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ladytesla · 1 year ago

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The Great Faerun Baking Show (part three)

For those of you who are just stopping by, I had a horrible idea a while ago and this is the result. I have no idea what's going to happen or who's going to win. I’m just going to roll a D20 ‘bake check’ for everyone and write out the results, including what everyone rolled so y’all know I’m not cheating just so my druid boyfriend can win. The person with the lowest total score (out of a possible score of 60) goes home.

We've got the main 6 companions, Jaheira, Halsin, Minsc (and Boo), Minthara, Dammon, and my tav Medora (who y'all can just pretend is Alfira if you don't want someone else's tav in the story, since they're both female bards)

Week One, Cake Week: Star baker was Karlach, Minthara went home

Week Two, Biscuit Week: Star baker was Halsin, Shadowheart went home

Week Three: Bread Week, or "No you can't use Mage Hand to knead your dough"

Signature: Cottage Loaf

Astarion: Sun dried tomato and paprika. Unfortunately somehow he never turned on his oven, so all he had when time was called was a big ball of dough that wasn't able to be judged.

Dammon: Greek spices and olives. Or whatever the Faerun equivalent of Greece is. Maybe Waterdeep? Anyway, there were a few too many olives and it was a little underbaked, but it wasn't too bad.

Gale: He really wanted to keep with a magical purple theme, but ube and red onion really don't vibe with each other. It was way overworked thanks to the mage hand he totally didn't use to help with the kneading process.

Halsin: Rosemary and wild mushroom. All of which he'd gathered himself, of course. Nearly perfectly done, and beautifully decorated with little sprigs of rosemary.

Jaheira: Cinnamon pumpkin bread. Very autumnal, but the moisture in the pumpkin threw off the consistency of the dough and left it underprooved. The decorative pumpkin seeds on top could only hide so many sins.

Karlach: Jalapeño cheddar. Just the right amount of heat, from someone who's an expert on it. She even decorated it with a few slices of jalapeño for presentation.

Lae'zel: For some reason she decided to put smoked salmon, herring and tuna in the same bread to make a fish loaf? It was also underbaked, and didn't go over well at all.

Medora: Saffron, rose and pistachio bread. The rose was a bit too overpowering, and the loaf was overworked. It looked nice, though.

Minsc: He used Indian spices in his bread like garam masala and curry powder, which gave it a really unique flavor. It was slightly overprooved, but overall a successful loaf.

Wyll: Gluten-free garlic and herb. He wanted to challenge himself to make a classic flavor more available to those with dietary restrictions (because he is a Very Good Boy) and it was a resounding success. He earned a Hollywood Handshake for his efforts.

Technical: Baguettes

I was surprised to find that the lowest roll for this round was an 8! So they all did pretty well. I think that, from now on, if there's a tie I'll roll for them a second time. The second roll won't contribute to the score at all, it'll just determine the order in the technical.

Worst to best:

10. Halsin

9. Dammon

8. Astarion

7. Karlach

6. Minsc

5. Jaheira

4. Lae'zel

3. Wyll

2. Medora

Gale

Showstopper: Bread Sculpture

Astarion: He recovered from his disastrous signature round to make a masterfully-done sculpture... of himself, with a dagger in one hand and a glass of wine in another. He had to reference the face from a sketch someone had made of him, but thankfully it had been a skilled artist. Paul and Prue had to look really hard to find a flaw.

Dammon: He made a bread dinosaur. A stegosaurus, to be exact. And thanks to its sturdy bread-roll legs, it was able to stand upright unaided. The tip of the tail got a bit burnt, and to save it he'd had to take it out of the oven underbaked.

Gale: He made Elminster's hat, and colored the bread with paprika and cayenne to get the red color. It ended up being quite lopsided, unfortunately, and overworked.

Halsin: His owlbear was incredibly detailed, and the garlic chip decorations he used for some of the feathers accented the flavor of the bread wonderfully. Some of the chips had browned a bit too much on the ends however, so it wasn't perfect, but it was close.

Jaheira: She had a rough time this round. Dropped one of her doughs so she only had two to work with and underbaked her sculpture of a tree so badly that it had to be propped up to stand upright.

Karlach: She made a tower of bread skulls, with one of four different flavors. And tiny grassini breadsticks to represent swords and spears. A mammoth undertaking that she pulled off very well.

Lae'zel: Unhappy about her gingerbread dragon, she was bound and determined to make a dragon right this time. And thankfully, she succeeded. Otherwise she would have continued to make dragons until she got it right. The bread was quite spicy and had chili peppers in it for good measure, but the heat wasn't overpowering at all.

Medora: She attempted to make a lighthouse on an island. It was really precariously tilted to one side, and the bread making the lighthouse was underbaked, but the bread the island was made of tasted fine.

Minsc: He made a giant bread version of Boo the Miniature Giant Space Hamster. Which he presented next to the real thing. It was a huge loaf of bread so it was underbaked in the middle, but it was visually impressive.

Wyll: His bread version of the Ravenguard family crest had a braided border which took a lot of time. However, with the added colors in the dough to bring the crest to life, Wyll was still able to make something delicious and very nicely baked within the time constraints.

The Results:

Our star baker for the week, with a score of 52/60, is Wyll!

Unfortunately, with a score of 23/60, Jaheira has to leave the tent.

Feel free to play along in the comments! How would your tav or favorite npc compare?

Let's fuckin go we're doing pies and tarts next.

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inneedofsupervision · 4 months ago

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In a World full of Color, We only see Black and White (Chapter 10)

Summary:

Being homeschooled until now, Chan stands two days after turning sixteen in front of an actual school for the first time in his life. Chan's plan; keep low and get this done without causing himself trouble. But that's easier said than done when you only pretend to be human. In a society where people split into those who can use magic and those who are not, demons have nearly hit extinction. They are beasts accepted but still frowned upon by society and thus live with their true nature hidden. To this day, demons almost started becoming a myth. Chan is one of them.

Seventeen fanfic; High School AU, Fantasy AU, Demons and Humans AU

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Chapter: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

Read on Ao3

Chan knew he was in trouble when the words in his textbook wouldn't stay put. He tries to concentrate. He does. But squinting at the passage while leaning half over his desk does not do much. Chan suppresses a yawn. He glances around, but luckily no one is paying attention to him as he tries to keep his forehead from hitting the desk and droll on his textbook.

It has been over two months since the incident on his way back home. He still keeps thinking about the man that got devoured by a magic stone and who attacked him. It left a noticeable mark on his mind. Sleep wouldn't come to him often after the incident. Sometimes he catches his breath halt when a daydream feels too real. But it got better. Until yesterday apparently.

Chan's visions grow fuzzy as his eyelids try to shut down on their own.

Their first practical training inside the arena has thrown Chan's efforts back to the beginning. As entertaining as it had been watching his classmates try to create fire and light up a straw mat hanging around a hardwood pole, the sight left Chan standing with clammy hands and a nervous flutter in his stomach. He had almost sympathy for the teacher, the latter having beads of sweat on his forehead as he interfered whenever his students seemed in danger of lighting each other on fire.

Chan had to stand outside of the arena during the lesson. For safety, as his teacher said. Chan couldn't complain, though.

A protection spell got cast over the students to ensure their well-being. It didn't hinder their clothes from suffering, and at the end of the lesson, several blazers lay on the ground smoking, covered with burn marks. The untamed flames and the scent of burnt clothes had sent Chan off. The impressions followed him home, clung to him as he put his school bag into the corner. He found himself spread out in his bed at the end of the day, unable to sleep.

Chan jumps at the noise of a book hitting a desk.

"As some little geniuses might have noticed, the yearly Mage Tournament is due in a month."

The teen has not noticed their homeroom teacher entering the classroom. The presence of Mr. Yun is enough to let Chan sit up straight. The earlier fogginess washed away in an instant. Mr. Yun let his gaze wander over the students, a bored expression on his face. "Since I have to, and there is no other way around it, we speak about the rules before we go into the next lesson."

The teacher doesn't bother waiting to explain before he pulls the cap off the pencil and begins to write on the board, his back facing the waiting students. The crumpled shirt stretches around the teacher's well-fed body. Chan only waits for a button to fly away at any second and hit a student between the eyes.

"As you are in your second year, those who are going to attend the tournament are going to do it alone. Two against two is only for years three and above. Fighting with items is only for advanced students as we can't risk more accidents than those that are bound to happen. For this year's tournament, only the top three students in year one and the top six in year two will duel. All students in the years above can decide if they want to participate or not like before."

Almost all of his classmates break out in excited whispers at the news.

"When are you an advanced student?"

Mr. Yun's expression turns cold at the innocent voice that cuts through the whispers. The girl who asked quickly pulls her hand down as she notices her mistake. The teacher sets the pen down for a moment to turn around. He looks more done with his students today than ever.

"Well, you and most of you do not have to worry your small heads about that. I cannot leave any of you alone with an item before chaos breaks out. Any more questions?"

There is a collective silence hovering over the class.

"That's what I thought," says Mr. Yun as he turns back to the whiteboard.

"Those who care for your grades will know if they are among the top six. If you don't know, don't bother finding out, you won't be in there. But if you need to quench your thirst for unnecessary information, there will be a hang-out on the blackboard by the beginning of next week."

The students watch the teacher writing, afraid to talk after the biting answer, the only noise from the pencil hitting the board. Mr. Yun turns around again. He puts the cap back onto the pencil and taps with the tip against the board, catching the student's attention.

"To make this as fair as letting children fight can be fair," Mr. Yun pauses, and Chan grimaces slightly as the man seems amused at his joke. "There are rules, what you can and cannot do. Forbidden are; magic items of all kinds, potions, death spells, and usage of dark magic. For advanced students, there are different sets of rules. But that holds no significance to you." Chan wonders if the man would drop dead if he doesn't insult someone every ten minutes.

Mr. Yun walks to the desk and opens the large book he had put on top earlier. With an expression that lacks motivation, he flips through the pages before writing a page number on the whiteboard.

"You might wonder why dark magic is forbidden in the tournament, because there is always someone ignorant asking. You cannot control it, and we want to avoid you blowing your or each other's heads off. Now, who can tell us why that's the case?"

Mr. Yun's eyes focus on a boy sitting in the front row, who registered the stare too late to avoid eye contact. Chan can see the student's shoulders growing tense from his place.

"Because it's dangerous?" comes the meek answer.

The deep sigh that follows sends a chill down Chan's spine. The teacher pulls at the collar of his ugly yellow dress shirt, a tick he does when he gets annoyed.

"And why is it dangerous?"

Mr. Yun speaks slowly and enunciates every word as if talking to a toddler. The boy in front of him stutters an answer that doesn't satisfy the teacher. The latter rolls his eyes, not trying to hide the disappointment, and steps back to the teacher's desk before addressing the class.

"Looks like we have to start from the beginning and with an explanation that elementary students would understand since that seems to be the level you are most comfortable with."

At moments like this, Chan wonders how his homeroom teacher gets away with treating a class of rich teens with that much disrespect. He had assumed that, as soon as the students complained about a teacher, it would only take a snap of their parent's fingers, and the person would get fired. But to his surprise, reality seems to work differently.

"There is magic and dark magic," begins Mr. Yun, as he draws a simple chart and writes magic on the left and dark magic on the right side above the chart.

"Normal magic, bright magic, or just magic, name it as you like, is everywhere. It is part of everything, alive and dead. It's all around us and in all of us. Dark magic, for the matter, can be found in a few places, but none, with one exception, is alive."

He writes down the headwords but never stops talking, and it takes a moment before bags and pencil cases get opened when the students realize they should be copying what Mr. Yun writes down. Maybe it's because Mr. Yun hates his students, wants to get this done quickly, or got poor penmanship, but Chan has trouble reading a single word.

"All kinds of magic can transform into another form, for example, by using a spell. The difference between magic and dark magic is the constant need for dark magic to get moved or transformed. Bright magic can stay in one place and one form. It can also get converted or stored at any time without causing damage. Of course, that requires a certain skill level, but it is possible."

Mr. Yun looks back at the students, who are busy trying to pay attention while simultaneously writing down what's on the whiteboard.

"Why must dark magic be converted sooner or later or better not be moved at all? The answer is simple. Dark magic is very potent and very reactive. It tends to get set free with a power similar to an explosive, making it volatile and hard to control. Having the skill of using dark magic even for a short period is an art in itself. The high potency is why dark magic needs to get converted or kept completely still. The few places and objects need to be out of material that can contain that much power. If the entity is too weak, it will get destroyed sooner or later."

The man puts his hands on the desk and leans forward, his eyes trained with expectations on the five rows of students.

"Now you have the answer to why you-" He makes a circling motion toward his students. "are not going to use dark magic. To make sure you understand, I want someone to sum it up for us." At that point, Chan is sure their teacher is a sadist. His eyes roaming over the students feel predatory until they stop moving when they espy a fitting prey.

"What about you? If you are curious about advanced students, this is your chance to get one step closer to being one."

