family.

After almost a week of not leaving the mansion, you decided to find Kaeya.

You had hoped he would visit, but you supposed that since he took up the position of Cavalry Captain when Diluc quit, he would be busy.

When you approached Varka, he looked at you with pity.

“I’m sorry little one, Kaeya is not here right now.”

You couldn’t quite pick up on the remorse in his eyes.

It became a habit for you to ask about Kaeya over the months. Every day the same responses.

“He’s not here.”

“He’s busy.”

“He just left.”

Seeds of doubt began to take root in your mind. But you were always quick to squash them.

‘He promised.’ You would remind yourself

It wasn’t until one day when you were walking past the tavern did you hear a familiar voice drift through the open windows.

“I have to cut myself off from the people at the winery to do my job efficiently. That’s just how it has to be.”

You don’t know what overtook you. You stormed through the tavern door, a starstruck Kaeya sitting there watching you.

“You promised me! You promised you’d stay with me! And what, you’re avoiding me? Leaving me by myself so you can do your job?” You seethe. You refuse to cry. You refuse to let him see how hurt you are.

“Wait-”

“Fine! I don’t need you or Diluc! I can manage on my own!”

Marching towards the door you turn around one more time

“Go screw yourself Kaeya!”

The walk home went by in an instant, a million scenarios running through your head, thinking about what you could’ve done, could’ve said differently to avoid this outcome.

You ran on autopilot for a while after that. Every day was the same.

Wake up.

Eat.

Shower.

Study.

Train.

Eat.

Sleep

And then do it all again. Some days you even missed one or two steps. But you didn’t particularly care.

Until one day, you were training near the shore like usual, when a voice sounded from behind you.

“Your form is lacking. If you continue to practise like that, the habit will be ingrained in your mind and you will forever be stuck fighting with incompetent form.”

A man with mint green hair and a sinister lilt made himself seen. He didn’t appear hostile or as if he posed a threat. So you lowered your weapon.

“.. I don’t exactly have a teacher anymore.”

“Well! Why don’t I teach you? I’m spending some time in Mondstadt, and I need someone to show me around, teach me the ways of a local if you will. How about, I train you, you be my guide?”

You knew this man was trouble. You could sense it.

So why did you agree? Was it this innate need to prove you were capable to the brothers who don’t care? Was it boredom? Curiosity?

Loneliness?

Who knows. All you know is the man who made himself known as Dottore from that day on became the only constant in your life. And you grew attached to it.

He was there on time everyday to train you. He was harsh, but he wasn’t a bad teacher. In fact, you could feel your strength improving after mere weeks of training.

After training, sometimes before if you were early, you’d show him around Mondstadt. From Starfell valley, to Windrise, to Stormterrors lair. But oddly enough, he never asked to see the city.

You didn’t question it. That was probably where he was staying after all, he didn’t need to be shown around.

After the first month of this, Dottore, told you that his stay in Mondstadt was extended.

“I will be staying another year or so it would seem. I was wondering perhaps, if you would like to be friends- officially that is.”

And so you agreed to be friends.

Life continued on for another few months, Dottore continued training you, the two of you would go on walks to wherever you felt like (You had long since shown him everything Mondstadt had to offer).

Over time, you told Dottore about your brothers and family. And eventually, Dottore told you about himself.

“Now there is something I must tell you. I am a member of the Fatui. In fact I am a harbinger known as the Doctor. I know you are not stupid, you have likely known this for a long while. But I still feel it is better to be transparent.”

He was right. Over the months you had learned the name Dottore, and knew about the things he’d done.

But he hadn’t been that bad in person. He had treated you kindly, and he was honest.

He also kept his promises.

He hadn’t left you alone.

“I know… But.. I trust you. I think..” You murmur the last part, still not completely sure about what you’re saying.

But this was no time to back down. You had to prove you could survive without your brothers. That included making your own decisions about who to trust.

“Well in that case I must be honest with you once more. I am looking for a new.. Student. Someone who can withstand a certain injection I’ve concocted.” Something about the way he enunciated the word student sent shivers down your spine..

“I admit that is why I agreed to train you. I wanted to hone your body to withstand the experiment.”

“...And will it?”

“Pardon?”

“Will my body withstand the experiment?”

The Doctor grins.

—----------------------------------------

It was two years after your father’s death that Diluc came back.

The first thing he noticed was that you had grown. You were stronger.

You also held a vision.

His heart ached a little.

How much had he missed?

But no matter how much he tried to ask, you deflected the topic. You barely spoke to him. Understandable. He thought. But he still needed answers.

Diluc didn’t like it, but he had to ask Kaeya.

Needless to say when Diluc found out Kaeya didn’t know either, he was livid.

“What do you mean you haven’t spoken in two years?! Are you so incompetent that you can’t keep an eye on your own sibling?!”

“Well at least I didn’t disappear for two years!”

“Stop!”

The two turned to you when you yelled, neither having seen you enter the tavern.

Their eyes went wide when they saw a delusion hanging next to your vision.

“Where did you get that?! Give it to me-” Diluc goes to snatch the object, only to have his wrist grabbed by a gloved hand.

“Now now, no need to get worked up. I believe this one is handling the delusion quite well.”

The smirk in Dottore’s voice was audible.

“I’ll be waiting outside. Don’t take too long, dear pupil.” The doctor chuckled as his eyes filled with mirth stared down the two brothers, as if to say

‘I win.’

The tavern falls silent. Diluc grabs your wrist and pulls you into the backroom, with Kaeya following behind.

“What are you doing with a harbinger! Where did you get that delusion? Are you mad! You know that’s what-”

“A delusion is what killed dad, I know.”

The air was silent, and heavy. It seemed no one knew what to say next.

You heave a deep sigh.

“I’m going to Sneznyah. I’m joining the Fatui as Dottore’s apprentice.”

Kaeya was the one who spoke this time.

“What? No- you can’t!”

Kaeya didn’t express his emotions on his face often, but this time it was as if his face were a book, his emotions written on the pages. Worry. Anger. Denial.

“Why do you two care anyway? I could’ve left without saying a word and it probably would’ve taken you months to even realise.”

You take a deep, steadying breath.

