#this'll be a story

[rebouks]

Wren: Robinnnnnnn, mom asked you to watch Ava for a minute. Robin: [tuts] Don’t drag her like that. Wren: Why not? She likes it. Robin: Until you drag her over a rock.

[Wren ignored Robin as she continued hauling a giggling Ava through the long grass]

Wren: Why’re you here again?

Levi: Why not? Wren: ‘Cause this isn’t your house. Byrd: Shut up, Wren-.. you’re being a meanie! Wren: You shut up!

[Wren scowled, muttering something under her breath]

Levi: What?

Wren: I said you’re stupid! Levi: I bet you’re stupider. Wren: Not as stupid as Byrd. Byrd: I’m not stupid! Wren: Are too! Robin: No one’s stupid.

Robin pulled Ava safely into his lap and listened to Wren and Byrd bickering, eventually turning their attention toward Levi, accosting him as ferociously as they would anyone else; his usual walls crumbling to dust as they wrestled amongst the clover. His friends might not have understood why he wanted to hang out with Levi, but Robin could sense that there was an entirely different boy hiding beneath his prickly, well-maintained façade.

The rustling birch trees and the dappled shadows beneath created a rare safe haven for Robin’s classmate, who in the absence of anyone to impress or mislead, finally smiled and enjoyed himself with a genuineness that Robin had never seen before.

Straightening Ava’s little bow and holding her closely, Robin couldn’t help but think how awful it must be to be part of a family that never played or laughed together, a family that didn’t particularly enjoy your presence or show you much affection-.. if any. It wasn’t hard to imagine how strenuous it’d be, constantly pretending to be someone you weren’t.

He didn’t exactly want to spend every waking moment with his parents, nor his siblings, but Robin loved each one of them dearly and struggled to picture his world without them. It wasn’t expected or necessary given how supportive Oscar and Courtney usually were, but Robin took his role as an older brother quite seriously and enjoyed lightening their load by looking out for his brother and sisters; he felt a pang of sadness for Levi as he realised that on top of his absent parents, he couldn’t even rely on his own sister as a source of comfort or approval.

Robin wondered what would’ve happened if he hadn’t heard Levi in time-.. what if he’d been that bit better at blocking everything out, what if he’d been distracted, what if he was too far away or hadn’t been there at all?

He’d tried to convince his parents that he wasn’t interested in going because an elementary school disco sounded like the most boring event in existence, but they’d assumed his reluctance had been due to anxiety and cajoled him into going anyway, for a little while at least. In the end, he supposed it was a good job they had.

If something had happened to Levi that night, he would’ve struggled to forgive himself, and the thought of anything terrible befalling anyone else at the hand of his apathy or purposeful ignorance filled him with dread.

Although it could be difficult and tiring sometimes, he probably ought to pay more attention to his surroundings rather than ignoring everything, as he’d been partial to recently-.. just in case.

It was nice to have the option these days, but maybe Robin was never meant to suppress his gift completely, maybe he’d been given it for a reason. He had no idea why, how, or where it came from, but it wasn’t just a quirky annoyance anymore, it’d literally saved someone’s life; it was clearly far too important to wilfully dismiss...

Previous // Next

#ts4 #sims 4 #simblr #ts4 story #sims story #forever in between #fib #robin finch #wren finch #byrd finch #ava finch #levi sears #if u dare hang out at wren's house ur gonna get attacked #thems the rules #¯\(°_o)/¯ #and even if they don't become friendos.. at least levi enjoyed himself for ONE afternoon #u did it robin #🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️ #ahhh i'm all emotional cos this'll be the last story post for a lil while #we're gonna do a big ol' time skip now #😭 #lots to do!! #this whole arc of robin's childhood was basically.. #this gift sucks and it's too much -> wait maybe it can be controlled -> no wait maybe it's too important to ignore!! #which was basically the only plan i had going into it #winging it as per skdjsk #my notes for the next arc is an empty page #ONLY BRAIN ROT ON THIS BLOG #newayy.. #might be quiet for a while other than shit posts n such

[corishadowfang]

Fun headcanon I haven't actually been able to fit into a story anywhere yet: once you become a Keyblade wielder, you aren't entirely human anymore.

The Keyblade kind of changes something in you. It takes a piece of your heart and turns it into a weapon, and in exchange a part of you becomes magic incarnate. You can run up walls and survive falls you shouldn't. You can use magic so much easier than everyone else. You're so much more sensitive to light and darkness and you can't explain why.

And there are ramifications to this, probably. People who notice something is just ever so slightly off about you. Friends and family realizing there's something different after you were chosen and wondering if you're still you. Being SO MUCH MORE susceptible to magic-related problems--and changes related to them (ie Darklings).

Just...vaguely uncanny valley Keyblade wielders.

#kingdom hearts #maybe someday this'll actually make it into a story #until then: here

[laundrybiscuits]

Eden actually likes her name. When she thinks about the muslin-draped horrors she could’ve gotten stuck with, like poor Suzie, she feels guiltily glad she dodged that bullet. If she’d been the one who had to shoulder the impossible burden of being named Suzie, who knows how she might’ve turned out.

Eden is a word that could go a lot of ways. It’s almost as good as Lilith or Isis or something. It’s the kind of name that could be sexy, in the right hands. The kind of name you could say on stage: ladies and gentlemen, introducing the one and only Eden—

That’s where the picture stalls out, though. Eden Bingham is pretty awful, no matter how you spin it. She wants to pick a stage name like some glamorous Hollywood actress, but she hasn’t decided exactly what she wants yet. She thinks it would be real elegant to pick something French, like…like Verne. 