The girl from earlier widens her eyes, clearly caught off guard. She looks around, and her mouth falls open as she notices she got picked despite other students raising their arms to answer. Mr. Yun throws her a look that holds high expectations but, at the same time, looks like he only waits to get disappointed.

"A human's body probably won't be able to handle the dark magic without getting hurt. And it is too hard to control the magic because of its power." The answer sounds astonishingly self-confident. Mr. Yun purses his lips. He doesn't seem pleased, but since it is not wrong, he cannot complain. It does not hinder the teacher from being mean toward his students.

"Not probably. It definitely will tear you to shreds. And since I'm not going to collect your bodies and send them to your parents in a fitting plastic case, we won't be doing anything that has to do with dark magic until I deem it fit."

The girl stares at the teacher, the shock of him raising his voice evident on her face. Mr. Yun is about to say something when the bell rings. It's the first time Chan sees the teacher looking somewhat motivated, although the reason is being able to take a break from teaching his students. "We will get through useful spells for the tournament next time. Bring your notebooks along." With those words, their homeroom teacher walks out of class without a proper goodbye, as usual.

During the break, the hot topic among the students is the upcoming tournament. Chan had seen the tacky blue-golden posters that hung all over the school yesterday but didn't know it was such an important event. He has not paid much attention to them. Maybe he should skip that day.

"We will start training in the arena this week too."

Seungkwan put his chair down next to Chan. At first, Chan thought Seungkwan needed a better view to talk to Vernon. But the blond teen proves him wrong by sitting directly next to him, close enough that Chan can feel the heat of Seungkwans thigh. The latter put his meal on Chan's desk with an implicitness as if it were his own. Chan has no choice but to move around until he sits with his back to the window. Seungkwan ignores his perplexed expression and continues his chatter. Chan wonders who Seungkwan is talking to as he's not looking at anyone but speaking while opening his fancy lunchbox.

"They changed the rules. Until last year the first years weren't allowed to participate at all. The two students with the highest grades in the second year were allowed to go. No one knows why the rules are changed this year, and now everyone is talking about it."

Seungkwan passes Vernon a pack of snacks, the latter opening it and laying them out on the table. A moment later, a huge navy blue thermos jug stands on Chan's desk. Chan watches them in confusion until Seungkwan catches his thrown-off expression.

"Don't look like you just saw a ghost, Chan. We are going to sit with you if you like it or not. Don't try acting like the dark, edgy kid sitting in the corner and eating lunch alone." The youngest teen throws the two students a questioning look, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Why are you doing this?"

Seungkwan puts the snack away, which he had been about to put in his mouth. He heaves a sigh. Chan raises an eyebrow at the action, waiting for an explanation. He gets surprised as Seungkwan's expression turns serious, and the older shifts to face him.

"I met Jun yesterday. He asked me how you are doing, and I wanted to give him another answer other than I don't know. And I couldn't since I don't know. And do you know what he asked? Aren't you friends ? And again, I said I don't know."

Chan sits silently in his chair as Seungkwan's words patter down, a little too quick for him to follow. He is about to interject Seungkwan, puzzled by the flood of words, but the latter keeps talking without taking a break.

"After we worked on the project together, I thought we became closer. But talking to Jun, I realized that we never voiced that out. I had assumed that you knew that Vernon and I think of you as our friends, but we should have said something. Not to be insulting, but you don't seem like you got many friends, and I think you probably didn't notice that we want to be your friends if we don't say it to you directly."

"Seungkwan, can you-!"

A cookie is shoved into Chan's mouth as he is about to ask Seungkwan to slow down.

"Thanks, Vernon."

Vernon nods and gestures for Seungkwan to go on. He throws Chan a small smile as he catches the younger throw a glare while chewing on the chocolate-covered treat. He gets caught by surprise as Seungkwan suddenly takes his hands to hold them, looking at Chan with a seriousness he hasn't seen before.

"I hope you didn't though we only hung out because of the project. After it was over, you started to avoid both of us, and we didn't know how to react. We stopped asking you to spend time together, and I regret not being more persistent."

Chan looks at the hands holding his, too stunned to chew the cookie that starts growing soft in his mouth.

"Chan."

He tears his eyes away from their hands and glances up as Seungkwan calls his name. Seungkwan smiles softly at the wide-eyed teen.

"We want to be your friends."

Chan blinks, a bit dumbfounded by the sincerity in Seungkwan's eyes, a mirror to the words he speaks. A tap on his shoulder catches Chan's attention.

"He's right."

Vernon nods in Seungkwans direction before he looks at the still-puzzled student.

"We want to be friends with you, Chan."

Chan slowly takes the cookie out of his mouth and puts it on the table, ignoring the grimace Seungkwan pulls at the action. While the older teen takes the half-eaten cookie with mild disgust playing over his features, Vernon leans over his table and holds out a fist in Chan's direction, giving him an encouraging look. Thought a little hesitant, Chan holds out his fist, meeting Vernon halfway. The latter bumps his hand gently against Chan's and throws him another smile that Chan cannot help to return with a chuckle.

"What's your answer?"

"Okay. Let's be friends."

An unfamiliar warmth washes over him at the sight of Vernon's eyes crinkling into an adorable eye smile. Seungkwan leans closer, throwing an arm over Chan, shoving another cookie in his mouth before ruffling his hair, ignoring Chan's hand that tries to push him away.

"About time, you rascal."

"Rascal? Are you a fifty-year-old man now?"

"Are you looking for a fight, Vernon?"

Chan laughs as Vernon takes a snack and avoids eye contact as easily as breathing while Seungkwan sends a glare. But not without a grin playing on his face.

"I hope you know that he's going to be clingy now," says Vernon while putting a chip in his mouth.

_____________________________________

"That's too much water! How often have you cooked ramen before?"

"Once?"

"I'm starting to believe that."

The chopsticks get taken from his hand, and Seungkwan steps in front of the stove.

"We should have ordered chicken," mumbles the teen as he stirs through the pot, a frown on his face.

"I thought you wanted ramen?" asks Vernon, sitting on the counter a few feet away, playing on his cell phone.

"Do you see this?"

Seungkwan takes a noodle out of the boiling water, holding it in front of Vernon's face. The noodle doesn't hold up for long. It has grown too soft and breaks, although Seungkwan holds it lightly between the chopsticks. It lands on the counter between the two teens, the red broth pooling around it, a sad sight to see. Chan takes his lemonade, turning away to drink, and simultaneously avoids the pointed look Seungkwan is throwing at him. If Chan thought Seungkwan nagged much before, he has to take that back. Now that Seungkwan seems to have grown more comfortable with him, the nagging got worse, although eighty percent is more worrying than nagging. The other twenty percent is the pure want to get on his nerves. Chan is sure of it.

"It looks pretty decent to me."

Seungkwan gapes at Vernon, speechless at the teen who takes the chopsticks from him and picks a mouthful of soggy noodles, eating it straight out of the pot. Vernon gives Chan a thumbs-up as he slurps the noodles up. A few drops of broth land on the almost sterile kitchen counter and the tiles below. Chan swears he can see Seungkwan's eyelid twitch.

"It's good," compliments Vernon, still chewing, and earns a slap against the shoulder from his best friend, getting scolded for eating with his mouth full. Vernon earned his respect. The older knew how to make ignoring Seungkwan look easy. He makes a mental note to ask Vernon what's his secret to archive that level of skill. It sure is going to be helpful in the future.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You aren't granted a second try with the ramen. I plan to eat something without getting food poisoning today."

"Just ask Chan," encourages Vernon. He had inhaled his noodles and set the empty pot aside, not bothering to get down from the kitchen aisle. Seungkwan huffed at getting ignored by the two. He opens two new packs of ramen, placing a second pot on the stove. Chan watches Seungkwan pour the water, amused at the concentrated expression the latter is showing on his face.

"About the tournament, how does it work exactly?"

"Didn't you listen to Mr. Yun in class?"

Chan rolls his eyes.

"I did, but I mean the process of who lines up with or against who? Mr. Yun said something about advanced students and partners."

Seungkwan holds the second package of seasoning in his hands. He seems to be pondering for a moment before pouring the entire content. Chan raises an eyebrow at the boiling water turning red. Deep red.

Not turning away from his cooking, Seungkwan begins to explain.

"Apart from the first and second years, everyone else can decide on their own if they want to participate in the tournament. For those placing high enough is an award waiting, and everyone who participates gets a note on their diploma. It also brings an advantage if you are swinging between two grades. If you place far within the tournament, the teachers often give you a better grade. There are a lot of participants every year because of it."

Seungkwan stirs before fishing a noodle out and holding it out for Chan.

"There are duels and two against two matches. Apart from the first and second years, students of the higher years can decide if they want to participate solo or with a partner. First and second-years aren't allowed in partner matches. Most students choose a friend or classmate for their partner match. You can register yourself for the tournament by sending your name in. The school put up a website, especially for it."

They sit at the kitchen table, and Chan gets a new pair of chopsticks.

"The whole event goes on for two days. It starts with the two against two matches, and the follow-up is the duels. The highlight is the duels of the advanced students on the second day of the tournament."

"Don't try to get tangled in any bets on that day," throws Vernon casually from the side.

"Bets?" asks Chan in wonder, questioning if he had understood correctly.

"The teachers try to prevent them, but only halfheartedly. It's basically like sports wagering. Three days before the event, the matches and duels get announced. As soon as the information is out, there are always some who place bets. Who wins or loses against whom, what kind of injuries will occur, and so on." Seungkwan sounds unimpressed as if that information is a matter of course.

"Just avoid going to the library on those days."

"They make bets in the library?" Chan puts his chopsticks down as he stares at Seungkwan and Vernon, waiting for them to jump up and laugh at him for believing their joke.

"Just don't go there, and you're good," says Vernon, but it does little to make Chan feel less unsettled. He notes the new information in his head before going on.

"Betting on the team matches is no fun anyway," mutters Seungkwan while taking hold of a ton of noodles. Chan gives him a questiong look but receives no answer, leaving him to shrug it off. Whatever that means.

"What about the advanced students and items?"

"The event is held on the training grounds. You saw how the arena gets set up for our lessons, right?"

Chan nods and continues eating while listening closely.

"Each year, there are different setups for the arena. Partaking students draw lots to decide who will fight there. It's a precaution to avoid getting a headstart and trying to think of strategies before the actual match. In the arena of the advanced fights, a magic item gets hidden. No one knows what kind of item it is. The purpose of those matches is to test the students and their knowledge of how to work with items. Something wrong?"

Chan shakes his head.

"I'm just surprised hearing you talk for so long," he answers truthfully.

Seungkwan chuckles at that without humor.

"Don't provoke him, or he won't shut up about random stuff for the next few hours."

"Random stuff?"

"Take his obsession with cat videos as an example. If he starts watching those, you have to watch them too. And he gets pouty when you don't give feedback before jumping to the next topic."

Vernon is about to protest, but Chan butts in before he can argue with his friend.

"Cat videos?"

The teen in front of him looks a little embarrassed as he rubs the back of his neck with a sheepish smile.

"They are pretty cute, you know?"

When Chan keeps looking at Vernon with nothing but sheer interest, the flustered expression changes into a small smile.

"Want me to show you some on the television?"

Vernon points his thumb over his back. Chan's eyes follow up to the large screen in the open living room, and he nods before beginning to eat faster.

Seungkwan stares at the two in disbelief. "You two are guests here, you know?"

As soon as Chan clears his food, he stands up to follow Vernon into the living room. Seungkwan gapes at them, still sitting at the kitchen table. He quickly gets up with a clutter of the chair.

"Are you kidding me?"

#svt fanfic #seventeen fanfic #seventeen fantasy au #seventeen high school au #seventeen demon au #svt dino #seventeen dino #lee chan #boo seungkwan #chwe hansol #vernon #seungkwan

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dandansposts · 7 months ago

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ok so. i just copied this out of my docs.

It's Dante POV.

further context: setting is post DMC5. twins have been in hell for 10 years, give or take, and they've been back for two weeks. first day back dante finds out lady died a few years previously after a hunt from serious internal bleeding. dante lady and trish were in a fun little poly thing for a good while. you get the *emphasis stars* bc i cant be assed to hit italics

----

One really, really good thing about being a half demon is the ability to sense other demonic entities within a certain distance of you. Dante thinks he'd go mad if he couldn't keep at least loose tabs on Vergil.

Since they've been home, Vergil’s been… well, if he's totally honest, typical Vergil. It's just, somehow, less safe here than it was in Hell. He really isn't sure how that makes sense, but that seems to be what his nerves have been telling him.

It's been two weeks. Vergil lurks, during the day. He- or his “others”, manifested or not, interact frequently, it's not as though he isn't around, but…

In the last ten years, in the time they've spent together, when Vergil lives somewhere, he doesn't live in one singular spot. He stakes out a *territory*, almost, reminds Dante of some distant half remembered nature documentary he saw decades ago, strung out and unable to sleep.

It didn't take him long to figure out why.