“Dottore says I have potential. Potential to be something better- something stronger than either of you thought I could be. I agreed to let him test his hypothesis.”

Your voice didn’t waver.

“Test? Do you hear yourself?”

“You know what will happen, it’s dangerous.”

“Don’t be foolish!”

“You’re making a mistake”

Diluc and Kaeya continue their onslaught..

This is exactly what Dottore said would happen.They don’t trust you. They don’t believe in your strength.

“And why would either of you care?! Diluc- you left me! For 2 years after our father’s death without a word!”

You turn to Kaeya before the redhead has a chance to open his mouth

“And you…

You’re a liar!

You said you'd look after me! You said you’d protect me! I was counting on you to be there when Diluc left! I kept hoping that at least once in these last few years you would at least acknowledge I exist!”

“I-”

“No! I’ve had enough! I’m taking charge of my life, and I’m starting fresh away from the two of you! Let’s see how you like when your sibling acts like you aren’t there, as if you haven’t spent all your life together!”

The brothers look down in shame.

They never thought that their darling little sibling would grow up like this. And it’s all their fault.

Memories of bright smiles and laughter flood their minds.

How did it go so wrong?

“Don’t expect to hear from me. I don’t plan on coming back unless absolutely necessary.”

Your hard gaze falters as you look at your brothers.

“Goodbye, Kaeya, ‘Luc. I love you guys.”

You turned around.

And you didn’t look back.

…

But Kaeya and Diluc were not about to let that psycho do what he wants with you.

They lost over the years due to their negligence.

And they were going to get their sibling back.

This is so much longer than I thought it'd be- oops

@loyal-to-dottore (I know you love the sibling fics<3)

#whumptober2023 #no. 9 #kaeya x reader #diluc x reader #brother kaeya x reader #reader x sibling reader #brother diluc x reader #diluc x sibling reader #death tw #needles tw

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bokettochild · 1 year

Text

Imagine First meeting the Chain

Imagine First standing there and seeing nine men and boys who's hearts have been broken and souls shattered for a kingdom he's yet to see.

Imagine First seeing Time, who's only just starting to recover from the troubles of his life, but whose soul is already fading as death comes nearer and nearer, the poor man never realizing how close it licks at his heels

Imagine First meeting Wild and learning that this young knight, this boy, this teenager, this child, has died already in the saving of his kingdom and been brought back for the sole purpose of once more fighting his killer.

Imagine him seeing the scars, the markings. This one has been scarred by a god and this by a sorcerer. This one was burned by things he cannot even imagine; machines that will be made and will turn against Hyrule to destroy it and her people.

Imagine First meeting Sky, a school-boy who left all behind to save his best friend from the demon that First failed to fight, to conquer. Meeting the child whom his loyal loftwing chose in his stead and to carry his burden. The lad whom Hylia has set to be her king and her beloved and her Hero, in the stead of the fallen and weak hero who failed to fulfill his purpose.

Imagine his guilt.

Imagine he looks to the heroes and sees mere children. Sees a smithy whose soul will never be whole and whose heart follows in kind. Who has lost parts of himself he will never truly know and learned things he will not pass on. Darkness, like death to the Hero of Time, haunts him. It is following and prepared to snatch him away into an eternal suffering that will not end. Even as Ganon will rise and fall, time and again, this lad's spirit shall remain to watch that the Four Sword will nevermore be pulled and release Vaati.

Imagine how he looks to Legend, the hero who has seen more than he could imagine. Whose fought Ganon over and over to protect a kingdom that has watched hero after hero fall and die and be cursed. This child with the face of Hylia and her power in his veins, who knows little of the goddesses because even they have fallen and needed to be saved. Even Hylia's creators who forged the world have been those whose fates rest on this lad's shoulders.

And after him. Imagine First meeting Hyrule. the boy from a ruined kingdom. The Hylian who had never seen Hyrule because it's own people have fled it to lie in lands beyond and outside of their sacred homeland. This lad who's only understanding of anything that was or ought to be is a hero long passed, and not any that the others know but only one who is still a lad himself.

Imagine him meeting Wind. imagine his horror to see someone so very young and kind. To see a soul still so pure. To know that he was reincarnated is one thing. to meet this little soul forger who took on a burden left by fallen and absent heroes, with no goddess blessing to aid him, and who forged a soul to defend and preserve a kingdom long since fallen.

Imagine him meeting them. Imagine him seeing. Imagine the recognition at lightning feathers ad goddess blessings that whisper after them, and the absence of the same to others. This one carries the fates of gods and this one forges a soul. this one carries darkness in his soul and that one will be reduced to a shell by the same.

And imagine hi learning that these are the heroes after their adventures. These are not as they are or were in the time of their greatest suffering. no, the young were far younger and even the eldest was but a child when fate plucked him from his home to suffer and toil. The one who was the eldest was not yet twenty when war and lust and hatred and wrath tore him from a life that ought to have known peace to instead fight and let battles forge within him a heart of steel that still somehow houses love and kindness to be shared with others of his kind.

To know that this is his legacy. that these men who have been beaten and broken, time and again. Who suffered and bled, who shed tears and blood, who lost and lost and gave away and sacrificed for a kingdom some neverr would live to see truly at peace. To know they all began so much younger. To know they've lived and some will die.

All because he wasn;t strong enough.

To know they are his legacy.

Yes, he would look at them with respect. her would bow his head and maybe bend the knee to these who were greater in all ways than himself. But nothing would be possible to mend his heart at knowing their sufferinga nd sacrifice could have all been prevented. To know that nine children could have known a world of peace and prosperity, if only he had not failed to end the demon's life, and allow him to live on long enough to cast a curse that would send their souls into eternity for suffering together.

Sky may know disquiet from his failure.

First would be crippled by it.

#lu first #linked universe #linkeduniverse

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spacebarbarianweird · 3 months

Note

Since requests are open can I request a f!Paladin Ilmater Tav with Astarion, preferably with a happy ending for them both. (She joined the church after having seen abuse firsthand no thanks to her dad)

One more devoted Tav, now in the domain of Ilmater!