There’s a battered paperback tucked under her mattress at home, where sticky, prying little fingers can’t get at it. She’s not a fast reader, but she’s read it about a million times by now. Sometimes when she can’t sleep, she’ll take it out and just squint at it in the moonlight, tracing her fingertips over the faded elephant on the cover. It’s a story about some guy who was so bored he decided to travel all around the world, and nobody stopped him. He could just go. He didn’t have any kids or anything that he had to take care of or look after; in fact, there was some guy whose whole job was to look after him. 

For a little while, Eden thought about borrowing the main guy’s last name, but Eden Fogg sounds kind of old and stuffy. She could take the French valet’s name, but she’s not completely confident she knows how to pronounce Passepartout, and she’s terrified she’s going to say it wrong and nobody’s going to take her seriously ever again. 

The author’s French too, though, and his name seems a lot easier to handle. So, lately she’s been looking in the mirror and saying Eden Verne, hi my name is Eden Verne real quiet to herself, just testing it out. She’s not sure about it yet, but it’s definitely better than Eden Bingham. 

Eden Bingham is just a handful of years away from Edie Bingham, who spends her time looking after a house full of kids and wears shapeless floor-length dresses. But Eden Verne could be someone who travels and wears exciting makeup. Eden Verne drinks and swears and smokes, and she never has to deal with kids ever again. Beautiful, sophisticated men and women alike despair for love of her, but she never lets anyone stay more than a night. 

Anyway, she doesn’t have to figure out if she can carry off Verne yet, because the stupid boy she followed halfway across the country introduced her to his friends as Eden Bingham, so she never got the chance to decide if she was going to say something different. She probably wouldn’t have, but—maybe she would. Maybe. She’ll never know.

The thing with Argyle fizzled out pretty quick. He’s cute, and making out with him is fun, but he doesn’t ever seem to want anything real out of life. Eden can’t understand him at all, and worse yet, she’s pretty sure he doesn’t understand her. When they’re high, they communicate just fine giggling about the cosmos, but that’s not enough. She’s sure there’s supposed to be more, even if she’s not entirely sure what that means.

She broke up with him on an impulse, and sometimes she regrets it. He’s a good guy. He’s not like any other guy she’s ever known. He’s willing to drive clear across the country, which is what she liked about him to begin with. Maybe that’s as good as it gets for her.

But she can’t take it back now. It’s not even that she thinks he’d say no, necessarily; she just can’t handle the idea of trying to walk back something like that. She’d die of humiliation before the words made it out of her mouth. 

So Eden’s just here, in Hawkins, staying in her ex-fling’s best friend’s step-dad’s spare room because it’s still marginally better than having to hitch home to Utah. Argyle is planning to drive back to California in a few weeks, so she’s going to just ride with him then. In the meantime, she’s going to have a nice, quiet vacation in Indiana, doing whatever it is Midwesterners do in the summer, and then she’ll go home and nothing at all about the life of Eden Bingham will have changed.

#eden bingham #so yeah this is the robin rarepair I mentioned! I don't want to talk too much in the tags bc I want to see if I can sell it via narrative #obvs this is the same story as the matchmaking snippet I posted last night but I don't think it follows directly #I just wrote it & it seemed like a pretty self-contained thing so here u go #(also I'm kinda assuming this post is not going to be too popular given it has zero ship content and is about a very minor character haha) #(which is fine! that's just how fandom works! maximum engagement is not my goal I'm just here to try stuff out) #anyway there's a pretty good chance this'll get rewritten once I have a better handle on eden's voice #fic: somewhere sometime somehow

[kivaember]

had an idea for a post-FoR nightfall/621 oneshot idea, but i'm laughing bc the premise is like, so after 621 does Fires of Ibi 2: the electric bugaloo, he escapes to wander aimlessly on some random planet, completely lost bc he has no idea how to function outside of a handler+hound framework, and doesn't even have ayre anymore. nightfall comes to investigate what's happened to the raven that succeeded him, and is like oh, i gotta bully you back into shape, but they only know how to use tough love...

but really it's just gonna be like this when nightfall drags 621 back to branch like:

#armored core #armored core 6 #c4 621 #nightfall raven #king (armored core) #chartreuse (armored core) #fanfic ramblings #the idea won't leave me tho bc it'll be interesting to see how #nightfall would try to help 621 find his own meaning of freedom and reason to live #when 621 literally has nothing to his name and no understanding of how to live independently #hngh oh god this'll become a multi-chaptered story won't it #argh

[starflungwaddledee]

What were the other heroes of yore like in your au?

in awtdy au?

they're gone long before the beginning of the story, which takes place on 'modern day' popstar, and they admittedly don't feature much. as a result they don't (currently) have any real hard and fast development in that au in particular!

when galacta knight is freed from the crystal by his wish, he seems to think or feel fairly little about them. perhaps time has eroded anything he felt, or perhaps they didn't have an especially great relationship. in some endings he even seems to have an amount of antagonism towards others of his kind, even going so far as to hunt them down through dimensions. in those cases i imagine some sort of betrayal is likely to have occurred somewhere along the line, but he could also just be wiping out the only things that could ever stand up against him.

or... did you mean in someone else's story...?

