#he wants to know about the void century for sure that's so at odds with the image he projects to me

[franeridan]

can't stop thinking about that one post tumblr put on my dash that was like the main difference between luffy and teach is that teach is luffy without a dream..................... i mean it's cool to have our own understanding of the characters and all but how did you erase teach's introduction from your memory that thoroughly

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Rock Emeth Sock Emeth

Bahahahahaha look at the snail getting up! No matter how deep and heavy this story gets at times sometimes it's really that simple. You know that feeling when you see something so eye-catching and it just takes you away? Almost like stars in your eyes? This lil guy doing his best is that for me. And I felt it needed acknowledgement. No other reason.

So the broadcast is back! People who got really hot about apparent sudden turns in the last chapter have a bit of egg on their face this one. We flow back into our current bestie, pulling a very Wano trick yet again of a double meaning in the chapter title. A lot of people get the connection in the title to the Golem of Jewish folklore. But "Emeth" literally means truth, faithfulness as well. Our concept in the little lead-in text "Words that shroud the truth" for our return to...

Here we are, getting back to Stussy. And it seems to be the case that we skipped over the heart of her conversation with Kaku. Last we left off was this notion of her conflicted, wanting to be faithful to both. It's so interesting to use Kaku this way, not for a similar name or the odd through line of giraffes but because we know he was here once before too. He was the one who had some earnest love for his role as a Galley-La shipwright. Is he thinking about Paulie and Lulu and Tilestone? Wishing he could have done the same, enjoy that humble role and honest job forever?

Regardless, broadcast is back and that means Stussy's Gay Pop Summer continues. I got that from a comment on the Chappell Roan clip and well, it's just perfect. This is essentially the same type of bit I saw so heavily in Kiku, very similar to the End of Act 1 example actually, which means it could end up meaning anything. Stussy is both someone who could be our window into what happened last night as well as the subject of it, you know? Like the other two I wanna give room for the idea one of these cutaway ladies is just setting herself up and this right here opened up a lot for Stussy. Girl's really working her way into the very tippy top of the blorbo rankings in her own right with these past few chapters too.

And of course, when we get back to all of this with the Elbaf ship it moves on pretty swiftly. Apparently now there's also some mystery holdup above. Bonney ran out of steam almost immediately and it's even highlighted how it was an illusion of the Age-Age Fruit. I quite like smacking Luffy in the back, especially with the bit about Sanji & Franky doing it without a second thought. Don't forget Bonney's been a rather successful captain in her own right.

All in all, feels like this little side-segment has done what it needs to. Especially since our return to regularly scheduled programming also includes...

Big robot. No one is excited for this. How silly. Look at my entirely flat affect...

Seriously, how fun! Rock Em Sock Em Robonosuke! First off if he's back and the broadcast is still going then yeah that means the idea this ends up in the broadcast being hijacked is back in play. But we do now know for sure there's no ambiguity with the robot reacting to the Nika heartbeat and having this explicit connection to Joyboy. Still think it's interesting we're playing with the split between the two and of course, if it's from the Void Century you always have to wonder about the potential of further info passed on through Toki in some fashion.

All in all, definitely has me feeling good about reading the last little bit as a "crackle" in the story we're still telling. Boo to break week, but they're necessary. Curious to see what's up next when we come back.

[lunargeist]

Made Holy in Your Eyes

[1]

[Chaos 70%]

However, the gods of which you think of are not the ineffable bring you might be imagining. These creatures are more than of what we new call fae in nature. They need believers. They have rules. Rules that are not to be broken.

They tended to do that, the gods hating chaos. Of course They understood that was His purpose in all this after all and, to an extent, He could not help His own nature at times. He did try, to His own credit; He really did. They loved Him for that. He loved Them too.

At least, He thought They did.

It was somewhat of an odd occurrence to have the whole family at a meeting. Members of their family were often spread to then wind or perhaps to be dancing amongst the soot and ash of chimneys, drops of sea spray splashing agaisnt the bow of a shop. To have them all in one place felt... wrong.

Even He felt it, here in their Home where they were safe and could breath and exist in ways that didn't require human reverence. Places in the mortal world where someone would look at some gems and realise that they were not shining the way they usually do, regardless of how polished that engagement ring was.

To have everyone in one place (that was hardly really even a place. Home tended to be the space between spaces rather than somewhere of substance) was unnatural and His skin prickled.

He looked out over the almost literal sea of those He called family, eyes jumping between those He hadn't seen in what could have been days to centuries. He glanced to the front where the sort of Matriarch of the pantheon stood during such meetings like this. They had yet to make their appearance, which almost felt odd at this point. He had gotten here late, which He usually did because the first part of their place. It didn't take Him long to find Him, perhaps His only friend that He kept in touch with regularly.

He was also lurking on the edge of the crowd, not far from the door. Honestly, He wouldn't be suprised if He had only gotten here minutes before He did.

"Where do you think They are?"

Despite the din of the meeting hall, it wasn't too difficult to hear each other. He shrugged without looking over at His friend as He approached. "Not sure, really. I don't think any of Them have been seen around yet."

"That feels a little concerning. Not even Her?"

He made a disgruntled sound. "No. Which makes this whole thing even weirder. It almost feels like a Trial."

"I couldn't even say when the last Trial was. Do you think so?"

He shrugged, shifting agaisnt the wall to look at Him. "Dunno. But I've heard a few of the Sisters whispering."

"That's all the Sisters do."

He rolled His eyes. "That's because they are GOOD at it. Look, I thought I heard you when I over heard them. Have you done anything to gain Their ire?"

"No?" He asked, a little appalled at the idea. "I mean, not that I've meant to. Or more so than usual."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, obviously not."

It had been years since a Trial, or at least, that's how long He thought it had been. (Time could be funny for them, you see.) But to be called to a Trial was usually a bad sign. He trusted Their judgment, as all of them did, but He also knew that should he go to Trial, then it would be an almost garenteed sentence to exile, if not total obliteration to the Void.

He pursed His lips. "Is She with Them right now?"

He shrugged His shoulders again. "They are probably in Their inner chambers right now, deliberating on if there is to be a Trial or not."

He paused before looking at Him. "I probably wouldn't go looking for Her right now. If the Trial is about you... well, I wouldn't want to go interrupting them."

"I never said I was going to do that." He said, though, even as He spoke, His eyes drifted down the large corridor behind the meeting podium.

His eyes followed where His eyes, though He didn't really need to see where He was looking to know. He groaned slightly. "Don't tell me you're considering trying to talk to them."

"Well, I wouldn't plan on talking to Them. I could just go eavesdrop to see if it is ACTUALLY a Trial for me."

"That sounds like an awful idea, and I can tell by your voice that you know it."

He made a sound in the back of His throat before looking again to the corridor.

[nuttersincorporated]

Tradition

Fandom: The Sandman

Summary: Once a century, for a day, Death of the Endless spends a day as a mortal. Once a century, Dream of the Endless meets the immortal human Hob Gadling. The other Endless have traditions of their own.

A The Sandman kink meme fill

Word Count: 690

AN: The original prompt asked what centennial traditions the other Endless do. Not all of these are once every hundred years but they are traditions I think would work for each of them.

Once a century for a single day, Death becomes human to experience what it’s like. Well, ‘human’ is what she becomes in the age of mankind anyway. Perhaps, it is more accurate to say that she spends a day as a mortal.

Death has become so many different sorts of beings during her Endless existence and has no doubt that she’ll become many more in the future. She is Endless and, other than her siblings, nothing else is. It is good to let a small part of herself – never all of her, her function never stops after all – live one short day as her charges do.

Every one hundred years, Dream meets with the immortal human, Hob Gadling, to discuss his experiences. They have only met seven times. It is barely a tradition for one such as he. He is Endless, six hundred and odd years should be nothing to him… and yet.

And yet, he never expected this tradition to last past their second meeting and he finds himself looking forward to their next one. He hopes (a dangerous thing) that this will become a true tradition.

These are the things we know. But what of the other Endless?

Destiny, the first and oldest of the Endless, used to have a centennial tradition too. He would close his book, unshackle himself, leave his garden of winding paths, sit down somewhere with no paths at all, turns off his omniscience and read or play whatever that age’s version of a Choose Your Own Adventure novels were.

It felt good to make choices without knowing there outcome. Destiney misses it. However, since the Prodigal left, it is an indulgence he no longer allows himself.

Desire wants and wants and wants. It is their function. It is their gift and their curse. It is wonderful and unbearable. They love themselves. They want to tear themselves apart at the seams. They crave and hope and yearn.

One of the things Desire wants is peace. It is not something they can easily have because of who and what they are. However, sometime for a short period of time, they can manage it.

It is not a tradition that Desire does on a certain date or after a certain amount of time. They simply do it when the wanting becomes too much and they feel like they are drowning.

Every now and again (more often since their relationship with Dream soured and more often still since their twin’s remaking) Desire cuts themselves off from everything. They leave their own heart and float in an empty void. There, Desire meditates. They try to simply exist in the moment and by happy.

Sometimes they even succeed. It’s the only time they feel peace and contentment. It does not last long.

Despair, as she used to be, did not have any traditions. She does now.

Since she became the current version of herself, on the anniversary of her remaking, for a day Despair becomes Depression. She feels empty inside, she feels nothing at all. It’s better? It’s worse? It’s different and it’s a contrast to reflect on when she turns back.

Sweet Delirium (who was once Delight) often thinks she should start a tradition of her own but then she forgets to remember or remembers to forget.

Once, Delirium decided that she would plant a tree and she would visit it once every ten years. She could do that, she was sure.

She did plant a tree, though she has no idea which one. Sometimes, Delirium forgets she already planted it and plants another one. Other times, she will see a tree and be sure it’s her tree. Once when that happened, she visited the same tree forty-two times in a single day. Another time, she forgot about her tradition for over three hundred years.

Trees always make Delirium smile, even when they don’t know why.

What of the Prodigal? He keeps his own council and wouldn’t tell you even if you could find him. I think he has no need of traditions any more, except maybe to secretly check in on his siblings from time to time.

[ninjaboyjoel]

(En)Elbaf Part 2

So a few things about 1066 (Spoilers! Obviously):

Saul is most likely the burn-scarred man

Kid is most likely on Elbaf

It looks like Hajrudin and his crew were there on Ohara.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE FUTURE?

Elbaf, Ohara and Vegapunk are now inextricably linked. Vegapunk and his satellites are are also heavily linked to the moon. Each of his satellites are named after craters or something else related to the moon. 

In Enel's cover story we see Vegapunk's homeland of Karakuri Island and the scientist Doctor Tsukimi who fixes up automata that were seemingly created by the sky people in the past.

We see very similar automata working on Egghead island in the background. We now know that Vegapunk has learned things about the ancient kingdom and the void century via the books from Ohara and that it appears that he even has some technology from that time. 

The large robot indeed has a very Viking-esque appearance to it which must be noted, invoking both Elbaf and the Ancient Giants (who may well be from Elbaf themselves).

People online have been pointing out that the Space Pirates jolly roger looks exceptionally similar to Doctor Vegapunk himself (with a very looooong head! Hey, who knows maybe this can link to Long Ring Long Land somehow). 

It seems like Elbaf will be an arc of reunions, Dorry, Brogy, Oimo, Kashi, Saul, maybe Hajrudin and his crew and perhaps the Kid Pirates too. A lot of allies gained by Usopp and heavy ties to Usopp and Robin’s developments in Enies Lobby.

Speaking of Hajrudin, we can see what appears to be him, Gerd and Goldberg being captained by Saul in Chapter 1066! How odd, seeing as Saul was not from Elbaf and didn’t seem to have a very high opinion of him when he spoke to Robin. I wonder what changed in the month between the Buster Call and his return to Ohara with his new crew. 

Now as to why I believe he is the burn-scarred man? He’s really the only person who could be, he has the most info about the void century thanks to his retrieval of the books and he was most likely burned by the fires of Ohara during the Buster Call or by Kuzan’s ice (which was most likely the thing that saved him! Cheeky “Ice Time Capsule” we really should have realised he was alive from that). 