Ilmater, also known as the Crying God, is a patron of opressed, suffering and persecuted. He is a willing sufferer, bearing the pain of others to spare them from it, and it is said that if he had his way he would do so for all the suffering in the world. His symbol is a pair of white hands bound with red cord. More about Ilmater Church of Ilmater

TW: A mention of CSA and abortion

Astarion x f!Paladin!Tav

Masterlist

Headcanons

Your oath is self-sacrifice.

Abused and beaten by your father, assaulted more than once, you became pregnant at the age of 14.

A drunken healer terminated the pregnancy, but you nearly died from blood loss and injuries.

Afraid to face the consequences, the healer and your father left you to die in the streets, hoping no one would ever find you.

Whether it was pure luck or Ilmater's will is unknown, but you were found by a passerby who brought the bleeding and dying child to the local Ilmater monastery.

The Reverend Father took care of you and made sure you felt at home.

You have grown up among the Ilmateri, helping the poor and unfortunate, in places plagued by poverty, plague, or war.

You know much about the suffering of this world and have an open heart.

As you reach adulthood, you gain a vision.

Ilmater, The Crying God himself, appears to you in human form and presses his bleeding hand to your chest.

"Protect the less fortunate in my name. Choose your oath, paladin."

The only thing you manage to whisper is "self-sacrifice."

You tell the Reverend Father of your vision and receive his blessing to leave the monastery.

You wander the Swords Coast, living up to your faith and vows.

But one day, you are kidnapped by the Mindflayers.

Your oath dictates its own will. Save your friends from the Tadpoles, destroy the Absolute.

You are selfless and caring to all your companions. Especially Astarion, for he may have suffered the most.

You forgive him, care for him, trust him.

Astarion can't get enough of you - you are his knight in shining armor who has finally come to save him from his misery.

Thanks to him, you are learning to think about your own good, too.

Maybe choosing comfort isn't so bad.

Or thinking for yourself for a change.

But when the time comes to save the world, you make your choice.

You have to sacrifice yourself - to let them turn you into a Mind Flayer. You are a martyr, a paladin.

Astarion rushes towards you and holds you back.

He begs you not to do this.

For the first time in two centuries, he has something. He has a future. He has you.

"I have an oath to Ilmater! I must sacrifice myself!"

"Where was your god when you were raped by your own father? Where was Ilmater when I was beaten and tortured for two hundred years? Ilmater was the first human god I ever prayed to! And to him, I prayed for decades! And he never listened!"

"He did listen to you, Astarion! He... sent me."

A realization comes to you.

Astarion is the embodiment of all the suffering a mortal can endure. Everything that could be bad has already happened to him.

You are a savior.

But you're not saving the world, you're saving a man.

And the whole world he is.

Karlach willingly takes your place because it's the only way for her to survive.

You leave the city hand in hand with Astarion - he wants to see the world, and you know there are many people who need your help.

Over the years, you notice that Astarion's attitude towards Ilmater and the whole idea of "saving the less fortunate" changes.

Sometimes he prays with you.

He has read all the sacred texts dedicated to the The Rack-Broken Lord.

He won't admit it, but he recognizes himself in the image of Ilmater.

You, too, have changed.

You are more selfish now, for you need to save yourself before you save anyone else.

Tag list

@tugoslovenka @marcynomercy @wintersire @vixstarria @not-so-lost-after-all @ashiro20 @theearthsfinalconfession @herstxrgirl @starlight-ipomoea @micropoe10 @astarion-imagine-archive @veillsar @elora-the-slutty-songstress @fayeriess @lumienyx @tallymonster @caitlincat-95 @tragedybunny @valeprati @lynnlovesthestars @marina-and-the-memes @waking-electric @ayselluna @connorsui @asterordinary @darkarchangel96 @locallegume

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kingmagnificoofrosas · 4 months

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Analyzing King Magnifico

Oooh boy, I have a lot to say! This is gonna be long. So brace yourself. But first 👇

‼️Note, this is my very personal opinion‼️

I'm honestly glad how the multitude of people realizes that we don't have a villain here. And honestly, while some nag and whine around that they didn't get one, I'm not mad at all that we got Magnifico the way we got him.

So in the end, it doesn't matter to me if disney actually failed to create a villain or purposely created a good guy who changes to be the antagonist.

Ok, now to the analizing part

The very first thing we learn about Magnifico is that he has a pretty dark past. He lost his home and his entire family, anyone he ever loved, all in one night. And in a very curel way. That banner tells us a lot!

First of all, if we study the picture, we see a palace in the back, some houses and right down below young Magnifico and his parents. Now, why is that so important? Back in the days only very important people were potrayed on banners. Such as royals, families of very high status or knights. Banners and wallrugs were also used to tell important stories. And since the palace is on the banner, I'm pretty sure we have a royal family here. That would mean that Magnifico had been royalty from the very start.

Further we see that the bottom got burned. This tells us that there was a big fire. Which leads me to conclude that what Magnifico saw and experienced was most defenitely hell on earth. Imagine, his family, his home, everything burns. Screams of terror everywhere, the stench of dead burning flesh and smoke that nearly suffocates you! And he was very young when that happened. So we now know that the king has big time PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) Keep this in mind, because it's literally the key to this whole analysis.

Out of his trauma, Magnifico strived to build a safe haven, where he could make sure no tragedy like the one he'd suffered would ever happen again. He build his kingdom, (on top of already existing buildings, as we know from the art book) He taught himself magic to actually have power to protect. He made sure his people are safe and live well. That no one has to suffer, endure hunger or hardships. Sounds like a evil rotten monster right?

Just look at the way he looks at the (wishes) dreams of his people. He appreciates and treasures them!

His genuine desire to protect and keep safe has always been good!

We only see him snap after Asha triggers him. And while ptsd people react overly sensitive or exaggerated, it is understandable once you know where they come from.

Analyzing Magnifico's ptsd closer and how it influenced his actions and decissions

Magnifico had looked for an apprentice that truly understands where he comes from and shares his ambitions. But the first thing Asha asks as soon as she gets the feeling she has the job safe, is if he can grant her grandfather's wish. I understand, that she cares for her grandfather but I also see Magnifico's feelings. Can you imagine how used he must feel? Constantly feeling the pressure of "I must protect what's dear to me! I must make sure my past never repeats!" And yet, the most people see him as is the "wish-granter".