#that's a much more complicated answer if so... #i've received this question before and put off answering it because i wanted to do something bigger. but i think this'll do for now! #i do also have like... VERY dense headcanons about their species (celestials) encompassing everything from culture to specbio to language #which would generally wrap the heroes in with it as i consider them species bound. and i have some thoughts about them in *general* #but in awtdy au in PARTICULAR they are absent. when folks are entirely absent from a story i don't tend to develop them within it #awtdy au #asks

[billiedean]

the apocalypse trio

#american horror story #ahs #ahs apocalypse #ahs coven #ahs murder house #sarah paulson #wilhemina venable #cordelia goode #billie dean howard #fanart #traditional art #ahs fandom is so dead this'll probably flop but eh ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[whisperinggbreeze]

Eight hundred years ago, there was a prosperous kingdom known as Xianle.

They were famous for their riches and extravagance, but most of all, they were known for their crown prince.

The Crown Prince of Xianle was pure and beautiful beyond comprehension, and skilled in both cultivation and the arts. By the way he was described and even worshipped, one even could have believed he was a god.

And then, at only seventeen years old, he ascended to heaven and really did become a martial god. The Heavenly Emperor himself even showed an interest in him. Many believed he was the luckiest boy in the three realms.

Three years later, the kingdom of Xianle fell into ruin.

An epidemic raged through the kingdom, leaving untouched only soldiers. On top of that, a part of Xianle known as Yong'An was also locked in a civil war with the capital. Soldiers from Yong'An overpowered the weakened Xianle and took over.

The remaining residents of Xianle blamed their god, their crown prince. If he couldn't cure them or save their kingdom, was he any better than a god of misfortune?

In reality, the Crown Prince of Xianle attempted to save his kingdom and failed. He was banished for descending from heaven to help mortals, and his efforts were for naught.

Soon after his banishment, the Crown Prince of Xianle turned his back on the world. He attempted to summon the disease that had plagued his kingdom, killing his last and most devoted believer in the process.

For hundreds of years, cities and kingdoms were laid to waste by his hand. He taught the crown prince of the new Yong'An kingdom, and then brutally killed the prince's family, wiping out half of the kingdom. Many believe he also orchestrated the downfall of the kingdom of Banyue. He became one of the four heavenly calamities, becoming known as White Flower Collecting Souls as his old name was erased by time. His eerie but docile title led many to underestimate his wrath and evil until it was too late.

For the past century or two, barely anything has been heard of White Flower Collecting Souls, leaving the three realms asking two questions: where has he gone, and when and where will he strike next?

---

part of the prologue of my hualian swapped role fic! gonna do a part for hc next 👀 I am slowly but surely working out the lore and plot, and I think this fic will probably mostly follow the plot of tgcf with a couple of alterations (still unsure what to do about lang qianqiu and his backstory, but I don't want to spoil whatever I decide to do in case the fic ever gets to that point)

i had a lot of fun writing this part! ive kind of forgotten exactly how the tgcf prologue goes but I tried to base the format loosely on that (the prologue is supposed to be told from an outsider point of view; this is basically XL's legend/myth/established or popular "story")

#yeah even if some parts of the story are a bit exaggerated because people generally Do Not Like XL #XL is undoubtedly way more of an edgy bitch in this #especially for the first couple of centuries after xianle's downfall #he deserves it though honestly #he deserves to decimate a couple of kingdoms #(for legal reasons this is a joke) #VERY excited to write HC's part of the prologue (im not sure i even have his full story figured out yet ngl so this'll be interesting) #mxtx #mxtx fanfic #mxtx tgcf #tgcf #tgcf au #tgcf fanfic #tgcf fanfiction #tgcf xie lian #tian guan ci fu #calamity xie lian #xie lian #mxtx fanfiction

[tacotune]

Radioapple content release in order:

1. sketches and written snippets for upcoming chapters

2. Finalized art pieces for the next upcoming chapter

3. Summary of upcoming chapter

4. The publication of the new chapter

#radioapple #appleradio #alastor x lucifer #ao3 fanfic #Still many things to fletch out #But I am very excited to publicize this passion project #This'll be more important when I'm far ahead in my story

[oifaaa]

I know what I love about ur black mask steph and red hood Jason au?? Jason actually wears a red hood!! Congrats Jason u finally match ur name I knew u could do it!!!!

Okay so I'm not gonna even lie who ever it was at dc who first decided that a metal helmet counts as a hood I wanna fight them so bad like in what universe did someone look at the pill helmet and go yep that's a hood and I'd understand if this was just an American thing but from what I can gather it's not its just a stupid thing and I hate it like ill go along with it now bc I'm used to it and the current design suits Jason but man do i just want to ask the original creator why ???

#ask #anon #i kinda wanna draw more black mask steph and little red hood jason #but i also really dont want to confuse people #so guess this'll just be art work i keep to myself #but yeah i dont even actually know when jokers red hood first appeared #like ive seen flash backs of him as red hood #but im not actually sure where that back story was first established? #if anyone knows feel free to share

[choco-bloop]

Consider: HcVH X Persona 4

Etho's a transfer from the city to the peaceful country side, staying with his old friends Beef, Doc and Bdubs. But when he enters the town, strange murders begin to occur, all while a new mysterious "Midnight Channel" becomes the talk of the town. (not to mention this guy called Igor also introducing himself in his dreams) Aside from his old friends, he makes friends with 3 of his classmate (Iskall, False and Stress), which marks the start of a year long investigation into the mysterious world of the TV and the truth behind the murders.

And maybe a lot more truths will be spilled about the people around them than any of them realise.

