#the mute master

[acourtofquestions]

Cicadas buzzed in the trees of the keep, and somewhere in the gardens, a nightingale sang her lament. Talk. Talk about what?

She didn't have anything to say, so they sat on the parapet in silence for a while until even the cicadas went to sleep, and the moon slipped away behind them, and the sky began to brighten. Talk. Talk about what had been haunting her these months. Haunting every thought, every dream, every breath. Talk.

"I'm scared to go home," she said at last, staring out at the dunes beyond the walls.

The predawn light was bright enough for her to see the Master's brows rise. Why?

"Because everything will be different. Everything is already different. I think everything changed when Arobynn punished me, but ... Some part of me still thinks that the world will go back to the way it was before that night. Before I went to Skull's Bay."

The Master's eyes shone like emeralds. Compassionate-sorrowful.

"I'm not sure I want it to go back to the way it was before," she admitted. "And I think … I think that's what scares me the most."

The Master smiled at her reassuringly, then rolled his neck and stretched his arms over his head before standing atop the merlon.

Celaena tensed, unsure if she should follow.

But the Master didn't look at her as he began a series of movements, graceful and winding, as elegant as a dance and deadly as the asp that lurked on the roof.

The asp.

Watching the Master, she could see each of the qualities she had copied for the past few weeks—-the contained power and swiftness, the cunning and the smooth restraint.

He went through the motions again, and it took only a glance in her direction to get her to her feet atop the parapet wall. Mindful of her balance, she slowly copied him, her muscles singing with the rightness of the movements. She grinned as night after night of careful observation and mimicry clicked into place.

Again and again, the sweep and curve of her arm, the twisting of her torso, even the rhythm of her breathing. Again and again, until she became the asp, until the sun broke over the horizon, bathing them in red light.

Again and again, until there was nothing left but the Master and her as they greeted the new day.

[lime-ricky]

draw your comfort characters as the one Steven meme is the funniest art trend to come out of this year

[fei-scribbles]

tried working with a muted colour palette that reminded me of vivia

i wanna turn up the saturation so badly omfg how do people make muted colours look good-

[blueskittlesart]

no pressure at all, but i was wondering how you think Zelda would react to a mute/deaf link? i bet she originally thought he was conceited but had the gut punch realization that he couldn’t help it and that she had spent all this time judging him

struggling to figure out how to word this but i think this is.. essentially what happens in canon? canonically, link is selectively mute, which essentially just means that physically, he can technically speak. there's no physical problem with his vocal chords, hearing, etc that makes him mute, it's a mental block instead of a physical one. that doesn't mean that it's something he can control, though. I've heard it described as being like your vocal chords just "stop working" in certain situations, whether due to anxiety, trauma, overstimulation, or some other trigger. meaning you still physically can't talk, there's just no anatomical reason for the mutism. so whether he's deaf, physically mute, or selectively mute, i think zelda still has the gut-punch oh shit, he couldn't help it moment and that she DESERVES to have that gut-punch, because that realization that she'd been projecting her own insecurities onto him and refusing to take into account his situation is an important kickstarter to her personal growth and development. But i guess what i'm saying is i don't think her reactions would change very much if you change the way he's communicating with her. With selectively mute link, i do like to think that he eventually becomes comfortable enough around her that he's able to speak for short amounts of time and begins to communicate that way, as is implied in canon (but that's never actually outright stated, just that he "opened up" to her eventually, so it's possible he never actually TALKED to her at all and communicated some other way.) sign language, written language, however he decides to explain what's going on to her, he still was physically incapable of speaking to her before, and she still judged him heavily for it. so tldr yeah, i think no matter what form of mutism you want to give him, she always has to have that moment of shock and realization that she was pushing her own insecurities onto him and that she was downright CRUEL to him. it's one of the most important moments of her arc!

[wist-eri]

mystery labyrinth scenario

also what would shinigami call her 🤔 as a nickname

[frnkiebby]

i’m on a sheet music kick so if anyone wants to give me shit to do and wants a song transcribed/transposed into sheet music/tabs lmk and with desired instrument or whatever. I’ll always take the practice.

i fucked around with bass tabs for Joyriding and on sight it looks pretty correct and when listening to the song while reading along, but we’ll find out when i get around to playing it.~🎃

(i’m pissed tho bc i forgot to put the slur notations for bars 70-84 before i closed out of the app. and im so glad i took screen shots bc i also forgot to save and it’s gone now 🥲)

[possible-streetwear]

[delicourse]

finally moved! still got a lot of stuff to unpack but once i’ve settled i’ll get back to drawing and open up comms! please look forward to it……🐹

[noisemastter]

so,

its like that

[anemoflower]

I'm listening to some character va compilations from Pokemas rn and

H.ILBERT'S VA IS THE SAME AS FOR C.HILDE??

