#they’re both awful in their own ways but I will continue to die on my ‘Anders is a creep’ hill

[todderwodders]

Why is Anders like, on paper, very dedicated to his beliefs and wanting to help people but gale, whose a considerably worse person, is just funnier nicer smarter cuter prettier—-

[heliads]

Can you do Peter Pan x reader OUAT? Peter goes to the modern world with Emma, Snow, David and them as they are looking for someone. He meets this girl and takes an interest to her. He’s never seen someone with facial piercings, and dyed hair before, they come to realize she is the girl they’ve been looking for.

'magic finds magic' - peter pan

masterlist

Peter Pan is leaving Neverland. Worse, he’s leaving Neverland alongside Snow, Emma, David, and Hook. In terms of traveling partners, this has got to be the lowest of the low. However, the sand in Peter’s immortal hourglass is running out, and his first attempt at prolonging his life with the heart of Henry Mills didn’t exactly go according to plan. It’s this or nothing, even though Peter is starting to wonder if it would be better to just die than put up with these people any longer.

Never in his life did Peter Pan think he’d be working with the good guys. But never in his life did Peter think he’d be dying, either. A few compromises will have to be made in the name of preserving Peter’s everlasting life, and if that means he has to put up with some princesses and pirates for a few days, so be it. In no time at all, his immortal life will be restored, and he can go back to Neverland and put all of this behind him. Hopefully.

Peter was supposed to die back on Neverland. He was running out of time, anyway. He had set up the perfect scheme:  kidnap Henry, disorient the boy’s rescuers on his island long enough to win the Heart of the Truest Believer, and cut the organ out of the boy’s chest if necessary. He’d almost gotten away with it, too, except he was foiled at the last minute. Heartbreaking. So unlike him.

For some reason, though, he hadn’t been left to die in the caverns of Skull Rock. Emma and the others had needed him, for some odd reason, and although none of them trust him in the slightest, they do trust Peter’s single-minded selfishness to keep himself alive. So they claim, at least, and so they had gotten a spell to give Peter one more week of life in exchange for help. If this plan works out, Peter will have a way to continue his immortal life without needing to murder Henry. If it doesn’t, or if he betrays them, he’ll die anyway.

He can feel it now, the pang of his close call with death. There’s a pain in his chest that wasn’t there before, a certain weakness in his lungs. Peter gets tired more easily. He feels– well, he feels like Henry and Emma. He feels mortal. Like he could die at any moment.

Peter has, obviously, thought about double-crossing them, maybe even triple-crossing them, but it’s no use. He feels shakily mortal right now, and Peter does not much enjoy the possibility of his own demise. This is the closest he’s ever come to being beaten, and Peter hates the feeling. He’ll have to play along for now, but after that, he will have his revenge.

First, though, Peter has to do what the others want. They’ve been careful to reveal as few details to him as possible, but the idea is solid. There’s a magical person somewhere in the modern world, in a city far from Storybrooke. This person is like the embodiment of a true love’s kiss spell, designed to renew hope in storybook characters through small acts of power that ultimately drive two needed people together. They’re like a guardian angel of those on the brink of destruction, which is exactly what Peter needs right now.

Peter has plenty of time to mull this over. They’ve forced him into a terrible, small room with awful carpets– an apartment, Emma called it– while they talk out what to do with both him and their missing spell-person. Peter is trying to focus, but he’s getting stared at by Henry Mills again, which is absolutely ruining his mood.

“What do you want?” Peter asks, glaring at the boy.

Henry just goggles back at him. “Don’t you feel bad for trying to kill me?”

Peter snorts. “Why would I do that?”

Henry shrugs. “You pretended you were my friend. I know you like the other Lost Boys on your island, I thought you would have felt bad for killing one of them. I guess not.”

“I don’t feel bad about killing someone so I would live,” Peter says, then wonders why he’s arguing with a child. “Go preach your morals to someone who wants to listen.”

“The others are busy,” Henry pouts.

Peter eyes him unhappily. “And what, I’m your best option for polite conversation? You really are desperate, aren’t you?”

Henry rolls his eyes. “I’d say you’re desperate. You’re the one who’s still talking to me.”

Peter can’t really argue with that, so he deftly changes the topic of conversation before Henry starts looking proud of himself again. “Tell me about our target again. You said you saw them before?”

“Only in a dream,” Henry admits, “but it was a clear dream, I swear. I saw a girl who looked about your age. She seemed like any other teenager, but there was something about her that was different. The way she spoke, maybe, or the glint in her eyes. She was magical, I’m sure of it. She can save Storybrooke.”

“And save me,” Peter reminds him. “That’s the important part.”

Henry rolls his eyes again. If he keeps that up, they’re going to get stuck like that forever. “Yes, I know, you’re only interested in keeping yourself alive. So long as it helps us find this girl, though, I don’t care.”