The current join order I have is: Etho, Iskall, False, Stress, Joe, Xisuma, Hypno, Xb, Wels. I might change it in the future but for now I think this is all good.

but ofc there's still a lot of other details i need to sort out (social links, everyone's arcana, who are the remaining social links, base-upgrade-final personas, shadow form designs + boss forms...) yeah it'll be a while haha

#au #au ramblings #hcvh #hermitcraft vault hunters #alternate universe #crossover #Ethoslab #Iskall85 #falsesymmetry #stressmonster101 #joe hills #xisuma #hypnotizd #nooo its totally not that im a sucker for YukiChie and FalseStress #no totally not #i might eventually write this but not now #wayyyy too many stories to write b4 this #(ignoring the amt of details I have to work through) #+ the hero au + twin syms + S6 Rewrite yk... #ig this'll be in my notes for now #and maybe a few doodles who knows #also contemplating golden vs base #leaning towards golden but i'll see how times takes things along

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Screw it, I'm not finished with LoveCom yet, but I'm impatient so I'll ask anyway lol

#i'll be watching them all but this'll determine my watch order #also really wanna start reading liar satsuki can see death #one last q - if i were to start watching the precure series where would i start? #there seems to be a lotta content in this franchise and it's a lil intimidating 😅 but im intrigued cuz the fans seem so passionate! #tbh i have very little experience with magical girl anime. outside of like. madoka and ppgz #there are some other shows that have popped up a lot that i wanna watch - like azumanga daioh and nichijou and clannad - #but im saving shows that are more than 1 cour for another time #just cuz i have a hard time focusing/committing to longer shows unless they're like. fast paced shounen adventure type stories #not tourney related #watchlist #for future reference

[goldkirk]

as I'm going back over my past history and items and journals and years, I come across all sorts of things, like the pencil I saved from that so-precious memory from second grade, and a pair of flip flops I've been missing for two years, and (tw for murder/crime/killings) the modern-high-school-AU-kidnapped-by-a-serial-killer story I wrote in late high school jdfsjdfsjkjlksfd

#i can't wait to find out what red flags I didn't see in my own self back when I last read this thing in 2015 hfdhfdhjsfd #also. there's gonna be like a good sentence here and there and then CRINGE. the whole rest of everything is just me still trying to copy th #breathing pace (essentially) and ways-of-describing-things of mainstream authors like I thought I was supposed to #so this'll be somewhat painful but also god what a joy and a gift and an honor and a delight to get to hold this close to my heart #and witness it with understanding and empathy and slow reflection and care like my past younger self deserves #i'm so lucky i'm alive to be here and do this #i'm so grateful i'm headed towards welcoming back and embracing the last little girl i was that still felt a lot of things #so excited for her focus and precision and tenacity and constant curious joy and movement to be back someday #i'm afraid people won't like the me i was before rule after rule and then dangers #but my god it'll feel so good to be the fully-flowing energy machine and dance and conduit again how will I have enough bother to care? #people who are good to each others' nervous systems cumulatively feel better and better #if i'm not good for you and yours then you really truly SHOULD go elsewhere and find someone who makes YOUR self feel right and light + war #anyway now that i wrote an essay in the tags as usual [nervous laughter] #personal #add to journal #words n rhythm #WHY DID I FEEL CAPABLE OF UNDERTAKING A STORY LIKE THIS #cradling my past self gently but also BANGING my HEAD against the WALL lmao #i'm proud of myself for writing and sharing this and its creative ideas. even if i don't like it now or feel ashamed or see mistakes. #anything. it mattered that it came to me and it mattered that i explored it and it mattered that i poured myself through it to help shape i #and it mattered that I left it on the internet so that now it still exists. i'm going to honor this story no matter what current me would #objectively think about it if it was written by anyone else. #this is a gift i give myself now. #this is a lot of what I learn and learn to do #trauma evolution #mosswrites

[bedtimegiraffe]

Putting Aerin Back in Book 2 Mini Fics

I'm fascinated by the idea of Aerin not leaving, but not enough to transcribe and modify like 8 chapters. So here are some highlights of how I think it would go if Aerin had somehow decided to stick around. Including Nia yelling at his ass like she deserves!

All sections except for first two stand on their own pretty easily, so if you just want to skip ahead to a scene you're thinking about, I'm not gonna tell you no.

---------------------------

Chapter 9

Zaradun Prison Cell

You're still trying to find a way out of your incredibly unfair imprisonment when an unfamiliar voice speaks up in the dark. "You're not from around here, huh?" You peer through the dim lighting and find a young dwarven woman reclining on the floor of the cell across from yours. Her eyes glow like the woman in the market's, framing her confident smile. Aerin smirks at her. "Whatever gave us away?" The woman gives a daring smile back. "You develop a sense for these things. Gotta say, I didn't expect to have any company tonight. It's refreshing. I'm Cherta, by the way." "I'm Raine, and these are my friends Tyril, Nia, Mal, Imtura, and Aerin." You catch the way Aerin's head turns toward you, his eyes wide. But his expression is neutral again before you can comment and Cherta continues on. "Well, Raine and friends, what are you in for?"