This only compounds the link between a few key things to me, ancient technology, Elbaf, and the sky people. Sky People -> Ancient Tech -> Vegapunk and Saul -> Elbaf. Its a trail of connections and I still need something a little more concrete, but this could very well be paving the way for info about Birka, which I believe establishes a key connection between the Giants and the sky people. I think Birka is the key and that is what would bring us to the return of Enel. I should make some kind of web to show how everything connects but I’d look like a conspiracy theorist...

if Elbaf is an arc of reunions, both friends, for Usopp and Robin, and enemies/rivals if Kid appears, (Which I believe he will!). A lot of people are hoping for Vivi’s return here and if the theme of reunions really does ring true, I think we can expect this! Kid and Enel could cause some real havoc together, electromagnets anyone?

I unfortunately can’t really find a way to tie Urouge into this any more than I already have, other than the fact he’s now the only Supernova not to be a major arc character yet. His time will come soon.

Sorry if this was kind of light compared to the previous part, I just wanted to make sure I had my thoughts out there about this. Information is coming at such a fast pace now, if I’m right about this we’ll know before long. A strange tidbit- an early concept for Film Red was in fact the return of Enel, but it was shot down. I can’t work out if that’s good or bad for the theory, I’ll leave that with you.

All the best everyone and I hope to have more to share soon.

[the-firebird69]

Ad Astra | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

I kind of like this I kind of get it grab Tommy f and we get a ticket too mars shut up Tommy and I'm using juicing burping and yum and can't stand it and this is fun and I see it in the movie a bit and people don't get it some do I'm going in a real mission my life is a mess my friend did this to me and his clans this person here is out and was never in his life is very strange it was very odd someone here sitting there with no money for so long and horrible he knows all about it I think we're going to see something we might figure it out I am and see a big fleet come on a Saturn and shortly thereafter he might get stuff will that make sense to me it used to happen that's the pattern to look for

Trump

You find it yourself this is great news found it yourself this is terrific finally

Dan

Good news it seems to be true we're looking at Paris Hilton and the other I'm trying to figure it out and he says it's a trick and I know it is but they'll have to do it cuz they couldn't retrieve them and we heard Camilla say it and we get that everybody was threatening them and they're very deadly we didn't need them pushed to this but the max had it done it's on their head in their time and it looks like they're going to get beat. Is pushed real hard about burning Man and nobody told me the f****** Park was closed it's right on the Park website who are you people everything out of his mouth is Gospel truth to be taking advantage of and you don't even look the goddamn Park website we know who's working there and you're not going into the park and we have tapes and everything important you should have this truck trails everywhere you can see them from space what are you looking at and they thought they were maintaining it or fixing it I have to get the f*** out of here they're so dumb it was right though the trends are similar or the same for off-road now I'm getting something it's not that dumb and they're held down and it's a small group but really this is ridiculous he says and I say this just ridiculous look at these castles what in the hell are people doing he says there's something there it's the void with a wall clay came from to make this huge wall and there's something there and what the f*** are people doing what's the matter with you idiots you found it blocked up with Max can you figure it out

Mac daddy do you think they're down there looking for copper or magnesium or something cuz they're sick from Prilosec

..

Really this is terrible it's all blocked up by them and it only happens when they want to keep you out of course we have to find out what it is maybe a huge base right next to us

Jonathan m

We have a huge number of problems this is a massive issue he's saying it could be a giant kju and we're just sitting here jerking the bologna telling him over there tons of people are there we're having them say it this f****** blows that thinking walk all over the place and kill everybody but that's not what it's for it's for going up to Saturn and grabbing thorium okay we're f****** stupid

Dan

Yeah good call and telling everybody for Christ's sake

Trump

He did it and now people know about it

Dan

Ok ok

Trump

We got to get out of here and do something we should go to Bernie man it's our place they're in our sheds they're doing research and the tracking something making sure people don't go there or something this blows what the hell would they bring out there

Terry c

Olympus

[bbbearwin]

Almos? 🌟. [Bryer's view of his hue flickers after a moment] Blame Duona. - D.L.

🌟 - what do they think about when they look at the night sky? is there someone they want to star gaze with?

[one of his eyebrows quirk at him, eyes a curious collage of colors as his mouth curls into some odd mix between a smirk and a smile] What a curious inquiry from you.... I'm a little surprised and honored you find my thoughts on the matter something worth wondering about.

Well..... There's alot to think about really, alot to wonder. You know how I tend to run myself into the ground without stopping but there's so much to wonder. The stars we reach towards in this galaxy. So much is out there we've seen, so much to experience and learn and perceive because every planet is so alike and different all at once. Every little factor, influence, environment, piece of history pushing and pulling that culminates into the unique, incomparable existence or instance of a planet. When you scale it to the solar systems, the galaxy, the grander universe..... It's so big, so..... unfathomable. I think it's quite wonderful really. [unbeknownst to him, his tail is thumping now as he rambles] Someone could live for thousands upon thousands of years and there'd still be new surprises, new discoveries for them to unveil for themselves. Even now, there are indisputably patches of our galaxy that have yet to be uncovered or seen. We haven't even penetrated the sixth arm- who knows what wonders lie in there. Tick was a mere sample, a glimpse really, and I doubt there's much else spillover. Will we ever even make contact with a galaxy near our own? We've traversed dimensions but we've yet to hear anything from our neighbors. Isn't that insane? Surely it's not just us, and yet......

I know there's concerns about "intergalactic conquest" or "incursions". But honestly? I don't think it'll ever truly be possible. The grand majority of us are too small, too weak, it doesn't matter how concentrated or "great" it is. It's a juvenile, childish ambition that simply cannot be fulfilled unless it's reached for for centuries And even then there will always be someone or something that escapes their gaze. Whether it stays obscured in secrecy or fights back is a whole other conversation but..... Well. The cycle is ever-present. You cannot will everyone into submission with an iron fist. There will always be pushback.

But that's beside the point. I personally ponder the cycle of the universe and stars, of creation, destruction, infinity, something I'm certain I won't come close to understanding, but I can hope and try. Where's that sound..... [his eyes trace to his excited tail and it stops moving all-together, voice squeaking.] Ah-

[he looks a little flushed as he laughs at himself, tail now slowly reaching toward his chin to scratch it before resting there] Sorry. I don't think this hard all the time. But I usually do. Sometimes. I just like to think about home. The people we've met and connected to. And what awaits us in the future. And sometimes I just like to admire the stars. And sometimes I'm just wondering what the hell am I gonna make for dinner tonight for everyone because you would not believe how picky some people are? I could really be thinking of anything. On this ship, we have plenty of opportunities to stare out into the void of celestial bodies. [he goes silent.]

That was alot. Sorry. Erm. If I had to choose someone to stargaze with. There are a few ideas. Raine and Naveen would never entertain the idea of idling about, Celeste and Aurelia might be intimidated by my thoughts, I think Neve could keep up with me but she's much more focused on what's right in front of her..... Mhm..... [he grumbles] Maybe, maybe you? [his sclera flare for a moment as he glances up a little aways from him, suddenly more interested in the room as he idly shifts a little from side to side] I know it's strange. But I think I could probably do it in earnest with you and no one else I'm moderately close to on this spacecraft.

-🌲Bryer

[myafterlifeisbetterthenyours]

Lucifer & Lilith X a who is physical embodiment of Hell itself

Lucifer & Lilith with the physical embodiment of hell.

Lucifer, in his arrogance believed he could rule heaven greater then God, and for his arrogance he was cast from heaven.

So, banished from the only home he knew, he went abou founding his own domain.

He wanted to build a place where all the sin and vice God had forbidden, could flourish.

Whether he wanted a place where souls could embrace there sin without judgment, or a place where those sins would consume there soul, even he's forgotten.

But he knew what hell was now. It was Hell.

It was a place of perpetual torment, where if you weren't being preyed apon by your own sins, it would be by another soul.

It was a hound eat hound world and he didn't much care to change it.

He had his beautiful wife, a daughter that, while he didn't agree with and believed to be an inevitable failure, he still loved deeply and only wished she could see her ideals simply wouldn't work.

He loved his wife, and she loved him. The two of them deeply committed to there Unholy union.

Despite being his domain, Hell was its very own entity, an ever changing place, erratic and unforgiving. It wasnt selfish creature, it was what it was.

Demons feared him, rightfully so, ad his followers worshipped him like divinity. Although he suspected many would worship any who sat in his throne.

It was during the annual purge, an event he only allowed because otherwise he wouldn't be able to get out of bed without walking through a waist high sea of sinners.

He was holding a ball for his most loyal and important followers, keeping them safe in his palace.

It was as he was speaking to one of his followers, the two of them talking over some petty nonsense when he saw you.

You were just standing there, calmly looking around you as though you weren't entirely sure I your surroundings were real.

Quickly excusing himself, he went over to speak to you.

Getting closer, your reaction didn't change, calmly looking around, like the king of hell wasn't standing besides you.

You had something of an odd back and forth, the king calmly asking you who and what you were doing here.

You calmly responded to each question.

Apparently you didn't really know who or what you were, you just kind of Appeared.

You supposed you were a demon, but... you just didn't know where you came from, but you found yourself attracted to this place, but you don't even know why. So you just stood there, searching for whatever it was you were looking for.

Lucifer was at a loss.

If what you were saying is true, you were an unknown factor.

And given the fact you were currently standing in his palace, perhaps the most secure building in hell, during the purge, without any form of identification and clearly not being one of his servants. He had no reason not to believe you.

He had you stay with him for now, wanting to keep you close so he could figure out exactly what you were.

And it didn't take long before he realised, you were No normal demon.

The king had asked you to stay within the manor, but somehow, kept managing to find your way outside.

He found you in the garden, slightly annoyed as he'd spent 30 minutes searching his palace before realising you weren't in there.

When he found you, he was Intranced.

He found you calmly inspecting a flower. And while you were inspecting the flower, your whole body seemed to change, your body morphing to match the very plants surrounding you.

It was like you weren't even aware of your changing form, as you innocently inspected the flower before you.

Getting closer, you seemed to notice without even looking.

Turning to him your body shifted back to normal, you just smiling at him like you didn't even notice your body had shifted.

He introduced you to Lilith.

Your meeting was pleasant. You bluntly telling her you though she was beautiful to look at.

But that was the beginning of an odd trend.

As it turned out, you had no filter.

Maybe it was because you were so new to Hell, or maybe you just didn't understand cultural norms, the very few hell actually had.

Or maybe you were just an ass.

As the couple got closer to you, they learned quiet a few things about you.

Like how, they mentioned before, you were very blunt. You were brutally honest as well, if you were asked a question, you'd tell them your honest opinion.

Something else about you they quickly learned was, you were without mercy, without sympathy. Something they both found rather appealing.

As the two spent more time with you, they found themselves comfortable around you and you around them.

You got along so well, they felt as though they'd known you for centuries. Your relationship was so natural, you just... worked well together.

Now, Lucifer loved his wife, and she loved him. The two loved each other deeply.

Both were more than mature enough to have a mature discussion about you, and the two quickly agreed they wished to to court you.

The two agreeing that there relationship was unbreakable, they were simply both attracted to you and wanted to be apart of there union.

You kinda just went along with it. You were already quiet content being with the pair, as you already just seemed naturally drawn to them.

A romantic relationship wouldn't be all that different then before. Of course, you'd act like a romantic couple, or rather a triad.

Youd sleep in bed with them, doing the usual sappy stuff. Kissing, holding each other close. More Kissing. All the good stuff.

It would also be something of a breath of fresh air for the two of them. As you weren't some lesser demon, drawn from the population that knew they were with the king and Queen of hell, if anything, there titles meant nothing to you. You treating them no different than any other demon.

At least until you entered the relationship, you tried to be a little more certious after that.

Your relationship would be more so an emotional one, not to say you didn't get physical, but much of your time was just spent together.

Lucifer was the more playful of the pair, always flirting or pulling little pranks, telling jokes, he especially loved giving you riddles. The fallen angel became giddy watching you put the pieces together.

He was also the more affectionate of the pair, often times giving you a little kiss, or wanting to hold your hand. Loves to hold you close, just enjoying your embrace.

Lilith was the more mature of the pair, not to say she didn't enjoy giving or receiving affection, she was just more refined about it.

The Queen much prefers having conversations with you, or doing something together. Teaching you chess became a major pass time for the two of you.

She'd often read to you, resting your head on her lap as she read you one of her favourite novels.

