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ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral · 9 months ago

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And I'm back with Part 3 of the "Merlin accidentally conquers Camelot" au! Thank you all so much for your patience and continued support for this story! It makes me so happy to see people get excited by my silly (and occasionally delusional) au ideas!

NOTE: You can find part 1 here and part 2 here.

EDIT: And you can find part 4 here!

And without further ado, onto the new stuff!

It was rather drafty in the lesser furnished cells of the dungeons. Merlin knew this well, as he had spent many nights during his first couple of years in Camelot trying and failing to get any sleep on the cold stone floors of those cells, kept awake by the freezing chill that would sweep through the dungeons at any given moment.

Merlin also knew that Arthur had never been kept in one of those cells, even on the rare occasions that Uther had him locked up for going against his orders. Whenever Arthur had to be put in the dungeons, he had been put in the fully furnished cells, meant for prisoners who were members of noble families.

Even when they were held in the same dungeon, the nobles and the peasants were subjected to wildly different experiences.

With that in mind, Merlin stopped by Arthur's chambers (or... were they his chambers now? Merlin certainly didn't want to think about that.) to grab Arthur's favorite blanket off of his bed. It was a luxuriously soft blanket, dyed a rich Pendragon red. That blanket was fit for a king and a pain for a manservant to wash, but Merlin had always taken good care of the blanket, knowing how much Arthur liked it.

Merlin folded up the thick blanket with meticulous care, ignoring both his own trembling hands, rendered unsteady by the volatile emotions welling up in him, and Gwaine's presence behind him, silent for once. Despite Gwaine's undying loyalty and penchant for mischief landing Merlin in an even worse situation than before, he seemed to understand the solemnity of Merlin's actions and the profound sense of grief over the life he had lived once before that had been so suddenly torn away from him.

The motions of carefully folding up the blanket filled Merlin with both comforting familiarity and near-crippling sorrow. Would he ever do this again, ever provide support and comfort for Arthur again? As much as Merlin wished to stay optimistic, even if his plan to reinstate Arthur as the rightful king of Camelot succeeded, the darkest corners of his mind hissed that Arthur would never tolerate his presence again, let alone trust him, after usurping him and, in Arthur's eyes, proving everything Uther had ever said about sorcerers to be true.

Merlin's heart plummeted, nearly stopping him in his track towards the dungeon entirely, at the mere thought of what Arthur must think of him now: a treacherous, conniving sorcerer who had manipulated Arthur into becoming his friend only to betray him. Merlin blinked, banishing his tears before they could roll down his face and fall onto the blanket in his arms, and forced his feet to keep moving steadily forward. No matter what Arthur thought of him now, how deeply Merlin has unintentionally wounded his friend, or how catastrophically Merlin's world felt like it was crumbling down around him, he needed to set things right.

Merlin clung desperately to that conviction, the thrumming need to set things right again, as everything else in him wanted to curl up in a dark corner and never move again. After an eternity and yet all too soon, Merlin descended past the gates of the dungeon, where he forbade Gwaine from following him any further, down the noble cell blocks, which were filled with sleeping, but thankfully uninjured knights, and finally through the dark, damp, empty, and cold peasant cells.

He couldn't see Arthur at first, but his magic sensed that he was here. Like always, it jumped, tugging on Merlin to act, whenever Arthur was nearby, causing Merlin to pause his step in order to focus on whatever his magic was attempting to do. This time, it tugged his attention towards the unlit torches lining the walls of the cell block. Light them, his magic seemed to beg of him, our king is cold!

Merlin's immediate reaction was to stop his magic, to push it down so that no one would notice, and, after a deep breath, he did just that. As Merlin stood still, holding Arthur's blanket in his arms and cherishing what would likely be the last few seconds that he could ignore what had happened over the last day and pretend that everything was normal, he heard the voice that he'd been both yearning and dreading to hear for the past day coming from the cell at the very end of the dungeon.

"If you're waiting to sneak up on me, you'll have to try harder than that. I can hear that neither magic nor a crown have made you any more stealthy, Merlin."

Merlin flinched backwards, expecting but yet somehow still unprepared for how much vitriol and bitterness Arthur hissed out his name with. He had heard Arthur yell out his name in variety of tones over the years, ranging from annoyed to bemused to downright furious, but he had never heard his name pass from Arthur's lips like this, spat out from his mouth like it was poisonous and vile. It caused so much hurt to well up in Merlin's chest that he felt it like a bruising punch, causing him to wince in pain, still hiding where Arthur could not see him.

As Merlin stood silently, only a few steps away from Arthur's cell and facing Arthur's well-deserved fury, and tried to desperately blink away the tears gathering in his eyes, his magic abruptly tugged his attention towards the torches again, more insistent this time. Letting out a stuttering breath, Merlin obliged with his magic's request this time, and the torches lining the walls burst into bright, golden flames in an instant, filling the cells with a merry warmth that felt entirely out of place.

Merlin heard a sharp gasp coming from Arthur's cells as soon as the torches lit up by themselves and winced. Right, Arthur was fresh off of Merlin's betrayal, so he was probably pretty jumpy, especially around magic.

Merlin's guilt rose alongside his frustration. Everything he does with his magic, he does it for Arthur, and yet every single damned time it backfires on him and somehow hurt Arthur! A spell meant to heal his father kills the king instead. A battle waged to ensure his continued reign steals his sovereignty instead. And lit torches meant to provide him with warmth and comfort scares him instead!

But before even more guilt could build up inside of him, Merlin heard Arthur's voice once more.

"I won't be scared by a coward of a sorcerer who would steal everything from the man he claimed to serve! Or is the great Emrys too important to even face the fool he tricked into believing that he was his friend?"

Before Merlin's mind could even process Arthur's words, his feet were already carrying him to the end of the hallway, right to the front of Arthur's cell. He needed to prove Arthur wrong here, their years of friendship weren't a lie or a trick, Arthur needed to believe that! Too much of Merlin's life, his very soul, was woven into his bond with Arthur, he couldn't let Arthur have any doubt that their bond was even real!

As he finally arrived at the door to the cell that held Arthur, Merlin's heart stuttered again, this time with grief. Based on the ferocity in his voice, Merlin had expected to see Arthur pressed up against the bars, ready to battle his perceived opponent. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of Arthur, sitting alone on the dirty stone floor, his face wearing the same dejected and defeated look it had just days earlier, after Morgana had taken the citadel and Arthur doubted his own ability to rule his people. The only difference was that the lost look in Arthur's eyes from before was gone, replaced by a scornful glare that had Merlin feeling like he was the scum of the earth.

Merlin opened his mouth, ready to apologize, plead for forgiveness, whatever it took to just stop Arthur from looking at him like that, like Merlin was his enemy, but no words could form in his mouth, as too many emotions were welling up in his chest that it closed off his throat entirely. Merlin drew in a deep, fortifying breath, purposefully avoiding eye contact with a still-glaring Arthur the entire time. Once he felt like he had his feelings even marginally under some tenuous control, he finally met Arthur's gaze and held out the blanket like a pathetic peace offering.

"I brought you your blanket. I know it gets cold down here."

Merlin was rather proud that his voice only wavered slightly, not giving an indication of how disastrously close he was to breaking down into tears in the middle of the dungeons. Arthur merely stared at him for a moment, bewilderment appearing on his face for a few seconds before it was quickly wiped away by angry sneer.

"I don't accept gifts from the likes of you, sorcerer! It's probably cursed or enchanted to kill me so that you can finally get me out of your way for good!"

"No!"

The blanket fell to the floor as Merlin grasped the bars of the cell with both hands and pulled himself as close as he could to Arthur, who had flinched back at Merlin's outburst. His magic flared again, wanting to break down this barrier between them so that he could get closer to Arthur, but he denied its request, knowing that such an action would only agitate Arthur even more.

"Arthur, please, I never meant for any of this to happen! You must believe me! I only wanted to for Camelot to be safe from Morgana and for you to retake the throne! I only want to secure your reign, not end it!"

That, it seemed, finally got a reaction out of Arthur, but it wasn't the one Merlin was hoping for. Arthur finally stood up from the floor and stormed over to the cell door, getting close to Merlin, but just out of reach.

"And why on earth should I trust a word you say?! You've done nothing but lie to me for years, even when I gave you my complete trust! I thought you were my closest friend, the one person in my life who would never betray me, but as it turns out, I never even knew your real name, much less where your true loyalties lie!"