Trauma shapes you, it shapes the way of thinking and if something triggers a response, you just react. If you like it or not. And oftentimes you're not even aware you're acting up. I can tell from personal expirience ...

So what about him being slightly vain and wanting respect?

Respect is earned. Generally everyone deserves to be threated with respect unless someone gives you a solid reason not to.

So let's recap some of the things Magnifico actually deserves respect for :

Surviving a horrible tragedy and still standing

Building up an entire kingdom and reigning it well (protecting his people fiercly and sucessfully bringing order)

Being selfless

Being king and carrying a freaking lot of responsibility

Now, let's look at Magnifico's "vanity moments" more closely and examine the things he does and says with questions of why?

The thing with his hair. He makes sure his hair looks nice. Ok, is this a bad thing? Does this make one ultimately vain? No. Being content with your hair and wanting to have it look good isn't vain. Neither is being happy about it. Or looking at yourself in the mirror and like yourself. You even should be able to look at yourself and love what you see. Pure vanity is something different.

What about what he says about himself in his song?

I can't help it if mirrors love my face

It's genetics! Yeah, I got these genes from outer space

Lets consider the situation and emotional state he's in. He's pissed. And I'm pretty sure this a way to try and lift himself up a bit. I mean, like mentioned above, there is nothing wrong with liking your appearance. And he IS freaking handsome. He's not lying when he acknowleges that fact.

Of course you could twist his words and say, oh he's arrogant and vain. But people can say lots of things and not actually be a bad person.

And while true vanity is a bad trait, it doesn't make one a villain. Let's compare Magnifico to Gaston for a second.

Gaston is rude from the very beginning. He's selfabsorbed and narcissistic all the way and the only thing he cares about is himself. He shows off to be praised simply for selfgratification and because he thinks he's the center of the world.

Magnifico cares immensily for others and wants acknowledgement for it. Who wouldn't? If you do something great and constantly care for others and still aren't really appreciated for it, who wouldn't be like, "I do all this and you thank me by doubting me and wanting even more? How ungrateful can one be?" And the only things we see people acknowledge him for, is 1. His ability to do magic and grant wishes, and 2. His handsome looks.

I totally understand that he's fed up at one point. Deep down wishing someone would see him for the man he truly is below all his abilities and appearance.

Gaston would walk over dead bodies to get what he wants and in order to look good. He has 0 compassion and 0 remorse.

So, even though Magnifico is a "little" vain, he's not out of evil reasons! It literally doesn't harm anyone and it doesn't cause others to suffer. If someone tells him "You're handsome." He replies, "I know."

Good! Too many people look into the mirror and hate themselves. Of course, humbler people would just reply with "thank you." But still, this isn't a solid point to call someone a villain or bad person.

Ok, now. So far we have absolutely no reason to assume Magnifico is a "villain" so let's skip to the part where it get's interesting!

The thing with the shape shifiting entity (star) happens. Something that is outside of Magnifico's power, something he doesn't understand and it terrifies him! Why? Not because he's a power hungry psycho, not because he enjoys controling people out of complacenty and is afraid to lose that. No. It's the desperation of feeling helpless, the terror of losing control, the fear of having the past repeat itself. That is what drives him mad.

Ultimately he becomes desperate and anxious enough to let himself get possesed. Even during the whole process, he says that he never wanted this, he swore he'd never let himslef be posessed. He further says, "To this book, I don't wanna be tethered, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

Let's hear that again folks! Real loud for all those in the back! He tell us 3 times, 3 times ! How he doesn't want to turn to darkness but he feels forced to do so. Why? Because of his trauma! Not because he's a villain. He doesn't want to lose his control out of fear!

Let me show you something.

There you have it! 🫴 it's that simple. I'm tired of traumatized characters being labeled as villains.

Oh yeah but he literally goes bonkers after he let himself be possesed by the evil from this book!

Yeah, sherlock, of course he behaved EVIL after that. That's literally the evil that possesed him! This doesn't make him a villain! It make's his whole situation even sadder and more tragic. The actions are obviously bad, "villainous" if you wanna call it that, but it doesn't make him a villain!

What happens to a scared animal that you force into a corner? It bites. Does this mean the animal is evil because it bit? No. It doesn't make the bite ok, but it doesn't make it evil either.

So, I, like many others also underline that Magnifico is in no way a villain but a traumatized good guy who sadly slipped.

His personality

Composed when needed

He can be bubbly as much as he can be calm. One of the first things Amaya tells Asha is that Magnifico likes to talk a lot, yet we never truly see him talk a lot! He is more calm than he is loud.

When Asha has her interview, he gives her room to talk rather than showering her in lectures of what he wants and what he expects. He's like "Go ahead, you tell me! Imma listen."

I actually feel this very personally because I'm someone who loves to talk. If I'm comfortable around someone and I made sure I can trust them, I can ramble for hours. I can talk and talk and talk like a waterfall. But at the same time, I can also be intensly quiet and listen well.

Childlike behavior

One of my absolute favourite characteristics in Magnifico is his childlike goofyness. He has this really pure cuteness to him and a bombastic humor. He doesn't pay heed if his behavior could seem akward to others, he just acts however he feels like. He's one of those adults that would still do all the things they enjoyed doing as a child or things that children normally do and I love that!

I cannot stop chuckling over the fact that he hippity hopps down one of his corridors, giving cookies to knight armors. If that isn't adorable I don't know what is! 😂

Also, please, that whole scene! The dance moves, the excitement, the expressiveness! Aaawwww!

He has a whole miniature model of his kingdom and he makes little interactive figures! I laughed tears because it's so funny and adorable! Like he's that kind of man that would cheer at the simplest accomplishments like a child unwrapping the toy the really wanted on christmas day.

There is so much we can find in here. He's :

Playful, creative, quirky, funny, passionate, imaginative, spunky, talented - the list goes on!

But let's keep going and listen to what else shimmers through the things he sings.

I'd give the clothes off Benito's back, if you really needed that

I'd be the first one to volunteer if your home were to crumble, or if you were in trouble

He doesn't just blabber nonsense here or lies. He truly would do all those things! Why else would he sing this while alone? He has no one around so one could say he's saying this on purpose to look good. He's frustrated, offended and slightly hurt and is speaking his mind and emotions. And we are shown this as an audience.