It was- a hunting territory, in some ways. A starving child will eat just about anything, nevermind the starving child of an apex predator. Vergil hunts, in a way that Dante used to find deeply unsettling. There was something so brutally primal about it- the hunt for *food,* first, over anything- to see it on the face of his twin, a face so uncomfortably and hauntingly familiar-

He got used to it, after a time. It wasn't like he didn't understand.

(They were predators, after all. He understood bloodlust.)

It's just… he got really, *really* used to having Vergil *there.* Within eyesight, at least- they had to, to survive. To lower demons they smell like *food,* and to higher demons they smell like *payday,* so safety meant keeping close to the mage. (He’s shit at disguising his presence, as he's learned every single time he's gone to Hell. Vergil is almost terrifyingly good at it.)

They got sort of… codependent, y'know, worse than he's realizing they already were.

…And, he doesn't regret his decisions as much as he thought he did, in the moment.

Lady died.

She was never as careful as she should have been. Who's to say she wouldn't have died anyway. It just… would have been nice, to get a few more years in. She never had that many to begin with.

(He's been realizing, lately, that he's facing an indeterminate lifespan, and he's really only at the beginning of it. Lady was only ever going to occupy a small part of it. She was as fragile and impermanent as any other human.)

(It doesn’t make the gaping hole in his heart, in his life, in his relationship with Trish any easier to stomach.)

He should have stayed. He was running. He knows that- and, well, he guesses he always has, but…

It's not all about him, is it?

Maybe Vergil didn't deserve a second (third, fourth, sixth, twentieth) chance, maybe he never had a chance to begin with, maybe-

Maybe Vergil didn't deserve it, maybe he should have left his brother to his fate, maybe he should have spoken to Nero fifteen fucking years ago instead of horribly, abruptly, at the climax of a situation that had been brewing for nearly forty five *fucking years,* and maybe the end of the god-forsaken world or whatever the fuck he's found himself in his all his fault for ever bothering to exist in the fucking first place, but-

But.

Vergil never had a fucking chance. His first big mistakes, he made at *eighteen,* and he paid a price Dante wouldn’t have wished on his worst enemy. (With, y'know, one or two exceptions.) And, fuck, he’s always been a bit of a sucker for hard luck cases.

Sometimes, he feels like he's only trying to justify it to himself- ease the gnawing guilt, smooth the edges of his grief- but…

He brought his brother home.

That was all he ever really wanted to do.

If they could just… be brothers, finally.

There's something about that, that makes the whole thing just a little bit easier to swallow.

#dmc #dante dmc #dmc vergil

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freesidexjunkie · 1 year ago

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ooh interesting ask meme! maybe "lesson" for sarissa :')

ohhhh this one is good, I've been stewing it in my brain all morning. link to oc ask list here

I think the first big life lesson she learns has to be connected to her leaving her birth clan. She was very young when her magic showed (7/8, had to double check my notebooks). Her clan already had three mages; she couldn't stay. She was luckier than Minaeve, in that she was sent to Clan Lavellan to train as first under their keeper. She was also lucky to be Dalish, so her magic wasn't a stain or a sin or a punishment; rather, it was a very big responsibility.

I'm stuck between "clan Lavellan was luckily close enough to her birth clan and in need of a First, so it worked out very fortunately" and "the arrangement was worked out at the Arlathven." I'm leaning heavily towards the Arlathven; it would be Sarissa's first wide exposure to Dalish culture as a whole, since it only happens every 10 years and she's still younger than that. Lavellan could have recently lost their own first. Or better, they could've just lost their keeper, and Istimaethoriel is brand spanking new in the role and needs a first, or maybe even a second at the beginning. So Sarissa is here as this terrified, shaking child, clutching at her mother's skirts, and what should be an exciting and illuminating first step into the wider world is actually her send off from everyone she's ever known.

It does end up working out well, though. Isti has no family of his own in my headcanon, and he's a very patient and kind teacher, so they form a very tight bond. She doesn't get to see her parents again; that bond just kind of...disintegrates. She was an only child when she left, but she has no idea if she has siblings out there somewhere. She doesn't even remember her parents' names, since she was so young and only ever called them mom/dad (in elvhen ofc but I don't think there's an elvhen word for dad off the top of my head?). I haven't decided exactly where they are or what's happened to them, but I think that's fitting; just like Sarissa knows she has parents but not where they are or why they never reached back out, I don't have a clear idea for why either.

So, long winded explanation, but I think the first lesson she learned was responsibility. She was chosen, by right of her magic, to bear one of, if not the, most important job any Dalish can undertake. Others always come before herself, because she lives to serve them, keep them safe and keep their stories alive. And that's why she falls into the role of Inquisitor so easily after the mark - she has, once again, been given what seems like a divine sign that she has to serve for others. Her life is not hers, and that might have chafed once in a while, but she has never changed that mindset. Is it healthy? No not at all, but who would I be if I didn't give my beloved OCs pieces of my own trauma? ❤️

Thank you so much for asking this and giving me an excuse to ramble about my fav girl 🥺 this really made me think more about her background in ways I haven't before, and I think it adds a really good layer to her story. Adding one of my latest picrews of her post-Inquisition bc I love her and I need to share her with the whole world.

#oc asks #sarissa #din'an all elgara #lavellan oc

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draftmare · 2 years ago

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I seem to have found my reading mojo again, and it came to me in the form of a “trilogy” called Bitten and Bound by Amy Pennza. I say “trilogy” because while there are technically three books, on Kindle the only option seems to be to download it in one large 950 page tome. I hadn’t even noticed I had moved from book 1 to book 2 until, entirely by accident, I saw that the chapters had started over again.

On a scale of 1 to 10 of smut, this book series is a 12. There is some very graphic MM, MF, and MMF scenes. If graphic levels of smut aren't your jam, def skip this series. Book 1 is 90% smut, whereas books 2 and 3 have a lot more story and world building. It has vampires, it has elves, demons, mages and magic, a MC with a prophecy to save the world, even a vague enemy to loves and lovers to enemies arch, all the good fantasy elements that scratched the itches I needed scratched.

Honestly, I think part of my reading mojo coming back has to do with not having a Kindle Unlimited subscription anymore. I was enjoying all of the short books on the subscription, but I will admit I was feeling pressured to read A LOT to feel like I was getting the most out of my subscription and finish the books I had before my subscription ran out. I just burnt out on reading. Now that I am back to buying books, I feel like I can read at my own pace and not rush through books. I am still trying to finish the ACOTAR series. I am half way through book 3. I just keep picking it up, getting distracted, setting it down, picking it up again, getting distracted... There is another book series I want to give another try as well. The first book, Fire Heart by Emma Hamm, I thoroughly enjoyed, but the second book, Bright Heart left me going, "Uh, WTF" in the first 30 pages when the MC did a full 180 on her personality. She went from being the strong hero of the story, to being a whiney child. I want to give it another try because I really enjoyed the idea of a dragon as a love interest.

And of course, I still have Iron Flame waiting in the wings for me to read at some point this winter. I've also asked for some books for Christmas, though I think I might have forgotten to specify that I wanted them in Kindle format...oops.

#Kindle reading #winter reading 2023 #bookblr

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endlesssummerslaycation · 1 month ago

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Slaycation's Conquestcation Episode 3: Absolutely Mozu-rella CHEESING this map

I actually really don't love cheese or any dairy for that matter, just a random fact about me relating to this episode's title.

Anyways, hello, and welcome back to Slaycation’s Conquestcation! Now that we’re done with Chapter 10, we can move on to Paralogue 1! Typically, this paralogue is done before Chapter 10, so that she can get Archer access beforehand and help kill the Sky Knights. However, obviously we are done with Chapter 10, and we don’t have any space to actually train up Mozu. So instead, we will be using her paralogue as an excuse to get some bonus exp and support points!

For this level, I will be attempting to get more points between these pairs:

Elise and Odin’s halfway point to A suupport

Effie and Arthur’s S support

Niles and Camilla’s halfway point to a B support

Camilla and Beruka’s B support

Selena and Beruka’s B support (Call her Beruka Carpenter because she is a busy woman)

We will also be using our second Heart Seal on this map! In the past, I’ve used it on Azura and I’ve used it on Odin. But even though I actually really loved my Kinshi Knight Azura, apparently it’s “not a good idea” so I’m just gonna keep her in Songstress. With Odin, it works for Vantage access on Ophelia later on, but not having any mages until we unlock Leo is kind of a nightmare. So instead, we’re going to be using our second heart seal on Beruka! I want to get her to Level 10 in Wyvern Rider first, because it’s better to have Lunge than to not have it, but for future builds, we’re gonna be using Beruka as Camilla’s backpack anyways, so putting her in Fighter early is a good idea. Plus, early on, she can at least MAYBE provide some good combat for the team right now. The good thing about reclassing Beruka to a Fighter is that she already has access to D rank axes, so unlike Elise, we don’t need to worry about grinding her axe rank up!

In terms of deployment, I have decided to not deploy Effie, but do deploy Arthur. I’m not planning on doing paralogues for a little while (the PLAN is after Chapter 14, 15, or 16, depending on my mood), and I only need one more match until I get Effie and Arthur married, so I would rather get other supports that are more important at the moment. I am choosing to continue to deploy Arthur though, because I can probably get him and Niles to a C support after this match.

The plan is to have Niles, Arthur, Camilla, Beruka, and Selena work on the bottom of the map, while Estella, Odin, and Elise take on the top. If this all works out correctly, then we SHOULD get a B support between Selena/Beruka AND Beruka/Camilla. Judging by the support point system, you need 2 points for C, and 3 more points for B. You get a maximum of 3 per match. So, if I get these 2 to get 6 battles together each, they SHOULD get B supports. This is depending on other shit too, but hopefully this works!!

Looking at our setup, we have most of our units paired together. Elise and Odin will separate shortly, and some other changes will likely be made, but for now, this is what we got! I had Beruka grab not only the Heart Seal, but also the forged Iron Axe that Camilla had last chapter for a minute! I also have Niles and Arthur paired up for even a CHANCE at getting that C support. Niles is carrying a Cupid Bow in addition to his other 2 bows.

Turn 1:

We get Elise into range of one of the Faceless and drop Odin out of range. Estella comes in next to Elise for more support points.

Niles and Arthur take one hit at the closest Faceless with Niles’ Cupid Bow.

Selena runs as far down as she can

Beruka gets into range of another Faceless and kills the one Niles and Arthur attacked

Turn 2:

Elise is able to attack another Faceless at 2 range with Estella’s Dual strike. Odin moves to the left of Elise and kills the Faceless

Estella then rund downward to pair up with Camilla next turn because she needs to talk to Mozu. I’m not using her, but I’m not cruel! We’re not gonna let her die here!

In order to get some support between Beruka and Selena, I switch to Camilla and she separates Beruka right. From the remaining Faceless’ right hand side, Selena goes in and kills it.

Turn 3:

Selena gets into range of one of the lower Faceless. Beruka goes to her side. They both equip their weakest weapons

Estella pairs into Camilla and together they fly down to go right above Beruka (but NOT Selena, we don’t wanna trigger Rose’s Thorns)

Niles separates Arthur so her can get some dual strikes in with Camilla too

Turn 4 (this pic and the last one may look similar, but they are ~🎶different nonetheless🎶~):

So, Selena and Beruka did not kill one of the Faceless. But honestly, this is good, because the more support points we get, the better! Arthur kills the Faceless that didn’t die, which is to the right of Selena. This allows him to get a point with Niles!

Then, Selena moves to the Northeast of the full HP Faceless to make room for Camilla, who gets support points with both Beruka and Niles by using Thunder on the Faceless.

Then, Beruka comes in, getting support points with both Selena AND Camilla, and taking the kill.

Odin kills the Faceless that attacked Elise with his Fire tome and Elise waits in place.

Turn 5:

Didn’t manage to fit Odin and Elise on here. They’re just chilling upwards though. I had Elise get in range of another Faceless, and I unequipped Odin’s tome so Elise can get more axe experience in possibly.

I was really trying to get Arthur/Niles points here. I really don’t wanna use Arthur for any longer than is necessary, but Niles can’t fight back if I put him in range. So, Arthur paired with Beruka, she dropped him in range, Niles got next to him, Camilla got next to Niles, Camilla dropped Estella left so she can talk to Mozu, and Selena is just chilling nearby!

Turn 6:

Took 2 pictures here to show my thought process on both sides.

I had Niles kill the Faceless that Arthur didn’t kill with Camilla’s dual strike.

Estella runs over and talks to Mozu, adding her to the team

Selena pairs into Beruka and they fly in range of a Faceless

I got Camilla to fly over a little so that Niles can pair into her and they can attack together later!

On the upper part of the map, Elise gets back into the range of the Faceless, while Odinstays out of range to give Elise the axe rank up.

Turn 7:

Niles pairs into Camilla, the two of them kill the Faceless together, Camilla using Thunder

Arthur grabs Niles, Niles then kills a Faceless 2 spaces to the left of him with his forged Iron Bow

Selena goes above Niles to get into range of another Faceless

Beruka leveled up to 10 on Enemy Phase, so she flies next to Selena and uses the Heart Seal, doing the greatest karaoke you've ever heard to "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera while she reclasses (banger song)

And Elise killed the Faceless that attacked her again, no news over there

Turn 8:

Selena uses Niles’ Dual Strike and the Tunder tome to do chip damage onto the Faceless northwest of her.