Merlin's face fell at Arthur's accusations, knowing that he was, in some ways, completely right in them. Still, he met Arthur's accusing glare with as much honesty as he could. After all that his own actions had taken from Arthur, he owed him the truth at the very least. Merlin spoke again, trying to muster up a calm, soothing tone despite his strong emotions.

"I know that you don't have much reason to trust what I say now, but I will do all that I can take make this right. I was born with magic, yes, but I was born this way for a purpose, and that purpose is you, Arthur. I am Emrys, destined to be the guardian of the Once and Future King, who will rule over the greatest kingdom history has ever known and bring peace the likes of which has never been seen throughout the land."

Merlin could see the moment of realization on Arthur's face as he put together who exactly the Once and Future King was, his eyes going wide with shock. Despite the situation, Merlin has just a bit of a smile on his face as he reminisced on fond memories.

"When I first met you, I just couldn't understand how such a prattish clotpole could ever be a king of legend, but the longer I stayed by your side, the more I could see the king that you were destined to become. A great man, a great leader, who will always stand up to protect his people, even if it means putting himself in danger."

Merlin's speech trailed off as he smiled gently at Arthur, trying desperately to give him reason to believe Merlin, to believe in the prophecy that tied them together, and, above all, to believe in himself.

To Merlin's surprise, he could see Arthur confusion melting into... something. It looked like something along the lines of hope or awe, which gave Merlin hope in return. But just as quickly as it was there, Arthur's expression shifted again to a frustrated anger.

"Even if what you're saying isn't some trick, your little bedtime story is wrong anyways! I can't be the Once and Future King if I'm not even a king in the first place!"

Merlin sighed deeply, knowing that they'd get to this point eventually. He had a plan, but would Arthur ever agree to it?

"I've tried! I tried to simply order the council to make you king again, but they won't do it! Geoffrey stopped me with some old laws that Bruta wrote! He said that I can't abdicate the throne to you because you're no longer legally a nobleman."

Arthur eyes widened frantically at the mention of Bruta's laws, his breathing picking up with panic. He backed up from the bars of the cell and began pacing around.

"Bruta's code, damn it, I forgot that they applied in these situations! Wait..."

His eyes snapped back to Merlin, looking red-rimmed and on the verge of tears. His voice, which was so full of fire mere seconds ago, now sounded hollow. Merlin's hope wilted upon seeing Arthur like this, and his magic flared again, still wanting to destroy the barrier between them.

"This means that the Pendragon house is no longer recognized, doesn't it?"

Merlin could only nod, unsure of what he could do to comfort Arthur. At Merlin's confirmation, Arthur took a shaky breath, trying to collect himself from the inner turmoil that he was surely experiencing.

"Everything... I've lost everything."

Merlin gave Arthur what he hoped was his most comforting smile, but it didn't do much for Arthur's hopeless disposition. After a small sigh, Merlin spoke again in a soft, comforting voice.

"Arthur, all is not lost. I have a way to make you king again! We just have to make you a noble again, and then I can abdicate the throne to you! And luckily for both of us, there's an easy way to make a peasant a nobleman quickly! And you should know, you wrote it into the laws yourself!"

Arthur blinked at him, not comprehending what Merlin had said for a couple seconds, before a sliver of hope showed on his face. However, as soon as it was there, it was gone again, once more replaced by anger and betrayal. Arthur quickly stormed over to the cell door, this time reaching the door itself and wrapping his hands around the bars so that he could yell in Merlin's face.

"I knew it! This was a trick!"

"What are you talking about? How would me knighting you and then giving you back your throne be a trick?!"

"You would have me swear on oath of fealty to you, which would legally, and for all I know magically, put me under your command! This was all just another plot to control me, wasn't it?!"

"Oh come on, you wouldn't have to mean it when you take the oath! You'd just have to say the words and then let me abdicate!"

"So now sacred oaths of loyalty are nothing but empty words to you?!"

"Gods, you really can't make anything easy for the both of us, can you, you prat! I'm just trying to give you your crown back!"

"You would have me disrespect the sacred oaths of knighthood! I would never swear an oath of fealty to you! It is a sacred bond of trust, which is apparently something that you know nothing about, Emrys!"

Merlin flinched back, still unused to Arthur saying the name given to him by the druids, much less hissed out in anger. Merlin backed away from the cell door and took a deep breath, trying to find some solution to this mess.

"So, I take it that you would not accept a knighthood from me?"

"Never."

Merlin sighed again, his eyes drifting around the dungeons as he tried to think of a different way to make Arthur a nobleman. Eventually, his eyes drifted back towards Arthur, who was still holding onto the bars of the cell door. As Merlin looked at Arthur, pondering any solution that he could possibly come up with, a metallic flash caught Merlin's eye, drawing it to Arthur's left hand.

There, the torchlight was reflecting off of Ygraine's ring, the one that Arthur rarely ever took off. Merlin was glad that Arthur still had it with him after everything that had just happened to provide some comfort, but it still didn't present Merlin with any solutions...

Wait.

Oh no.

Swallowing thickly, Merlin called out to Arthur again.

"Arthur, do you know of any, any other ways to elevate a peasant to the status of a noble?"

"I'm afraid not. Me granting knighthoods to peasants was the first legal opportunity for peasants to elevate their stations. There is no other way."

Merlin closed his eyes and tried to hold back his frustration. He wouldn't have to resort to that, surely?

"And you've really thought this through, Arthur? If you don't accept a knighthood, I don't think that there's any other way that I can legally make you a noble again, much less the king. Are you really prepared to go the rest of your life as a peasant with no title, no lands, no riches, nothing?"

Merlin could see that his words gave Arthur pause, forcing him to at least reconsider Merlin's offer. Merlin internally pleaded with Arthur to please don't be an idiot, just take the offer!

Finally, Arthur seemed to have reached his decision, as he glared at Merlin once again with conviction.

"I might be forced to live out my days as a peasant, but at least I'll be a peasant with my honor and integrity intact."

Merlin was, at this point, sorely tempted to bash his head into the stone wall behind him. Why, why did this clotpole have to make his life so difficult?!

Merlin gave a heavy sigh as he nodded, accepting Arthur's decision. Arthur looked rather smug about Merlin conceding to him, which he wouldn't be feeling if he knew exactly what Merlin had in mind as his contingency plan.

"Very well then. You've made it clear that you won't willingly take this one opportunity for me to give you your throne back. But make no mistake, you are the Once and Future King. This is your destiny, and I will see that it comes to pass, no matter what I have to do. I know that it might be unfair, but I only ask that you forgive me for what I do next. Please remember, everything I do, I do for you and the kingdom that you're destined to build."

Arthur's expression had gone from smug to confused to concerned very quickly, but Merlin didn't acknowledge the slight fear that had appeared on Arthur's face. Instead, he carefully pushed Arthur's blanket, which had been lying at the foot of the cell door, through the bars, ensuring that Arthur could grab it.

After that, Merlin turned on his heel and walked out of the now silent dungeons, his footsteps sounding authoritative and ominous as they echoed off of the stone walls.

Despite his measured footsteps, Merlin's mind was moving at sprinter's pace, trying to plan out everything that would need to be done in the coming days. The first thing that he definitely needed to do was let the steward know that he needed to plan a wedding on short notice.

After all, it wasn't uncommon for conquerors to marry their war prizes.

I hope you all enjoyed this continuation! Were you right in your guess as to what Merlin had in mind at the end of part 2? Please let me know if you'd like another part of this story!

I'll try to tag everyone who asked for a part 3 here. Thank you all for your support!

@magic-mushroomss @miyriu @whole-buncha-snakess @achillesuwu @aerismoon

@tidalwavesandthunderstorms @marki9 @isaidno @retro-wallflower @samwinjester

@lascienzadellafantasia @sugar-coated-prat-dragon @theoldfroglady @ryeallytired @mind-of-a-crow

@whynotreinventmyselfeveryday @likeapaperplane @odinjm @orliththedragon @aglmry

@caraspud @aostrek-236 @justaz @slippysalt @coffee-shop-gay

@the-king-and-the-druidess @theroundbartable @fanfic-library-for-me @linotheghost @scuttlingsleipnir

@guiltyscarlet

And, as always, than you for reading through my ramblings! :D

#merlin #bbc merlin #merlin bbc #arthur pendragon #merlin au #merthur #merlin prompts #king merlin

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the--firevenus · 3 months ago

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An au concept where Bruce Wayne die but the batman remain.