Your relationship was an odd one, being such a new being, you still had much to learn about your surroundings and now being with them added a whole new layer atop your already dizzying place in hell, including figuring out just what you were.

But Lucifer and Lilith were there for you, and made sure you didn't have to figure it out alone.

Hey Hey. I did my very best to match the request, but it was a fairly tricky concept to pull off.

I was originally gonna go with a badass, "I am Hell. I know no pity or mercy and take from all I come across." But I felt Hell, at least Vivziepops hell, was more straightforward. It wasn't some place of fire and brimstone. It was a void, a void where you were left with only your sin. And made a character to match it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story, feel free to check out my other works. Bye Bye.

[ladytheoris]

Nanami X Reader

Warning: Angst, manga spoilers

A/n: I'm not gonna give a glimpse.

Nearly 1k words

Listen to this

You knew the moment Ijichi stood in front of your door with that gloomy face, Nanami was not coming back.

Well, it wasn't like you never knew this will happen. You were always prepared for in case, he never came back from his mission. But never did you expect this to really happen.

A day without Nanami Kento was manageable but painful. Knowing that he was alive in some corner of this world, for you to at least feel his presence just once a day. But you did not plan for a life without him. Though he had been preparing you both mentally and financially for this day, you never expected that he would go just like that, without saying a proper goodbye.

It was like the book of your life opened a new chapter, where Nanami Kento was not among the main lead. It was just you, alone and afraid.

What will happen now? What about your baby? Yes, you were his wife. You met him, and it was like a magical story with a happy ending. Now with a baby, both you and he were ready to start a new life. Away from all the hustle of being a Jujutsu sorcerer, living a happy life in Malaysia. He had plans to buy a house there, just for the two of you and the new member of your family who is supposed to arrive in about four months.

You definitely could not imagine a life without him. You needed him. If not for you, at least for the baby.

On October 31st, he promised he would take you for the ultrasound scanning. That you both will go together. But that just never happened. You waited and waited, curled into the couch in your living room thinking every car that passed by your house was his; that he was going to come here.

Not even when you saw him in your dream, with that godly smile, you did not think that you will never get to see him again. But by the morning, it was Ijichis' car that pulled up, to tell you that wrecked news. One day or the other, you were bound to know the truth, and it was better late than never. He did have the courtesy to tell you this news unlike a few people who call themselves the "elder". The very same darn people who tried their best not to let him and you be together.

Why? Because you hailed from a powerful ancient clan, with no successors with that technique but you. Like Gojo's miraculous six-eye that shows up in a century, your skill showed up after a few centuries. They wanted to make sure that the skill gets passed on to a rightful successor than to someone whose family line possesses nothing to offer other than faithful service to them.

Against all odds, you met. Amidst the devil and the sea was that, but it never felt so. All the moments with him were heavenly. He knew how to make you forget about every other thing, but him. You were as charmed as he was in that relationship, which lasted barely ten years.

That night you did cry to sleep. Not once did Shoko and Utahime leave your side. You had every right to cry, it was your husband after all. The elders took you into the campus as it was safer than being inside a death game, for that life in you holds god knows what power. You could still smell the scent of fresh coffee and cinnamon that wafted off him every time he came near you.

Seasons went by. His loss was a void that nothing could fill. Yet, here you are, still as faithful to him as the first day of your marriage. The golden band still rests on your left ring finger like he never left you. Your child is old enough to ask you about where her pappa was. The answer was always he is happy somewhere else, and that he loves her a lot more than mama loves her. She was happy, more like charmed as you were each time you showed her his pictures. The one on your lock screen still has not changed; a blurred mirror selfie that you took when he kissed you a few months into pregnancy.

She was a spitting image of her father. The blonde hair and piercing gaze. Her attitude and posture too resembled a lot to him. Like father like daughter. The only thing she hailed from you would be the love for her father, though she never once saw him.

Though you could no longer smell the cinnamon and coffee, it was now replaced with white chocolate and strawberry, which your daughter adored. Maybe one day, she too will grow into a beautiful young lady, like her father wished she would. Like a strong sorcerer who never once went back on his words and kept the promise "till death do us apart".

Every time you visit him, she would speak about everything that happened so far in the home, just like how he used to tell you about how Gojo used to taunt him. She is what roots you into this reality now and she is everything that you live for since that day.

A/n: I'm sorry for this. I am a crying mess and this is my depressed self writing for you.

Playlist link again (cherry on top)

[cielrouge]

YA SFF Books by Latinx Authors

A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry: Spending the summer with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico, 17-year-old Lucas turns to a legendary cursed girl filled with poison when his girlfriend mysteriously disappears.

All the Wind in the World by Samantha Mabry: Working in the maguey fields of the Southwest, Sarah Jac and James are in love but forced to start over on a ranch that is possibly cursed where the delicate balance in their relationship begins to give way.

Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria: In the city of Eldra, people are ruled by ancient prophecies. For centuries, the high council has stayed in power by virtue of the prophecies of the elder seers. In the present day, Cassa, the orphaned daughter of rebels, is determined to fight back against the high council. But by the time Cassa and her friends uncover the mystery of the final infallible prophecy, it may be too late to save the city — or themselves.

Blanca & Roja by Anne-Marie McLemore: The del Cisne girls, Blanca & Roja, have never just been sisters; they’re also rivals. Because of a generations-old spell, their family is bound to a bevy of swans deep in the woods. But when two local boys become drawn into the game, the swans’ spell intertwines with the strange and unpredictable magic lacing the woods, and all four of their fates depend on facing truths that could either save or destroy them.

Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz: 17-year-old Lana Torres, who after rescuing a prized dragon, is awarded a spot on her native Puerto Rico’s Blazewrath World Cup team. But the return of the Sire, an ancient dragon, soon threatens to compromise this year’s tournament.

They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera: Set in a near-future New York City where a service alerts people on the day they will die, about two teens who meet using the Last Friend app and are faced with the challenge of living a lifetime on their End Day.

The Body Market (Wired #2) by Donna Freitas: When Skylar's sister betrays her and opens the Body Market, everyone in the App World is for sale and Skylar resolves to stop her sister and the malevolent market.

Bruja Born (Brooklyn Brujas #2) by Zoraida Cordova: Teenage bruja Lula Mortiz tries to save her boyfriend, Maks, by cheating Death; however, Lady de la Muerte is not so easily bested.

The Buried by Melissa Grey: After disaster strikes the remote town of Indigo Falls. A horrific event drove the residents underground, into shelters that keep them safe from the danger on the surface. Now, a handful of families inhabit this bunker together, guided by a charismatic leader named Dr. Imogen Moran. 

Cazadora (Wolves of No World #2) by Romina Garber: In this follow-up to Lobizona, Manu and her friends as they continue to fight for a better future.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas: Latinx trans teen Yadriel, hoping to release his cousin’s spirit and prove himself as a brujo, accidentally summons the wrong ghost and resident bad boy Julian Diaz, falling in love with him.

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore: Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family. Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil.

Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera: 16-year-old Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City, but when she sets her sights on giving this life up for a prestigious home in Mega Towers, she must decide if she’s willing to do the unspeakable to get what she wants.

Diamond City by Francesca Flores: Pulled from the streets at age twelve and trained to become one of the most powerful assassins in Sumerand, Aina Solis discovers a conspiracy that could rewrite the kingdom's history. 

Dragonblood Ring (Blazewrath Games #2) by Amparo Ortiz: After the Sire’s capture, teen athletes Lana Torres and Victoria Peralta travel to Puerto Rico with their former Blazewrath team. While Lana discovers her roots, nothing fills the void Blazewrath’s cancelation has left in Victoria. But it’s up to their team and the Bureau to protect their dragons.

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro: Xochital is destined to wander the desert alone. Her one desire: to share her heart with a kindred spirit. One night, Xo’s wish is granted—in the form of Emilia, the cold and beautiful daughter of the town’s murderous mayor. But when the two set out on a magical journey across the desert, they find their hearts could be a match… if only they can survive the nightmare-like terrors that arise when the sun goes down.

Fire with Fire by Destiny Soria: A contemporary fantasy about two sisters, Dani and Eden Rivera, who were raised to be fierce dragon slayers but end up on opposite sides of the impending war when one sister forms an unlikely, magical bond with a dragon.

The First 7 (The Last 8 #2) by Laura Pohl:  After leaving Earth, now devastated by an alien attack, and exploring the galaxy, Clover Martinez and her fellow teen survivors return home to find crystal formations in the soil that are threatening to destroy the planet, and a colony of survivors who are not who they seem.

Five Midnights by Ann Davila Cardinal: If Lupe Dávila and Javier Utierre can survive each other’s company, together they can solve a series of grisly murders sweeping though Puerto Rico. But the clues lead them out of the real world and into the realm of myths and legends.

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante: To have her family’s asylum request accepted, 17-year-old Marisol participates in a risky experiment to become a grief keeper, taking another’s grief into her own body to save a life.

The Healer by Donna Freitas: Manifesting astonishing healing powers that cause some people to consider her a saint, Marlena Oliveria struggles with edicts that prevent her from attending school, having friends and falling in love when she meets a boy who makes her question what she is willing to sacrifice.

Hollywood Witch Hunter by Valerie Tejeda: When a coven bent on retaining their youth must sacrifice the beautiful, and rich women of Southern California, a society of witch hunters will try to protect humans from a great evil uprising. 

Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova: As Renata Convida grows more deeply embedded in the politics of the royal court, she uncovers a secret in her past that could change the entire fate of the kingdom–and end a costly war.

Illusionary (Hollow Crown #2) by Zoraida Córdova: Reeling from betrayal, Renata Convida is a girl on the run. With few options and fewer allies, she reluctantly joins forces with none other than Prince Castian, her most infuriating and intriguing enemy.

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera: In the Bronx, two brothers, Emil and Brighton, get caught up in a magical war generations in the making.

Infinity Reaper (Infinity Cycle #2) by Adam Silvera: Emil and Brighton Rey defied the odds. When Brighton drank the Reaper’s Blood, he believed it would make him invincible, but instead the potion is killing him. In Emil’s race to find an antidote that will not only save his brother but also rid him of his own unwanted phoenix powers, he will have to dig deep into his past lives.

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria: In 1919 Boston, best friends Corinne and Ada perform illegally as illusionists in an infamous gangster's nightclub, using their "afflicted" blood to con Boston's elite, until the law closes in.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova: Alex is a bruja and the most powerful witch in her family. . When a curse she performs to rid herself of magic backfires and her family vanishes, she must travel to Los Lagos to get her family back.

The Last 8 by Laura Pohl:  After an alien attack devastates the Earth, pilot and future astronaut Clover Martinez bands with seven other teens to survive. 

Lobizona by Romina Garber: As Manuela Azul uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it’s not just her U.S. residency that’s illegal… .it’s her entire existence.

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas:  When children start to go missing in the local woods, eighteen-year-old Wendy Darling must face her fears and a past she cannot remember to rescue them in this novel based on Peter Pan.

The Mind Virus (Wired #3) by Donna Freitas:  Skylar Cruz has managed to shut down the body market that her sister Jude opened, and to create a door to allow App World citizens reentry into the Real World. But as tensions between the newly mingling people escalate, she s not sure if it was the right decision after all. Still reeling from Kit’s betrayal, she s not sure of anything anymore.

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia & Anna-Marie McLemore: Two friends, Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla, one made of stardust and one fighting to save her family’s diner, take on their small town’s 50th annual pageant in the hopes that they can change their town’s destiny, and their own.

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore: Graciela Cristales meets Lock, a boy who was sexually assaulted at the same party as her, and they find their fates unexpectedly intertwined during a month of vanishing trees, enchanted pan dulce, and inherited magic.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera: After enduring his father's suicide, his own suicide attempt, broken friendships, and more in the Bronx projects, Aaron Soto, sixteen, is already considering the Leteo Institute's memory-alteration procedure when his new friendship with Thomas turns to unrequited love.

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera: An Afro-Latinx retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice set in the Bronx. Pheus is a bachata-singing dreamer who falls in love with Eury, a girl who lost everything in Hurricane Maria and is haunted by the trauma—and by an evil spirit.