What do these lines tell us then? They tell us just what he actually is! Altruistic. It leads us right back to what we found at the beginning. His actual desire to help, keep safe and protect.

Why would he be the first one to volunteer if a home crumbles? Because his did. A king actually doesn't need to get his hands dirty. He has enough people to do things for him, yet he'd go out of his way to take matters into his own hands because he genuinly cares!

I let you live here for free and I don't even charge you rent

Doesn't sound like a power hungry, wealth loving, gold hoarding dictator to me. Get this, you are living in a kinddom for fee! No rent! The most money you make you keep and only a bit of it goes to the king to sustain the community. That's pretty awesome if you ask me.

I clean up all your messes and I'm always there when you need to vent

So he's not only selfless but a good listener as well. He doesn't judge. He, well -

I give and give and give and give-

He wants to make sure everyone is pleased. That's actually impossible but he still tries and is secrerly suffering deep down from it. If a person only ever gives and hardly gets anything back ... it's like you fill a container with water and there is no hole to drain it. Eventually you are so overly full of others problems, you suffocate or overflow.

It's SO sad that he doesn't have ANYONE to really talk to. He runs across half the palace to let out his emotions rather than seeking comfort from someone. (Which would be the oportunity to talk about Amaya but this is for another post!)

Charming, charismatic, proud, confident

The characteristics that make him attractive besides his looks. He's a gentleman, he knows how to use words well, he isn't afraid to speak his mind and carries himself with confidence, which is displayed in the way he walks. He either strides, has a light bounce to his step or a heavyness.

Ok, now, that we have the positives, we can acknowledge the negative and neutral ones. And everyone has negative traits. Again, some of Magnifico's negative traits are caused and or intensified by his ptsd.

Idealistic and perfectionistic -Magnifico constantly obsesses over how things should and could be. Chaos irritates him. He feels safe in clear structures and always strives for the best outcome for things. If something doesn't make sense for him, he feverly searches for answers until he finds them. If not, he panics. The tiniest feeling of potentially failing wrecks his nerves.

Impulsive - He's got a short temper. Yes, he can swallow a lot but if one crosses a certain line, he snaps. His emotions control him more than he controls them. And that goes both ways. Happy, sad, angry. He feels everything intense and reacts intense.

Stormy and insecure - He reacts very sensitive to stress. He feels a certain degree of urgency in his feelings and tends to be sucess-oriented. He always wants to improve and thus pressures himself.

Controlling - Magnifico's obsessive feeling of need to control comes from his traumatic past. As long as he's in control, he feels secure. He feels safe. Control is his safeplace. Not because he has evil motives but because in reality he's deeply insecure and anxious.

Paranoid and pessimistic - Again a trait that has been heavily altered by his ptsd. Originally he'd belong to the more cautious kind. Being cautious isn't something negative, it can be very helpful since one analyzes and observes carefully before choosing to trust or do something. But his trauma causes him to always assume the worst. He becomes critical where he wouldn't need to be because of his fear. (We see this with his decissions over wishes. He disregards some not because of ill will, ignorance or arrogance but because of his anxiety)

Stubborn - If Magnifico has set his mind on something he could go through walls with his head. Once he's determinded to do something, it's nearly impossible to stop him.

Distrustful - His paranoia and pessimism makes it hard for him to trust others. He becomes hard to read and hard to understand.

Now, once the evil that has been trapped in the book posesses Magnifico, he becomes ruthless, cruel and cynical. He steps into "villainous behavior" but is it what he truly is? NO! Of course not! If people talk about a classical villain, they mean a purely evil person from the very beginning of a movie/story. If we have a originally good guy, who, through circumstances, starts reacting and making wrong choices, we're talking about an antagonist.

And good grief, Magnifico was more than redeemable! If someone actually hadn't been blind to the true struggle of his soul, if someone had actually cared enough to save him! If someone had only truly loved him. He was used, wronged, backstabbed, betrayed, left alone and dropped like a hot potato the second he snapped. Poor Magnifico. He deserved better. Far better.

Thank you for reading! I'll soon post more of my analyses. 🧐

Also, creating a redemption story for Magnifico is the most fun I've had writing in a long while. 🌹 I'm excited to eventually share it with you, once it's done.

#disney wish #wish 2023 #king magnifico

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shiori42art · 8 months

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Royalty AU! AU summary below! ✨

(Royalty AU + Omegaverse + a bit Furry)

Mondstadt. Kingdom of crops, large meadows and good wine. Most of its inhabitants are winged beings (For example Jean is an eagle, Kaeya a peacock. But there are other animals like Diluc who is a lion or Klee a bunny!)

It is ruled by Decarabian (Alpha, bluish black wings) and his wife Istaroth (Omega, white wings) Their heirs are the Bard (Who I call Dorian in my AUs until Mihoyo gives me his damn name) (Beta, tan wings) and Venti (Omega, white wings with turquoise accents) they are twins!

Decarabian was unfaithful, her lover was Amos which caused Istaroth to execute her and leave the kingdom, leaving Deca as a single father, LOL. He totally invested in his little children. Super protective father.

Dorian being the oldest for a few minutes and a Beta was chosen to occupy the throne when Decarabian passes the command or is no longer there. He was raised to be the next king, although he hates the word "rule" he prefers to say that he took care of Mondstadt.

But two years ago Dorian contracted the terrible disease of eleazar, he was on the verge of death then but he survived. He now has to rest a lot, suffers from fatigue and muscle pain, sometimes black scales grow on his body causing numbness.

Decarabian searched for the best doctor specialized in the disease, who turned out to be the Fenec Tighnari (Omega) of Sumeru, where this disease is somewhat more common there. Tighnari travels from time to time to treat Dorian.

When the scales cover a certain amount of his body they must be removed, this is very painful and Dorian spends a lot of time in bed, although when he feels better he usually plays music in the garden.

His personal guard the Red Knight (A lion Alpha, I called him Brend because I don't have his name either) has been in charge of his care since he contracted the disease and spending so much time together sparked the spark of love!!