Beruka pairs into Selena and the 2 of them kill the next Faceless together, Beruka in the lead to keep getting points with Camilla

Niles moves one spot upward to kill another Faceless

Edin pairs into Elise, the two of them run to catch up to the others

Turn 9:

Niles has a Guard Gauge, so I put him in range of the next Faceless. Camilla goes next to hiim for support, and Beruka runs next to Camilla and drops Selena.

Elise and Odin move in closer (thank god for flying units)

Mozu and Estella follow the group

Turn 10:

I have Camilla use Niles’ dual strike again to get the Faceless to 1 HP

Beruka comes to its southwest, and Selena goes right above Beruka to kill it

Elise and Odin meet up with everyone else

Turn 11:

I just moved everybody in closer, no need for a photo

Turn 12:

I really want Selena to get more kills in, so I sent her in range of the next Faceless. I unequipped Beruka’s weapon so Selena can get more hits in

Next turn, Arthur’s gonna get in range of the next one with Niles behind him

Turn 13:

Selena kills the Faceless that attacked her

Arthur gets in range

Turn 14:

Niles kills the Faceless with Camilla’s dual Strike and everybody moves in towards the boss

Okay, so after this, I’m not counting “turns” anymore. I’m using this opportunity to grind a little bit of weapon and support rank onto Niles/Camilla/Arthur and Elise. I got Niles to a C rank in bows, and Elise is VERY close to a C rank, which is what I like to see!

To give out the final hit, I gave it to Selena. Since she’s gonna be a main party stay, I think she deserves the EXP from that!

Now, back to base! Let’s see what happened!

And, um… this is something. Camilla and Beruka did NOT hit a B support, but Selena and Beruka did. I’m guessing I just didn’t get enough kills between the two of them or something. Booooooo. But it’s fine, we got a Niles/Arthur C support! That’s good, right? Oh well, we have plenty of time to still get Camilla and Beruka to A rank. Now, let’s see those support bonuses that won’t be needed for another while!

Let’s fucking go. +4 Strength Bonus, +2 Speed Bonus. These will go up by 1 point when Beruka Master Seals into a Berserker eventually! In addition to this, Camilla also gets the tiniest bit of Defense and Skill, but honestly that’s kind of redundant tbh. She doesn’t really need that though so we’re chill! I actually don’t think Beruka needs to promote until after the Eternal Stairway though, so she’s probably good for now! I’ll have her continue getting support with her sisters in spirit for now!

Anyways, that’s all for this chapter!!! Thank you so much for reading through this, and I hope this one was easier to understand than Chapter 10! I might try recording some of the turns themselves as well, but the reason I don’t record these is because I play on a Macbook (AKA my college computer, it was so much fun trying to mod this game lmao /s), and for some reason the free screen recorder doesn’t record sound??? Which is kinda bullshit ngl. I tried recording sound from the computer’s microphone but you can hear the very loud clicking of the keys the whole time and overall it doesn’t sound pretty at all. So I’m working at trying to figure out how to record! Maybe someday I’ll upload my gameplays to YouTube, but for now I’m stuck with blogging my every move via Tumblr. But seriously, to anybody reading this, I’m so grateful that you’re here! This is a really unconventional way to record my progress and I’m glad you’ve come to support me! If you have any suggestions as to how to make this easier to read, please let me know!!

This is Slaycation, signing off!

#fire emblem fates #fire emblem fates conquest #fire emblem #slaycation's conquestcation

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midnightwind · 7 months ago

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after putting in just over 80 hours into the game and doing as many side quests as the game let me (before A Choice changed things) I'm gonna just go off about the game

this will be Very Long

first up: I fucking love the majority of the game, like 2/3 or even 3/4 maybe is stellar, it's exactly what I wanted from a Dragon Age game! the new combat system was snappy, the spells all mostly felt unique (I have only played through once, on a mage) and being able to redo my build at any time without needing a special item or npc or room? Fantastic qol thank you so much, game team (same with the glamor system and character mirror being in the Lighthouse)

I liked getting to finally see Minrathos after basically waging a quiet war against the Venatori in it back in Inquisition and Neve was fun! I love my detective best friend (even if she'd probably heavily consider stabbing my Rook at the end of the day based on Choices) and I got to be a motherfucking Antivan Crow I have been dying to see more of that faction ever since I picked up my stray Zevran back in Origins

I have my own issues with the portrayal of the faction, but I get why they had to drop or quietly push the more negative aspects under the bed (even if it takes away a decent chunk of the spice imo) I'll dig into them later

Treviso was beautiful and sad, Arlathan stunning, Nevarra was such a cool 180 on area designs and culture, Rivain felt a little weaker comparatively but you get Taash a little late and we're stuck on a coast that is like all ruins and no city so kind of tracks, anyways the point is I like the glimpse into the world we got outside of Fereldan

I love our companions, it was so fun and delightful to hear the banter, the Origin specific comments they got, how they'd roam the Lighthouse to interact with each other, how they would update a silly little grocery list as the game progressed! I miss being able to run the usual party of Player + 3 allies, and I missed out on a lot of good banter I would have loved to see for it though (<is here for the characters first, story second, gameplay third)

this is the most polished DA we've ever gotten, it looks beautiful (fourth times the charm lmao) and I think it's fairly usual par for the course content wise, it's neither leagues better nor worse than any of the other games imo

but there's two glaring issues that has me wanting to chew through concrete

pacing and ineptitude

the game fucking Rushes you through quests, outside of the main story scenes all the character quests and moments are under 20 minutes (their core quest tending to be the 20 minutes, and most interactions being maybe 3 minutes of chatting and 10 minutes of running around) the amount of times I had a cutscene linger on the characters just staring at each other in silence for 10-20 seconds for no reason only to get pushed out the door after engaging with their little ! bubbles left such a bad taste in my mouth

now I did romance Lucanis, and he's the slow burn that goes so slow it's more like a hand warmer than a fire (I adore him and Spite and I wanted so much more content about them) so I am colored by that here as I've only done 1 play through so far .w. but he wasn't the only companion, or even story beat, that suffered from being abruptly cut off or left to the side

the main story has Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan show up in the same location, the same fucking arena as the gang after you've ruined some pawn or plan from them and they just scowl at you and leave

they just disappear

and they do this So Often

after a certain point, you can't keep having the big bads, the culmination of evil and conflict, just following the gang actively ruining their bid for as if they're eating popcorn and telling us to do a flip and have it play off seriously or feel good

when we confront Ghilan'nain at Weisshaupt I was so fed up with the gods showing up and going nah we're fine, instead of just killing us right there and then which was only made worse as you head out to finally take them both down at the end of the game

you can't keep pulling the fake out in the exact same way on loop and changing next to nothing between the exchanges, it ruined the last stretch for me

they also just did nothing with Elgar'nan's powers he's this great tempter and dominator and he tries to tempt you (poorly) Once and then you break his influence and fuck off

what a waste of a god who could pull literal mind games on you, trap you in your worst nightmare, show you your allies falling one by one until you're alone and you break, just a colossal waste of such potential imo

which then plays into the constant ineptitude of the team throughout the game

you go out of your way to do their personal quests, to shore up their confidence and tie up loose ends so they can walk into a fight no one should expect to walk out of, and then it feels like it barely matters

I managed to max out all the factions (expect one...) so they barely needed help and watching Harding (sorry babygirl) die for no real reason because they refused to have the assassin strike while the enemy was distracted until after she died felt dogshit

Neve getting mirror-napped was terrifying though, that ruled and I felt awful for letting her do that (Bel would have also sucked tho, there was no winning)

but why are our characters, after the entire game of building up support, confidence, and abilities still like level 1 mooks in these fights with 0 new tactics? I get needing the stakes to still be high, but I was sweating bullets trying to coordinate who did what while keeping my baby boy Lucanis at my side (having Bel help the Crows felt So Incorrect and I was Terrified) but you have to let us win? sometimes?? maybe you can pull it off where you don't have Harding/Davrin die fighting Ghilan'nain, but I don't feel like I did anything wrong? did my saying "by any means necessary" Once truly cause that or is that just scripted?? I cannot tell you because none of my other decisions seemed to fucking matter outside of Neve not wanting to be in the party for the final fight because I let her city burn and got her kidnapped (not really, but my Rook was losing her mind when she was grabbed lol) I don't like feeling as if I have to sack one character I adore to set up stakes that have already been fairly well established by the decimation of the Wardens and Veil Jumpers (and Shadow Dragons/Crows) leading up to this point

I appreciate the attempt to give us real stakes, but it was such a sour experience for me, it shouldn't have come at the cost of the team feeling unable to do Anything Ever in these fights (esp as I decimated them in gameplay) ((I'm only like a little extra bitter about Lucanis just doing the same shit, getting caught, and having it feel like making peace with Spite meant nothing, too, that also is infuriating))

like honestly the gods were fucking boring once I reached them which feels bad to say?? not to mention I had a game breaking bug happen in my Ghilan'nain fight that forced me to reload (blight boils never became vulnerable... lol.....) leading into 2 different "this is the final push" fake outs and then we don't even use the red lyrium dagger?? the flaw it had from forging didn't matter??? Elgar'nan just decides to brawl us???? we spent so much time building up to him being crazy powerful and crushing his enemies and then we just slap fight (maybe the flaw was supposed to be a sign that the dagger wouldn't work and that's why he was just sitting in Minrathos idk they don't try to explain shit)

also also, the Blight was cured??? nothing on that, Neve just isn't blighted at the end okay and we don't get a proper world story breakdown of what happens after for the companions because I guess DLC is coming which also feels bad

it felt like the pacing and writing just jumped out the building the second we had to start prepping to actually take down the gods and I'm so disappointed by it

the character writing also seems to have suffered because of the Origin quest lines which.... sucks I won't lie, I love these people and I wanna learn more about them and get to know them, but knowing that a good third (it feels like) of their characterization is locked behind you playing as their faction.... that's rough

and no warning on the fact that grabbing both Lucanis and Davrin will lock you out of a whole city's merchants and faction super early in the game??? just punished for wanting the whole gang before you start doing quests? that fact alone makes me want to scrap my next two Rooks I already started playing because knowing I need to somehow buy out everything from vendors and gain rep with one faction as fast as possible feels Awful (you get that gear Later, right before the final fight where it won't matter that much so I'm putting on clown make up) it just turns the early game into a chore

part of this is my refusal to not just take the L with a whole city, but gear kind of fucking matters to how the game is played?? it feels so bad, man and I didn't even get to see what I missed out on with the Shadow Dragons for picking Treviso because I was a whopping 10 hours in, I had barely done anything

I dunno, I don't have a satisfying way to end this

the writing was fine outside of the gods just... I don't even know how to phrase it, they weren't good enemies, and the characters getting short changed or rushed A Lot before having their agency and work thrown out the window because we needed to spend 3 hours of endgame "really struggling" for the threat we'd established quite handily through the entire game up to that point

I like Veilguard, I'd say it's one of my favorite games, but the lead up to the end and your whole game hinging on maybe 3 major choices you make at the end sours it for me a lot

maybe as I play other routes, my disappointment will cool, but this game had the potential to be so much more than what it is

I hope people play it and have fun, but there's going to always be a note of dissatisfaction to me

also Antivan Crow rant: you can't just turn them into discount Batman dude, they torture and kill trainees and are Assassins lmao like I appreciate the attempt, but you can't just throw 3 games worth of reputation out the window like that

Spite should have had more influence and screen time, Lucanis should have had his own room like they planned, the companions in general should have gotten more time to be there and be present in all moments

thank you for letting my Origin matter, I'm glad I got to play an Antivan Crow mage who grew into her role and overcame her shortcomings that led to her joining Varric's team

and I super called Varric being dead the second he was stabbed

(also I clocked Illario instantly and was baffled from second one on how Ivenci was allowed to shit talk the Crows in front of 2 Talons without dying, can't believe they were left alive just to be a funny boss fight to cap off the Crow quests lmao)

edit: forgot to add in that the companion quest bosses were run down instantly and were all basically reskinned elites felt bad!! I barely knew anything about any of them!!! why did they feel like a rushed afterthought?

#alright I'm not going to reread all that right now but #those sure are my thoughts and I sure got more and more off track as I went lol #game is like a solid 6 or 7 outta 10 for me #DAV Posting

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ultramagicalternate · 1 year ago

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ULTRAMagic Interlude Chapter 10

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Master Post - Patreon

“Um, seeking out Rose and Thora like I said I would?” Blood-Wraith pointed out.

This took Deimos a second to process. “Oh, oh yeah. So how’s it going so far?”

Rose audibly cleared her throat. “Quite well I’d imagine…”

This caused Deimos to finally get his bearings. “Oh! Okay then. Well, congratulations, Blood.”