Nocturna by Maya Motayne: In the Latinx-inspired kingdom of Castallan, face-changing thief Finn Voy and grief-stricken Prince Alfehr must race to vanquish a dark magic they have unleashed.

Oculta (A Forgery of Magic #2) by Maya Motayne: After joining forces to save Castallan from an ancient magical evil, Alfie and Finn reunite once again to preserve Castallan’s hopes for peace with Englass. But will they be able to stop sinister foes before a new war threatens their kingdom?

Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda: Tuck Durante, a shipraider, and Lana Gray, a curator, must work together to try to rescue a space capsule hijacked by nightmarish creatures who kill with a scream.

Rated by Melissa Grey: For the students at the prestigious Maplethorpe Academy, every single thing they do is reflected in their Ratings System. But when an act of vandalism sullies the front doors of the school, it sets off a chain reaction that will shake the lives of six special students – and the world beyond.

Sanctuary by Abby Sher & Paola Mendoza: In a near future dystopian America set 2030, 16-year-old Vail and her brother must escape a xenophobic government to find sanctuary in California.

The Savage Dawn (Girl at Midnight #3) by Melissa Grey: A darkness has entered the world and the Dragon Prince is wreaking havoc wherever she goes. With the war upon her, Echo must use every bit of her firebird powers or risk losing those she holds dear. 

Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda & Valynne E. Maetani: A contemporary fantasy set in Japan, about Shinto temple priestess Kira Fujikawa, who must seek the aid of seven demons in order to protect her village and the world from an ancient evil. 

Shadow City (The City of Diamond and Steel #2) by Francesa Flores: Aina Solís has fought her way to the top of criminal ranks in the city of Kosín by wresting control of an assassin empire owned by her old boss, Kohl. But Kohl will do anything to get his empire back.

The Shadow Hour (The Girl at Midnight #2) by Melissa Grey: With the firebird awakened, the war has become even more dangerous for Echo and her friends. There is a darkness spreading too and staying in hiding might not be enough to keep them alive. 

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older: When her summer plans are interrupted by supernatural phenomena, Puerto Rican teen Sierra Santiago finds herself in a battle with the killer targeting her family of shadowshapers who believes she is hiding their greatest secret.

Shadowhouse Fall (Shadowshaper #2) by Daniel Jose Older: While working on her shadowshaping skills, Sierra Santiago is beginning to think she may need all the skill she can summon because it seems that when she channeled hundreds of spirits through herself in order to defeat Wick, she woke up something very powerful and very unfriendly and put her family and friends at risk.

Shadowshaper Legacy (Shadowshaper #3) by Daniel Jose Older: Sierra Santiago and the shadowshapers have been split apart, but a war is brewing among the houses. As old fates tangle with new powers, Sierra will have to harness the Deck of Worlds and confront her family’s past if she has any hope of saving the future and everyone she loves.

Shutter by Courtney Alameda: When a routine assignment goes awry, 17-year-old ghost hunter Micheline Helsing is infected with a curse and on the run, pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, with only seven days to exorcise the entity or be destroyed body and soul. 

Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland: A Mexican American teenage girl discovers profound connections between immigration, folklore, and alien life, when a spacecraft crashes in front of her car…and it’s carrying her long-lost mom, who’s very much alive.

They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera: Set in a near-future New York City where a service alerts people on the day they will die, about two teens who meet using the Last Friend app and are faced with the challenge of living a lifetime on their End Day.

Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry: Loosely inspired by the story of King Lear and his daughters, set in San Antonio, Texas, following the Torres sisters, struggling to escape their tyrannical father’s claustrophobic world while dealing with the loss of their eldest sister, whose troubling death continues to haunt—perhaps even literally—the loved ones left behind.

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson: While investigating the supposed suicides of her best friend, Riley, and mean girls June and Dayton, 16-year-old Wiccan Mila Flores accidentally brings them back to life.

Unplugged by Donna Freitas: When she moves from the Virtual World to the Real one, Skylar Cruz discovers that her body is both exquisite and valuable -- a dangerous combination in a place where bodies are sought after in sinister ways.

Wayward Witch (Brooklyn Brujas #3) by Zoraida Cordova:  Rose Mortiz begins to discover the scope of her powers, the troubling truth about her father’s past, and the sacrifices he made to save her sisters. But if Rose wants to return home so she can repair her broken family, she must figure out how to heal the land of Adas, a fairy realm hidden in the Caribbean Sea, first.

The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore: Although Lace Paloma knows all about the feud between the Palomas and the Corbeaus, she finds herself falling for Cluck Corbeau when he saves her life while both families are performing in the same town.

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia: When she is asked to spy for a resistance group working to bring equality to Medio, Daniela Vargas, a student at the Medio School for Girls, questions everything she's worked for.

We Unleash the Merciless Storm (We Set the Dark on Fire #2) by Tehlor Kay Mejia: La Voz operative Carmen Santos is forced to choose between the girl she loves, Dani, and the success of the rebellion she’s devoted her life to.

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore: As odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel's skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they're willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore: A novel of magical realism, the Nomeolvides women have tended the lust estate grounds of La Pradera which they’ve grown for generations, until the reemergence of a family curse starts to makes the men they love disappear, again.

[msfcatlover]

Can you give the bullet points for that Hollow Knight Ludonarrative dissonance essay so us who played the game can fill in the gaps?

Sure thing!

First and foremost, I know many people are familiar with the term “ludonarrative dissonance,” which is when the mechanics of a game run counter to the themes and sometimes the plot of the story being told. On the opposite end of the spectrum, and far more rarely talked about, is “ludonarrative harmony,” which is when the mechanics of a game support the story being told or even tell a supportive story of their own!

I am very firm in my belief that in a quarter of a century playing video games, Hollow Knight has the best ludonarrative harmony of any game I’ve played.

Here’s my primary example: the condemnation of the Pale King’s actions, and how it ties into the original possible endings of the game.

The Pale King’s failure is the great final tragedy of Hallownest. He saw the end coming, knew he could not defeat the Radiance again, and did not want his people to suffer. He determined he needed a being of pure Void to contain the Radiance, but believed that any emotion would lead to a flawed prison. So, he created the Vessels by the hundreds, letting them struggle to the top of the Abyss, and cast each one of them back down into the depths for the “flaw” of being children with actual emotions. We don’t know how he determined this, but when he finally found one that seemed properly emotionless, “truly hollow,” he took that child and sealed the gate behind them, locking the player character (henceforth referred to as “Ghost” in this first draft ramble-essay,) and who-knows-how-many-other Vessels to fend for themselves in the depths.

You already know this. And you already know that child was not given a name (though I will be referring to them by the fandom nickname “Hollow” from here on out,) was purposefully neglected, taught only training and their purpose for existing in the hopes it would keep emotions  and desires from taking root. But Hollow did have desires; specifically, Hollow just wanted their dad to be proud of them. When Hollow sacrificed their mind to hold the Radiance and was imprisoned in the Black Egg, after the Dreamers gave their own minds to keep it sealed, the prison was faulty. An unspecified amount of time later, the Radiance’s influence was able to leak out in the form of the Infection, and the kingdom of Hallownest was destroyed.

(The Pale King often gets pilloried by the fandom for “letting” that happen by showing any level of caring for the child. This is the wrong conclusion.)

The game begins with us playing Ghost, having at some point escaped from the Abyss and (seemingly) having lost their memories in the wilds outside the kingdom. It is as Ghost that we track down the Dreamers and slay them, opening the Egg to face Hollow and put an end to the plague, though how exactly that happens and what the outcome is depends on your choices throughout the game.

As a fellow Vessel, you can take Hollow’s place. When Hollow is slain, Ghost absorbs the Radiance and the Egg reseals itself.

Using the power of the Dreamnail, you can enter Hollow’s mind and fight the Radiance directly, driving her back into hiding for the foreseeable future.

If you have the Voidheart charm equipped and choose to fight the Radiance, you become a “higher being” yourself and are able to slay her for good. The kingdom is free of the plague, and Hollow even survives and has another chance at life. (This one is, by the way, known as the “True Ending.”)

And here we finally reach my argument, and I can stop regurgitating old information. Because these endings and what you need to achieve them is what finally solidifies just how wrong the Pale King was. Wronger than he ever knew.

He must have thought the Vessels less than people, or he would not have been willing to kill so many. But he would not have rejected so many of them if the Vessels weren’t inherently feeling, thinking creatures like any other bug in the kingdom — none of them were “truly hollow.” Children, left to die in the dark by the hundreds. The greatest sin he ever committed.

We know he did, on some level, care about Hollow, but still chose to neglect them in hopes of stunting their emotional growth. That he believed the sacrifice of one Vessel and three of his most respected advisors (give or take Herrah, who’s whole deal with him is kinda... weird,) to eternal imprisonments was better than letting the whole kingdom fall to the Radiance’s vengeance. That the ends justify the means. It’s his last thought, still echoing in his corpse when we find him on his throne: “...No cost too great...”

But the ends don’t justify the means, and I don’t just mean because the plan failed. I mean because it was inherently flawed in its initial premise, the very assumption he built it on: that “being hollow” was the solution to the problem.

A truly hollow Vessel would not care one whit about the mission or anything else. If Ghost were hollow, there would not be a game; they would wander aimlessly, not speaking or interacting with anyone, until they finally died.

If you play Ghost as being hollow, or as close to it as you can, you’ll be ignoring all NPCs. You’ll not be buying any upgrades or equipment. You’ll not be wandering far from the central path. Why would you? A hollow Vessel should care only for their mission, find the shortest route to enter the Black Egg, slay Hollow, and be done with it. Not only does this make life much harder for you, it nets you the worst ending. The Pale King’s trap just resets, now with the Dreamers dead so none can ever try to fix the problem again, and it will fail eventually, because Ghost isn’t hollow. The very fact there is a plot to follow, a goal to achieve, means that Ghost has goals they are willing to suffer hardships to reach. Frustration, determination, and pride in success have to be assumed, complimented by the fact those are all the emotions the player will feel on this particular run.

If you want to face the Radiance, you have to upgrade the Dreamnail, and you’re not told that will be the end result when you first receive it. You have to be ambitious and stubborn, at the very least, to pursue that goal blind, or you have to really want to know what the Sage will give you as a reward. You have to experiment, going back to bosses you’ve already beaten to fight their dream versions and put them to rest, track down the hidden dream roots and clamber all over the map to solve their puzzles. For the second ending, Ghost has to have goals outside of their main mission, has to think through the concept of deaths enough to make the connection between the ghosts and the bosses, and repeatedly return to speak to the Sage for the upgrades. They have to be curious enough to even use the Dreamnail in the first place, and like it enough to want to improve it.

And how do you get the best ending? The true ending? Slay the Radiance, defeat it for good, save the kingdom of Hallownest?

You explore. You wander off the main path, root out secrets and shortcuts and answers. You need to talk to multiple NPCs, and not just speed through their dialogue to get your reward but actually think about it and remember who’s connected to whom. You meet the White Lady in the Queen’s Garden and travel down into the Abyss, both areas you never need to go to and which no one will even tell you about before you’ve been there. You throw yourself against the Path of Pain again, and again, and again, and again, with no promise of reward, just to see what’s on the other side.

To truly defeat the Radiance, you have to play Ghost as being curious, distractible, attentive, and caring. They cannot be isolated and they cannot be ignorant. And if you care enough to end up with the Voidheart, you probably talked to everyone, helped them complete their quests, tried different charm combinations and ran around the map just to see how people reacted. You probably wanted to know the secrets of Hallownest, and refused to let insurmountable odds turn you away.

In the true ending, Ghost actually has a pretty strong personality, told purely through mechanics.

Story and gameplay.

The Pale King was wrong. We’re told that, asked to look upon his actions and despair that anyone could be driven to such lengths... made worse by the fact his theory was flawed in its very foundations. Being hollow was never the answer; a hollow Vessel was always going to fail. The cost was too great, and all the awful things he did to try and stop the Radiance... it was all for nothing.

Harmony.

It’s just... it’s heartbreaking, and absolutely beautiful.

And every time I see people say Ghost can defeat the Radiance because “they’re the one who’s really hollow,” I want to rip my hair out, like how the fuck can people just IGNORE the SMOOTHEST INTEGRATION OF STORYTELLING AND GAMEPLAY I’ve ever seen in my LIFE, one of the HARDEST PARTS OF GAME DEVELOPMENT that someone probably spent months getting down to such a truly astounding finish, and somehow reach the conclusion the guy whose fuckups lead to the deaths of hundreds of children, intentional child abuse, and the downfall of his kingdom was RIGHT?!