Chapter 10

Zaradun Crypts

As you all make your way through a thankfully undead-free section of hallway, Aerin turns to you with a teasing smile. "It seems I skipped right past 'acquaintance.' Or was it simply becoming too much of a hassle to introduce me separately?" Despite his tone, you can tell there's a real question under there. (Friendly Route) You smile at him. "Why so surprised? You've kept not betraying us. And you always struck me as ambitious. I can't see you settling for less than 'friend.'" Aerin smirks. "Ah yes, the ambition that has served us all so well." "You won't settle when things could be better. That's a good thing. We're trying to save the world here, Aerin." His smile turns somewhat genuine at that as he looks away. "I suppose I can take your word for it. You have done quite well for yourself, after all." (Romance Route) You lean in, smiling seductively as you run a finger across his jaw. "I think we're well past 'acquaintances.' Give me another performance like you did at the festival and we'll see what other titles you can work your way up to." Aerin shivers slightly, looking at you hungrily despite the faint blush rising in his cheeks. "Well if that's all it takes… I do believe I have some rather good ideas for how to further impress our indominable leader, when next they have time for me." "I think I can spare a little time now." You lean forward eagerly and press your lips to his. Aerin tangles his hands in your hair as his tongue brushes into your mouth. But far too soon, he pulls away. You pout at him. "What, that's all I get?" "Raine, we are in the middle of a haunted crypt." You grin at him. "Such lofty standards, your highness." Aerin laughs fondly, shaking his head.

Zaradun

As the group discusses if you should let Cherta go off on her own, Aerin subtly motions you aside. You follow him a short distance away before he turns to you with concern. “Raine, this may not be a good idea.” "You don't think we can trust her?" "Whether she is being honest with us about her intentions may not matter." Aerin lets out a shaky exhale, his eyes not quite meeting yours. "It’s… Cherta is desperate and about to use a very powerful magical artifact. Surely you can understand why that might be a disastrous combination.” You nod slowly, thinking back to last year. "Maybe I should go with her." Aerin looks relieved. “That seems like a wise idea.”

Chapter 11

Zaradun Temple

Tyril hasn’t relented at all, still glaring furiously at the dwarven elder. "We have seen the corruption Shadow magic has caused, among the Shadow Court and those they influenced." You try to soften Tyril's approach a little, though it doesn't seem like that's going to work. "We were warned that Zaradun had fallen to the same corruption." Elder Radimir regards you calmly. "Were you now? Do I appear corrupted, child?" Nia speaks up next. "I don't sense anything wrong with him. To be honest, I haven't sensed any Shadow corruption since we got here." Tyril gestures angrily. "There are ways to hide it. We saw that much with Aerin." Aerin stands his ground, clearly suppressing frustration. "Have you considered that they may not be corrupted? That there is some possibility things are a bit more nuanced than you were taught?" Aerin's got a point. "You said Shadow corruption was reversible, right?" He nods at you with certainty. "It is." Tyril turns on Aerin, rage still plain on his face. "But you can't tell us how." Aerin takes a deep breath before meeting Tyril's gaze. "Knowing what happened and being able to convey it are different." Tyril snarls. "How convenient." Aerin looks away at that, something brittle in his gaze as he seems to struggle with himself. When he doesn’t respond, you jump in instead. "If Aerin’s not ready to talk about it, we have to respect that.” Tyril looks at you for a moment before turning back on the dwarven elder. "And what about siphoning the Light from the prisoners to power your city's torches? How can you defend that?"

Chapter 12

Shadow Realm

Now that Valax is restrained, your party turns its attention to Nia's Shadow form. Mal looks at her in shock. "What the hells happened to Nia?" Before you can speak, Tyril takes an angry step forward, his sword still drawn. "It seems the Dreadlord has possessed her again." Aerin stares at Nia in horror, his face pale. "No. No, the Dreadlord is dead. But she is-" Nia interrupts him. "At least one of you can think straight." Imtura raises her axes. "You won't take her from us. Not again!" Then she charges! You and Aerin both throw yourselves in front of Nia. "Wait, wait!" "Stop!" Tyril doesn't relent, his tone commanding. "Both of you, get out of the way. We must deal with this!" Aerin turns to him, hands still raised. "Tyril, I can't imagine my word means much to you, but I understand corruption and the Dreadlord's influence very well. Nia is corrupted but she is still on your side." You immediately back him up. "It's just some lingering magic left over from the Dreadlord. Being in the Shadow Realm triggers it. It's still her, I promise."

Ironbreach

As you look up from your task to see how everyone else is doing fixing up Ironbreach, you spot Aerin staring at Nia as she stands off to the side, arms crossed petulantly. After a long pause, Aerin strides over to get her attention. “Nia?” She turns sharply to look at him, like he interrupted her doing something terribly important. “What?” “I wish to speak with you. About your corruption.” Nia practically growls at him in response. “Are you finally going to admit it's your fault? That all of this is your fault? That you dragged me crying and begging to the damn Dreadlord until Raine had to kill me?!" Despite the fury and Shadow radiating off of Nia, Aerin doesn't look scared of her. Just... sad. "I'm sorry, Nia. For everything I did. You're right. All of this started with me. And I am doing everything in my power to fix it, but... I know it may never be enough." The Nia you know would reassure him. Genuinely comfort Aerin that the trying is what matters and he can choose to be different. But this... is not that Nia. She leans in, snarling up at him. "Do you know what it's like to die, Aerin?" He flinches at that, but she keeps going. "I couldn't stop you then. But because of what you did to me, I'm not vulnerable anymore. I am not the weak one. So if you try to hurt me or anyone else, ever again, I will end you." The Shadow around Nia twists and flares as she speaks, reaching menacingly toward Aerin. His eyes flash with fear for a moment, but he doesn't move away. "I understand. But you should know that when I say you have always been strong, I am not speaking metaphorically. Of your character or your heart. The Dreadlord did not want me to take you because you were kind or trusting or vulnerable. It was because you were one of the most powerful magic users he'd ever seen." Nia looks surprised by that, the Shadow retreating slightly as she tries to judge if Aerin is telling the truth. "...Really?" He looks back at her intensely. "Yes. He was frightened of what you'd be if he couldn't control you. Of what you could do with Shadow if you chose. Just..." Aerin's face falls, his posture resigned and vulnerable, like there's an invisible weight on him that he can never put down. "I know this is impossible to ask. But try not to lose control of yourself. Hold tightly to what it is you truly care about, because if you don't... Well, I would hate to see you in my position. You don't deserve that." Nia looks at him for a long moment. "I am not some selfish idiot who thinks he knows better than everyone else. I've trained to use magic my whole life. So stay out of my way." Then she walks off. Aerin sighs, running a hand through his hair. He looks after her with concern for a moment before walking back toward Ironbreach's small garden.