Here me out, it start with Bruce dying (from what? I don't know) and the Gotham city mourned him, the batfamily can't decide who can take up the batman mantle nor do they actually wanted to (it is a heavy and big shoes to fill in... All of them can't do what Bruce did, it'd weighted them) so they voted to hung it up forever (no one touch it or wear it, not even to pretend to be) . They still patrol and did their best to be the heroes for Gotham despite not being THE dark knight themselves, they love this city as much as the one that create the symbol do, it'd be hard but dammit who else but them to do these now?

It starts rough, very rough for them, criminals noticed that the big bat wasn't around much anymore so they start going wild, harder to control, and the corruption gotten worst as if hell break loose. It got to the point they all are desperate and consider, maybe, maybe someone should?

But then a new rumour start to make rounds, the bat is back and he's even harder to beat and even harder to see. The batfamily was alarm by this new rumour, at first they don't wanna believe it, thinking it's a sick prank, but then more and more evidences of the bat existence are discovered, they had a brief arguments and accusations of who is it but none of the Batfam admit. So they conclude, must be a new guy.

They try and try to catch this new batman but every single time they think they had him cornered, he'd dissappear. As if he's part of the shadow or darkest itself.

TLDR, Gotham didn't want to let her knight go that easily, so Batman now are a full fledged cryptic being of the shadow that protect it's people even tho the one who used to wear the armour are now gone.

The batfamily weren't dealing with this fact well once they caught on.

#This one from the void #Had this draft for a while.. I love shadow batman concept soooo much so here it is #I'm not sure I'd make it a full fledged au so right now it's just an idea.. A concept #Something something about how Bruce love for the city manifest itself to be something he forged long after he die #Something something about how the symbol cannot die (literally) in this scenario #batman #bruce wayne #venus rambling #batfam #batfamily

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writingdevil · 4 months ago

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Hi! For the requests, I wanted to ask for Paranoid x Hero, I love them in game and I think they could be really good for each other ^^

(YES! I ALSO LOVE THEM! I've been dying to write them, and I hope you don't mind, but I decided to put them in an AU I've been thinking about. Enjoy!)

(This is a medieval AU where the Long Quiet is a king and the voices are a part of his court)

Hero sighed as he marched down the halls of the castle, glancing up and admiring the large windows that graced him with a view of the outside, at the forest that surrounded their castle and town.

His pace slowed as he watched two birds shoot across the sky, and his own wings twitched against his armour, longing to join them and taste the sky.

But there was too much work to be done within the court.

Hero was the Captain of the Guard, and the second in command to the king of the castle. Many people apparently saw him as a beacon of light within the darkness their kingdom had been thrust into, but Hero just tried to do the right thing for the people that needed it.

He quickly ripped his gaze away from the view, so that only few memories of happier times flashed in his head-Enjoying banquets. Witnessing ceremonies. Feeling content with life.

But all of that and more had all but vanished as of late, and the entire flock had been scrambling for months now to try and get that peace and joy back.

His fellow guards-Stubborn and Hunted, were out day and night, either searching for answers or defending the kingdom from enemies who dared approach them in their vulnerable state.

Skeptic was also out for days at a time, although he worked best alone, traveling far to crawl into the darkest corners of the land, in hopes for an answer to their dilemma. Hero doesn't believe he's seen him in three weeks this time.

Hero was just beginning to think that he was going to have to send him a letter reminding him to come home soon-when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Hero's throat closed up, and he felt every feather on his body bristle and stand to attention, as he started to quietly lose control of his breathing.

To the very left of him was the throne room.

If Hero concentrated enough, he could make out the soft breathing of him, the only evidence to tell them all that the King was even alive.

The doors were wide open, and although Hero went in there everyday, it still made a weight crush his chest. No matter how much time had passed, he couldn't get used to the sight in that throne room.

Hero was supposed to be the knight that everyone in his court could depend on, that was capable of protecting his flock-but whenever he saw him, it just reminded Hero of how much he had failed his loved ones.

He couldn't cross that room. He just couldn't. There was nobody that could make him.

He stood there for what felt like hours, stuck in a fearful paralysis-until someone quickly turned the corner on the other side of the hall to face him.

It was Cheated, panting and with a frenzied expression on his frustrated face. He didn't immediately notice Hero, head twisting around in a panic, feathers flying everywhere, until Cheated's eyes finally landed on him.

It was like a wave of relief had crashed into Cheated, as his wings sagged and his face softened into a look of reassurance.

"Hero!" he yelled, and the sound was enough to have Hero blinking back to reality. Cheated motioned for him to come closer and exclaimed, "It's Para, Hero! His magic's acting up!"

That could make him cross the room.

All at once, all the guilt and fear was ripped from his body-and Hero's mind had never been clearer as he immediately broke into a sprint, running past the throne room, only catching a black blur that rested on the throne, with eyes that hadn't opened in a long time.

Hero barely let it affect him.

He rushed past Cheated without even looking him in the eye, and Cheated scrambled to move out of the way and shouted after him, "He should be in his chambers!"

There was an intensity lingering within Hero's veins as he ran, his body knowing exactly where to go before his mind even processed his surroundings in the castle.

He knew where to go. He would always know how to find him.

He practically flew up the stairs, ripping his sword from his scabbard as he bolted over to stand in front of Paranoid's room.

He took a second to take a deep breath, forcing his voice to be calm and light as he softly knocked and said, "Para? Are you okay?"

A low whine-then, "Help me!"

Hero swore as he practically ripped the door from its hinges, marching into the room and shutting it firmly, leaving just the two of them.

Paranoid's room was dark, which was unusual for him. He was usually obsessed with being able to see a room in its entirety, for fear of something hiding in the shadows. He only pulled the curtains when Hero was in the room with him.

His gaze traveled to the floor, and although Paranoid was known to be a little disorganized and messy, his room right now looked almost disastrous. Desk flipped over, notes and books sprawled all over the floor, and Hero could pick out some very important books that he knew Paranoid would never just leave lying about.

Finally, his gaze landed on Paranoid himself.

He was kneeling on his bed, sheets twisted and thrown around him. He was clutching his head, leaning down far enough so that his forehead was touching his mattress. He kept rocking back and forth and quietly whimpering to himself.

It broke Hero's heart.

He took a cautious step forward, putting his sword away, and softly went, "Para? Are you-"

"Who's there?" Paranoid suddenly shrieked, sitting up straight while still grabbing fistfuls of his feathered head. Hero froze, if only because now he could hear just how bad Paranoid's panic attack was getting. He was panting heavily enough to make it sound raspy and guttural, and Hero winced, knowing how sore the other's throat would be after this.

"It's Hero, remember, Para? I'm here to help you. What's wrong?"

Paranoid shook his head, his body beginning to tremble. Hero watched in devastation as Paranoid started to softly cry, staring out into the distance. "I don't believe you," he mumbled, "I don't believe you. I can't believe you-" his yell was abruptly cut short, and Hero could do nothing but watch as Paranoid suddenly gasped, going silent for a few seconds, until he suddenly yelled out in fear, moving to cover his eyes now as he hunched over the bed again.

"Go away, go away, go away," Paranoid begged, his voice muffled from his position. His rocking got more intense as he whined and said, "Too many eyes, too many eyes-stop looking-leave me alone please-"

Right. That was it. Hero couldn't take this anymore.

"Para," he softly called out, "I'm going to come closer to you, okay?"

"Please please please-", was all Paranoid said, until Hero suddenly felt a wave of magic press down on him.

It felt like it was suffocating him, all this powerful and dark energy, and Hero himself struggled to breathe for a few seconds, almost tasting electricity in the air, and the edges of his face were tingling with numbness.

It was Paranoid's magic. This must be what Cheated meant by acting up.

Paranoid was one of the two strongest sorcerers in the court, along with Cold. Both of their magic was tied to the mortal body, but while Cold dealt with death and the absence of sensations, Paranoid's was all about it.

Hero's seen him cure over a thousand people with his magic, his mind intrinsically linked to the person's body, keeping them alive with a simple chant. Paranoid could reach in and grab whatever pain, curse or demons the person was suffering with, and help rid them of it.

Unfortunately, this has led to Paranoid's own mind to become-fearful because of it. The sorcerer was constantly looking over his shoulder, claiming to see enemies in places where there was nothing, and rarely trusted anyone that wasn't his flock. Sometimes his terror would get so bad that his mind and magic would be so overcome with it, and-this happens.