[sagamemes]

the sheridan tapes  📼  part two.   here and under the cut, you can find over 130 lines of dialogue from the horror podcast the sheridan tapes, specifically from episodes four to six, edited for roleplay purposes. some of these focus heavily on survival, war, science, and spooky stuff, but a lot can be used by anyone.  tw:  war, unreality, a mention of cannibalism, implications of manic behaviour.

❝  god, i hate snowstorms like this. not just getting caught in them, but the storms themselves. it feels like the earth’s trying to bury me alive every time it locks in like this. like nature’s rightly pissed off at all of us and doing its level best to crush us to death.  ❞

❝  that’s what yom kippur means:  the day of atonement.  ❞

❝  that wasn’t the first time i’ve caught him in my office, going through my stuff.  ❞

❝  normally i’d be annoyed at someone calling me young lady.  ❞

❝  thank you… you are so warm… thank you for letting me in.  ❞

❝  suddenly, everything fell into place. i made more progress than i had in about half a year.  ❞

❝  the thing i remember most was catching disapproving glances from my father every time i went to the library.  ❞

❝  why does time only run forward?  why does cause need to precede effect?  ❞

❝  no one knows if they can trust me with casework or not.  ❞

❝  i didn’t say i was interested.  ❞

❝  [he/i] was taken off duty and sent for psychiatric evaluation the next day.  ❞

❝  coffee. i was making coffee.  ❞

❝  i didn't mean to get stuck out here.  ❞

❝  that just goes to show how small humans really are in the grand scheme of things:  take away our tools and our toys and our technology, and we’re still just as vulnerable as we ever were.  ❞

❝  she was good at that:  making you feel like you were safe, like you could open up to her.  ❞

❝  i’m just going to cover that one up. no harm in keeping it out of sight for the moment.  ❞

❝  maybe there was someone in the stairs.  ❞

❝  i think i did the lion’s share of the talking, which almost never happens.  ❞

❝  i couldn’t get to sleep... i figured i’d get a head start today.  ❞

❝  i’m afraid i don’t have all of the details of your involvement with the… tragic events in [place]. and i don’t think i’m the only one.  ❞

❝  i’m still not sure i understand the whole tradition.  ❞

❝  whatever it is, it’s chasing me. i can hear it’s footsteps in the snow, i can hear it—  ❞

❝  when you work nights here, the less you really think about them, the better.  ❞

❝  honestly, i just can’t get it out of my head.  ❞

❝  snow is one of nature’s simplest and most effective ways of killing you dead if you aren’t prepared for it.  ❞

❝  i wish you’d tell me what you’re doing here. i could lose my job if anything gets broken or if you end up getting hurt in there…  ❞

❝  would you say you… considered her a friend?  ❞

❝  would you mind saying your name again?  for the recording?  ❞

❝  if that was true, then there was something—and as a scientist, i hate to say this—supernatural going on in that lab.  ❞

❝  most of them didn’t make it. a lot of them died afraid and alone, too.  ❞

❝  i know you don’t like listening to these things, so i just wanted to help you out with…  ❞

❝  if i could sleep, then trust me, i would.  ❞

❝  i’m guessing the new owners are trying to make this place seem less creepy than it already is.  ❞

❝  my schooling was expensive and unremarkable.  ❞

❝  a lot of them died afraid and alone, too:  ideal conditions for the making of poltergeists, in my experience.  ❞

❝  look, i’m sorry, but this really isn’t a good time for anything, so if you wouldn’t mind…  ❞

❝  basically, i was picturing a slightly creepier morticia addams. i couldn’t have been more wrong.  ❞

❝  now i have to deal with [name]’s aspirations to write drama..  ❞

❝  i promise i won’t get you sacked.  ❞

❝  i’ve never been very religious, but for some reason… it made me think of hell.  ❞

❝  i think it may have been a thank you.  ❞

❝  i’m working the graveyard shift and i noticed the lights were on.  ❞

❝  i shouldn’t be here. no one asked me to come in this early.  ❞

❝  everyone around here looks at me like i’m some kind of leper.  ❞

❝  i had to go home for a few hours. i’m already on thin ice around here, and i didn’t want to get in more trouble for screaming obscenities up and down the wall.  ❞

❝  it was… darkness. no, that doesn’t do it credit, the whole place was dark. this was just... void.  ❞

❝  if i’d seen her anywhere else, i’d think she was an athlete or a backpacker.  ❞

❝  better scientists than me have been bashing their heads into that particular wall since 1927.  ❞

❝  i just want you to know that… whatever you really are... you’re safe here.  ❞

❝  goats being goats, it would just come back the next day looking for food.  ❞

❝  i would like you to leave my office now… and i’ll ask you not to tamper with evidence in the future, understood?  ❞

❝  no, of course, i don’t have signal out here, so i can’t just call triple-a.  ❞

❝  what are you doing in my office—at four goddamn thirty in the morning?  ❞

❝  you ever wonder where the line is?  you know, between human and not?  ❞

❝  the funny thing i’ve noticed about war:  no matter how terrible the fighting is, there always seems to be too much waiting. too much quiet. too much sitting around, bored to tears between fits of chaos and violence, lost in routine while waiting for the other shoe to drop.  ❞

❝  a lot of people condemn them for that. we’re so sure we’d never resort to that—that we’d rather die than cross that unspoken boundary.  ❞

❝  i’ve been at the [workplace/institution] for ten years now. that’s long enough to know that the ones who ask questions are the ones who can’t cut it.  ❞

❝  the program blew every fuse in the lab. including the lights.  ❞

❝  it was soon after they left that i began to have trouble sleeping.  ❞

❝  perhaps we never knew each other as well as most friends do, but… we cared for one another.  ❞

❝  most of her questions are a bit above my pay grade.  ❞

❝  i’m trying, i’m trying! i can’t get the door open!  ❞

❝  i don’t know why she needed my help:  i think she had a better grasp of it than most science fiction writers.  ❞

❝  we both had places to be afterwards, so we kind of rushed. i really wish i’d taken the time to say goodbye.  ❞

❝  i guess some things just… don’t want to stay buried.  ❞

❝  it was completely against orders of course, but no one really noticed or cared that far from the front.  ❞

❝  i offered to buy him a cup of coffee.  ❞

❝  newspapers praised them at the time:  saw them as heroes of exploration and paragons of pioneer courage.  ❞

❝  i signed a lot of big, scary nda���s during my time there.  ❞

❝  i did the only thing that came to mind:  i took a grenade from my belt, removed the pin, and threw it.  ❞

❝  i doubt this storm will last more than a couple of days, and once it lets up we can sneak out of here and get going again. very, very carefully.  ❞

❝  given enough time, everything will rot away to its elementary components, and that, you can’t reverse.  ❞

❝  i really can’t see anything from inside the van.  ❞

❝  i knew there were a few experiments that dealt with some pretty high-level theoretical concepts, but i wasn’t directly involved with any of them.  ❞

❝  it’s a strange choice, but then again, he’s a strange man.  ❞

❝  i know, it sounds ridiculous. trust me, i’ve done everything i can think of to make that conclusion go away.  ❞

❝  scared the bejeezus out of a bunch of skiers, but they were nice enough to let me in after deciding i probably wasn’t a ghost.  ❞

❝  please… it burns my skin… please…  ❞

❝  i forgot how fast storms blow in up here.  ❞

❝  it’s not like i felt out of control:  it felt more natural than breathing.  ❞

❝  i didn’t know what i was doing, not at any conscious level. but one step seemed to lead to another, then the next, and then the next.  ❞

❝  it’s called a butcher’s shop in some places, but a mortuary in others. as much as i’d love to imply there was some sweeney todd style recycling going on here, i think the place has just been a lot of things over the years.  ❞

❝  god, these things are creepy as hell.  ❞

❝  if you wouldn’t mind, please, tell us what happened? in your own time, of course.  ❞

❝  it took a few long, nerve-wracking days to work up my courage and visit the section again.  ❞

❝  it’s not that odd to think that people ate each other out there.  ❞

❝  i didn’t think there was a ghost in my room or anything like that, i just kept hearing noises whenever i was about to fall asleep.  ❞

❝  i downed half a dozen energy drinks at 6 and called it dinner—i know, i know, it’s a nasty habit i picked up in grad school.  ❞

❝  they told me that the cpu and motherboard had somehow been melted into a solid lump of plastic and silicon.  ❞

❝  i mean, [name] was a pain in the ass, but at least he didn’t…  ❞

❝  my schedule was full, but i had something else fall through at the last minute. i had your number on my desk, so i thought i may as well call.  ❞

❝  i wonder if it was afraid, or if it even realized what was going to happen. it probably didn’t.  ❞

❝  i need to get more coffee. or punch someone. whichever’s more convenient.  ❞

❝  god, if that’s really how i sound…  ❞

❝  people think i write horror, but i don’t really think that’s true. i just write fiction with all of the comfortable little lies taken out of it.  ❞

❝  i have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night.  ❞

❝  i think he felt something about this place… some influence or power that needed to be destroyed, so he tried to do it the only way he knew how.  ❞

❝  well, it’s a tricky thing. the more realistic you make them, the more… unreal they start to look. i think it’s something about the eyes.  ❞

❝  i offered to stay late, just to smooth things over.  ❞

❝  maybe i can get some writing done while i’m stuck here…  ❞

❝  no child could grow up in a jewish home surrounded by books and not read at least one story about golems.  ❞

❝  i just wasn’t a good student, despite my love of reading.  ❞

❝  i have to say, i like your jane doe.  ❞

❝  she was a scientist herself.  maybe not formally, but her way of thinking, her insight, her methods... they were scientist’s qualities.  ❞

❝  seriously, what do i need to do to get a little privacy around here, a little dignity?  hang a  ‘ do not disturb ’  sign on the door?  change all my locks?  ❞

❝  maybe it was stupid, but i figured, ‘ hey, early december, not a cloud in the sky—should still be fine, right? ’  ❞

❝  jesus, [name], i wasn’t born yesterday.  ❞

❝  maybe doing this while it’s still dark outside isn’t the best idea.  ❞

❝  more than a century and a half have passed, and this place is still just as dangerous as it was then.  ❞

❝  now, [mr./ms./mx. name], i’m sure you know why you’re here.  ❞

❝  the [event] was a bust—only about a dozen people showed up all afternoon.  ❞

❝  i never put much stock in the idea of inspiration, but for the first time in my life, it felt like i wasn’t pushing myself through the muck of miscalculation and guesswork towards a solution. i was being pulled towards an answer that already existed.  ❞

❝  it felt like i was a few steps from finding out something fundamental. some truth about our universe that no other scientist had ever dared to dream of.  ❞

❝  huh. that’s… that’s weird. i could’ve sworn there wasn’t a sculpture back there before.  ❞

❝  apparently, no one had told them what i was doing, and i wasn’t actually cleared to leave.  ❞

❝  maybe he’s trying to make amends. keeping watch over these half-living things to make sure no harm comes to them.  ❞

❝  i expected the building to be wreathed in shadow and overgrown with cobwebs, but it's actually really nice.  ❞

❝  sorry, i was trying to get my recorder working, but it froze up on me so i had to find a tape for this old…  ❞

❝  okay. just… don’t get me sacked, alright?  can’t exactly retire on this salary.  ❞

❝  but if it was real—i don’t know if i somehow created it, or if it was feeding me information about itself before it appeared.  ❞

❝  i’ve never had a manic episode before, and i was well below the level of caffeine needed to cause intoxication. as far as i can tell, there isn’t a medical explanation for what happened.  ❞

❝  i don’t get the appeal of meeting real celebrities. it’s just a cheap shock of recognition, and nothing more.  ❞

❝  whatever this… thing was, it sounds pretty dangerous.  ❞

❝  are you familiar with temporal asymmetry?  ❞

❝  i just want to make that abundantly clear:  this /wasn’t/ the plan.  ❞

❝  right then, now let’s get started. please state your name and rank for the record.  ❞

❝  though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light.  ❞

❝  a cracker of a book, young lady.  ❞

❝  no wonder they’re keeping them in storage. they’d give anyone nightmares.  ❞

❝  i was just going to finish out my shift unless… you want me to stick around?  ❞

❝  i went to the university, but don’t remember much of the years i spent there.  ❞

❝  having to study textbooks and essays day in and day out took all of the joy out of reading for a long time.  ❞

❝  we call paradoxes paradoxes for a reason:  no matter how plausible they seem, they can never really happen.  ❞

❝  i don’t know what happened to me that night. i still don’t even know if what i saw was real.  ❞

❝  when we look into the void for too long, we find the monsters instead.  ❞

[prose-for-hire]

Star Cross’d Lovers

Pairing: Spike x reader (gender not mentioned)

Request: Could you do a Spike x female reader where she just started collage and had a night out with her friends and her and Spike noticed each other and couldn’t stop staring at each other but then she gets dragged away by her friends and then for the next few days tries to find him again and when she finally does tries to subtly catch his attention and he sees her after he’s been doing the same and then they are both so stunned by each other?