Chapter 15

At Sea

Aerin is standing awkwardly near the back of the ship, like he can't shake the feeling he's in someone's way, when Nia approaches him pensively. “I want to apologize for what happened in the Shadow-” Aerin puts a hand up. “Nia, you really don’t have to. Certainly not to me.” She shakes her head. “I was cruel to you and you don't deserve that. I'm sorry. I didn't mean those things." Aerin gives her a searching look. "Really? You haven't been waiting over a year to say all that?" "I... No, I don't feel that way." Nia looks down. "Because nothing you said was wrong. I played a significant part in starting all of this. And you have suffered from my selfish mistake more than anyone else. You have every right to be angry with me." Nia's voice is small when she responds. "I hate how good it felt to be angry.” Aerin nods sympathetically. “I know.” “I’m sorry, Aerin. You tried to warn me but I lost control and people got hurt, just like you said." Aerin pauses to think for a moment. "You also bound Valax to Raine. If you hadn't..." A haunted look flashes across Aerin's face before he can return to his usual wry mask. "Well, I am certainly not a strong enough swimmer to think I could have done any good diving in after Raine during that storm." Nia nods slowly, conflict still clear on her face. Neither moves to speak again, the moment fading into almost comfortable silence. Then Nia brings her hand up toward a gash on Aerin's arm. "You don't have to-" She smiles slightly, Light glowing brilliantly at her fingertips. "I want to." "…Thank you." "You're welcome."

Chapter 17

Whitetower Palace

Allies recruited, you find yourself back in the palace with the rest of your party, meeting with King Arlan. After confirming that you will have the support of Whitetower's armies, he looks Aerin over coldly. "When you asked that I release the prisoner, I did not anticipate you would bring him back." He has a faint look of disgust. You look at the king in confusion. "Why wouldn't we bring him back?" The king's response is matter of fact. "Surely you've realized the reality of the situation by now. The boy is quite useless without his brother. I assumed he would be eaten by some wild creature within a day or two." The king sounds almost... disappointed that Aerin is still here. Mal snarls under his breath. "So much for the 'Gentle King.'" Annoyance or concern flickers across your friend’s faces. Except Aerin. He just looks directly at his father, a perfectly neutral expression on his face. When he speaks, his tone is unquestionably polite, but you can hear the sarcastic bite under the surface. "Indeed, however would I have survived this long without the support of my generous and loving family?" The king turns on Aerin with a slight grimace, but Nia jumps in smoothly with a distraction. "Your Majesty, you must warn your forces that the enemy will be using a lot of Shadow Magic. The Temple will heal all we can, but..."

Whitetower Encampment

A small campfire flickers just beyond the treeline, and you're shocked to find Aerin and Willow with only a few other goblins. "Willow, where is everyone else? Did something happen?" They look at you sadly. "A toxin poisons our roots. Sourceless. Unknown. Many wither, too weak for a journey." Aerin looks at you, somewhat exasperated, like he's been trying to solve a puzzle with a missing piece for days. "It doesn't make any sense. The Deadwood is far less habitable than the Whimsywood in general, but nothing else is affected. Their trees are fine, as are the remaining flora. The goblins are so heavily tied into their environment, I don't understand why they would be singled out." Willow looks at Aerin with a sad small smile before turning back to you. "It seeps deeper each day, even in those who have come. But you are friends of the forest. We shall stand beside you." You give the goblins what help you can before continuing. "Just try not to overexert yourselves. Once the battle is over, we can look into what's making you all sick. I'm sure Aerin can help." Willow smiles brightly at you. "The spring of your kindness still flows strong as a river, Raine. And yours, Aerin." But Aerin looks sad. "Of course, I would love to help. But... I do have something of a prior obligation." Right, he's technically your prisoner. But... "You know, I imagine the battle will be pretty chaotic. Maybe we'll just... lose track of you." Aerin looks at you in shock, like he's sure he misheard you. "What?" You look at him seriously. "Aerin. No one benefits from you being locked away. You can do a lot of good in the world. You just need a chance to do it." He scans your face intensely before a smile grows on his face. "I certainly hope so."

(Romance Route) As you walk back toward the tents, Aerin calls out to stop you. "Raine, wait a moment." He quickly catches up, before turning his serious gaze on you. "I want to thank you." You smile at him. "Aerin, not sending you back to a cell is really not that big of an ask. Especially considering that it might be the end of the world." He smiles back fondly. "I am grateful for that, but I meant something else. You changed me, Raine. You and your friends." His cheeks flush suddenly, and he looks at the ground. "I spent so much of my life chasing power, and all it ever brought me was pain and bitterness. I know I still have a lot of work to do to even try to make up for the wrong of my past, but... I have been thinking a great deal about... us." The way he says the word fills your chest with warmth. "Us?" Aerin finally meets your eyes again. "Yes. I know there are a thousand things that require your attention and it's selfish of me to ask for more of your time. But if you would like, when the camp is quiet... Come see me. Please." He looks at you with intense longing. Like part of him is certain you'll say no, but he desperately hopes you won't. You reach out, taking Aerin's hand with a smile. "For you... I'll make time."