“Thanks, uncle… so what is all of this?”

Since so many people had made it to his domain, Deimos was more than happy to elaborate. Prior to becoming The Lich of Old, Deimos had discovered another layer of The Unlight, past The Deep Unlight. When the treacherous landscape he had been exploring gave way to a surreal space beyond his imagination, he knew he had stumbled on something great. The Magician’s Labyrinth was built as a research station and an archive. It sat on the border of this new realm that he dubbed ‘The Trench Unlight.’

Deimos often compared The Unlight to an ocean. The deeper one went, the more bizarre and dangerous things became. While the normal Unlight was risky in its own right, it was still easy and safe to explore. The Deep Unlight was a bit more perilous, as the landscape was unconventional and prone to changing without a moment’s notice. Thankfully with the appropriate knowledge, one could still venture into it without too much trouble. The Trench Unlight was on a whole other level, however.

This layer was like islands in an infinitely expanding sea. These “islands” were tangible realms, but the space in between required technology and/or magic to traverse. It could not be walked through like the standard Unlight could. And even if one could, there were all sorts of dangers lurking in that void. Deimos had realized that he needed a crew of brave mages to map out as much as they could. This led to the creation of the ship known as The Unmariner. Sadly just as the vessel set out, Deimos had lost his mind in a bout of paranoia.

“As if I didn’t already have the guilt of my past actions weighing down on me, I left Captain Dusan and his crew completely in the dark.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over this, Eus… Deimos,” Captain Dusan replied. “We all make mistakes. Hell, some of our mistakes led us to discovering parts of the trench we had no idea even existed in the first place.”

“I must firmly agree with the Captain,” Rose added. “We are not perfect, nor will we ever be perfect. Our only recourse is to respond to the consequences appropriately.”

Valentina was looking through some of the tomes documenting research and discoveries. “Interesting. I figured there was something more complex to this place. Mind if I ask what these notes are in regards to an Abyssal Unlight?”

“That’s what we’ve been waiting on Deimos for,” Captain Dusan answered. “Deimos, we found the border of the Trench. It’s unfathomably deep, but we’re not sure if we should go further or return to the labyrinth and prepare.”

“By the gods…” Deimos was awestruck by such a possibility, the mere thought invoking sheer terror and wanderlust in him. “Hmm, ah… no, no. Dusan, return to the labyrinth, stat.”

“Roger that, we’re on our way. Good call too, because some of our crew had kids while we waited, haha. It’s probably best that they don’t grow up isolated in the abyss with us. We’ll keep you posted and transmit our signal until we get back. Dusan, over and out.” The communication ceased, with a beeping icon appearing on the computer screen.

“Well, I’d dare say I’m going to need to restructure the crew then…”

“Gee, you think?” Brenna cut it. “Aye yai yai… You know? If you’re looking for some able bodied men, some of our people would be itching to go on an expedition like that.”

“Really?”

Rose liked the sound of this. “Certainly. The Descendants are dedicated to their tasks. This would also be a great honor, to embark on such a momentous adventure.”

Deimos gave it some thought. He was a little hesitant given how dangerous the Abyssal Unlight could potentially be. “Maybe I should get more people involved… I’ll have to think about it some more though.”

Thora looked incredibly antsy, fidgeting like crazy. “As much as I would love to keep discussing this, how do we get out of here?”

“Ah, right! I imagine you want to get back to your family pronto. These keys will allow you to operate the labyrinth to suit your needs. I trust you all will use them appropriately?” Deimos presented the group with a set of keys that took the form of large, hand-sized crystals. They were each given to Blood-Wraith, Valentina, Rose, and Thora. “And don’t worry, Mrs. Willfort-your son fought valiantly alongside Blood against my other half.”

Normally she would have been more cordial, but Thora was in desperate need to get home. Rose also felt a need to return upon Blood-Wraith telling her more about the things that had happened in her absence. Deimos was invited to return with them to the Iron City, but he wanted to stay in the labyrinth and wait for The Unmariner. Upon exiting the great structure, the group saw a planet in the sky with clouds in the shape of an eye. It was Darkness, so Blood-Wraith waved to him. He winked back at them, which weirded out everyone else.

Over at her truck, Brenna realized there was a bit of a problem. “Okay, slight snafu everyone: I only have so much room. I can drive slowly if anyone wants to try the flatbed…”

“That’s not a problem, dear,” said Valentina. “I can fly back. I need to stretch my wings anyways.” She then expanded her black and red, shadowy appendages.

“And I got Golden Dragon, so…”

“Wait, you have a dragon, Blood?” Rose asked, confused.

Blood-Wraith could have explained, but he felt like showing off and transformed. “And I have six other forms I can make use of!”

“My goodness, how majestic…”

Thora was stunned. “Holy moly, did my boy teach you that?”

“Yes and no…” Blood-Wraith lamented. “He guided me on my alternate forms, but the glory of this form was bequeathed to me by Leif…” He went quiet, with everyone sensing that he still felt bad over his late friend.

“Well I’m sure he’s very proud of you, Blood,” Rose stated. “It would be an honor if you would permit me to ride atop your back.”

“Sure, mom. Hop on and we’ll get going.”

Auda helped Thora into the truck, much to her chagrin. She may have been old, but she was not that old. This made Brenna chuckle. As for Blood-Wraith, It felt a little strange to have the duchess on his back. Rose on the other hand had found it thrilling. She was amazed that such a capable mage had joined her family, and so young to boot. Plus she wanted to speak with him one on one.

“Was it frightening to take on the Lich, Blood?” Rose inquired.

“Yeah… it was not something I expected, looking back on it.”

“You’re a very brave young man, you know that right? The Lich of Old eluded The Descendants for the longest time. And I can certainly sympathize with you as I faced a great challenge of my own during my childhood. Taming the Scarlet Flame was no easy task.” Rose felt the flame grow excited. “Ha, you may even get to see it in action…”

Blood-Wraith could tell something was not right. “Mom? What’s wrong?”

“I can sense that something is going on back in the city.”

“You don’t think it’s Dunja, do you?”

“I wouldn’t rule it out, especially if everyone has returned home.”

The tension was mounting and Blood-Wraith could feel it. “Hold on tight!” He readied himself and accelerated with a mighty wing flap.

Valentina followed suit, confusing Brenna to no end. Did they want to race? Or did they sense something dire? Her heart shot into her throat as she realized that it was most likely the latter. This was validated when Thora told her to punch it. She could sense something was off too. It was a race against the clock to The Iron City and none of them could afford to be late.

Englehart was locked in battle with Dunja. The mighty king’s axes clashed with the former queen’s whip swords in the tower square. Dunja herself was a mighty and muscular woman as tall as Englehart. She had hair that matched the color of lilacs and wore fearsome, yet feminine armor. The two had clashed many times in the past for supremacy, but now it was for honor. Englehart knew the only way to end this conflict was to slay his former queen in battle… or at least, that’s what tradition kept telling him. This was likewise for Dunja.

After a particularly fierce series of strikes, the two backed off to catch their breath. “Still as sharp as ever, I see,” Englehart remarked. His citizens were on edge as they watched.

“That heathen Milosh may have taken my dignity, but he didn’t take my skill.” There was barely any pride in Dunja’s voice, rather great remorse.

The king spat on the ground. “I see you had a falling out with the Proch’s…”

Dunja’s helm was broken, leaving her face exposed. She winced as if gravely embarrassed and collapsed her swords back into their blade forms. This was not what the citizens were expecting. “Having my… HIS plans fail beyond what I could have possibly perceived was a sobering experience… Engle, Valerie was right: Milosh is a slimy, cowardly bastard. I don’t even want to know what filthy hole that outsider crawled out from. I don’t want to do this anymore! I know there’s our fated duel on the horizon, but I recant! EVERYTHING. Do we have to keep fighting like this? I just want things to go back to the way they were…”

This made Englehart’s blood run cold as the onlookers went deathly silent. It was not what they were expecting, but he was not completely surprised. To him, it meant that the Dunja he had fallen in love with so long ago was still there. A tear ran down his cheek. “Dunja… I accept your repentance, but you have to understand that…”

The conversation was interrupted by a screaming, scarlet fireball flying right at them. “SCARLET COMET IMPACT!” Everyone ran for cover as Rose came crashing into the battle.

Dunja was sent flying back. “Argh! What was that!?”

“Oh, you know exactly who…” Rose pointed her sword in the air. “SCARLET STORM!” Fire shot into the air, taking out a swarm of flying shadow constructs that had accompanied Dunja. Valentina assisted by creating a bright, star-like object in her hand that exploded into a shower of meteors, taking out the rest of the constructs.

Englehart was caught off guard by all of this, especially when Blood-Wraith stood over him in his dragon form. He let out a bellowing roar at Dunja that made her cower back. It was made clear that he was not going to let her harm the king. Realizing she was way in over her head, Dunja fled and promised to return (albeit with further remorse in her voice). There was no way she could take on Englehart, a dragon, a dark angel, and Rose at the same time. Of course she could have surrendered, but the pride she had left told her to retreat for the time being.

“ROSE!” Radovan exclaimed as he ran over and hugged her tightly. The crowd cheered in celebration of the Duchess’ return. He then turned to Blood-Wraith (who had returned back to normal) and gave him a hug too. “Blood, my boy! You did it! I can’t thank you enough!”

“MOM!” Dragoslava called out as she also ran to Rose.

Kresimira joined in. “MAMA!” She also called out as they both hugged her.

“Girls! Oh my goodness, it’s been too long!” After getting their hugs out, Rose turned to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to apologize for my absence. I had lost track of time and neglected my duties. It was not for naught, however. Thora Willfort and I found the research of Deimos, The Mage of Old. He has discovered an Unlight beyond the Deep Unlight: The Trench Unlight!” She further elaborated what she and Thora had learned. The fact that Deimos was looking for volunteers for the next leg of his research was also brought up. This piqued everyone’s interests, causing excited muttering amongst the crowd of people.

A little bit later, Blood-Wraith was sitting outside his home on a bench, waiting for his family to finish their business at The Singing Storm Tower. “That was something else,” He remarked.

Vexation had the biggest smile on his face, leaning up against the wall. “Jeez, Blood. I was ready to give you a month and you go and find Rose within a week...”

“Well done, Blood!” Aureolus complimented as he patted him on the back.

Blood-Wraith chuckled. “It’s no big deal. Now not to sound needy, Vex, but are you still going to teach me your magic?”

“Absolutely, Blood. You still have some maturation to do, but you’ve proven that you got the discipline and determination I’m looking for. Let’s just wait until things calm down a bit first, though.”

Blood-Wraith nodded. “Agreed, especially since Dunja is lurking about…”

Next: Chapter 11

#chaotictempleknight #ultramagic alternate #fantasy #sciencefiction #sciencefictionfantasy #literature #fiction #writers on tumblr #writing #story #chapter

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gamecrag · 2 years ago

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Mage and Monsters is full of unique units to field in battle, as well as dozens of foes to destroy (or get run over by). Carefully crafting your army is something you do at the end of every round as you get to choose where to spend your gold, or what units you want to build around. Of all the RPG aspects in Mage and Monsters, your choice of mage is the most important. Every decision you make must be done to fit your mage's playstyle and benefits. For example, you may choose a hero who excels at increasing the amount of summoned units. That won't mean anything if you don't choose the spells to summon units, or have enough of a front line to allow for multiple summons per round. This list will detail the 10 best mages in Mage and Monsters. Using the info found below, you'll be able to conquer the hardest difficulties and most tedious game modes. 10) Astrina Ability: Starts with Rain of Death. All fire spells +20% damage. Fire-based spells deal a lot of damage and have relatively low cooldowns, allowing you to decimate enemy ranks with just a few casts. The problem is the amount of micro involved. If you aren't careful, you'll burn your own units alive. Then it's game over, and you're back at the home screen. Astrina is a fun mage to use if you're getting started but there are much better options for conquering the higher difficulties. 9) Iscar Ability: Starts with Frost Shock. All frozen units take +100% physical damage. The ability to freeze units can be super powerful at times, especially with Frost Shock freezing a large section. Such an ability works well with a Frost Giant spam army composition as they freeze enemy units who attack them. Unfortunately, this strategy is heavily melee focused, so it's difficult to get right. Definitely keep your eye on Iscar in upcoming balance changes as they'll surely be getting buffs in the future. If you can gain experience with Iscar's playstyle now, it will benefit you greatly in the future. 8) Medela Ability: Starts with Healing Wave. Units healed attack 50% faster for 7 seconds. Everyone should experience the tanky, unkillable Medela army composition: Invest heavily in HP buffs, lifesteal, and tanky units Spam healing spells Win without losing many units Your units will hit like a wet noodle but they'll be almost invulnerable as they are constantly healed. This works perfectly with some of the best tier 5 units as they have tons of health. 7) Geryon Ability: Starts with Summon Melee. All summon spells +1 unit summoned. Geryon is the perfect mage for any player who enjoys summoning units in Mage and Monsters. Each round, your army attacks from the left side of the map. This is a classic front-to-back strategy, the front-line that wins will attack the enemy back-line. Summoning units gives you easy access to the enemy back-line which can be remarkably helpful at times. However, I stand by my opinion that the traditional strategy is much better right now, especially for higher difficulty gamemodes where your summoned units will be killed instantly. 6) Sinon Ability: Starts with Impending Doom. Also starts with +110 gold. Starting the game with a whopping +110 gold is a huge advantage for building an economy and advancing to the later stages of the game. Gold gives interest the more you have. It'll allow you to climb the interest levels a lot faster, especially if you're micro-ing your spells a lot and don't invest in units. Impending Doom is the only spell I haven't tested much. It does seem pretty powerful (especially when used with Plague Doctors) but the main advantage for Sinon is the bonus gold. 5) Effero Ability: Starts with Toxic Blast. All your ranged units have +40% max range. Effero actually works really well with Cyclops as their range becomes almost the full battlefield. This may not sound amazing but it can dramatically increase the DPS of the Cyclops as they aren't moving around as much.