Hero shook his head, attempting to ignore the buzzing in the air, as he slowly came around to be in front of Paranoid. "I'm not here to hurt you, Para. I just want to help you." The only thing Paranoid did was shake his head and choke on a sob.

Hero sighed, his heart breaking at the sight. Paranoid wouldn't be having breakdowns this severe if He hadn't been cursed, if He hadn't left them to take charge of the kingdom themselves.

No matter. The only thing that Hero needed to care about right now was Paranoid.

He climbed up onto the bed, shuffling closer until their knees almost touched. "Para," he said,"what are you seeing right now?"

Paranoid didn't respond right away, hyperventilating until Hero whispered, "Para?"

That seemed to bring Paranoid just back to reality enough to move and wrap his arms around himself as he hissed, "Eyes-eyes keep watching, keep staring at me-I want them to leave me alone, Hero."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," was all Hero said, reaching forward to firmly grab Paranoid's hands, pressing them gently against Hero's heart. "I need you to look at me, sweetheart."

Paranoid choked on a sob. "I can't," he softly said, head still bowed and eyelids squeezed shut. "I can't trust if you're real or not," he whimpered, before weeping to himself, wings going slack behind him, as if he had accepted this fate.

Hero opened his mouth to try and persuade him, before he heard a crackling in the room.

Hero froze, before slowly lifting his head to look up at the ceiling.

There, in the corner of the ceiling, was a dark purple ball of magic. It wriggled and shot out here and there, and the cracking sound it made sickened Hero to his stomach. It looked like a black hole of nightmares come to swallow them into darkness-before more started to appear.

They slowly formed all around them, and Hero was about to throw Paranoid over his shoulder and rush out of the room, when Paranoid suddenly whined and started to shake his head as he mumbled, "Too many eyes, too many eyes, too many eyes-" over and over again.

Was this Paranoid's magic? Was his magic spinning so much out of control that he was accidentally manifesting eyes around them? If so, then Hero needed to get through to him now.

He took a deep breath in, then turned away from the dark orbs floating around them, putting all his attention on Paranoid.

"Para,"he said, "can you hear me? Can you hear my voice?" It took a few seconds of panicked breathing, but then Paranoid nodded.

"Good," he said, then gently moved one of Paranoid's hands so that his palm was pressing directly over his heart. "Can you feel my heartbeat?" Paranoid began to lift his head up more, and he nodded again.

"That's perfect, Para. Can you focus on my voice and my heart?" Paranoid's face scrunched up in fear. "But the eyes-"

"The eyes aren't gonna get you while I'm here. I promise." Paranoid still looked torn, so Hero leaned forward to press their foreheads together. "Do you trust me?"

Paranoid was silent for a few tense minutes,and there was only the sound of heavy breathing and snapping magic in the air. But then, Hero felt Paranoid lean into his touch. "I trust you."

Hero released a shaking breath of relief, but quickly kept his focus, closing his eyes and whispering to Paranoid, "You are in your bedroom in the castle."

He felt the magic weighing him down further, but he ignored it. "You are in your bedroom and there is nothing here that can hurt you." Paranoid released a small sob that broke Hero's heart, so he squeezed their intertwined hands to comfort him.

"There is nothing that will hurt you, Para, because I am here to protect you." He felt Paranoid curl his fingers in his chest, as if he wanted to reach in and take Hero's heart for his own.

The trembling had lessened, and Hero could feel the tears dry on his face. "Do you feel my heartbeat, Para? This heart belongs to you. It only beats for you, Para, because I love you." Hero barely noticed when the crackling began to get quieter. All he cared about in that moment was Paranoid.

He heard Paranoid take a few deep, slow breaths in, and Hero started to feel all the energy in the air begin to lighten up, until he could actually breathe and feel his face again.

He risked opening his eyes, and was met with Paranoid's tired gaze.

He grinned in relief. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, and Paranoid sighed, but nodded, rubbing his face against his shoulder.

They both lifted their heads, and Hero quickly looked up-but the dark orbs of magic had disappeared too. It truly was over.

Hero looked back at Paranoid, only to find pure exhaustion on his face, and Hero didn't blame him. He couldn't imagine how drained Paranoid must be feeling now.

He lowered their hands down to his lap, giving Paranoid a reassuring smile as he asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" A firm shake of his head. Although Hero wasn't used to Paranoid being this quiet, he just chalked it up to what just happened, and asked, "Is there anything you want me to do for you?"

Paranoid sat up straighter, turning his head to slowly take in the room around him. Hero saw the way his eyes were filled with nothing but sadness and fatigue, and he was about to offer a suggestion, when Paranoid quietly went, "You shouldn't of done this."

"What?" he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I shouldn't need you to help me control my powers." But then Hero saw a flash of hatred in Paranoid's eyes, hatred at himself for being vulnerable, it looked like.

"I'm a sorcerer. I should be able to handle my own problems. I told you I can handle my own problems-"

"-and I told you," Hero softly interrupted, cupping Paranoid's face so that he was looking at him, "when you accepted my courtship, that I would always be there to support and care for you."

Paranoid froze, looking down at Hero in soft confusion, as his feathers puffed up, making Hero smile. They held eye contact for a few moments, until Paranoid's face softened into fondness, and he muttered, "Thank you, then-for being there for me."

"I always will be, Para," Hero promised with a smile, before they both leaned closer, and kissed the other tenderly.

Hero may not have been able to protect the King, but he sure as hell will not make the same mistake with the rest of the flock, and especially not with the love of his life.

#slay the princess #stories #my writing #stp #stp voices #stp paranoid #stp hero #voice of the hero #voice of the paranoid #parahero #i love them so much #stp au #We'll call this au royal flock #royal flock au #stp cheated #voice of the cheated #writing request

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dirtyvulture · 1 month ago

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KNIGHT FALLS AU IS BACK!!!

oh, god. i can't believe it's finally here again, i'm so invested in this series and i can't believe i have to deal with another cliff hanger and overthink it until the next part is out 😭

i know i'm kind of late but your little abyss is swamped with school works and resting since your not so smart girlie accidentally chopped her thumb, lmao. tmi, but the skin literally almost separated from my thumb and i passed out on the kitchen. luckily, i catched myself... girlie got so lightheaded and had to take a few hours break and got so pale in that whole hour 😭 it's been almost a week ( 5 days ) and it's not healed yet.

anygays, i'm yapping and it's not even connected to the au. AGAIN, YOU NEVER DISAPPOINT AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE THIS ONE FOR ALL OF US!!!

i really hope that the next one will be cliff hanger free 😭

— signing off into the abyss.

SHE'S BACK INDEED!!! It'll be a wild ride all the way to the end, so buckle up!

And I'm sorry, I left you all on a cliffhanger 10 months ago and I left you on yet another one 😅😂 Good news is that I've already started working on Part 4, so hopefully the wait will be less than last time

BESTIE YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL 😭😭 You need your thumbs intact to keep leaving me messages here lol But in all seriousness I hope it heals quicker and soon

Thank you for reading! It was the support that kept me going after the long spell

(And yes, the last part will be the final one so let's pray I don't end that on a cliffhanger too lol)

#abyss anon #vulture answers #darkest knight au

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pretty-mik-97 · 3 months ago

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Daminette Déjà Vu: The Same Story, Over and Over

I'll be honest, when I found out that people shipped Damian Wayne (DC comics) with Marinette Dupain Cheng (Miraculous Ladybug) I was like: Why the hell would people put these two together?

Like canonically speaking, Damian Wayne is the LAST person Marinette would ever date. Baby girl don't like dudes who are rude and condescending, and that's basically Damian.

As for Damian? He'd probably be mostly annoyed by her.

So, in theory, this ship doesn't make sense since both of these two's personalities clash.

However

I was willing to give it a chance and let the fanfiction writers cook with this ship. I've read some ships that canonically don't make sense, but the fanfic writers made it work, and it made me like the ship.

So surely I was going to find some good Daminette fanfics thar actually made this ship work right?

.... kind of. There are some good Daminette fanfics that I've read, but there was one teeny tiny issue I had with them.

It's basically the same plot.

No, seriously. Reading A Daminette fanfiction on Wattpad and AO3 felt I was reading the same plot over and over again.

Here's your standard Daminette fanfiction:

Lila has successfully turned the entire school against Marinette by framing Marinette as the bad guy, and now she's getting bullied.

Alya is Lila's new best friend who absolutely hates Marinette's guts.

The whole class either goes to Gotham City for a school field trip where they meet the Wayne family, or Damian gets transferred to Paris.