#If anyone does other versions of these scenes or scenes they think I missed I would LOOOOOVE to see it! #I tried to worm it into canon as well as I could- including keeping a lot of existing writing in place #Some remixing of dialogue other places in the story and some of my own #Really hoping the way I've incorporated the facial expressions you'd get visually in game isn't too awkward #I was stuck on the Nia/Aerin confrontation until I remember Katara's 'You screw up one more time and you're dead' moment with Zuko in ATLA #Then it got much easier! #This'll go on AO3 eventually #fanfic #choices bolas 2 #choices bolas #blades of light and shadow book 2 #blades of light and shadow #aerin valleros #aerin valleros x mc #aerin x mc #nia ellarious #tyril starfury #imtura tal kaelen #mal volari #bolas mc

[thermodynamic-comedian]

the locked tomb is literally the most haunted narrative i have ever witnessed. you cannot point at any single character, and say "this is their story", because everyone else is touching and has touched the story in some way. every character has their fingerprints all over the story. everybody's a ghost and they're all haunting these books.

that's because you're not reading one story. you're reading an entire universe of stories, some of which have already played out, some of which are actively playing out somewhere where you can't see them. you can smell and taste and sense these stories all over the one you're actually being told.

everytime a character dies or fails to die or dies in all ways except physical, they start haunting the narrative too. the original lyctors have been haunting the narrative since gideon the ninth, wake and alecto were both quite literally haunting harrow the ninth, both of the first two books are haunting nona the ninth. i can only assume alecto the ninth is going to be the book where we confront the ghosts.

and it's not just the narrative being haunted. individual characters are haunted by other characters. griddlehark are haunting each others' narratives. same with the tridentarii. john's somehow haunted by himself, which is impressive, and kind of overkill, considering all the other characters he's also haunted by, including the earth herself.

there are so many possible interpretations as to whose story the locked tomb is, and all of them are equally correct, because the story itself doesn't seem to know, and i mean that in the best way possible. i mean that in the way that this could be the story of two kids who grew up together. this could be the story of what happened to those two kids, or of what happened long before either of them were born. this could be a story, where everyone's story is actually about someone else.

everybody can have their own opinions. personally, i like the idea that the thing haunting this story the most is what we see in the john chapters of nona the ninth: two beings stuck in an endless loop of making and remaking each other. and they're in love. and they will be and already have been the death of each other. that feels very on brand for this series.

#what im saying is wouldnt it be cool if atn was just an exorcism for the narrative #get all those ghosts out of the narrative and into the story!! #get cassiopeia in there!! fuck it. get all the original lyctors in there!!! #griddlehark reunion so they can finally stop haunting each others' narratives?? #and alecto at the center of it all. because she is the ultimate haunter of the narrative #the entire series is referencing her and her presence is felt all over every single book #and yet this'll be her first real appearence as herself. not as nona. not as a memory or a hallucination. #she will finally be a character in the story about her. #tlt #the locked tomb #tlt spoilers #the locked tomb spoilers #gtn #htn #ntn #atn #gideon the ninth #harrow the ninth #nona the ninth #alecto the ninth #gtn spoilers #htn spoilers #ntn spoilers #alecto speculation #fritz rambles too much

[solomon-tozer]

Select bits from Sir John's funeral that I just love...

So we have Crozier reading out the part about Jacob dreamed about a ladder, set upon the earth, "and the top of it reaching to the heavens"...

...as we see Collins and Stanley, the two characters whose mental health is a defining part of their character arcs.

Then, "Behold the Lord stood above it and he said, 'I am with thee ...'" as the focus shifts to Goodsir.

"'... and will keep thee in all places, wherever thou goest'".

Goodsir, who later questions "is God here?"

The following line and shot are "'for I will not leave thee'" as we see Jopson and Blanky.

The two men Crozier left. Blanky knew Crozier was, just earlier that day, planning to leave them. Jopson likely knew, as it's remarked later that he knows everything, and perhaps he's the one who tidied away the unsealed letter and wax.

Then the Terror lieutenants, with MacDonald too. "And in Jacob's dream he saw the invisible world, companion to the known one we perceive."

The men who were privy to Crozier's alcoholism, and were part of maintaining that separation between officers and men... but also Hickey and Irving 'perceived' Hickey's true nature.

So, of course, when we have: "So complete it would seem to leave no room for its invisible brother world" as we see Hickey...

that otherness, that not belonging, keeping out of sight, experiencing thing in such a different way but no one notices or even thinks it's there...

And then going back to a shot of the men gathered at Sir John's funeral. "The departed..."

"...who though cleaved from the frame that carried them yet live." They are all departed. Dead. Crozier is the only one who doesn't die, but he certainly doesn't 'stay' in the world he's expected to.

The contrast of the words of virtue and strength, from scripture and used to describe Sir John and saying he's "destined to reign with Christ forever", being heard as we see Hickey in Gibson's cabin.

The white glove over the hand that will offer up Hickey's tongue, his left hand reverently touching the spot, the fact that, all that time later, Hickey has come to believe that he can be a new god and reign...

Finally, for this post, we have "and see His truth amongst us" as Hickey reads Crozier's resignation letter, discovering the truth of Crozier's actions.

And not one of them is god, or has the truth. They are all in this terrible place where the sun has set, in this strange world they don't understand, in this "invisible world of spirits".

There's so much in this scene, so many links, that I just lose my mind every time.