A secret love, of course, only Venti and some gossips like Kaeya (Omega, Captain of the cavalry and Venti's best friend) know about it.

All this made Dorian unable to govern properly, there is no cure for his disease and they know that if it worsens he will not live much longer. So Decarabian, much to his regret, had to pass on to his second son, Venti.

But since we're in a dumb old monarchy, an omega can't rule by itself! So Deca must make an arranged marriage for his precious omega son (Imagine Decarabian raging here, no one touches his child)

And of the 6 kingdoms that remain, what better than to ally with the beautiful neighboring kingdom? Liyue! A huge kingdom, full of mountains and a booming economy with its huge port. The Liyue royals have money, trade, good relations with the other kingdoms, they are perfect.

Liyue is ruled under the harsh dynasty of Osial (Alpha Blue Dragon) his wife Beisht (Quillin Omega) his eldest son and heir Zhongli (Alpha Dragon-Quilin) his middle sister Ninnguang (Alpha white and gold Dragon) and little sister Ganyu ( Quilin Omega)

Zhongli has a complex because he is the only one who is a mix, he is embarrassed by the soft golden hair on his tail, and his father does not hide his disgust.

So Osial does not hesitate to accept the neighboring kingdom's offer, it is his chance to gain territory and get his son out of sight, leaving his favorite daughter Ningguang in control of the port.

In order not to look bad in front of the other nations, Decarabian throws one of his famous parties, this time with the theme of courting his son. Although he has a contract prepared for Liyue.

At the party Venti is very upset to find out about this whole thing, but he meets Zhongli and they hit it off right away! Despite being a dragon he is not scary like the Kitsune that Ianzuma rules (Ei is here, sent by Makoto, her courtship fails even though she was not interested lol)

Still things are awkward and embarrassing between them! They dance, and Venti is fascinated by the sparkling jewels that decorate Zhongli's horns (He likes things that sparkle, he's a bird) Zhongli gives him one of his chains, making a small bracelet as a courtship gift.

They are cute! Meanwhile Osial only examines Venti with disgust, but approves of his wide hips which will be useful for egg-laying, the contract calls for an heir after all.

After the dance, the next day it is announced that Zhongli was the winner of the courtship and the arranged marriage is official!

Venti wants to run away from all this, and refuse marriage, at least leave it for a few years to really meet Zhongli. But Osial threatens that if they don't get married now, Dorian will have to marry Ganyu.

Zhongli is horrified because his sister is still very young, and Venti does not intend to destroy the life of his brother who is in love with his knight, besides that stress could worsen his illness.

So Venti accepts the marriage.

There is a lot of drama and many more characters here! But maybe one day I'll be encouraged to write fic! For the moment I will continue roleplaying happily with my homie and making silly drawings of this

Thank you for reading!

#genshin impact #zhongven #knightbard #venti #zhongli #nameless bard #nameless knight #decarabian #mpreg #mpreg belly #royalty au

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meowmeowraven · 4 months

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Hello I'm sorry if I'm bothering you but I've been wanting to send this idea in for a while. the reader is a quiet, humble and kind person and is engaged to Dan Heng but the readers evil stepmother and half sister along with their neglectful father decided to kidnap them and try to force them to leave Dan Heng but they refused because Dan Heng made them feel like they actually belonged somewhere and they also knew that Dan Heng would save them. This all occurred not long after Dan Heng went to the readers family home with March and Caelus after he officially became engaged to the reader, The reason the three of them were there was because Dan Heng wanted them to sincerely apologize for all the pain and suffering they put his fiance through. (I was inspired by the Netflix anime My Happy Marriage specifically episode 6 and if you don't wish too write this that's completely understandable and I wish you a good morning/afternoon or goodnight and I hope you are in good health and spirits)

My knight in shinning armor!

Dan Heng x reader

Warnings: Kidnapping, the reader gets hit once, mentions of death

Notes: i haven't watched my happy marriage so i'm sorry if it isn't the way you wanted it to be!

Your whole life, you thought you were unimportant, eversince you biological mother passed away. That was until you met him, until you met Dan Heng, he made you feel important, you didn't feel useless anymore. Even so, it didn't stop the mistreatment at home. When you were hanging out with Dan Heng and the rest of the Astral Express crew, you felt appreciated.

Being engaged with Dan Heng was one of the few best things that ever happened to you. But, you made one of your worst decisions ever, introducing him to your family.

"Mother, father! I want you to meet a special someone and a few of my friends!" It was rare for you to bring home friends, let alone a "special someone", what could it have meant? Your father and step mother turned their attention towards you, and the people behind you. "Oh? Who did my special little sweet meet?" You parents were two faced liars, acting so nice around your friends and fiance. "This is my fiance, Dan Heng. And the other ones are my friends, March 7th and Caelus." You introduced them all. Your half sister could never stand seeing you happy, she wanted everything you had nice, your friends, your fiance, everything. "Mom, i-" before she could finish speaking, you step mother shushed her, so she wouldn't throw another tantrum, especially not infront of your future husband. The rest of the day went well, your half sister glaring at you like a snake who was ready to attack, the whole day.

After Dan Heng left for a mission with the others, you were left alone, with no one to protect you from what was coming up... Your family hired two men to kidnap you while you were running some errands.

The sun was starting to set, as you were almost done with you errands and were on your way home, you saw a white van drive slowly at the same speed as you were walking, it was very suspicious. Everything went black. When you woke up, you didn't know what happened, all you remembered was walking on the street, and then it snapped, you were kidnapped. You had no idea where you were, you were tied to a chair, in a shed. The door creaked open. "Finally, you're awake." The woman who was your step mother scoffed. "Listen up you brat, you're not going to make a sound. You don't deserve to speak, let alone be loved, i already texted you 'fiance'." She laughs like a witch, as she takes out your phone, and shows you the message she sent Dan Heng. 'I don't love you anymore, we're over. Goodbye loser!' Dan Heng was smarter than to belive something like that, he knew you had a good heart, and even if you didn't love him anymore, you wouldn't call him a loser.