I can't stop laughing just imagine C.hilde saying in H.ilberts voice "Argh I lost. Not cool!" after we beat him in battle pfffttt

I also noticed just now that M.arnie's va is the same as for M.arinette from M.iraculous.... HOW did I not notice that before

[acourtofquestions]

The Assassin and the Desert

— (thoughts while doing my first read) —

Is Ansel the person referenced in Crown of Midnight? The one who taught Celaena about the witches? Does that mean SHE will be the betrayer??? … is this the same person she said “she’d kill” if she ever saw again?!? (These are rhetorical thoughts; more theory than question😂).

The entire time Celaena is talking about these shoes shoes (and really it’s written like poetry; when she compares them to calligraphy👌👌👌) but all I am picturing is green Elf style curly shoes🤣🤦‍♀️… then again those would make a statement sooo…

“and why Arobynn had thought he'd need three seasoned assassins to restrain him that day.” — YEAH I THINK ABOUT THAT TOO CELAENA (Sam🥹😭… ugh this angsty/pining true-soulmate childhood love trope is going to BREAK MEEEE🖤)

Wait… is this where we learn the Asterion Mare tale?!

“Saying that she was sorry didn't feel adequate. She knew what this sort of loss was like, and words didn't do anything at all. ‘Where do men find it in themselves to do such monstrous things? How do they find it acceptable’” — The way Sarah writes sisterhood & female friendship is very special; honestly one of my favorite parts of her books & writing style. She hits the nail on the head 👏EVERY🥹DAM🥰TIME😭 — (not me crying cause Celaena isn’t under the stars sad and alone this time) … this is why Nehemia mattered so much😭

— also if I had a nickel for every time she said “silver lined eyes”🤣

Celaena taking the blame for Ansel because she thinks she doesn’t have a purpose but Ansel does🖤

Every time Celaena flinches I both want to hug her, hug Sarah, hug younger me, (kill Arobynn… I’m with ya Sam😅) and then thank all of them for the trauma representation; heartbreaking as it may be it’s pretty real for a fantasy series, and their is comfort in shared trauma through that lens.❤️‍🩹

EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE (giving me Ruin & Rising levels of fear here Sarah😬) — “but I’ve seen this episode and still loved the show”

It’s lovely to see Celaena be young & normal-ish; like she’s still a teenage girl in this book, she’s mortified over her first kiss, obsessed with shoes, making new friends, recklessly having fun… smiling for once… there’s an innocent joy in this book; one we never see in the post-Assassin’s Blade series…

… I think reading it post-Crown of Midnight (when I am) is especially perfect because you understand her & the books better (including tiny references like the Ironteeth witches & Asterion mares) … There’s also a sense of grief seeing her before it all “ended”, you already understand her now & now you do then too; which makes her make EVEN MORE sense; its not quite a “lost humanity”, but a grieving of lost innocence. — Despite all she had already been through, there were still these little pieces of life kept for herself back then; and something preciously heartbreakingly accurate to girlhood within them.

Despite having never been in love and not known much love Celaena seems to understand it better than most… there’s a special thing to that within her character; her joys resilience, drive for love, and draw toward goodness.

She finally feels safe… at peace🥹 (if only Sam were there… it would be home🥹😭💔)

Oh NO; normal teenage girl drama fight, meets highly trained traumatized assassins; this feels dangerous!!!

NOT FAERIE WINE AGAIN🤦‍♀️… wow if only Celaena had a nickel everytime someone tried TO POISON HER😅😱🫥

THE STOLEN RING DETAIL/CLUE

Celaena is giving Ahsoka vibes

THAT damned gloriella AGAIN

Her, seeing The Master trying desperately to save his son; doing what a good father should. Meanwhile in opposition her “father figure” Arobynn who was the one to first draw blood

“Wincing as blood from her face dripped to his white clothes” — “A pang of guilt at the sight of her blood staining Arobynn’s exquisite red carpet” — One my heart broke at these lines; she literally feels sorry for bleeding! Two the difference within the Master in white (unstained, untouched, pure) clothes and the Master with red (already red like blood) RED carpet; that she still feels sorry to bleed onto… it’s ALREADY red—he’s the one who drew blood—& yet she’s the one who feels guilty.

Is the foreign language he reads & speaks Wyrd?

SHE WAS NOT AFRAID!