Lila lies about having met the Waynes and either previously dated Damian or that Damian has a crush on her.

Marinette is somehow connected to the Wayne family or is related to a DC character (I actually read a fanfic where Marinette is Lady Shiva's niece. Sabine is Lady Shiva's sister and was previously part of the league of assassins.)

Damian becomes the knight in shining armour and the person to expose Lila's lies and humiliates her.

Obviously there's some miraculous/akuma and DC Young Justice and Teen Titans stuff going on but that's generally the what I've seen from damn near EVERY Daminette fanfic I've encountered and read.

Well, except one. It's called Darkest Night, Bluest Stars and it's written by my best friend. It's on Wattpad and AO3. It's pretty good.

It's like people are just recycling the same trope over and over, but don't even bother to be creative or play around with it at least a little. And I ain't gonna lie, it gets kinda boring seeing and reading the same trope for this ship over and over again.

Like is the only thing Daminette is good for is to be an outlet for writers and readers to have this one character/plot device who can actually expose Lila and just happens to come from a rich and elite family and has the power and influence to do so?

Like I see some potential for this ship.

We can go for

Enemies to lovers where Ladybug and Robin are forced to work together because they share a common enemy.

Forced proximity/reluctant allies where Robin is forced on a mission to Paris and has to work with Ladybug instead of riding solo.

You want some non hero AUs? I gotchu

Academic rivals to lovers

Blind Date

Fake Dating

Arranged Marriage/Business Partners

Opposites Attract

Like give us something with this ship that does not involve the Bullied Marinette and Saviour Damian trope, please, and thank you.

#damian wayne #marinette dupain cheng #daminette #fanfiction #crackship #maribat #maridami #dc comics #miraculous ladybug #wattpad #ao3 fanfic #ao3

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anko-murasaki · 2 years ago

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would it be alright if i wrote something for your ‘king and his knight au’ (the one w/ leper and crusader) i just really love the idea! its no problem if not!

Oh my god yes!!! I would looove to see something written for this AU! Please please please send me the link when you're done! I would absolutely love to read it!

If you could just mention me quickly in the credits I would be super grateful! But otherwise, please go ham!

#the king and his knight au #darkest dungeon #ask

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dilly-dahlia · 10 months ago

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The Guard at the Window

pairing: fem!reader x Laurance

content: tangled au, variation of Stockholm syndrome, emotional abuse, kind of slow burn for this being a one shot, they actually don't get together, the world of MCD but not canon compliant, not-so-meet-cute, enemies to lovers (?), vague allusions to a difficult past concerning the mother, use of y/n

summary: Being locked in a tower your whole life can put a damper on your mood. But when your knight in shining armor comes to rescue you, do you really want to go with him?

word count: 5.4k (i'm sorry everyone i got carried away)

masterlist

It was not a pleasant thing to be locked up in your tower.

Yes, you enjoyed the solitude it provided. You had read numerous history books about the horrible things people did beyond the walls, and your mother had told you in great detail the terrible things that had happened to her before she was blessed with you. She wanted to protect you from the troubles she had endured at your age, and you were content with that.

But you had read other stories. The fictional ones your mother brought you as a reward for taking such wonderful care of your tower while she was away were filled with magic. You were transported to another world when you opened the crisp pages, and you could devour those stories in hours.

Those were the stories that told you about love and its different forms. You had read about brave heroines creating everlasting bonds with the people they led or the animals they befriended. You read about relationships of unconditional trust in terrifying situations, and you had read about families that found each other in their darkest times.

But your favorites, as cliche as it may be, were the ones where two people fell in love.

You loved reading about the feelings that developed and the stolen kisses and the romantic outings. They always had you smiling uncontrollably and kicking your feet when you daydreamed about experiencing the same thing later.

You longed to know what it felt like to fall in love the same way the characters in your stories did. You yearned to feel that same flap of butterfly wings in your stomach and have your knees weak at the small action of a kiss. You found yourself fantasizing about it more often than you liked to admit, imagining how it would go.

Perhaps your mother would find a suitor for you. She would bring him up into your tower when she visited and introduce the two of you. She would tell you that he was a lord of high standing and nobility and he would sweep you off your feet.

Or maybe he would find himself at the base of your tower, where the two of you would raise your voices just to communicate with each other. He would catch you when you jumped out to join him and create a life together.

Or, since your birthday was coming up, it might be possible to ask your mother to take you out. You were no longer a little girl or a teenager and you could defend yourself. Surely she would see no problem and allow you to accompany her on her next trip. You would travel to a village that sold the finest silks and paints and meet him on the street corner.

Your mother had other plans.

"Leave the tower?" She didn't even look at you as she cleaned the apples in her basket, rubbing them with a rag until they reflected the candlelight. "And how would we get back up?"

You softly exhaled through your nose, beginning to run your fingers through your hair and ignoring the subtle throbbing in your head. "We can use the same way you used when you originally brought me here."

Your mother scoffed, turning her head to look at you. Her gaze followed your hands for a moment before you got the hint to stop. She didn't like when you played with your hair. She always said it would cause stress and make you lose it.

"Darling," she began, her voice honeyed, "the way I used to get you up here is now so overgrown it's hardly usable anymore. Besides, I don't even remember where the door is."

When she turned her attention back to the apples and began cutting them up, you rolled your eyes. You opened your mouth to say something, but your mother kept talking, drowning the thoughts you were going to voice.

"It's a dangerous world out there, darling. You wouldn't like it. This meadow around the tower is the only safe haven I've found to protect you, and I refuse to put your safety in jeopardy just because you want to see beyond the walls."

This time, you didn't hide your discontent. You groaned and came up behind your mother, wrapping your arms around her body and resting your chin on her shoulder. She was a bit taller than you, so it was uncomfortable and you had to stand on your tiptoes.

"Please, mother. It's for my birthday."

"Yes, yes, darling. Your twenty-fourth, if I recall correctly." It was your twenty-third. "Quite a large number to celebrate. Oh, my baby's getting old."

She hummed as she reached up and pinched your cheek, her focus hardly faltering as she continued to cut up the fruit in her basket. The action left remnants of the sugared juice on your cheek, and you pulled away to wipe it off with the back of your hand.

"Mother, I'm not a little girl anymore. I can protect myself now."

"My answer is no, Y/n," she snapped. She turned her head once again to face you, and her gaze was so burning it made you feel like the small child you had just claimed you weren't. "Why do you want to go outside anyway? Aren't you happy with the luxuries I bring you every year?"

You didn't answer. Of course you were grateful for the gifts she brought you, you just wanted more. You wanted to experience what everyone else did.

"Y/n," your mother said after you had been quiet for a moment too long. "You're a young lady. You have the capability to respond when someone asks you a question."

You only nodded. Your mother let out an exasperated breath at the lack of an answer.

"See? You can barely answer a simple question. What makes you think you'll be able to survive out there?" She vaguely motioned to the open window before she walked past you, attempting to put an end to the conversation by stepping up the stairs that led to her private bedroom.

But you weren't going to let it stop there. You quickly caught up to her and grabbed her wrist with a gentle hold before she reached the curtain to the room, making her stop in her tracks and turn to you.

"It would just be one day, Mother. I'll stay by you the whole time, I-"

"I said no." Her tone was stern, and when she pulled her hand from your grasp it felt as though an arrow had gone through your heart. "I'm not changing my mind. Now, by the time I come out to make dinner, you attitude will be gone, is that understood?"

"But-"

She raised her brows. Her stare was piercing, searching your eyes for every secret you had.

You pressed your lips together for a moment before nodding.

Your mother didn't say anything else, only pulling the dark curtains to her room back enough for her to walk in. You waited until the thick fabric to stop swaying to lift your hand and push against the curtain, seeing if she would let you in.

Your hand met a barrier. Clearly she didn't want you with her at the moment. You weren't allowed in her room unless she had given you explicit permission.

You sighed, going down the stairs and sitting on your own bed. The wisteria flowers you had placed around the columns had started wilting. Maybe, if she wouldn't let you outside, your mother could at least get you new blooms.

—

Attitude. What attitude was she talking about?

You had laid down in your bed, twisting some of the wisteria leaves from your bed together to form a flower crown while you waited until your mother came back down. When she did, your "attitude" had disappeared, but neither of you spoke. Not even when the two of you sat at the table and ate the potato soup she had made.

Neither of you spoke again until the next morning. You wouldn't have at all if your mother hadn't told you she was leaving again. This time, the trip would be longer and you'd be alone.