Requested by: Anon

A/N: I got Romeo and Juliet (1996) vibes from this request (you know when they look through that fish tank in the Baz Luhrmann film?). I listened to kissing you by Des’Ree a lot while I wrote this lol.

Again, with all of these I’ve been posting recently sorry about the wait!! I’ve had this real sudden surge of inspiration and I’m just rolling with it and hoping it doesn’t run out ! 💜

You were enjoying college so far. You hadn’t really been one for going out much before you moved to UC Sunnydale. However, you went out more often now. Especially because your new friends all went out so often – if you didn’t come you would only miss something important.

Usually, you would read. Romantic novels, epic sweeping tales that filled the emptiness you felt from that particular emotion. There was a void that needed filling. You felt somedays as if nobody truly saw you. As if there was something about you that didn’t fit the way it did with everyone else.

You wished you didn’t feel so lonely some days. Even when you were in a room with friends you felt it. This feeling inside that was told you there was something missing. Something lost in the back of your mind that you knew intrinsically but it just would not come to the forefront.

To prevent yourself from dwelling on this, you often filled your moments with distraction. Reading and learning. Meeting your friends and dancing at the local club on the weekend.

Upon moving to Sunnydale, you had noticed something odd about a good amount of the population you now lived alongside. After dark in the demons began to rise. You had researched it extensively and heard snippets when people dared to mention it.

Contrary to popular opinion, humans all knew about it, but rarely spoke of it. It was an unsaid rule that you didn’t express interest or date anyone that was a vampire or you suspected was a vampire. It could be hard to tell sometimes, but so long as you stayed with your group of friends at least one of you could usually identify one. Protect the rest.

It was Friday evening and you were getting ready to go out with your friends. The whole group had crashed your dorm and the music was loud as you got dressed and some did makeup. You had a little to drink, a pre-game before the real night out. You laughed and enjoyed the buzz around you.

It was a themed club night, a ‘masquerade ball’ kind of vibe. Except, all you needed to get in was a mask that at least resembled what it was supposed to. You took it a little more seriously, dressing and finding a mask that you thought was stylish and yet accurate.

When you finally got in, after waiting around the block to enter, the atmosphere was electric. There was live music and everyone seemed to be in a good mood.

The air crackled with life, the possibilities endless. The night was young and so full of promise. So many vibrations ran through your body as you swayed between the crowd, soaking up every second of the atmosphere.

You went straight to the bar to get your drink of choice. Smiling and laughing as your friends spoke about their plans for the evening. You smiled at them, chipping in when you could.

You were on the periphery. You felt it so acutely. Something nibbling on the back of your mind. Your insecurity gnawed into, releasing slight electricity shocking your nerves.

You shook your thoughts away. Smiling as your friend took your hand. Pulling you towards the dancefloor. The music was so loud it was deafening. You swayed and jumped, trying to let yourself go. Let your thoughts roll off you.

Spike was watching the dancefloor from afar. His eyes had scanned the crowd. He was stood in the shadows, on the peripheries of the bar. His surroundings were monotonous. Nothing he hadn’t seen a million times over before. The landscape could have been baron for all he cared.

It was the same night in and night out. He had reluctantly slipped a mask on his face because this bar sold spirits that hadn’t been as watered down as the rest in the area.

He shrugged some drunk guy off him as he tried to lean in and tell him something that he had heard in every language. Every accent before. A comment on how hot the people surrounding them were, how he was going to take as many home as he could. That he wanted to know Spike’s opinion.

But he just ignored the human, pushing him back into the crowd. He took a gulp of beer, eyes still just watching. Everything was bland, tasteless. He wanted more. He wanted to live, despite his current lack of life. He wanted love, despite his broken and walked over heart.

He found his bottle was empty. Again. He rolled his eyes. Staring into the emptiness. He threw it to the ground, ignoring the shouts as the glass smashed against the wall near-missing some masked strangers.

He stalked back to the bar, just as you fought with the sea of dancers to take a break from all of the bodies writhing against yours on the dancefloor. You leaned in, over the bar to try and get someone’s attention. But upon this action was when your life drastically changed course.

You saw him. On the opposite end of the bar. The man that your dreams would dream of.

Your eyes met his. And time stopped. You began drowning in the blue of his eyes. These striking eyes were so blue you were sure they would rename the colour after him should any other gaze into his soul this way.

The music around you slowed. You felt the vibrations through you but it was as if the volume was turned all the way down. As if they knew this was your moment. That it would only now be you and him.

All you could see was him, he was fast becoming in every sense of yours. You wanted to be consumed by him, completely. When his eyes met yours he had he gasped, without need. He was instantly in awe of you. He had never seen someone with such beauty. Such radiance without

You glowed with the incandescence of the sun he could not cast his eye upon. But he would no longer wish or think of this insignificant mass of light. When there you were. Now the very centre of his universe. His sun.

You inspired awe. Your features were perfection, he wished to trace his fingers along your cheek. Your jaw. He wished to press his lips to yours. To unite in a way that was so intimate. He wanted all of you. He needed you.

He knew. He knew you were everything he could ever want. More, even. One look was all that it took.

You smiled, looking down slightly, rubbing the back of your neck at his penetrating gaze. This meant something. This was love, he had never been so sure of it. Or at least the potential for that to blossom. He had never felt anything like it. It was new. Refreshing. You were everything he had been waiting for.

For centuries. Even beyond that.

He began to move with purpose, towards you and you opened your mouth as if to speak. His heart would have skipped a beat if it could as he anticipated how your voice would sound. What beautiful words you could bestow upon him. What syllables he was about to treasure for the rest of his existence.

Just as you took a breath to speak, to put your affections into words, your friends surrounded you. They giggled and hollered and started to pull you back towards the dancefloor. You giggled along with them, but turned back to try to move back towards him. One of your friends saw him and stopped laughing, tugging your arm more urgently to come away with them. You turned to look at him over your shoulder, giving an apologetic look before you were pulled away by the current of people.

You couldn’t enjoy yourself now you had been torn from him. You looked for him the entire night, after that. Your eyes scanning the crowd but you had no luck. You would know him no matter what, you were sure of it. Your heart was promised to his. There had been nobody that you had felt such a connection with before.  

You didn’t realise, but he was looking for you too. Nobody had made his spirits rise the way you had with just one look. Nobody had made such an impression. He was admittedly love’s bitch, but this feeling was a complete revelation. He felt the Earth shifting. He was transfixed on your face, memorising your features. You glowed, igniting something deep in his soul. Something he had long since lost.

You were just missing each other each time, eventually the night came to a close and you went home, as did he, your separate ways.

You had heard what your friend had thought of him. Hinting that he was a demon, not the kind you could possibly fall in love with as a human. But that didn’t matter to you, you were so sure he was the answer to a question you had never had the words to even ask before.

The way he had looked into your eyes, he saw you. More than the people you had known for years. Perhaps more than you knew yourself. You were so sure of it. So sure that you were meant to be with him. To hold him and to be held by him. To adore and cherish. To love and be loved.

You were back in your dorm. You wrapped your arms around yourself as you looked out into the night. You sighed, wishing he would be there waiting. Having found you somehow, some way. Having heard your heart calling out to his. But he wasn’t, he was on the other side of town, hoping that every stranger he passed was you. That every voice he heard would be the one he had so sorely missed out on hearing.

In the bleak, lonely light of the following morning you had decided you weren’t going to be able to rest until you saw him again. Spoke to him, laid your intentions bare to him. Just as he was thinking the same.

Where you had gone out only a handful of times, you started going out every night. Hitting every dive bar and club that you could find in the town you now called home. You searched, your heart aching.

You went to a bar and he was scanning the crowd at a different club. You were walking through the streets almost stopping every stranger you could find and he was doing the same but on the college campus. You circled each other, a well-choreographed dance. Neither of you gave up. You couldn’t, you knew you would never rest until you found him.

One night, your dreams came true. His hopes, his pining for you reaching its peak as he caught a glimpse of you. His heart ached for you. He wished to drop to his knees, take it from his chest and hand it to you. He could only wish you would take it. Look after it the way he felt deep within that you would.

He had pressed your image into his mind. You lived there, in his head. As if he could conjure you up just by wishing it. But nothing could compare to the vision before him.

He knew it was you straight away. He called out and you turned. As if you knew.

Neither of you cared about those that would not trust this union. Your human friends. The demons that hated his affection for a human. Some had already tried to fight him over it.

You saw his face and smiled softly, your legs moving towards him of their own accord. As if you were being pulled by an unstoppable force. But you never willed it to stop. Only to bring you closer. To be by his side. In death, in life. In any way. You would surrender it all. For him.

His face lifted as you stepped closer. His hand reached for you. To dare graze his thumb along your cheekbone. You leaned into his touch. Eyes closing and breath catching.

You yearned for him. Almost wept at the contact. You slid your hands, resting on his elbows as both hands now reached for your face. His hands felt rough, but his touch was gentle against your skin as they slid against your cheeks.

His lips caught yours. Soft and urgent. Desperate and reluctant, as if he was worried he would break you. You were lost in this kiss.

Time stopped and nothing could ever be the same. It was your first meeting but one so familiar it transcended this mere moment. This was forever.

An eternal love. You felt whole. It had the power to ensoul. To renew each other’s faith in love and life itself.

Little were you aware that the stars had plans for you both, the fates were aligning and you were not aware in which way they would sway. You didn’t care.

All that mattered was him.

[pastelsandpining]

congrats on 200 followers!! my request: botw zelink with Selfless by the strokes :)

this turned out a tiny bit more of a Zelda piece than a Zelink piece but it's still there! I hope this is to your liking volt my beloved

Selfless

words: 1806

warnings: read with caution; grief, death mention, vague disassociation

Masterlist

------

It was quite the feeling, to be everything and nothing all at once. Zelda couldn’t recall what it was like to be physical. She couldn’t recall much more than the blank space she existed in, and the horrible sounds that encompassed it every time she was so painfully reminded of where she was. Only in those moments of remembrance, of realization, was she able to get glimpses of the land she’d given up so much for. So much of her kingdom had been lost: children, buildings, the very friends she swore to fight alongside. The Calamity claimed everything in its path and it devoured her, too. It was only fitting, fair, even that she should suffer in the void of existence with nothing but a demon and whispers of hatred as her companion.

Zelda was not in Hyrule, not really. Her body might’ve been, but she was elsewhere, using every bit of strength that she’d failed to have before, in the hopes that her one connection to her home would find his way back to her. But for a very long time, he lay buried deep inside a shrine on a hill. The only evidence he was there at all was the warm, very small, and very dormant ball settled in her chest, pulsating softly with every breath he took in his endless slumber.

It was like that for one hundred long, lonely years. The rhythm of his heart, slow but stable, was what kept her from losing touch completely. Goddess powers or not, corporeal or not, someone could only take so much of corruption, of malice, until it started to gnaw away at her peace of mind. It was a good thing that peace of mind was not an essential part of the sealing power, but she’d already lost everything. It would be too easy to lose herself as well... No, he would come, she just knew it, and she would live against the odds, for him.