… don’t tell me she gets back and Sam is a Courtesan (or some form of indenture) that’s going to require her gold & stop her from leaving😅PLEASE😅I HAVE A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS😬

The note of the silent Master’s footsteps & lack of cruel punishment, in comparison to Arobynn’s fear invoking silence & unjust cruelty… the fear she feels just standing in front of him once again, feeling little again within minutes of coming back from months of near-freedom… barely a few pages in to The Assassin and the Underworld and I can tell it’s going to crush my heart — isn’t it?!

[mystristages]

jesus christ I think I need to stay off twitter today I can't even bring myself to eat I feel so sick

[spectacled-renegade-writes]

An Early Start - Chapter 25 - Final Chapter - Danny Phantom

Ao3: Here | Masterpost: Here

Ao3 Description: The accident that turns Danny half-ghost happens when he is four years old and leaves him trapped in the Ghost Zone. Clockwork finds him and takes him in to raise. But what happens when Clockwork sends Danny back to the human-world ten years later when a permanent portal appears?

Chapter 25: Epilogue

Danny learned the following day that Clockwork did not perish. He was in his room, still recovering, playing a game of chess with Vlad. He only noticed time stop because of a fly, which abruptly stopped buzzing around his room. Moments later Clockwork appeared and placed a time medallion around Vlad’s neck.

Danny choked on his breath and ignored the way his recovering body screamed at him as he jumped off his bed to hug Clockwork, knocking over the chess board in the process. Clockwork’s familiar chill and scent of oil filled his senses, and Danny just stood there and hugged him, and didn’t let go for many moments. Clockwork did not resist but instead hugged him back.

Danny had to wipe away a tear when he finally let go. “I thought… I thought you were…”

“I know.” Clockwork replied gently and Danny couldn’t help but laugh, because of course he knew.

“Where were you?” Danny demanded, but not a hint of spite in his voice.

“You were correct.” Clockwork explained, while Vlad watched on in fascination. “I was captured. But I needed to get a few affairs in order after you defeated the ghost king, which is why I could not see you right away. For that I am sorry.” Clockwork turned to look at Vlad approvingly but when he spoke again, it was clearly still directed at Danny. “Congratulations. Your mission was a success.” He turned back at Danny. “I am so very proud of you.”

Danny smiled, sitting back down at the edge of his bed. “Did you know the whole time? That Pariah would be released?”

“I did,” Clockwork confirmed, something of a hum. “It was one of the more probable timelines. But defeating Pariah Dark wasn’t your mission.”

Danny tilted his head and glanced at Vlad, like maybe he knew what Clockwork was talking about, but Vlad only shrugged so Danny turned his attention back. “Then… what was my mission?”

Something of a bemused smile crossed Clockwork’s lips as he changed from an old man to a baby. He pointed to Vlad. “He was.”

Vlad sputtered. “Me?”

Clockwork nodded. “Indeed.” Clockwork set his scepter on the floor and balanced it upright like the laws of physics shouldn’t allow, and sat atop it. “A timeline existed-“

“Existed?" Vlad interrupted despite himself. "As in past tense?”

Clockwork merely nodded again ever patiently. “Very few timelines can be erased completely but this particular timeline you erased, Danny, it was very special.”

“What happened?” Vlad couldn’t help but ask, hungry for knowledge.

Clockwork finally turned to Vlad and said, quite bluntly, “You destroy the world.”

Danny watched as Vlad paled.

“…I what?”

Clockwork casually worked on winding one of the many watches on his wrist as he spoke. “There was a timeline, the most probable timeline back then, in which Danny received his powers at fourteen. In that timeline, the most probable outcome was that he would save the world you nearly destroy. But in this timeline, as all things that change, it was different, because Danny is different.” He finished winding his watch and moved on to the next one.

“Does that mean…” Danny spoke slowly, a devastating realization dawning on him. It was quite rare for Clockwork to speak of other timelines, whether they have come to pass or have yet to be. “That if I wasn’t different, or if I couldn’t save the world, you wouldn’t have taken me in?” The realization was crushing and he felt something like betrayal. He looked down at the scattered chess pieces. “Was I just a pawn this whole time?”

Danny couldn’t bring himself to look at Clockwork but when Clockwork spoke, it was still in that same smooth, patient tone he always had. “We become close in every timeline you’re born into. You are not a pawn, Danny, and though it may not feel like it, I had nothing to do with the choices you made that led to this timeline.” He reached out and placed a hand on Danny’s shoulder as he shifted to a young man. “This timeline, the one where you received your powers when you were four, it was one of the most unlikely timelines to occur. But, it still happened, because your choices have always been yours, and you have always had your free will.”