Little did your step mother know, you had your location turned on. So Dan Heng was very well capable of tracking your phone and your location. "Here have your junk back." Your step mother scoffs as she throws the phone at you, making it hit your forehead and land on your lap. She laughed as she was walking towards the door of the shed, but before she could open it, someone opened it before her, it was Dan Heng, your eyes lit up. "DAN HENG! I'M HERE!" You yelled with hope in your voice. "I knew something was wrong, [Name] would never say such things." You fiance spoke as he took as step forward, making your step mother step backwards. "Leave. And never speak to them ever again." He dismissed your step mother while giving her a death glare.

"Dan Heng-" He cuts you off, while untying you. "Don't worry my dear, you're safe with me." He kisses your forehead, before picking you up and carrying you in a bridal style. And the two of you, lived happily ever after. <3

#reirei writes #hsr x reader #dan heng x reader #dan heng x gender neutral reader

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victimsofyaoipoll · 10 months

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Round 1

Propaganda Under Cut

Yona

She’s the fiancé of prince Sidon, (arranged marriage) and since Sidon is almost always shipped with link, people went feral the second they saw her. She’s genuinely very kind and cares about her people and wants Sidon to be happy! She is NOT jealous, she wants him to hang out with his Best Friend. I have seen firsthand in real-time, people being SO misogynistic and cruel, and saying she’s ugly. She’s good in a crisis, very friendly, has a great design, and she doesn’t deserve the hate in the slightest!

I'M DESPERATELY TRYING TO FIND CUTE ART OF HER AND SIDON AND QUITE LITERALLY EVERYTHING REGARDING HER IS JUST STRAIGHT UP BLATANT HATE AND DENOUNCING HER AS SOME LAST MINUTE ADDITION TO THE STORY AS ORCHESTRATED BY JOHN NINTENDO TO STOP SIDLINK FROM BEING CANON LIKE THIS IS THE THE JOHNLOCK CONSPIRACY OR SOME MESS... i just want to see cute art of a green shark woman with a lovely smile :((((

so the breath of the wild fandom is pretty well known for REALLY liking prince sidon aka that one really tall fish guy. and they're also really well known for shipping him with link because every fandom needs a gay ship right. so then the sequel (totk) comes around and it's revealed that sidon has a fiance now and it's not link it's some zora girl from another domain. the game hasn't even been out for a month but i've seen people act so vile towards her like yona get behind me!!!!

Zelda

She spent 100 years in a metaphysical wrestling match with an ancient and primal evil after seeing it destroy almost everyone and everything she held dear in the hopes of saving the few that remained and Link's main goal after HIYAHing his way out of a amnesia-inducing coma was to come in and tag team said evil in order to save her and like 90% of the memories he can regain focus on their relationship with each other and its gradual improvement up to the point where Link fucking dies protecting her and it's the push she needs to awaken the power to push back the blight and PEOPLE ARE STILL OUT THERE IN THEIR POST-CANON FANWORKS TRYING TO TELL ME THAT LINK FUCKS OFF AND LEAVES HER ALONE TO GO SMOOCH THE HOT FISH PRINCE BECAUSE ZELDA WAS BEING TOO OVERBEARING OR WHATEVER AND HE COULDN'T DEAL WITH THE EXPECTATION??? LIKE ZELDA'S WHOLE FUCKING ARC WASNT ALSO ABOUT HER STRUGGLING WITH EXPECTATION AND FAILING TO LIVE UP TO IT AND YOU WANT ME TO BELIEVE THIS WUALITY THEY BOTH OSTENSIBLY HAVE IN COMMON WOULD DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN THEM?? WHERE'S ZELDA YOU COWARDS?? I DON'T EVEN CARE IF YOU DON'T WANT HER AND LINK TO BE TOGETHER, JUST STOP DIMINISHING THE GRAVITY OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND MAKING ZELDA SUCK FOR NO REASON. SHE'S A BIG NERD! SHE GETS TOO IN HER OWN HEAD! SHE'D DO ANYTHING TO HELP THE PEOPLE SHE CARES ABOUT! SHE UNASHAMEDLY AND EXCITEDLY TRIED TO FEED HER PERSONAL KNIGHT A LIVE FROG IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE! HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE HER

Im specifically saying botw Zelda here because oh my gOSH this poor girl can get made out to be like a horrible bitch when people. want link to get that shark dick. on average she doesnt get thattttt badly treated compared to some others but goddamn.

title character but people hate her because they want link to get w sidon. so she gets fridged or entirely forgotten even though shes literally his canonical soulmate and they have been reincarnated together hundreds of times (w ganon but whether u make em poly or make him the long suffering third wheel is up to you). people will be like oh but zelda was mean to him that one time (??). be serious w me rn. she just got removed from fandom entirely and if that isnt the epitome of victim of yaoi idk what is.

#poll #round 1 #princess yona #totk yona #princess zelda #botw zelda #totk zelda #botw tears of the kingdom #botw #totk #legend of zelda

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ruthlesslistener · 1 year

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admittedly really not a fan of hollow hating pk (mostly because my interpretation of them knew what costs were at stake and inherited like, all his depression and black-and-white problemsolving skills and protective urges and total lack of self-worth), but I'm a REAL big fan of them having this deep, burning hatred for the Radiance. Like, full-on, vitrolic 'I will deface every statue of you, I will wipe clean the earth's memory of you, I will burn you down to ash and then follow you to hell to ensure there is no remnant of you sort of hatred. Because SHE is the reason they were born like this SHE is the reason why so many of their siblings suffered SHE is the reason father hurt and mother left and SHE is the one who killed all the people who they were supposed to protect and made their sacrifice and father's sacrifice and their sibling's sacrifice meaningless and SHE was the one who broke their body and their mind and their heart and no matter how deeply they understand her pain, they will not stop until every last bit of her is eradicated and the fading scream of her corpse is fully swallowed by the deep. There is fear of her, yes, and deep terror of the pain of her retaliation, but once that fades, there is only a deep, smouldering hatred of her that will never fully be extinguished

(This is, of course, an unfair bias- the Pale King and White Lady were the ones who chose to confront her in such a monsterous matter, and thus are not free of criticism like the Hollow Knight prefers to imagine- but love makes one irrational, doubly so when that love is both genuine and abusive and there can be SOMEONE to blame for why your family that so dearly wants to come together will never ever be able to do so)

#hollow knight #i really need to write hollow fuckin losing it more tbh #they are a very patient sweet and sad muse with a long fuse #but they are capable of brutal violence and vitrol when that fuse burns low (and they never forgive nor forget)#such things include: the radiance #sister being kidnapped #outer gods tampering with Hallownest #their own faliure with themself

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daeva-agas · 8 months

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Speaking of the Senshi/Shitennou pairs. I was kind of curious why those stones in particular, right. Kunzite and zoisite are so unusual that I think only gemstone aficionados know them, and even though jadeite and nephrite are somewhat more commonly known names IIRC it still made people mess up the mineral names back in the day.