So Zelda waited, ever patient, watching the land of Hyrule pass in bleary, half conscious moments. A flicker of a new birth here, a wave of grief there, a family settling down, a crack of lightning, a call of a bird, all things once insignificant—common. Now, it gave her the assurance that people were still fighting on, continuing to push forwards despite a devastating loss. They were still Hylia’s people, after all, and the Goddess herself put up many good fights.

The kingdom was as still as ever, as silent as the heavy night, when the hero finally stirred. It was nothing more than a twitch of the eyelids, a strengthening of a heartbeat, but she felt it like a fire burning through her chest, sending hope to the tips of her very fingers. He was alive, to what extent, she didn’t know. But she took that warmth and reached out with it, surfing across Hyrule until finally, at last, he came into focus.

“Link,” she called out, into the void of nothing. His eyelids fluttered. If she was corporeal, if she had any physicality at all, she would’ve sobbed. Instead, she tried his name again, begging in a whisper, “open your eyes.”

Whether he was truly hearing her, whether he recognized her voice or not, his eyes opened. They’d never looked more blue.

But she was not the only powerful being with the capability to sense an awakening. Calamity Ganon could feel it too, and for a moment, Zelda was fearful that it would get to him before she did. It would cry out, loud and obnoxious and horrible, and get into his head like the monstrous thing it was. She couldn’t let that happen, not again. Link did not deserve the horrid fate of facing him twice, though the cards had already been dealt. So she did all she could, instructing him from afar until he emerged at last from his grave. The light was brighter now. She could see him better, all of him, from the scarred skin to the shaky limbs and anxious stature. He was lovely, still.

Zelda wanted nothing more than to burst from her prison and accompany him on his journey. She wished to heal his mind and heart, tell him everything so that he was no longer in the dark, and warn him about the horrors he would face. She wanted to feel his arms again, hear his voice, hug him in those moments she knew so well: those moments when it all felt like too much. But sealing the Calamity, caging its physical form in the very midst of Hyrule Castle, a mere few meters away from where her father and mother’s thrones once sat, took a great deal of power. She could not watch him, protect him as much as she wanted to. She wouldn’t last forever, and so conserving was key. Zelda did not rush him, she did not plead or beg. It was his decision to make, it was his readiness to determine, and she’d already waited a century. What was a little more time?

She lended him something else instead, with every break he took to confront the Goddess. She gave what she had plenty of: strength. Every bit of drained power, every little increase in difficulty to contain the demon, was worth it to see him thrive. Link would come in his own time, and she would be ready for him when he did. Besides, she didn’t mind waiting. She enjoyed those moments when clarity hit, when she could see his progress from her spot in the realm of nothingness. A naturally gifted boy in many ways, but there was something so precious in the way he worked. In the years before, Zelda had come to understand him as this hard working and duty driven boy, but it was so much more intimate to see his efforts herself. Oftentimes, she felt it was something she shouldn’t have been seeing, but she was proud nonetheless. Link would always come to be the hero he was meant to be. Courageous, determined, selfless.

And when he stormed the castle, the warm pulse in her chest thundering in time with his the closer he came, she’d never seen him look so angry. Of course, he’d lost as much as she, if not more. He had every right to be angry. For one bitter but sweet, satisfying moment, she felt for the Calamity. It had its victory, and Link would not let it get another. He was vicious and cruel and precise, and it seemed now, he was returning all of what she’d lent him. Perhaps it was just his presence that made her feel stronger in the midst of the first break she’d gotten in decades. It took hardly any effort to restrain the beast to Hyrule Field, and she took great pleasure in decorating it with glowing targets for the hero to strike.

In a brilliant moment of intensity, Zelda could feel the world around her again. She could feel her body grow solid, the golden glow encasing her with a divine power her mortal vessel shouldn’t have been able to handle, and she faced the Calamity head on for a second time. With a strained cry, with the fury of a thousand lost souls, with the hunger for revenge for her friends, her father, her kingdom, her hero, the princess took her duty upon her shoulders and swallowed the darkness in the holy light of the Goddess. She willed her magic to carve into every crevice, tear it apart, cause it to feel the very pain it rained down upon Hyrule tenfold, but it would never be enough. The Beast was gone too soon. After a century of holding everything hostage, it was reduced to nothing. That was perhaps the worst part of it all. They would never be able to cause it the pain it had caused them, because it was not human. It was not a thing that could feel pain or regret. The only thing it knew was hatred, and for a moment, as Zelda collapsed to her knees and dug her fingers into the dirt, she worried if she was too similar.

She hated Calamity Ganon, hated all it had done and all it had taken from her, and she hated that she didn’t feel satisfied. She was angry, so incredibly angry, that it got to crawl back into its coffin until another ten thousand years had passed, but all of those lost to its claws could never return. She was angry that she couldn’t cause it the pain that it caused her, that it could take everything away from her and no amount of revenge could ease her pain.

She was shaking. She didn’t realize she was crying. But Link, ever the kind, patient, selfless man that he was, did not leave her stranded. His feet came into view, prompting her to lift her head and blink hard to clear her vision just enough to see him kneel before her. He extended his hands to her. They were trembling just as hard. Zelda slowly pulled her fingers free of the dirt, uncurling them just enough to hesitantly slip her hands into his.

Once upon a time, she couldn’t read his expression. A century later, on the battered ground of Hyrule Field, his eyes were misty and he looked like he would crumble at any point, but he looked relieved. She grasped his hands tighter, more desperate than before, and sobbed out a “thank you.”

His thumbs brushed against her, gentle as ever, and she had very little composure left. Her anger, her dissatisfaction in the truth that the Calamity would never truly die, dissipated like it had never been there at all. She found she didn’t care anymore, at least not in that moment, because she had something. She had hope, she had courage. She had Link, if he wanted her. It was an ache in her chest, nagging in her brain, and before she could think better of it, she whispered, “May I ask…do you really remember me?”

She didn’t want to know the answer. He was quiet for what felt like an eternity, and she wasn’t sure she had another to give. But then he answered, quieter than the wind but as sure as the sky, “yes.”

He tugged her hands, pulled her forwards into an embrace, and she clutched the back of his tunic with eager fingers. She could cry again, but she realized with a start that he was the one sobbing instead. Zelda held him tighter, buried her face in his hair, whispered into the wind that she was here, that they were okay, that it was over.

And when they finally lifted their heads, when Link smiled at her, she had no trouble believing it.

[boizandgurlzinthehouse]

𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐢 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰

pairing: loki x godess!reader word count: 1.995 plot: you can stop the time, but you can’t make your memories disappear. unspoken love. 

you and loki were old friends to each other. caring flowers or braiding it into a crown for the two of you in the asgardian gardens, trying to fly across the fields in the mountains, loki grabbing your hand while rolling in the smooth grass –or catching the other in the big hall of the palace, your steps echoing in the silence. best friends, as the two of you said –you chose him always over thor and his friends, squatting down beside him as he studied a snake, just to change into one after. 

he never hurt you. not even when he wanted to, when he was annoyed and felt teased because of the guys you used to talk with. when loki transformed into a snake, he sneaked up onto your neck or collarbone, like a shining necklace or chiffon, even giving protection to your incidentally imposed skins in front of the nation of asgard. when you were sad or upset, he changed into another's body to mock them, just to make you smile. hell, he even wanted to transform into you, to make all those guys walk away, or reject them by yourself –but he never wanted bad to you, ever.

after all those years, you were involved into the avengers’ group, fighting on their site, while visiting asgard all the time you can –when he was there, those days were the best days of your life, giving sore and heart-aching memories when you found the throne room or his department empty. you had the power of time, power above controlling it, slow it, fasten it, stop it –just with the snap of your fingers. loki helped you to boss these abilities, and thanks to him, you were now a powerful, strong goddess, who even had the power to dominate above other’s lives and destiny. if he ever got to know about what you were doing now… wherever he was, you prayed so much to him just to see why you were fighting for, how well can you defend the object of your faith. you knew that he would be proud of you, holding your shoulders to look down at you with an adoring smile –he only provoked himself in front of you, to see his kind, worshipful side–, to say something only he knows, and only wants to share with you, and nobody else. 

but when thanos came, everything went wrong. too wrong. you didn’t have the chance to find him and thor, even bruce, and you weren't able to go back to asgard, thanks to hela –you just go to wait, until your best friend’s brother doesn't come back to midgard. and what you heard about loki... that broke your heart, too much. the sorrow, the mourning were way too strong in your heart to anything else, he can’t die, you chanted to yourself in your brain endlessly, he didn’t die, he didn’t die, he didn’t die, he didn’t– he was so powerful, he was so malicious, yet funny and caring towards you, hel, he was the god of mischief, he wasn’t even able to end a fight with a beat! but you had to get up for him, to fight for him, to fight for all the things you were desperate to protect, to prove for everybody that he taught you well, he was the only one who trusted you, the only one who believed in you. you can’t let him down, not now. not in the biggest, most painful hour of the necessity. 

you went with steve, tony, bruce and scott, back into 2012. it was so galling, so odd without loki –and maybe because you weren't here, you were busy with the protection of vanaheim, but you helped him to escape somehow –you were there to him, for him. but now, seeing the ruined, scrambled city, the destroyed, high towers that were just as high as one of the masts of asgard’s majestic palace, you knew he messed up a little bit. yet, he was born for this, so who’s gonna consume this, if not him? by the lack of time, you got to go with tony, but in another way: overtaking hulk, you got to make sure that nothing goes wrong, you hurried down as fast as you can, noticing from the slight gap of the door the 2012-ish loki and thor. your heart throbbed when you saw him; did you forget how handsome is he? although, his mouth was covered –bringing up the memories when you helped him to get free–, but he was just your same old friend. a sudden idea flew into your mind; should you warn him? should you say to him, that he’s gonna be in danger, and he’s gonna– he’s gonna get your heart broken? your middle finger and thumb unwittingly sneaked beside each other, you wanted to give him advice so badly. 

slipping from the door, you thanked yourself because in the next moment, hulk broke the stairway’s entry in half, bringing some attention to himself, and most importantly, tearing the tesseract from tony. what the hel, you thought, immediately moving, hearing the clink of the parting case’s locks –the bright blue light broke the sunlight. following with your eyes, the stone landed slowly, clashing into somebody’s foot –loki’s foot. 

you had to think fast, should it be responsible, stopping the time and using it only for your good? you never used it for just for yourself, the cause always held intercourse with something else than only your goals. but… what if this is the last you can see him? does it really earn to just talk to him and– seeing him grabbing the stone, you knew already. yes, it’s worth it. it’s always worth it, even when you think you’re not; how can he not earn that level of the importance? do it, y/n. 

snap!

everything went blurry around the two of you –all the staff, all tony and hulk, all the employees, all the sunny hall. silence coated the void, you know you needed to say something, anything before he disappears again. 

“loki?” 

he stood with his back against you, concentrating on the tesseract, wanting to escape as fast as he can –his shoulders now tensed, thinking someone’s playing a trick on him. then, he turned around, couldn't say a word, just stared at you –how… how can you be here, when you were supposed to be in vanaheim? you hurried there, standing in front of him, slowly taking off the thing that kept his mouth shut. “are you okay, my best friend?” you reassure him that you remember, after all those times, all the decades and centuries, you’re still his best friend –or even more, but it’s not necessary now. he dropped the stone between the two of you, holding your hair and your shoulder as he always used to do. 

“y/n, my dearest… what are you doing here?” he asked, and you hated the fact of his tied hands, even if the chain was longer. “are you warning me? you supposed to be… far away, what are you looking for?” 

everytime when he’s with you, his walls fall down –no, he lets down his own walls. speaking softer, holding you like a pearl from the deepness of the oceans or the precious stars from the sky. your eyes get irritated by the want to keep up your straight, yet lovely face –he asks so innocently from you, not like his brother, not like his father; loki wants reassurance from you. you can’t resist the giving, don’t you? 

“i’m, i’m… here, for– looking out for you. perhaps, or surely now, vanaheim is alright, and–” you babble, hoping that he’s believing in you, even if he knows your obvious lies that slips out from your mouth. “sweetness, why didn’t you tell me? we could travel all around the nine realms, just you and me, like the old friends we used to be.” you swallowing a little bit, his promising eyes are so fallible, so fragile. that’s what you want –being with him ‘till the end of time, end of everything. 