Danny felt his shoulders relax and he looked back up at the ghost he considered his father. He knew Clockwork has never lied to him. “I’m sorry.” Danny whispered.

“Apologies are unnecessary. Time is a fickle thing and it can lead to doubt.”

“Since his mission is over,” Vlad spoke up, and they both turned their attention to him. “Does that mean Daniel must return to the Ghost Zone?” Danny couldn’t help but hear the apprehension in Vlad’s tone when he spoke.

Clockwork merely smiled, floating off his seat to get close to Danny. “That all depends on Danny.” He said. “You will always have your free will and should you choose to return to your home in the Ghost Zone, you can.”

“You mean,” Danny breathed. “I can come home?”

“You can.” Clockwork confirmed, floating back again.

A million and one thoughts flooded Danny’s mind. On one hand, a spark of excitement and longing grew for the home he missed so dearly. On the other hand... he looked at Vlad. He thought about the friends he’s made, the family he’s made, the sister he returned to. Danny didn’t know if he could leave them behind. His heart ached at the thought of each choice but he realized it really wasn’t a choice at all. “I’ll visit you,” he whispered, staring at the floor. Then stronger, he looked up at Clockwork. “All the time. I’ll visit you.” Danny watched as a gentle but proud smile cross Clockwork’s face, and Danny continued. “I’ll introduce you to Jazz and my friends. We can still have our lessons, too. But… I can’t leave the dear people I’ve gained in this world.”

“I always suspected as much,” Clockwork replied. “Even if a choice such as this has always been fifty-fifty. Still, it’ll always be difficult for a father to watch his child go out on his own.”

Danny felt himself choke up and tears sting his eyes.

Clockwork turned to Vlad. “You take good care of each other. I’ll be watching.”

“I will.” Vlad promised.

So, Clockwork took his scepter, and the medallion off Vlad’s neck, and smiled at Danny. “Until next time.”

Danny watched, while waving goodbye to his dad, as time restarted with a wave of the scepter.

A moment of silence past and Danny and Vlad looked at each other. Then, with an air of incredulity, they picked up the chess pieces off the floor, and restarted their game.

-

Life got better after that. Many changes happened and all of them were good. First, Vlad bought a mansion in Amity Park “so he could be closer to family”. They hung out often and learned much from each other. It also felt nice to finally have another person who understands you like no one else does.

Second, Danny introduced the two people who raised him to each other. Danny brought Jazz to the Ghost Zone and when she met Clockwork, she grew very emotional. She thanked him for taking care of her brother when she could not and asked many questions. They talked for hours, late into the night by standards of the human world, and shared many stories. Danny would later learn that Jazz would then on visit Clockwork on her own from time to time. It made him so happy that they got along so well. But he always knew they would.

Third, and most life changing, most of the humans and most of the ghosts grew to like Danny. Though his human parents weren't two of the people who saw Phantom in a new light. But Danny realized he was okay with that. They didn't matter enough to him to care, and he knew who his real parents are.

Also, of course, his human half was still mostly an outcast in the human world too, simply because he has been deemed as weird. But that didn’t bother Danny like it used to. Not everything can be fixed, something he has since learned to accept. No life was perfect, but that didn't mean it still couldn't be good.

In the Ghost Zone, for the first time ever, the other ghosts actually acknowledged him, greeted him even, as he resumed his explorations. It was a happiness Danny never thought he could achieve.

For the first time in his life ever, Danny finally felt like he belonged in both worlds, and when he closed his eyes at night, he could feel peace hum in his chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Ao3 Notes: I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am to each and every one of you. Whether you've left comments, kudos, bookmarks, or even simply read each chapter without any interaction, I am so, so grateful to each and every one of you.

During the last third of this story a lot of stressful things began happening in my life and my mental health took a decline, but this story kept me going. You all kept me going. I didn't want to disappoint you and now here we are, and I truly hope you enjoyed it to the end.

Even though I don't often reply to comments, just know I have read each and every one of them, and each and every one of them has meant so much to me. They're like little doses of serotonin for my brain.

So thank you, dear readers, so very much for reading my little story.

For one last time, thank you so much for reading, for your support/continued support, and I truly hope you have the most lovely day/night. <3

[hamofjustice]

okay for anyone following me and my nemonaposting some of nemona's other scenes in masters that got posted today are better than i could've imagined and i was being way too cynical about it

[lieutenantbiscute]

*looks at Venus and Lita*

*looks back at ShellShock Mikey and Donnie*

…..y’all want some daughters??

[firecodex]

Bonus Event in the Expeditions feature of the Trainer Lodge involving Nessa and Barry