You had only nodded in response. You waited by the window, watching as your mother gathered what she would need from the pantries and drawers before tossing your hair out the window. You groaned when she took hold of it, closing your hands around the strands near your scalp in an attempt to lessen the pull.

When she finally gave your hair one last tug, you nearly stumbled. You righted yourself before you fell, though, and stood at the window until your mother disappeared behind the veil of leaves that kept you hidden.

She was gone now, leaving you with absolutely nothing to do for hours on end.

Yes, you enjoyed the solitude your tower provided, but sometimes you wished there was someone to keep you company.

—

You heard the harsh grinding of stone against iron while you were seated at the table, mending a pair of slippers that had recently torn along the seams. The sound made you pause. You waited a moment to make sure you weren't going crazy.

When you heard it again, you immediately dropped the material in your hands and lunged for the cupboard. You grabbed a knife and darted across the room, throwing open the door to your wardrobe and pushing your blouses and skirts aside to hide among them. You spent longer than you wanted trying to stuff your hair in the spaces beside you, and you're sure a small amount of it got stuck beneath the doors. You left it open just a crack so you could see out of it.

He grunted as he lifted himself onto the windowsill, muttering a curse when he kicked his leg over the edge and stumbled into the room without grace. He stood up and looked around, his gaze faltering when he caught sight of the wardrobe. He started at it for a moment—a long moment where you thought he would stride right up to you and open the door, but he didn't.

When he turned his head away, you looked at him. His disheveled hair was light brown, parted down the middle. He was wearing gray pants and a blue overcoat. A leather bag wrapped tightly around his body, and a scabbard was secured around his waist, his hand never leaving the hilt of his sword.

The only thought that crossed your mind was that you would have to be sneaky to gain any kind of advantage over him, and when he took tentative steps past the wardrobe, further into the tower, you slowly pushed open the door and stepped out.

Your footsteps were quiet. You approached him slowly, making sure you didn't make any sound. You held the knife in front of you, both hands on the hilt, and aimed it at him.

Go fast and just get it over with, you told yourself, but something was making you hesitate. This was wrong. This was wrong, but he was trespassing. If something happened to you because you couldn't protect yourself . . . Dear, your mother would be enraged. She would never let you leave.

This was your one chance to prove you could protect yourself.

You stepped closer. Closer and closer until you were in such close proximity that you felt the need to hold your breath.

Just as you reached the point where you could jab out your arm and stab him, you paused. You tried to keep your breaths light and unheard, but your heart was pounding. You could feel it fighting against your rib cage, burning to jump out of your chest.

Your hesitance made you the victim. In one swift move, the man in front of you drew his sword and lunged back. In the same movement, he had successfully disarmed you, your kitchen knife now thrown across the room.

You froze, your hands lifted by your side in what you think is meant to be a defensive pose. Or the beginnings of running away. You aren't sure, since you couldn't think clearly because of the sword pointed at you.

The man looked you up and down, raising his eyebrows when he noticed your bare feet and the bandages wrapped around your fingertips (the result of accidentally stabbing yourself with a needle one too many times). His stance relaxed, but he kept his sword aimed at you.

"Who are you?" he asked. His voice was smooth, and if the circumstances were different you might have swooned from the sound alone.

You were silent, opening and closing your mouth like a fish as you fought to articulate the words you wanted to say. You must have looked like an idiot, wearing an untucked blouse and skirt that had clearly seen better days.

"I- Who are you?" you asked instead. Your voice was quieter than you would have liked. You tried clearing your throat discreetly before saying it louder, but it came out as a cough instead.

You decided not to repeat your question. You didn't want to embarrass yourself more than you already had.

The man was quiet. His gaze traveled over you again, this time lingering on the copious amounts of hair that trailed behind you. His eyes followed it for a moment before snapping back to your face.

He sheathed his sword and stood straighter, though that did nothing to quell your fears of being sliced to pieces.

"My name is Laurance Zvahl." He bowed, which surprised you. You knew that bowing was the typical show of gratitude or courtesy for someone of high standing, but you were just a girl in a tower. "I'm second in command of the guard in Phoenix Drop."

Your brows furrowed as he straightened. Phoenix Drop? It was a town your mother had visited years ago. The only thing she said when she returned from her stay was, "It was nothing special. Just a small, underdeveloped town run by a pacifist."

But . . . Phoenix Drop was so far. What was their second in command doing here?

"May I ask what your name is?" he asked when you had been silent for too long. He crossed your arms, and you figured he must not have pinned you as a threat if he was being this nonchalant about everything.

Which, you weren't a threat, but his comfort in your home unnerved you.

"Y/n," you replied.

Laurance smiled kindly. "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

Your eyes slightly widened. You can't say for sure if you blushed, but you knew from the way his smile widened that you weren't doing a very good job of hiding how flustered the single compliment made you.

You cleared your throat again. "Why are you here?"

"Ah." Laurance glanced around as he spoke. "Well, a few guards and I were accompanying our Lord on a trip. Unfortunately, we got separated in the forest and I ended up here. I assumed this tower was vacant since there was so much overgrowth outside, but"—he motions to you—"it clearly wasn't."

You nodded. People got lost in the forest surrounding your tower all the time, but none had ever entered the small circle of rocks that surrounded you. They had tried, but a barrier your mother had set up around it prevented them from getting father.

So how did he get in?

You knew that sometimes your mother's magic faltered, especially if she was far away, but she had redone the spells surrounding you just last week. They should have been stronger, if anything.

Laurance, taking note of your silence, continued talking. "I saw the tip over the rocks and assumed it was hollow. I suppose my guess was rewarded, since I now get to spend a few moments with someone as pretty as you."

He smiled again, and you found yourself relaxing ever so slightly. He hadn't moved to draw his sword again or make any physical advances on you, and you found your mind easing in your presence.

Your mother had always warned you of people like him—of people that seemed easy to trust and talk to. They were the most deceptive. They were the ones that would shatter your entire being with one lie.

You put her warnings in the back of your mind. It couldn't have been possible for someone with such sincere eyes to be a cheat, right?

"There's magicks around this tower," you said. You tried keeping your voice flat. "You shouldn't have been able to see anything, let alone get in."

Laurance's brows furrowed. "Really? Well, it must not be very strong. I didn't pick up on any traces of magic when I came in."

You huffed, any earlier ease you had felt now gone. "There is a barrier surrounding this tower and the rocks around it. My mother is the best witch in Ru'aun. Her magic essence comes from a line of witches so potent and known that armies have fallen at the feeling of it. Her magic doesn't falter for deities, much less a non-magicks user like you."

Your mother had told you stories about your ancestors. She often spoke about how they fought by Lady Irene's side and protected her from Shad the Destroyer. You knew your mother had powerful magicks. She had shown you the extent of her abilities herself.

Laurance's eyebrows raised again. He showed a lot of facial expressions, you noticed.

"Right. Well, I'm here, so maybe your mother's magic just ran out." He shrugged, the charming smile that painted his lips widening.

"Magic doesn't just run out-"

"Then it wore off, or something. Listen, I don't know a lot about magic or witches or . . . anything else like that." Laurance shrugged. You huffed, crossing your arms.

Incompetent little b-

"So, you just stay up here?" Laurance's stare was on your hair again, following the long locks until he reached the pile of hidden strands still in your wardrobe. He walked up to you and you stiffened, but he walked past you to trail your hair instead.

"Obviously," you snapped, as if it were common knowledge that you did. Your mother's words rang in your head. "There would be no way back up if I left."

Laurance hummed. You started running your hands through your hair as he approached the wardrobe, opening the door wider and allowing the pile of hair inside to slide out. "You got a lot of hair," he stated.

You tugged your hair closer to your body, though the action did nothing to move it further from Laurance. "How else is my mother supposed to get up here?"

Laurance lifted his head to face you, his brows raised. "Your mother climbs your hair to get up here?" You nodded. "That doesn't . . . It doesn't hurt?"

"Well, yeah. But I've gotten used to it. It doesn't hurt now as much as it did when I was little."

"People climbing your hair is a regular occurrence?"

You let out an exasperated breath. Who was this guy in thinking he could ask so many questions. "My mother's the only one."

"And you've never left this tower?"

You shook your head.

Laurance let out a low whistle.

You pressed your lips together. You knew he was judging not only your mother, but your lifestyle. Sure, it might not have been the most accepted method of protection, but up until today it had worked. You had been content to be alone in your tower your entire life. You had to be. Who was he to think he could just climb the walls and criticize the way you lived?