The same goes for masses of archers, as they can get stuck behind each other when moving forward. An extra bit of range keeps more archers firing and thus, more damage being thrown at the enemy. Toxic Blast is a fairly underwhelming spell, though. It is fine for what it does but you shouldn't pick Effero purely for that spell. 4) Procellus Ability: Starts with Chain Lightning. All spells 6% reduced cooldown. Chain Lightning is one of the best spells in Mage and Monsters, so it makes sense that Procellus would be so high on this list. Spells in general are pretty good, so even a 6% cooldown reduction is pretty nice. Procellus is ideal for new players as they can use spells to do their slaying instead of focusing on army compositions and setups. 3) Exekias Ability: Starts with Fire Tornado. All harmful spells no longer damages your own units. Exekias is considered a good mage because of his unique ability to cast the Fire Tornado spell without damaging his own units. This ability makes him a valuable asset in the battlefield, especially in large-scale battles where player units are often in close proximity to enemy units. For this reason, it's recommended to build a more melee-centric army as you won't be maximising the amount of damage done by your spells if the enemy army is too spread out. Exekias is one of the more difficult heroes to play, though. It'll take some practice to get the most out of them. 2) Sicaria Ability: Cannot use spells. Starts with 1 Cherub and 1 Paladin. All melee units have 20% faster attack speed. Sicaria is the most recent addition to Mage and Monsters and provides some nice starting bonuses to get you through the early game. The only thing preventing Sicaria from being in the number 1 spot is the passive buff. Melee units aren't the strongest units in the game right now. Although, this could change in the future. Cherubs and Paladins work really well alongside beefy front-line units to absorb damage. This army setup requires a lot of thought to get right, but can pay off big time. 1) Gus Ability: Cannot use spells. Starts with +4 Archers and +2 Dwarf Miners. All your ranged units attack 20% faster. By far the best mage for extended gaming sessions, Gus gives you the perfect early game start alongside a strong ranged unit bonus to lead into the end game. I love to build a massive army of tier 1 units before immediately jumping to tier 5 units. If you plan it well (and have luck on your side), you'll have plenty of archers available by rounds 20+. Invest in ranged damage upgrades and watch as you have 100 Hawkeyes flood the battle. The inability to use spells is no disadvantage, as it makes the game more of an idle battle game. Mage and Monsters can be played effectively while semi-afk for this reason. Gus is just too good of an option to turn down.

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belovedluc · 2 years ago

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saw your post asking for smutty stuff, so here goes nothing:

diluc headcannons on how he would punish his brat girlfriend? she's been teasing and defying him all shift, and he doesn't think he can keep himself together any longer. when diluc punishes, we know he's not opposed to sadism - we all saw what he did to that cryo abyss mage. there's a hidden corner in the tavern he likes to sit at on his break, and right now... well... he's just aching and yearning to shove her head down his throbbing cock, facefucking her until her voice is hoarse. but does it end there? of course not, we all know how dedicated diluc is. he'll tease her back afterwards, but double the amount she teased him. triple, even. tease her tenfold.

i'd love a fic of this, if you'd be so willing to indulge me :)

Hell ya I totally see this

Your an absolute genius I applaud you

Note: Afab reader

Also this a lil long I got carried away 😔

God damn would be punish you it’d be delicious you’d be begging for more punishment and teasing him for the next week

You always tease him it’s practically your job other then serving drinks at the bar

Your cute little uniform skirt that you rolled up so you ass hangs out bounces at every little step you take

Dilucs eyes are trained on you and you only not even looking at the filthy men who who ask him for a drink to give you

His anger only grows when he notices Kaeya smirking and teasing him as well

When You finally round the counter Diluc grabs your wrist and angrily whispers

“What the bell are you doing showing your ass off? Keep this little game of your up and I’ll won’t wait till the bar closes to punish you..”

God how badly you want him to just bend you over his knee right now in front of everyone and punish you

Looks like you will have to keep playing this game

After another 10 minutes of your little game diluc threw the rag he was cleaning the glasses with and waved off the other bartender that he was going on break

On his way to the second floor Diluc grabbed your wrist and pulled you up the stairs

Good thing he kept the upstairs empty tonight, he even had the mercy of pulling you into the farthest corner to hide

Diluc roughly slammed you into on the tables, flipped up your skimpy skirt and frowned at the sight of your bare ass

“No underwear? My, my you were waiting for me to punish you, hm dear? Well I won’t be so merciful tonight. You can count on it.”

He roughly smacked you ass, you groaned at the pain but not without a whimper

Diluc kept his knee under your cunt, every slap you were given came with a hop of his knee

“Starr counting, mess up once and we start over, understand? You’ll learn that being a brat doesn’t get you anywhere”

The rag he had tossed over he shoulder was now gently placed under your chin, how sweet of him to still think of your comfort even while being punished.

After a good 20 minutes, long since he break was over, you were a sobbing mess, being denied orgasm after orgasm and slap after slap

The muscled man sat on the chair and pulled you between his meaty thighs

“Undo my belt baby, comon, your gonna suck me off”

He rested his cheek against his hand, the sight was so beautiful, his legs spread wide open just for you and was just truly a sight for sore eyes when you pulled his pants to his ankles

“Spit, spit on it baby, ah! Good girl” you obediently listened to him and suckled on his red bulbous tip

It wasn’t long before he gripped your hair tightly and tugged you down on his entire length

Red hair now messy and his beautiful baby hair now sweaty and stuck with red strands of hair

He occasionally threw his head back when you hollowed your cheeks and sucked like your life depended on it

“Hah!haaaah just like that! Good girlll good fucking g-girl..!” A breathy chuckle escaped his swollen lips from him biting them to keep himself quiet.

Drool dripped of your lips and onto his manhood and gurgles and chocked sobs left your mouth as well

Diluc readjusted his grip on your head and started quickly thrusting into your mouth

His hot and heavy tip kissing the back of your throat deliciously before his thick seed entered your mouth

Some dropped off your lips and onto the floor when he pulled out of your mouth, he smiled down at you and smirked at your teary puppy eyes

“Atta girl…”

It’s long I apologize but I hope you guys like it!!!

#belovedluc #diluc drabbles #diluc imagines #diluc smut #diluc x reader #diluc ragnvindr #diluc #diluc fluff #diluc x y/n #genshin smut #diluc ragnivindr x you #diluc ragnivindr smut #diluc ravgnvindr #genshin impact smut #genshin impact

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genshin-obsessed · 5 years ago

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Hi hi hi! I love your writings with a PASSION, so I was wondering- could you please write some headcanons for Diluc, Childe and Zhongli? Where the reader is his best friend and secretly loves him but he doesn’t know? Then the reader takes a bad hit for him during battle (like he thinks the reader is dead bad) and he just holds the reader and begs them to hold on, which leads to the reader confessing their love? Up to you if reader dies or not at the end! Thank you so much 💖💖💖

Once again, an anon has given me too much power. But I shall be responsible with it 🥺 i killed you in only one 🥺

Warning: mentions of panic attack (for Childe), and blood. I’m on mobile so I can’t add the little cut off.

Too Late

You’d loved Diluc for a long time now. You two had been friends since you were young and you couldn’t help but fall for Mondstat’s Darknight hero.

There were many occasions you’d tried to confess. How did they go? Not well, since you still hadn’t been able to do it.

You had decided to quit due to many failed attempts, but then…

“Abyss mages!” You and Diluc fought together often, especially once you figured out his secret. You were pretty tough, able to stay on par with him. But he was only humans

“DILUC!” Without thinking, you threw yourself in front of him, feeling the charged arrows repeatedly hit your body. You screamed in pain as your body collided with Diluc’s causing the two of you to fall to the ground.

Diluc quickly but gently moved you aside before taking out all the enemies. You weren’t able to watch, you often thought he looked beautiful while fighting. He was so graceful, almost as if he were dancing instead of fighting.

The blood pooled around you as you felt the world get darker. Why was it so difficult to stay away? You… had no issues staying up before. So why now?

Red flashed in front of you and you saw concerned red eyes looking at you. Diluc.

“Hey… darling… are you ok?” He asked in the softest voice he could muster. He gently lifted you up but it sent a burst of pain through you.

“I-I… n-no…” you murmured, your eyes looking up at the sky. You winced as water droplets fell on you, but… it wasn’t raining?

No. Diluc was crying.

“It’ll be ok.” He whispered, holding you tightly as your blood poured onto him.

“I-I l-love you…” you whispered, watching as his teary eyes widened.

“What?”

“I’m in l-love with y-you…” Why? Why would you say this now?! Why would you wait this long? He couldn’t save you…

You and Childe always had a bond. A very odd one. You two met a few years ago and you hadn’t realized how quickly you fell in love.

Childe never showed any signs of being in love though. He didn’t even try to throw you a bone or anything. Ok.. that sounded bad but it was true.

Over time it got harder and harder to keep it in. Yet, you didn’t want to ruin this beautiful friendship you already had.

“Oh these guys are easy!” Childe laughed as he tore through the abyss mages ahead. Silly, weak abyss mages who thought they could take him on.

“Don’t get so cocky!” You responded, using your abilities to knock one back. Childe often seemed to throw caution to the wind and just jump into fights. It was all fine… everything was going good. Childe was powerful, relentless, and… almost invincible.

“I’ll be fine! Hah, see that-” Childe’s smile fell as he turned around and saw you inches away from him, arms wide open, with an ice spike in your torso. “(F-f/n)?” His voice cracked and he’d asked like he didn’t even know it was you.

“Th-this is… f-fine.” You muttered as you stepped forward, only for your knees to buckle. Childe caught you immediately, his eyes wide in horror. You took a hit for him because he wasn’t being careful.

Childe lowered you onto the ground and in a blinde rage, completely obliterated any enemies left standing. He ran back to you and picked you up. The ice spike had melted, leaving a gaping hole in your chest. Blood pooled around you two as Childe tried to calm his breathing.

It was really hard to breathe. It felt like vines were wrapping around his chest, getting tighter and tighter. It was harder to breathe and the world was starting to cave in. No, wait it was getting bigger. It was getting bigger and he was getting smaller. Tears spilled down his cheeks as he held you tightly.

Through your darkening vision, you reached out and touched his cheek, wanting to calm him.

“I-it’s ok m-my love…” you whispered, unable to hold back the feelings. If you were going to die here, he had to know. “I-I love you…”

It had taken a minute before Childe was able to calm down a little. Enough for you to repeat your words and for him to hear it.

There was an overwhelming dread building up for Childe. You confessed to him… HIM. Someone like him.

No. He couldn’t let this end here. Childe took a few deep breaths and stood up, picking you up right along. He was going to save you. He was going to save you, then confess, then make you his.

You met Zhongli in Liyue not too long ago. It had been a little over a year and you’d fallen in love quickly.

Zhongli was charismatic, knowledgeable, and a little clumsy with his money. But you still loved him.

You wanted no one but him to stay by your side for the rest of your life. But the thing was, you didn’t know how he felt. Whether he loved you or not.

“Zhongli!” You called out, as you ran towards him. People were screaming and running as there was an attack in Liyue. You had just escaped with your life from an attack on the building you were in. The only safe place you imagined was next to the man you loved. You were weak and had no vision. “ZHONGLI!”

The man finally heard you and he looked around, his eyes scanning the crowd repeatedly. Finally, his golden eyes spotted you, pushing past everyone. He ran to you, helping you away from the people and getting you to a safer locations

“What are you doing here!? You need to go somewhere safe!”

“It is safe! By you! I don’t know where else to go anyway.” You said, moving closer to him. Zhongli took your shoulders and looked you in the eye.

“I would love nothing but to keep you at my side, but it’s simply too dangerous. Go. I’ll come get you later.” You didn’t want to, but he was right. You needed to get somewhere safer.

“Ok… ok. I’ll go.” You mumbled, feeling your heart break. Of course he wouldn’t want someone as weak as you around him.

“Stay safe. I… I have to tell you something important so make sure you’re in one piece. Ok?” You nodded as he turned around and moved back into the fray.