Well, uh, so, it was alleged that Takeuchi-sensei chose them to match the character and personalities of the senshi they're partnered with, so... Excuse me while I go overthink this and have a meltdown in suffering.

In the first place, supposedly the "inner senshi" are officially meant to be called "guardians"/"guardian deities" (守護 or 守護神). Haven't seen the raws, so I can't confirm, but that's what the JP media says. The term "Shitennou", as many are already aware of, are originally a term used to refer to a set of 4 Buddhist guardian deities.

If true then it just feels like they're all intended to be perfectly matching sets from the start, and it just never made it into the story.

I read that Sailor Moon was originally meant to just end with the Dark Kingdom plot, so maybe sensei intended to have a Romeo and Juliet sad ending where everyone just dies in the end?

These are all based on Japanese gemology guides (same as what I used to research for the Shitennou knight titles), since I imagine it's more likely to be the one Takeuchi-sensei had access to. These may differ from international ones.

(Warning: Long post)

In the manga sensei specified that the zoisite is the blue one, that's also known as "tanzanite". The blue variety of zoisite, among other things, means "calm and intelligence".

The connection to Ami/Mercury's character is very straightforward and obvious.

In terms of romance, a zoisite also means "subdued expressions of love". It really makes me think of how gentle this pair looks in the splash art sensei drew.

Kunzite means "premonition of a lover". It's specifically oh dang when I saw this because Minako was "special" among the senshi in the way that her character vibes are based on "love" (because Venus, goddess of love), rather than the original elemental name attached to the planet. It fits enough to make you pause and wonder if this it truly a coincidence.

The planet venus originally has the element of "gold/metal". The gold is reflected in her design somewhat, but her senshi identity is more related to "love". The other girls' names matches their planets' element names. E.g Jupiter = mokusei = wood, Ki(no) = wood/tree. Mercury = suisei = water, Mizu(no) = water.

Also Venus's relationship with Kunzite ended up being the one who got the most hints actually shown in the manga, so... I do wonder.

The two jades are less overly specific like this, especially Nephrite, but well.

Jadeite is the native jade from Japan, and has been long used to make magatama since ancient times. As such it's always seen as a deeply spiritual stone, that can protect against and/or ward off evil. A perfect match for Rei, who is a miko. One wonders if sensei chose the stone because of Rei being a miko, or if she made Rei a miko after choosing this name for the one matched with her.

Edit: Japanese Wiki claims Rei being a miko was based on Takeuchi-sensei's personal experience as a part time miko. So then Jadeite had to have been named/chosen to fit her, if this theory is true.

Not to mention that Akuryou Taisan, the evil-banishing spell, is something that she uses quite often.

Nephrite is the most confusing one here, because I'm not really able to find the connection. That's why I initially had strong doubts about the rumour/claim about the gemstone names' connection to the senshi.

In the gemology guide that I referenced, its meaning is "charm of maturity". I suppose Mako has always felt like she's older than the other girls, because her hobbies (cooking and home decor) feels really motherly.

Other than that and the stone being a deep green colour similar to Jupiter's senshi outfit I'm not entirely sure. (in the manga, sensei says nephrites are "always deep green" even though IRL that's not the case)

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Just my additional comments after reading everything that I did:

In terms of colour, I like to think Jadeite is a red jade. Not just to match Rei, but in the manga Jadeite's stone is always coloured the darkest (it's almost all-black). Of all the various jades, red is one of the darker-toned ones.

The shading can be arbitrary, especially if sensei was just tracing from reference photos. Dark green jadeite also exist, so for all I know this is intended to be green too.

But if I use the logic that the stones are matched with the girls' character, I think red just fits the best. In gemstone language the red jade means "tenacity" and "willpower". Green jades tends to be associated with things like harmony, prosperity, luck, and so on. It doesn't feel very Rei-like.

Also, the nephrite jade being a "soft jade", it's associated with very cuddly meanings such as "warm" or "gentle", which makes me laugh even more than the "wisdom" one.

Unless, again, these words are more attached to the matching girls' character, rather than the guy in question, because yes I think Mako is definitely very warm and gentle and fluffy and very huggable.

Although other-coloured zoisite varieties were said to have different meaning, it looks like blue is the predominant zoisite colour in Japan. A lot of Japanese gem sites tend to automatically just say "it's blue" while describing zoisite, even though there's obviously other colours out there.

Sensei did specify it's "blue zoisite, a.k.a tanzanite" in the manga, so I think she's aware of the other colours having different meanings attached. Some articles also had mentioned Takeuchi-sensei's family runs a jewellery store?

I wonder if this is why Crystal went with the gemstone's healing properties for Zoi's title though, because the gemstone words overlaps too much with Mercury in a very in-the-face way. The other meanings are Hope, Mystery, Pride, and Noble, and maybe those don't make very good title names? Like, the only viable one is probably Hope, though I feel like it would be even more confusing if Crystal said Zoi is the "Knight of Hope" or whatever.

Another thing about Kunzite is that its meaning also include "pure and everlasting love", but the website caveated this that this is a saintly kind of love (for the gem's association with Holy Mother Mary). So it's not necessarily something to get overly excited about in terms of SenShi headcanoning, but, well, it's there.

"Shitennou" in Japanese pop culture is generally used to just mean "4 very important people", so it didn't have to actually mean anything. Like, a few samurai in history had their "shitennou", who are just the best 4 generals serving under them. Most famous being the Tokugawa shitennou, but other samurai lords actually have their own so-called shitennou. It's just that if the senshi are officially named "Guardians", then this changes the context.

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