Laurance was looking out the window he had come in from. You opened your mouth to snap back, but Laurance started talking before you could.

"Ever consider leaving?"

His question caught you off guard. You started at him gobsmacked for a moment—as if he had just admitted a heinous secret to you—before your mind cleared enough for you to formulate an answer.

"I-I do. Yes." You paused, choosing your words. "But I'm content up here."

Laurance's lips curved into another charming smile. It practically lit up the room, and you found yourself easing once again at the sight of it.

"So you do? Do you even get fresh air up here? Have you ever felt the sun on your skin?"

You huffed. "Of course I have. That window allows me to receive what nature provides."

"But you've never really experienced any of it, have you? You've never laid out in the sun or ran in a field or-or talked to someone that isn't your mother, have you?"

You crossed your arms and looked away. "I'm talking to you right now, aren't I?"

Laurance exhaled. "That's not what I mean. I mean you don't have any friends, or acquaintances, or anyone to talk to at all. You don't get lonely up here?"

You rolled his words over in your head but didn't say anything. You refused to admit he was right. You did get lonely, and you did want to leave your tower even if it was for one day. But your mother wouldn't allow it.

Laurance's expression softened as he realized how sheltered you actually were. He looked around the tower again, taking in the hand painted details and the homemade candles and the stacks of books against the walls. He couldn't imagine living like this—stuck in an inescapable tower with nothing to do for days, years on end. No socialization, no friends, not even an animal of some kind for you to interact with.

"Alright, so clearly your mom's got a little something going on in her head." The words had you snapping your head in his direction as Laurance pointed his finger and moved it in a small circle. Your nose scrunched and you uncrossed your arms, moving to hit him, shove him, something, while you said a few choice words, but Laurance stuck his hand out and held onto your shoulder, keeping you an arm's length away. "But this is genuinely insane." He vaguely motioned to the room. "No one keeps their kid locked in a place like this. Not if they truly love them."

You huffed again, trying to push yourself forward to smack him, but his grip on your shoulder only tightened. It was clear he wasn't going to let you move.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" you yelled. "You don't know what my mother's been through or what she's trying to protect me from."

"Do you even know what she's protecting you from? Because the defenses you claim are surrounding this tower sound like battle tactics. Nothing poses that much of a threat to a place like this."

“People like you do,” you bit back. “My mother’s always warning me about you. The handsome, charming ones that can obviously get girls to smile with every word they say. She says people like you will turn their backs on those they claim to love without a second thought.”

Laurance exhaled. “Okay, so your mother met one bad person that broke her trust and ruined her life. That’s no reason to lock your daughter up forever. Not everyone is like that.”

“Well the good ones are so sparse and hard to find that there isn’t even a point in trying.”

“How would you even know that? You-” Laurance groaned, cutting himself off and taking a moment to gather his thoughts. “Listen, this is insane.” Laurance threw his arms out, motioning to the tower. “No one locks people up like this to protect them. You can’t tell me you seriously want to stay up here for the rest of your life, can you?”

You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms again. “Obviously I don’t, but my mother knows best. If she says that staying up here will keep me safe and away from the people she seems unworthy, then I will stay up here.”

Laurance blew out a breath. He ran a hand through his hair and began pacing for a moment.

“Alright, listen. I know this is crazy, but you clearly don’t. And I now know that you don’t want to stay here forever. So how about this—I get you out of here. You can experience the world for just a little bit, see how people interact, see how life is supposed to be, and then you can decide if your mother truly knows what’s best for you.”

You pursed your lips. His offer was enticing. You had just spoken to your mother about this and refused you. You knew you shouldn’t go with him. Laurance was a stranger you just met. He could be a serial killer for all you knew.

But there was something in his eyes. His gorgeous blue eyes that resembled celestite held something akin to worry. He wanted you to leave, and you realized it wasn’t so he could fulfill whatever sick fantasy he might have had.

He was kind, you could tell that much. He couldn’t seem to handle the thought of anyone stuck in the same situation as you, and he wanted to help you. He needed to help you get out of this tower, even if it was only for a couple days.

You huffed. “How do you propose both of us get out of here?”

Despite himself, a faint smile graced Laurance’s features. “We could get out the way I came in.”

Laurance reached into his bag and pulled out four arrows. You found it odd, since he had no bow on him. He must have found them somewhere.

You looked down at the arrows, your gaze flicking between them and Laurance’s eyes.

“I’m not using those,” you plainly stated.

“Then use your hair. I’m sure you can double it up or something and slide down it. I’ll catch you when you reach the bottom.”

You rolled your eyes, biting your lip to hide a smile.

Nothing else was said. You watched as Laurance sauntered back to the window and kicked his legs over the edge. You stayed standing in your spot, wondering if you should really do this.

Your mother would be gone for weeks. You could afford to spend some time out. But what if something happened to you? You could be kidnapped or killed or worse.

When the top of Laurance’s head disappeared, you took that as your sign to stay behind. If he was out of sight then the whole thing was out of mind. You would never have to tell your mother about this, and maybe one day she would take you out herself.

You were just about to turn and continue mending your slipper’s when you heard his voice.

“You comin’?” he called out. You paused again. Against your better judgment, you walked to the window and peered over the edge.

Laurance wasn’t that far down the tower. He was looking down at where he placed his feet so he didn’t slip.

You looked past him, to the grassy field of flowers below him. You watched a rabbit scurry across your line of vision before it disappeared into a hole beneath a tree before taking a deep breath.

Okay, so maybe out of sight out of mind wasn’t going to work for you. That was alright. It would be just fine if you left with this man you just met, right?

Oh Divines.

You took another deep breath before tossing your hair out the window and winding it around the hook. How does this work? Do you just grab it and then scale down the tower? Do you slide down the hair? What if you got stuck?

You reached out and grabbed ahold on your hair. You tugged on it experimentally, knowing it would hurt your head more than usual since you wouldn’t be able to tug it back toward your scalp.

You slowly inhaled and exhaled again before doing the same as Laurance and kicking your feet over the windowsill.

One deep breath at a time, you gathered the courage to let yourself fall ever so slightly, yelping when you moved farther down than you intended. Your heart jumped to your throat, and it took you another moment to gather yourself and continue.

Laurance had already made it to the bottom. He now stared up at you, poised to move if your slipped and fell. He would catch you, you trusted that much.

It didn’t quell your nerves. It took another minute of deep breaths and closing your eyes before you readjusted yourself and your foot met the warm stone of your tower. You slowly moved down, grunting with the effort of quite literally holding yourself up by the head.

Laurance’s voice talked you through it as you reached closer and closer to the bottom. Your arms felt as though they would give out and your head was pounding. You thought you had good footing on the tower, but the stone was loose. It crumbled beneath your foot as you loosened your hold on your hair to move down and you went tumbling with it.

You let out a scream as you fell, though it was short lived. Laurance was beneath you in an instant, catching you in a mess of bundled fabric and tangled hair. The placement of his hands wasn’t the most appropriate, with one hand just a hair away from groping your chest and the other holding a firm grip on your hip, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to chastise him as you took a second to gather yourself again.

You gently pushed him away when your mind cleared. He set you onto your feet without complaint and waited until your breathing evened out to say anything.

When you finally looked up at him, he smiled.

“Look behind you,” he said. You did so, craning your neck up to see the window of your tower left wide open. It was much taller than you expected, and you had to turn your whole body and take a few steps back to take it all in. “You’re free. For a couple days at least.”

You didn’t let thoughts of how your mother would punish you if she found out plague you. Nor did you let yourself think about the impossible task of getting back up into the tower. You refused to fathom every terrible thing that could happen to you because you were free, albeit for a short period of time.

Your face broke into a wide smile. You tore your gaze from your tower and looked around. You had only ever seen the meadow from an aerial view. You never would have thought that it looked so beautiful seeing everything from where you stood now.

You let out a breath of disbelief, laughing as you knelt in the grass and ran your hands through the soft blades.

How did you live your entire life without this?

You didn’t comment at the sound of Laurance’s footsteps behind you. You just relished in the sound his boots made against the gravel and dirt, an odd sound to love but one you never think you’ll tire of hearing.

You look up at him, bright smile and all.

“What?” you asked, noticing his expression. It seemed content. There was the faintest of smiles on his lips and his eyes were sparkling like the water in the creek across the field.

Laurance shook his head. “Nothing. Just glad I could help.”