“don’t say this. we’re still best friends. friends forever, even if something happens to one of us–” your eyes widen a little bit. you almost told him, hel! loki strokes your hair, his other hand slips from your shoulder to the connecting of your shoulder and neck, maybe closer to your neck; his hands are so big and tender, caring you the best way possible. all. the. time. his brows furrow, still smiling, not like he knows you don’t tell him something, but like he enjoys your presence. holding into his arms slightly, your fingers graze the silky, green matter under his armour. 

“you're not the pretty girl i know at all, are you?” 

your breath hitches; how can you say all those things that led you to this? your time is not enough, and his question… what? you were whole with him, from toe to top, how can you be the same without him? 

“i mean, you’re still pretty, the prettiest girl i ever met, just–” 

“i don’t know, loki… i don’t know who i am. it’s just… strange, i don’t know how to explain.” you whisper, smiling sadly, telling him the truth is one of the best feelings in your world. 

“then you don’t have to. don’t hurt yourself, sweetness.” he stroked your cheek, trying to help you relax. 

“i just… i–” you can’t say that to him. too dangerous, possibly can mess up the whole timeline, and you… you’re not here for him, no matter how much you want; you’re there to save the earth, so many’s life. “please… stay safe, okay? don’t do anything crazy, promise to me, please.” you pleaded, either if you knew that he’s never gonna change. that’s his nature, his design –and that’s why you want him so much. loki smiles worryingly, a little bit somber, but he nods. 

“as you want, princess.” and with that, you let one tear slip away, tilting your forehead to his chin, trying to stay the strongest, trying not to escape with him, the need of being in his near, being with him is too big to handle, even for a minute long. maybe you didn’t need to go down to earth, to protect vanaheim, to do everything so far away from him –your heart stinged on the broken promises that lie now just as shattered pieces. 

you’re not ready to let go of him. you never gonna be ready enough, and that’s okay. 

because you love him, more than everyone, more than anyone anytime, ever in your life. 

just stay alive, best friend. stay alive, my love, the only light spot in my haunted, dark hole of life.

thinking about what you should say, so many unspoken words, so much unspoken confessions. so speechless three-word-sentences. 

“thank you.”

you don’t wait another second, stepping away from him, losing his heavenly touch, snapping again. everything goes sharp and full of life, one of the guards pushing you out from the way as they hurry to get to tony and hulk; loki picks up the stone again, but before holding it fully, he looks at you. you don’t want to read his eyes, don’t want to explain anything into his stare –does he try to get you to go with him, only with his look? instead of moving towards him, you only nod, gawping a silent “i love you”, hoping he gets it.

and he gets. 

because in the next moment –you can’t hear because of the arguing of the men in the back, or just by the reason of the thumping blood in your ears– loki recites it. when he disappears in the haze of the grey and blue shadows, a drear, dry smile hustle onto your face. it’s totally nonsense that you hear it, or not, 

                    either way, 

                    you’re always gonna be his. 

[teatimecrumpetsandsugar]

a decade a century long

Heyo! This story is based on a request from @keefsteefs​ !

How about klance where future Keith and Lance get shot into the past in the castle of lions? Like future Keith and Lance would be married by that point and both would be in the BOM Keith and Lance would be co-leaders Past Keith and Lance wouldn’t be together by that point and maybe they don’t notice they’re together at first but everyone else notices

I’m not sure how well I’m gonna be able to do this, but I really hope I can do it justice for you! I now have an actual ask box on my page now, as I’ve been aided in setting it up by a few very kind people.

Anywho, feel free to let me know if I didn’t hit the prompt correctly- I don’t mind rewriting or adding another part if you feel it necessary because I really want you to enjoy the result of your request! Thank you so much for requesting!

For reference, I imagine this takes place 

/                                                                                                            \

Lance isn’t quite sure how to breathe when Keith is around. That sounds... worse than it is, but it’s definitely really bad in some way, form, or fashion. He isn’t quite sure when it started- when he started to look at those smug, blue-gray eyes and see the entire galaxy reflected back at him, or when he started wondering idly what it’d be like to braid the long hair decorating his broad shoulders.

He just knows that he finds himself transfixed on the battle-hardened, scarred face of the older boy, and it annoys him more than anything in the world. Slacking in his duties and instead watching the way Keith rolls his shoulders stiffly to correct his posture isn’t what he should be doing.

He doesn’t even realize he’s doing it until he realizes there’s a blip on his monitor, moving at warp speed and heading straight for the castle- he calls out to Allura a second too late, the entire ship rocking with the impact.

He looks up frantically at Allura, distress drawing his features tight as she scowls at him admonishingly, “Lance, how many times have I told you to keep your eyes on the screen?” He flounders for a response, gaze flitting to Keith’s face to gauge his reaction before he remembers it’s not the time, “I-”

The bridge begins to flash with bright red lights, a system alert flashing in Altean on the monitor- he knows just enough to make out that it’s a breach warning, heart lurching as he realizes the severity of his error.

Allura heaves a sigh, eyebrows pinched together in irritation as she turns to stare him down, “The breach is down in the shuttle bay. Go find out what crashed into us- take Keith with you.”

He hesitates for a second, deflating as she narrows her eyes at him, daring him to say anything back, “...Yes, princess,” He mutters, shame curling against his stomach as he trudges towards the door.

He grabs his helmet on his way out, slipping it on- Keith strides out ahead of him, spurring him on to walk faster.

It’s quiet- awkward, really, if you were to put a name to the loud silence between them.

Keith doesn’t say anything for a while, lips pressed into a straight line. Eventually, he opens his mouth to speak, before closing it again uncertainly. This goes on for a little while longer, Lance watching quietly as he grapples with the words, letting him work it out without pressure. Finally, he speaks up, voice softer than Lance was expecting, “We all make mistakes sometimes,” He says tersely, eyebrows drawing together as he considers his next words carefully, “Don’t worry about it.”

Lance stops to look at Keith for a moment, face carefully neutral, before a short snicker forces its way from his chest, “...That’s it?” Keith physically recoils, lip curling upwards defensively, a hot flush burning at his collarbones, “...Maybe! I-I don’t know!”

Lance shakes his head frantically, doubling over as his laughter grows louder, easing loose the guilt that had knotted itself in his chest, “I didn’t- I didn’t mean it that way!” Keith relaxes a little, still tense as Lance’s bright, raucous laughter paints the air in shades of blue and gold, a sound as rich as royalty.

Lance isn’t quite sure what he’d been expecting when Keith started speaking, but it was probably something along those lines if he’s being honest. It’s so unmistakably a Keith thing to say, and Lance finds himself laughing airily as he finally starts walking again, knocking his shoulder against Keith’s playfully, “Thanks, Keith. I can always count on you to cheer me up.”

It surprises them both for a second how honest and bold the statement is, before Lance clears his throat, laughing uneasily, “Your attempts at comforting me always make me laugh!”

Keith doesn’t respond, the air between them growing thick with tension as another uncomfortable silence falls between them, both boys trying to will away blushes- failing, unfortunately, but still attempting to anyway.

Before long, they reach the shuttle bay- it’s quiet and dark, the air still and cold and pressure skewed from the large, gaping hole in the side of the room that exposes them to the darkness of space.

Lance catches sight of a pod buried in the wall, hitting Keith’s arm to get his attention and gesturing to it wordlessly. Keith looks at him for a second, nodding his understanding as the two lower themselves in perfect unison, Keith pulling his sword as Lance sets up behind a nearby shuttle, sight aimed towards the pod to monitor any movement. Keith creeps towards spacecraft uneasily, gaze flitting around in the dark before sharpening as he spots a sudden shifting to his left, turning to brace himself to block as he hears a blade slice the air behind him.

Lance grimaces when he hears the blades clash together, quietly sending an SOS to the rest of the paladins- and then a weapon clicks behind his head.

“Hands off the rifle.” A voice sounds from behind him, sounding eerily familiar and yet all at once too wrong and distant to be what it sounds like.

Slowly, he removes his hands from his bayard, watching as it topples over the shuttle and clatters to the floor- the safety of the weapon behind him clicks off, and, counting off from three, he waits until a finger starts to tick softly at the trigger before turning around, knocking the weapon from his assailant’s hands and swiftly turning it on them, narrowing his eyes as the shuttle bay doors slide open just in time for Keith to hit the wall beside them with a grunt.

Pidge turns the lights on the moment she enters the room, her bayard at the ready in her hands as she looks down to check on Keith-

Only it isn’t Keith.

They all pause in confusion as they take in the hooded figure dragging himself up the wall slowly, and Lance barely turns around back in time to catch the sudden movement from his assailant, lean figure tearing across the room to brace the other against their shoulder. It’s oddly endearing to watch as the taller of the two fusses over the one Keith threw against the wall, the other barking “I’m fine!”

They all freeze at the familiar cadence of the words, a hush falling over the room as they turn to look at Keith. He looks more confused than they do.

Oblivious to the tension in the room, the other replies, matching the tone of the first, “If fine is dragging yourself up a wall to get up then yeah, you’re fine!” Everyone turns to look at Lance, now, but his eyes are on Keith’s, the two watching each other confusedly-

Then the other pair look up and suddenly realize the situation they’re in, the four making uncomfortable eye contact for what is definitely way too long before Shiro speaks up, “We... should probably have this conversation away from the hole that leads to dark, empty void of space.”

/ /                                                                                                        \ \

The moment the... other Lance and Keith, he supposes, took off their helmets had to have been the strangest moment in Lance’s life. 

The other Keith had longer hair and looked.. a lot older, really. Both of the other pair looked older, but Keith looked like he’d seen conflict and a lot of horrible things, even moreso than the other Lance. The other Lance, on the other hand, was a lot softer looking- he reminded Lance of one of his Tias back on Earth, probably having grown a lot less severe to accommodate how gruff the other Keith was.

And the two of them seemed close, comfortable, even- it was odd, especially considering that Lance and Keith often can’t sit in the same room for too long without it being awkward.

The other Lance has a softer face than the other Keith, whose face seemed to be all harsh edges and scowls. He sat with a passive and warm smile on his face, even as the entire team stared him and the other Keith down.

Allura is the first to speak, despite how utterly uncomfortable she seems, “Where did you come from?”

The other Keith merely grunts, and the other Lance laughs a laugh that reminds everyone of a melody they’ve never heard before, “Sorry, Keith isn’t much for interrogations. Time with the Blade of Marmora will do that to ya.” Shiro quirks a brow at that, “You came from the Blade of Marmora?”

The other Lance smiles kindly, “Yup! And the future, too, from the looks of it.”

The other Keith doesn’t say anything, just eyeing Keith with a dirty look as Keith eyes him back. If Lance didn’t know any better, he’d swear Keith was glaring at a mirror.

The other Lance seems to notice, too, glancing between the two Keiths shortly, “Keith, honey,” Both of them snap their gazes to him, Keith recoiling at the pet name whilst the other Keith just grunts impassively, “Stop glaring at the child. He doesn’t have any more answers than you do.”

The other Keith huffs in response, looking away before replying, “I don’t like the way he’s looking at me.”

Lance stifles a giggle at that, knowing that the other pair noticed when the other Keith glares at him. There’s a strange, awkward charm to the way the other Keith speaks- not quite as obvious as the lilting, musical tone the other Lance presents, but still there, showing that he really is like their Keith in some way.

Keith scowls, stepping in between Lance and the other Keith defensively, “I don’t like the way you’re looking at me either, old man.”

To everyone’s mild shock, both Lances burst into laughter at the same time, almost identical blues and golds painting the air in the room and melting the tension completely as both Keiths turn to stare in surprise and total reverence.

The parallels are uncanny, at least until the other Keith speaks softly, “It’s been a decade a century long and I still don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that laugh.”

Lance chokes on a small, surprised giggle as Pidge casually speaks up, “So, how long have you two been married?”

Keith whips around to face her so quickly Lance swears he hears a crack, but Lance covers his face as blood rushes to his face, staining his cheekbones and the tips of his ears a bright red that he prays no one notices. Now that he considers it, it makes sense that the two are married- how close they are, the pet name, the way the other Keith listened to the other Lance- but he can’t understand the how.

That is, until the other Lance winks at him, another lilting laugh falling from his lips as it suddenly hits Lance like a freight train that he’s hopelessly in love with Keith.

Well, he wasn’t expecting that at all.