As you turned to leave, you felt someone grab your arm. It was swift as their lips pressed against your ear.

“He’ll die in 10 seconds. Why don’t you save him?” You whipped around but saw no one. Well, that’s not true. You saw a woman with a spear, aiming it towards Zhongli.

Your body moved before you could think. By the time the woman had thrown her spear, you were a foot away from Zhongli, your arms out wide as the spear impaled your chest.

Zhongli didn’t even need to look to know something happened to you. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and his body almost mirrored your own. He touched his chest the same way you did, he fell to his knees with you, however, instead of falling over like you, he caught himself.

“(F/n)...” he muttered painfully. He knew. He just knew. He turned around and saw the blood spilling out of the wound intensely, as you coughed. Zhongli pulled you into his arms and turned your face to look at him. “No- Hey! Hey, look at me!”

“Zh-Zhongli…”

“Why?! Why did you do this!?” He cried as tears welled up in his eyes.

“Because I-I love you.” He pulled your face towards him, gently pressing his lips to yours. It was short but sweet.

“Don’t you leave me. Th-that’s what I was going to tell you. So don’t you leave me. I’ll save you, I swear I will.” Zhongli lifted you up and pressed a kiss to your forehead. He would save you, for without you, there was no reason for him to live.

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #diluc x reader #genshin diluc #genshin impact diluc #diluc imagine #diluc headcanons #childe headcanons #childe imagines #genshin childe x reader #childe x reader #zhongli imagines #zhongli headcanons #zhongli x reader #genshin zhongli x reader

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writersrealmbts · 4 years ago

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Clearwater Springs: Part 9

SDescription: ot7 x reader, reader’s choice, fairy/supernatural/soulmate au. The choices you make influence the story! In this world, war-torn and ragged, you’ve been offered a home and a job working as a librarian. Will you meet your soulmates? Will you ever find the shelves behind the piles of books? Who knows.

Warnings: idk

Posted: 08/18/2021

Tags: ot7 x reader, supernatural bts, soulmate au

3,463 words

A/N: Okay! Remember, two free-write and one survey chapter, which means the next survey chapter will be chapter 11 (technically they all are at this point), which means that the survey at the bottom of this post will be on part 10 as well. Sorry for the wait.

Previous ~ Next

You were in a warm cocoon, and you weren’t about to disturb it.

Yoongi was in cat form again, stretched out against your back, purring now and then in his sleep.

Namjoon was snoring, but you didn’t care because he was warm and his heartbeat was strong, and he was well-built. Strong enough to make you feel safe, soft enough to keep you comfortable. He was your haltija.

You lay in a comfortable doze for a while, smiling when Yoongi moved so you could pet him and he fell asleep again.

But then someone was sneaking in and over, fluttering above the ground and peering at you.

You yawned a bit, then turned to reach out both hands to him.

Jimin smiled and took your hands, gently pulling you from between the other two and into the air.

You grinned as he set you down on the floor by the bed, admiring his wings. His feathers looked shinier already, and the colors of his feathers seemed more vibrant. Happiness made such a difference in fairies.

Jimin tugged your hand gently, pulling you out of the room and down to Jin’s room.

The door swung open silently, revealing the most adorable sight of Jin and Jungkook cuddling. Jungkook’s arms wrapped around Jin, and head on Jin’s shoulder but still tucked close to Jin’s neck. Both of them looked so peaceful.

Jimin shared your smile, then tugged your hand again as he carefully closed the door.

Taehyung was being bearhugged from behind by Hoseok, drowsily watching some cartoon show that had the volume down as low as possible without muting it.

Hoseok murmured now and then, and pressed airy little kisses just barely into Taehyung’s hair--probably completely unfelt by the dryad. But he glanced over and smiled contentedly at you before whispering something that got a sleepy smile out of his companion.

You tugged on Jimin’s hand this time, drawing him into the kitchen. “Help me make them breakfast?”

He nodded.

You weren’t an exceptional cook, but you could make basic foods, and the boys didn’t seem to mind basic foods. “Did you sleep well, ma mignonne?”

He nodded emphatically. “Yesterday was tiring.”

Yoongi stalked in, scowling tiredly at you. “You left.”

“Sorry, mon chat minou,” You apologized, leaning over to peck his lips.

His eyes widened.

Jimin huffed, latching onto you again.

You leaned back into his arms and tilted your head back for a kiss.

He hesitated, but did kiss you—softly. As though you were a bubble that would pop at any moment. His lips soft against yours.

You brushed his cheek with your fingertips, keenly away of two more sets of eyes on the three of you.

Hoseok, probably already knowing the outcome, came over and claimed his kiss. “Morning, aluemdaun.”

You hummed happily at his casual compliment, curling your fingers around the neckline of his shirt. “Darling.”

Taehyung’s eyes were wide, and he slowly came forward.

You watched him with a soft smile. “Good morning, Taehyung. Did you sleep well?”

Taehyung nodded slowly.

You kissed his cheek, brushing over the spot where you kissed him with your thumb as you looked over his face. “Good.”

“So...does everyone know...about….” He gestured vaguely to your arm.

You nodded, smiling a little more. “Everyone knows. You can ask them anything about being soulmates that you want. You can touch them, hug them, kiss them, and they’ll have no room to complain because they’re stuck with all of us for the rest of our lives—provided all goes well.”

Taehyung started to get hints of excitement in his eyes. “Hugs?”

“As many as you like. Jimin gives especially good hugs.” You nodded toward the fairy, who was still cooking under your instructions.

Yoongi took Taehyung’s hand. “After we’re out of their way so they can make breakfast.”

Taehyung didn’t seem to accept that, turning and hugging onto Yoongi despite the werecat’s protests—loud as they were.

But Yoongi waddled himself and Taehyung out of the kitchen, and out of your way. And Taehyung forced his hugs on the werecat without avail.

You returned to your fairy, directing his actions with little gestures, happy when the food turned out well—just as Namjoon, Jin, and Jungkook joined everyone downstairs.

Jimin greeted them with a chirpy ‘Good Morning!’ while ushering them to the table. “We just finished making breakfast!”

Jungkook looked like he was still half-asleep, movements languid as Jin helped him to a spot at the table.

Yoongi was still trapped by Taehyung. “Stop it. Stop it. Let’s not do this. Stop it.”

Taehyung ignored him, nuzzling the were-cat’s neck until suddenly the were-cat shifted and escaped. Then he pouted, looking hurt and sullen.

Jin chuckled sleepily. “Come here, Taehyungie, we’ll catch him later for you to cuddle. Sit next to hyungie to eat.”

Hoseok easily claimed the seat on the other side of Taehyung. “Yoongi-hyung was probably just hungry, Taehyung. He’s not very forthright, but—” he dropped his glass, eyes glazed and far away. He frowned, hands hovering shakily over his plate.

You glanced at Jin for a moment.

Jin got up and went around to Hoseok’s side.

Hoseok’s gaze cleared slightly, but he looked shaken. “I need my crystal ball. Need to get upstairs.”

“I’ll help you,” Jin whispered softly, helping him up. “Even breaths, Hoseokie. Keep calm.”

Hoseok nodded, leaning into Jin. “Need to look. Need to see.”

You watched them go with a little worry, but you knew Hoseok would be fine as long as Jin was with him.

Today, you had work to do.

After you had made sure that Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin had ingested an adequate amount of food—and helped Yoongi make plates for the two that were absent—you went to your room, silently asking your waters for some good working clothes.

Your waters ignored you and gave you a dress, but at least the dress wouldn’t expose your body every time you moved.

Jimin was waiting with Parsley by the front door. “You’re going to the library, right?”

You smiled and nodded. “I have work to do. Are you coming with me?”

“You can’t go alone,” He said nonchalantly. “Too dangerous. Especially with a dark mage about.”

“True. But I wouldn’t like it if you didn’t want to come with me.”

“I want to,” He answered quickly, looking a little sheepish. “I really like it there. High ceilings. I can fly even though it’s raining.”

You smiled. “Alright, then.”

You peeked into the living room, noticing that Taehyung had ‘captured’ Yoongi again and that both were watching a movie with Jungkook and Namjoon. “I’m off to the library with Jimin. Be back later. Someone check on Jin and Hoseok if they don’t come down in an hour?”

“Mm’kay,” Namjoon answered distractedly, but you saw Yoongi look over at you and nod.

Rain didn’t bother you that much, it was just water after all, but Jimin seemed a little averse to it, so you made sure he had the umbrella. Not that it was much of a rainstorm, the gentle pattering drops far more soothing than harsh. Pleasant and somewhat warm.

There was a truck sitting in front of the library, and Valina was under the overhang of the doors, glaring at another person.

Jimin gently touched your shoulder and took off to watch from a distance, a distance from which he could easily intervene if he needed.

You carried the closed umbrella up to those waiting, wondering what was going on. “Hello Valina, how may I assist you?”

She glanced at you, eyes widening slightly, panicked a little.

“Ah! You must be the librarian, I am Grendel,” The dark mage said, turning toward you and bowing.

You froze, but tried not to display your panic. “A pleasure, I’m sure.”

“Yes, well, you see, as well as conducting my own business, I was asked to convey this load of books to this…charming town’s library.” He eyed you. “I had not realized that this library was run by a xana.”

“I had not realized my species could be of any interest to any being other than my own kind,” You answered evenly. “There is a room around the side of the building for after-hours book deliveries and donations, and the sign is right there, as well. I believe that lettering is large enough for any to read.”

“Ah, but I have…certain donations that need special care, and I wished to convey the instructions in person—as I was telling this…fiery, young woman.”

“That’s witch to you! And I told you I could have given her the instructions.” Valina crossed her arms.

“And I told you, there are certain things that only a librarian can understand. This place has special vaults for…dangerous tomes, does it not?” He turned to you.

“We would have to ask the owner of the library,” You answered vaguely. “I have not been informed of any. If you would be so kind as to deliver the rest to the side room, I will call the owner and have him come and talk with you.”

“I was specifically instructed—”

“I understand,” You cut him off. “However, I have no answers as to security for dangerous tomes, and for that, the owner is required. Once he has answers in regards to the safety of such tomes, then we may further discuss the tomes staying here. Until then, please patiently wait in the delivery room around the side of the building. I shall not ask again.”

“But—”

“You have about five seconds before I start singing: can you bare it, mage?” You asked, eyes narrowing in a challenge.

His mouth clamped shut and he bowed stiffly. “As you have asked, so shall I do.”

You nodded firmly and moved to the front doors, waiting until he was pulling the truck to the side of the building before unlocking the front doors and ushering Valina inside.

“Are you crazy? He’s a dark mage!” She hissed the moment the door closed.

“I am…very…aware…of…that…,” You said in between trying not to hyperventilate in the ensuing panic.

Jimin landed and quickly wrapped his arms and wings around you, forcing Valina to back up. “You’re crazy. You’re absolutely crazy.”

You just hugged him back with all of your might. “Need to call Jin.”

“I’ll do that,” Valina said, regarding you and Jimin and just a tiny bit disconcerted.

“It’s a trick, right? He’s just trying to get to you, right?” Jimin asked, sounding panicked.

Parsley twined around your feet, mewling.

“Where’s his pheonix?” You whispered.

You saw Valina look up sharply.

Jimin let go of you and shrunk, darting off to look.

You went to the desk slowly, sitting down and beginning your work. “He stop at your shop first?”

“Not exactly. Had a feeling.” Valina leaned against the counter, frowning. “A faun pointed him out to me, and my brain worked from there. My coven will ward the town. We’ve already been setting up protection wards on people’s houses, so most people should be safe at night. Except your house. But you have a haltija.”

“And a were-cat, and a djinn, dryad, seer, incubus-fairy mix, and a human that I swear has magic in his blood.”

“Mr. Kim definitely has magic in his blood,” Valina said, eyes flashing pink. “Ancient magic, but it is there. His family tree is made of touched and clearsighted.”

“Touched and clearsighted?” You asked.

“Touched people have a sort of intuition, they get a sense for things quickly—especially in regards to the magical. They tend to become fighters, people who protect others from…less-savory magic. Clearsighted folk can see through all magical protection that would confuse other humans. Why do you think he didn’t become a slobbering fool upon seeing you? Yes, he sees you’re hot as hell, but, because he has clearsight, he is able to resist that pull and instead focus on you as a person. Me? I have special charms to resist folk like yourself and stay a decent witch.” She looked you over and quickly looked away. “Though, I think it’s about time I recharge them.”

“I appreciate the effort,” You murmured, thinking about Jin and grateful for the distraction that she had been trying to give you. “There’s still so much I don’t know about the world and about people. I only knew my people.”

“Might help if you came into town more often.”

You looked at her quietly until she met your gaze with a little regret.

“Nevermind, that would be mass chaos and not pleasant for you. Forget I mentioned town. Let me ward it for your protection first.”

“Don’t go to any extra trouble on my account.”

“I won’t. My coven planned on putting up warding to protect from…unwanted behaviors.”

“You’re the police of the town, aren’t you?”