If it was possible, your smile would have widened. You pushed yourself back to your feet, rubbing your scalp to loosen the tension as you looked around again.

“So where are we going?” you asked.

“Well, I need to find my lord and the other guards I accompanied,” Laurance said. You turned to him, still running your hands through your hair. “You’re free to join me, if you’d like, or we can go our separate ways. The choice is yours, beautiful.”

That time, you allowed yourself to soften your smile as you gazed at him. “I think I will.”

Looking at him now, with the sun shining against his hair and reflecting off his eyes like they were the rarest crystals, you thought he was handsome. Unbearably so. The corners of his eyes turned up and his face looked as though it would fit in your hands perfectly. His nose had a prominent bump on the bridge that he might have been conscious of at one point, but it now suited him.

You shook yourself of those thoughts, but as you trailed behind him, following him out of the solitude you had known your whole life, you couldn’t help but think that this was the start of your love story.

was this accurate to his character? maybe. i’m not sure since i’m still getting back into the fandom but I hope y’all enjoyed 💙

will this have a part 2? maybe. if y’all want one then let me know. either way i’m probably gonna write a part two but for now it will remain a one shot

next part

#dahlia's dreams ☾#aphmau #aphmau mcd #minecraft diaries x reader #minecraft diaries #mcd #mcd laurance #minecraft diaries laurance #laurance x reader #laurance zvhal x reader #laurance zvahl #mystreet #mystreet laurance #phoenix drop high aphmau #phoenix drop high laurance #aphblr #aphverse #tgatw

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happyhauntt · 1 year ago

Text

— april fic recs, brought to you by happyhauntt.

it's that time again! a wee fic rec post for a few of the fics i read in april that altered my brain chemistry!! i've put a lil comment next to each rec because honestly writers don't get praised enough for their work these days and i wanted to show my appreciation for these talented souls!!

criminal minds.

➡ spencer reid.

in every other life by @irndad. notes: adorableness incarnate honestly.

trouble almost all my life series by @januaryembrs. notes: might honestly have to put this on every masterlist til the end of time.

forgiven by @reiding-writing. notes: um HOW DARE YOU i sobbed my way through this

grishaverse.

➡ kaz brekker.

breakfast by @sophierequests. notes: look i'm a simple human i see badass characters and i fall in love

➡ jesper fahey.

i'm your gal by @atlabeth. notes: NOT ENOUGH JESPER FICS and this one is GLORIOUS

star wars.

➡ poe dameron.

the f-word by @the-little-ewok. notes: i reread this constantly pls it's so good

moon knight.

➡ marc spector.

i should've been there by @januaryembrs. notes: not em out here ruining my life and making me sob AGAIN you simply never miss

9-1-1.

➡ evan buckley.

take my hand by @redocity. notes: cute cute cute cute cute

emergency room by redocity. notes: the ANGST i feel well-fed

won't say i'm falling by @borntobewondering. notes: this was DELICIOUS

➡ buck / eddie.

a bleeding sun on a silver screen by @hoediaz / rarakiplin on ao3. notes: i was fully choking back sobs while reading this. i binged this fic in less than 24 hours and it has changed something fundamental inside me. i will never be the same person again. i'm billing you for my therapy.

good luck, babe by @hattalove. notes: i cackled my way through this, potentially the funniest shit ever.

hate to say i spent it all on masquerades by hattalove. notes: i sobbed and sobbed and sobbed while reading this. this fic is everything to me, it should be required reading for all my friends who want to understand me, it is beautiful and magical and i want it tattooed on my face.

don't wanna let you love somebody else but me by @shitouttabuck / fleetinghearts on ao3. notes: sheer adorableness i will well recover from this!!!!

tried and true blue by shitouttabuck / fleetinghearts on ao3. notes: SCREAMING I'M SCREAMING I MAY NEVER STOP SCREAMING

like a dog with a bird at your door by shitouttabuck / fleeting hearts on ao3. notes: iconic. truly iconic. quite possibly one of my fav fics ever written.

let the world have its way with you by shitouttabuck / fleeting hearts on ao3. notes: you don't understand how hard it was not to include every single one of shitouttabuck's fics on this list and there will almost certainly be more in future but i just want them tattooed on my forehead i feel insane

i have dreams where i kiss you and it's pink by shitouttabuck / fleeting hearts on ao3. notes: the cutest and i mean THE CUTEST shit ever

all my shattered oaths by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels on ao3. notes: i sobbed. i sobbed so hard i think i burst something honestly. everything from this author is immaculate but THIS is the holy fuckin grail and i will truly never be the same again.

let my ink stain your pages by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels on ao3. notes: castle au CASTLE AU i'm a sucker for a castle au and this is EVERYTHING

even in winter there is eranthis by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels on ao3. notes: i think about this fic daily.

your love is an oil slick by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels on ao3. notes: this is everything this is EVERYTHING to me i will reread this weekly for the rest of my life

even the darkest night by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels on ao3. notes: stardust au STARDUST AU aka my favourite movie and my favourite ship combined into a fuckin masterpiece

curl up in my heart and let me keep you by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels on ao3. notes: soft sweet my brain is mushy and i adore this

hoping it gets to you by @bucktommys / hammersmiths on ao3. notes: cute adorable stunning MAGNIFICENT

you're my whole house by @/bucktommys / hammersmiths on ao3. notes: THIS FIC OUT HERE MAKIN ME SQUEAL AND KICK MY LEGS

left unsaid by c_m2 on ao3. notes: this is mcfuckin adorable i'm crying buck deserves everything in the world

say yes to heaven by dylaesthetics on ao3. notes: okay full disclosure this made me cry so much i threw up. also it hit some pretty intense trauma for me. still so glad i read it because it was also kinda healing. and i want everyone else to suffer like i have because fuck i suffered.

if i need to rearrange my particles, i will for you by dylaesthetics on ao3. notes: author you will always be famous bc you're knocking my emotional stability OUTTA THE PARK

honestly, truly, completely by dylaesthetics on ao3. notes: simply fuckin adorable

feels like magic by 42hrb on ao3. notes: there's nothing i adore more than an urban fantasy au and this one is EXQUISITE

fallin' into your ocean eyes by princessfbi on ao3. notes: okay every part of this au is absolutely fuckin perfection i am so deeply in love with it

until now by tearsthissideofheaven on ao3. notes: a reincarnation au??? it's like you know how to ruin my life

if i never hear your voice again by @actualalligator. notes: disability rep!!!! brilliant writing!!!!

life sure can try to put love through it by @capseycartwright / wafflesofdoom on ao3. notes: ahahaha ruin my life why don't you

sometimes its hard to see what the future holds by @/capseycartwright / wafflesofdoom on ao3. notes: olympics buddie au??? didn't know i wanted it but now i can't live without it

all good things come to an end (but it's not the end) by @/capseycartwright / wafflesofdoom on ao3. notes: i will, in fact, devour every buddie!fwb au ever written but this one is especially great

you smiled and it was the most beautiful thing that I'd ever seen by @/capseycartwright / wafflesofdoom on ao3. notes: coffee shop!buddie have become everything to me wdym

it's funny 'cause i've always dreamed of me and you by @/capseycartwright / wafflesofdoom on ao3. notes: yes i did sob my heart out reading this and i'll do it again

'cause darling, you're the one by @/capseycartwright / wafflesofdoom on ao3. notes: icymi i think this author is the best author to ever exist and i want to devour everything they write forever

i don't think that we should have friendly sex, anymore by @/capseycartwright / wafflesofdoom on ao3. notes: !!!!!!! that's it that's the note. brain: faye you can't put this many fics by the same author on one masterlist. faye: bET-

still i call it magic (when i'm next to you) by @clusterbuck / lecornergirl on ao3. notes: urban fantasy is, in fact, my shit.

(this kiss is) something i can't resist by @/clusterbuck / lecornergirl on ao3. notes: NO BC THIS HAD ME CACKLING AND ALSO IT'S BRILLIANT

give me five more minutes, baby (i'm not finished loving you) by @/clusterbuck / lecornergirl on ao3. notes: fake dating or immaculate writing??? both

cuffing season by @/clusterbuck / lecornergirl on ao3. notes: i am still laughing at this and i may never stop

#this is late as fuck but i'm posting it anyway #yes i got into buddie fic this month is it that obvious #* faye's monthly fic recs.#* type: fic recs.#spencer reid x reader #poe dameron x reader #evan buckley x reader #buddie fanfic #buddie fic recs #buck x eddie #911 fanfiction

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