#the terror amc #my post #terror meta #i could ramble about this scene for so damn long #this'll have to do for now #it's a quick skim of things that happen in my brain when i see it #but yes please enjoy and please rewatch and describe all the shrimp colours you see in this #i feel like that deranged little guy from it's always sunny with his links/connections map #ugh there's so much hickey stuff a;ldkjf;dsfj and the gibson bit #the invisible world present for jacob you say as you cut to gibson??? #the guy closest to hickey and whose bed hickey is currently befouling???? #like the implication that gibson somehow let hickey 'in' is undoing me because it's kinda true right??? #he's the one who sets a lot of stuff in motion #he's also the one who does the grumble grumble 'we could make a go of it for ourselves' when they abandon ship #lets hickey in lets him out lifts him up #and he's the one hickey kills and *transcends* from consuming #like that guy realises he's a god as he consumes the man he loved #without gibson would hickey have been brought in so easily? made real? #i mean yeah he would because story and whatnot but... #let's just consider for a moment if their relationship had been different... #anyway hickey is very real for gibson

[hazmaticalblue]

NOTE: Very big wall of text, mention of being split in two!! is that too specific of a warning

From the very first block, he was there. He was there and was to greet every creature born in his world. He was there, always. He knew the dragon, he knew the ghasts, the warden, everything. Though, despite it all, he was lonely. There was nobody who was like him. He understood all that every single living thing said, but he was different.

He was no mob. No villager, no enderman, no pillager, no golem...

He was just a man. A strange, strange man, with pale shining eyes white as clouds.

So he went up on a hill in the midst of day. Flowers, trees, and the skies clear.

He took an axe, a golden apple, 4 redstone torches, cobblestone, netherrack, and gold.

He built a small enclosure of the gold, cobblestone in the middle, netherrack on top. He placed the torches on the corners of the build. He stood upon the netherrack he placed within the center, placing down the golden apple below himself, between his feet.

He took the axe...

...and split himself in two.

His blood coated the apple to turn a shining red, holding back his scream as a furious storm suddenly struck on over the hill. The thunder roared, the rain fell harsh against his skin, his body fell back, leaving the blood-red apple on the formation he had built.

Lightning struck the shining apple.

A beam of light began to shine in the center.

When he woke, he saw another who looked like he did, asleep against the cold, wet gold. The skies were clear again. The sun glimmered.

He had made himself a friend.

He carried the new man to a village, those who lived clearing way for his path. They saw his torn, bloodied clothes, the fresh scars on his body that split himself into halves, and the new man slumped over his shoulder.

He took this new friend in to the house he built by the village, placing the unconscious one in his bed. He sat by, waiting for his creation to wake.

He had eyes that couldn't glow, but shimmered in sunlight. He woke, afraid, his heart racing.

" Calm down. "

" Who are you?! Who am I?! Where am I!? I- I- "

" Shhh... I am Hero. You are Steve. You are safe, and in our world. Your new home. You are my friend. "

He smiled, hoping he came off gentle in his voice. Hero held out his hand to Steve.

" We... We're friends? "

" We are. Maybe even brothers? "

Maybe even brothers.

Throughout their years together, they stuck by eachother's sides. Eventually, more like them began to enter the world. Worlds. Hero visited them while Steve slept. He was curious. He wanted to see the other creations.

One day he brought Steve with him to a world populated with many. Hero showed them what he could do. His creativity. His power.

They viewed him as a god.

One that was dangerous.

His tendency to roam in the dark, the mysterious sightings of him in the fog, the tunnels he enjoyed digging, the unnatural redstone torches ever so frequently used.

They demanded Steve banish his creator

He did so, out of fear.

He built the formation he woke on, and asked his brother to stand in the center.

" Ah? Are we to demonstrate how I made you to these wondrous people? "

Hero's unknowing smile, it brought guilt in Steve's heart.

" Yeah.. Yeah. "

" You're missing the golden apple. "

" ...I just haven't placed it yet. Close your eyes. "

Hero trusted him. He closed his eyes...

He felt fire beneath begin to burn him. His legs were paralyzed. Sparks flew from the torches, the sky went dark, black as the night with no stars or moon.

" What are you doing?! You.. You're my friend! My first ever! I created you! Why are you doing this to me!? "

His eyes shone feirce, his voice booming and loud as he screamed, trying to reach his arm out to grab Steve.

" I'm sorry... "

Steve's voice was quiet and weak.

The crowd began screaming. Cheers? Fear of the storm? It didn't matter. It fueled the sparks.

" Do you hate me!? What did I do?! Curse you! Curse you and all who dare disrespect me! "

His fury grew. Neither wanted this.

" I.. Uh.. "

He looked back at the crowd, diamond sword in hand.

" Be.. Begone, horrid creature! "

Hero's eyes widened in shock as the sword grew close.

" You are FOOLISH! Only my mercy can save you now! I HATE you! I HATE YOU! I WILL NOT DIE! YOU WILL PAY! "

He didn't mean those words. He wanted to love. The sword was plunged through his chest as he began to scream. Steve looked into the sky with fear, watching the flashes of blinding white light.

The thunder struck the pair as Hero's roars echoed and faded away.

Steve woke up in a field of soft grass. The crowd was gone. The shrine was gone.

Herobrine was gone.

He was alone. His tears stained his face.

Scars on the back of his hands shaped like the faces of creepers appeared.

#hazmaticalblue #minecraft #hi guys i have autism and really like writing lore #this'll be like. for a thing i wanna make i guess! yaaaaayyy!! #herobrine #text post #story