Valina grinned. “Yup! But don’t worry, we have people we answer to as well. Now, if we could get real town status, then we’d probably elect Mr. Kim as mayor—”

“Never gonna happen,” Jin said firmly, walking quickly over to you. “Are you okay?”

You nodded, standing up. “I sent him around the side to the drop-off area and Jimin is looking for the Pheonix, but he’s been gone since Valina called you.”

Yoongi shifted and ran out to see if he could track down the fairy.

Hoseok was looking a little…out of breath.

Jungkook seemed to be visually assessing you.

Namjoon was talking to the doorway.

Taehyung was looking around, awestruck. “Hyung…this place is so beautiful….”

Jin kissed your forehead and then glanced at Valina. “Got any extra protection charms?”

She patted her pockets demonstratively. “I was in a bit of a rush, toots. Apologies. Take the Djinn with you, he can use magic to protect you and it’s stronger than even a dark mage’s. He can protect you if he wishes.”

Hoseok gripped Jungkook’s arm. “No.”

Jungkook looked both surprised and hurt. “I can do it, hyung.”

“No, it has to be…” Hoseok looked desperately at him, then at you. “It has to be you. I…can’t tell you why…but I know….”

You could tell it was killing him to say it, tearing him up inside. “Okay. If you say it must be so, then it must be. Jungkook could protect us from here, correct?”

Hoseok considered for a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay, now please sit down. You look so pale,” You pleaded softly, gently, touching his arm.

He relaxed a bit and pliantly let you guide him to your chair.

“Jungkook, Taehyung, Namjoon; please look out for Hoseok, I have a feeling he’s going to be having a rough day,” You asked, picking up Parsley and setting her in Hoseok’s lap. “Pet the kitty.”

Hoseok let out a small breath of an amused laugh, then did as told.

Then you and Seokjin went outside to meet the dark mage.

Grendel was waiting, looking patient, casually unloading boxes from the truck, but he quickly set aside the box he was carrying as he noticed your approach.

“This is Mr. Kim, the owner of the library. Mr. Grendel had inquiries about secure vaults for…dangerous tomes.”

Jin nodded. “I am only allowed by the government to approve of certain types of tomes. What is the nature of the tomes?” He pulled out some paperwork.

“One is a necromancers guide made with dragon leather,” Grendel said, looking worried.

You couldn’t help the gasp that escaped you.

Grendel nodded. “Dark magic that must be locked away and never let out again. And that one…that one should remain off-record if possible.”

Jin was quiet, partially frozen. “Where is that one?”

“Still on the truck. I didn’t want to unload it if it couldn’t stay here.”

Jin nodded slowly. “I know a place where it can go. I’m assuming you don’t want to know it’s final location either.”

“That would be correct.”

“Okay. And the other tomes?”

“A Demon Book, a Crimson portfolio, and the notebook of…Fausto Vilareyo,” Grendel finished, not meeting your gaze.

Your heart seemed to stop.

Jin was looking to you. “Fausto Vilareyo?”

“The first dark mage,” You answered, trembling.

Jin nodded slowly. “All of these fall within what I am able to take in. I will care for the notebook and the necromancer’s guide.”

You nodded. “I….”

“Can you go get me some notecards?” Jin asked, providing you with a brief escape. “And a pen?”

You nodded, turning and fleeing the presence of such an evil book.

The others startled when you hurried in.

“Everything okay?” Yoongi asked, pausing in his task of what appeared to be drying Jimin’s wings.

“Yes. Did you find the pheonix?”

“No,” Jimin said, drooping. “No sign of it.”

“That’s fine,” You said hastily, grabbing some things for yourself.

“Slow down,” Valina advised, “before you drop everything you’re trying to pick up.”

You just nodded and raced out again, pausing before the corner and composing yourself.

Grendel conveyed the instructions for the last two books, then bowed. “I thank you for guarding these relics. It has been a long journey to find a safe resting place for them.”

You dipped your head very slightly. “War makes many things difficult, though they be difficult to begin with.”

“Very true. I must be off. Many more false trails to lay,” Grendel said, bowing once more. He hesitated in leaving, though. “I know it may not mean much, but I apologize for the wrongs that have been committed toward your kind. I had never seen one of your kind in person before now and I regret not knowing. I do what I must, though, and for that I know I would never be able to listen to your songs. Thank you for your benevolence toward me, even knowing I am of the kind that is dangerous toward yourself.”

“If you continue to remove dangerous things from those who would abuse them, then I wish you luck,” You said, meaning it. Not just anyone would turn over what they had found to be locked away. And while his dark magic was fresh and potent, perhaps it was because he needed it to get those items. “May I ask, what were you doing in the forest?”

He blinked in surprise. “The forest? Oh…I…I’d actually heard that the forest was quite nice and I have this stupid pheonix that’s bound to me and he goes and gets into all sorts of trouble if I don’t properly exercise him.” He looked around. “Thinking of…you haven’t happened to see a pheonix?”

You shook your head rapidly.

Jin shook his head as well.

He sighed. “He probably went after the dragon magic, the stupid fledgling. Well. Either he gets eaten or he learns a lesson. Thank you for your time.” He bowed again and hopped into the truck.

“Dragon?” Jin asked, eyes wide.

“The river dragon, probably,” You offered.

Jin looked at you like you’d grown a second hand.

“Jungkook and I ran across him when we were passing the time before going to look for you. He’s my river-kin, apparently.”

Jin shook his head, showing you the vaults for the books you would care for, how to access them and such. “Of course he is.”

“Hoseok looked pale.”

“Yeah. He’s not as strong as he likes to convey.”

“Are any of us?”

Jin kissed your cheek. “Probably not.”

You ran your fingers along the mortar between the bricks. “Do you think he had an ulterior motive?”

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out. You want to stay at the library?”

You nodded. “I have work to do. Jimin will probably stay with me.”

He nodded. “I don’t think Taehyung will leave now, either. Is that okay?”

“He’s cute. Jimin and I can keep an eye on him.”

“Okay. I’m going to take the others home, then. Make sure Hoseok gets some water, food, and rest.” Jin kissed your cheek. “Don’t speak a word to the others about what books are hidden in the vaults. Or about the books I will be hiding. It’ll be safer.”

You nodded firmly. “Agreed. It’s for their own well-being. Hoseok knows.”

He nodded. “Probably.”

Yoongi stalked up in his black and grey form—his largest form—and then paused, getting ready to leap into Jin’s arms.

Jin stroked Yoongi’s head. “Hey. We’re okay. Thanks for worrying.”

Yoongi just snorted and rested, acting like he’d intended to fall asleep in Jin’s arms.

You reached over and scratched his head, then went into the library to finally do the work that you hadn’t been able to get done in the past three days.

–

Post-Chapter 9 Survey

Previous. Next.

Masterlist. Clearwater Springs Masterpost.

–

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ignitedbynatsu · 4 years ago

Text

I Trust You pt. 2

A/N: Ah, yes, humor as a coping mechanism, I totally don't use that every day 👀. ANywayz, @xbay-beex here is the last part your request, I hope you liked what I did with your request ❤

Genre: angst to fluff with a little bit of crack

Warnings: reader being hurt, self-loathing

Previous ~ next

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He shouldn’t have listened. He shouldn’t have let you convince him, nor should he have let his ego get the best of him. It was foolish and reckless of him to believe that he could successfully take that shot. How could he have been so naïve? He knew he messed up badly in the past, but when you joined the guild, heard of what he did, and didn’t even care, it was at that very moment when he vowed to never hurt you. You had told him that his actions in the past didn’t define the man he was now, that you were certain that he was a good man, you believed in him, even with all the mistakes he made. And yet here he was, being the one responsible for putting you in that bed. He was the one who made you walk the fine line between life and death. He always had to mess it up one way or another.

Freed placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, snapping him out of his destructive thought process. The blonde glanced at the other male for a second before fixating his eyes back on your resting form, hoping for you to wake up. Wanting nothing but seeing your beautiful eyes again. “You should get something to eat”

He shook his head “I’m not hungry”, but the rumble in his stomach that followed contradicted his statement.

“We’ll look after her. Just go, please” Laxus hadn’t even noticed that Bickslow and Evergreen were in the room as well. He looked up at them, meeting the same pitiful looks he received from everyone. He shouldn’t deserve their sympathy, he was the one who put you in that state anyway. If anything they should resent him, but none of them did. “Alright”

Once Mira-Jane caught a glimpse of Laxus figure, she quickly whipped up a meal and placed it in front of the seat he took at the bar “thank you” Nobody dared to speak to him. Not even Natsu dared to open his mouth. They didn’t know how to act around the sulking mage since they had never seen him so deflated before. Everyone knew the two of you were very close, but for you to have such an impact on the feared S-class mage was a whole new world that opened up.

Laxus was aimlessly poking his food around, hardly eating anything, when suddenly his name got called “Laxus! She’s awake” His eyes shot up and met Bickslows hopeful ones. He wanted nothing more than jump from his seat and sprint to your room, but he couldn’t move. He was frozen in his seat. The relief he felt just now was completely overshadowed by guilt. How could he ever face you after what he did?

“Laxus?” all eyes were trained on the dragon slayer who could do nothing more but stare at the ground “I… I can’t face her. Tell her I’m sorry” With that he stood up from his seat and walked through the front door, ignoring the shouts from his grandfather to get back. He just couldn’t do it. Too afraid of the rejection in your eyes. He always messes everything up, so it would be for the better if he just left you.

A loud explosion stopped him in his track and made him snap his head back towards the guild. “(Y/N)” this time his legs didn’t hesitate for a second as they carried his body instinctively to wear you laid.

“Oh how nice of you to come and visit me” He took notice of the now broken vase on the bedside table and the sheepish smile that played on your lips. It was a smile you only displayed when you had done something you shouldn’t have. “I swear we tried to stop her”

“Freed, Bickslow, Ever, could you give us a moment?” You interrupted Freed before he could completely snitch on you, even though you were sure that Laxus had figured out by now what you had done. The three nodded their head and closed the door softly after them, giving you all the privacy you needed.

“So how much money did we make?” You started, a playful glint evident in your eyes. If he hadn’t known better Laxus would’ve never guessed you were on death’s doorstep only moments ago “this is not a laughing matter, (Y/N)”

“I know it isn’t. I need to pay my rent” You agreed making him scoff and roll his eyes. You never liked serious moments, it made you feel uncomfortable, but you knew you wouldn’t be able to joke your way out of this one, not this time. “Hey”

Laxus glanced at you for a mere second but quickly averted his eyes again. He could not deal with the disappointment that could potentially fill those beautiful orbs of yours “It’s not your fault, you know?”

A scoff passed his lips once again as he heard those words everyone kept telling him “how could you say that when you’re laying there like that?”

“Simple, I just said it, didn’t I?” A smile was playing on your lips once again, but when you saw that your attempts at lightening the mood were going nowhere, a heavy sigh escaped your lips “Laxus, it was a joined decision. I told you to do it. It sucks that it didn’t work, but we had no other choice”

“Maybe there was, and we just didn’t think hard enough” He shook his head. You were just trying to make him feel better. There was no way you didn’t resent him at least a little.

“Okay fine, let’s think about it then. How could we have possibly escaped from that moment without at least one of us getting hurt?” you challenged him, but what followed was dead silence. He couldn’t think of anything. “You see what I mean? We didn’t have many options and that one had the most chance of nobody getting hurt.”

“Why do you have so much faith in me? You keep giving me second chances no matter how hard I mess up” You were a bit taken back by the sudden revelation of his emotions, but quickly regained your posture “You’re not a bad man, Laxus”

“You keep saying that, but yet here you are, laying in this bed all because of my doings” He didn’t care how vulnerable he was right now. He had to let it out, or he would explode “I was terrified of the thought of losing you, of never seeing those two beautiful eyes look at me again, of never seeing that warm smile greet me every time you see me.”

“Laxus… What are you saying?” You had a hunch of where this was going, but you wanted to hear the words coming from his mouth.

“You’re the reason why I wanna be better, (Y/N). I aspire to be a man worthy of putting your faith in one day. Worthy of giving your heart to even. But, I know I’m not there yet, and I know you deserve someone better. I… Just give me a bit of time, I promise I’ll love you unconditionally until the day I die” He vowed, making you chuckle a little “Was that too much?”

“You already own my heart, silly” you smiled lovingly at him and for the first time he realized that that smile was the same smile you gave him every day when you greeted him. “Why?”

“As I said before, you’re not a bad man, Laxus. Sure you’ve made some mistakes in the past, but you’ve learned from them. And even so, all your mistakes were always born out of good intentions, even when you tried to rebrand Fairy Tail. You may put on this unbothered façade, but I know you’d sacrifice your life in an instant for anyone in this guild, and that right there is a man deserving of my love” You explained as you placed your hand softly against his cheek. “You’re the only one I’d trust with my heart, so you better take good care of it”

“You can never be serious for longer then 10 seconds, can you?” he chuckled as he placed his forehead against yours. You closed your eyes and hummed in satisfaction “just shut up and kiss me”

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