Peter leans forward. “What’s your plan for finding this girl, then? A little scouting party? This city is big. You’ll never find her.”

Henry shakes his head. “Magic has a way of finding magic. Somehow, our paths will cross.”

“That’s a terrible strategy,” Peter grouses. Why is he entrusting his life to this boy again? He remembers something about having no other options, but it doesn’t seem as good an excuse right now.

“Ask the adults, then,” Henry tells him, and gestures towards the miniscule apartment kitchen, where Emma, Snow, Hook, and David are currently huddled around a table, talking in hushed voices about what to do.

Not wanting to mess with the kid anymore, Peter pulls himself to his feet and heads over. “Tell me you have a plan,” he says.

The adults look up at him. “Find the girl,” Hook says shortly. “That’s our plan.”

Peter scoffs. “You could search this city for months and not find her. What if she doesn’t want to be found? If this girl has any brains at all, she’ll know that people will want her magic and she’ll hide. It’s what I would do.”

Emma sighs. “We don’t even know if this girl knows that she has magic. She’s probably just living an ordinary life, and we’re about to drag her out of it with all of our trouble.”

“Don’t tell me you feel bad for her,” Peter scolds her. “You want this, don’t you? So go get it, or I will.”

Snow tries to tell him to calm down, but David, so quick to anger when it comes to Peter, surges out of his chair. “How about you do something helpful and think with us instead of just insulting us?”

“I will do something helpful,” Peter informs him. “I’ll find her first.”

With that, he lunges for the apartment door, and is out of the tiny room and down the hall before they can stop him. Peter hears the thunder of footsteps after him, but he hurries down the stairs and out of the building. He has the advantage of being quick on his feet; if Neverland taught him anything, it’s how to run when you don’t want to be found.

Peter emerges into the bright sunshine of the city and stops dead in his tracks. He’s not used to the modern world, how the knives of its buildings slash up into the sky, how loud it is with those cars and signs and people. Peter swears he can even see metal things in the sky, soaring along predestined paths. It’s all so much compared to the world he used to know. No wonder some of the others had a hard time adjusting. His mortal heart lets out a pang of sympathy.

The door of the apartment building flies open, revealing Emma and the others hot on his trail. Peter curses under his breath and takes off in one direction, hurtling around pedestrians and shooting down the sidewalk. He heads for smaller streets, hoping to lose them in a swarm of alleyways. The others, more used to the terrain of the modern city, are gaining on him, and Peter is just starting to think that he’ll never be able to shake them when someone grabs him and pulls him into a nearby building.

Peter’s first instinct is to defend himself, but when he isn’t attacked, he realizes that the stranger is only trying to help him. There’s a window just to his left, and Peter watches Emma and the others appear seconds after him. They didn’t see him enter the shop, and keep sprinting down the road in the direction they thought he’d gone. Peter waits a few more intense moments, then decides that he’s lost them for good and turns back around to see who’s gone to the trouble of rescuing him.

He’s greeted with the sight of a girl about his age. She’s eyeing him cautiously, although the corners of her lips begin to prick up with a wicked grin. “Sorry for the rough introduction, but you looked like you needed some help,” she tells him.

Peter lets out a short laugh. “I’m glad to be rid of them, that’s for sure.”

The girl arches a brow. “What, did they catch you shoplifting? I’ve never seen people run that fast unless they were getting chased by the cops.”

Peter narrows his eyes, trying to figure out how on earth he would lift a shop, then decides it’s probably some slang term he doesn’t know. “Something like that,” he says evasively.

He studies the girl’s face to see if he’d answered correctly, and, judging by her impressed grin, he had. “Nice,” she says. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”

“Peter,” he replies. He gets the urge to introduce himself as he usually would– Peter, Peter Pan– then remembers at the last second that Emma had warned him about telling people who he was. Apparently, telling people he was a fictional character in their world wouldn’t go over too well.

“Peter,” the girl repeats. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Peter says, and realizes belatedly that he means it. He feels like how he had at the start of it all, when the Lost Boys had first started appearing on this island, but this feeling is far stronger. He wants to get to know this girl. He certainly doesn’t want her to leave.

“I’m new to the city,” he says abruptly. “Any chance you could show me around?”

Y/N laughs, surprised. “You’re new and you’re already in trouble? You’ll fit right in, Peter.”

He grins, in on the joke a half beat late. “I like to have fun, that’s all.”

“Well,” Y/N says, starting to lead him back towards the door of the shop, “I like fun, too. Maybe we should stick together.”

“I’d like that,” Peter says, then wonders why he’s being so honest all of a sudden. When he sees Y/N’s smile– real this time, not sarcastic or joking, but genuinely because of him– he thinks he knows why.

The two of them step back out into the light. “Where to first?” Peter asks.

“I was going to ask you that,” Y/N replies. “What do you want to do? Sightseeing, maybe? We can get some food, or just talk.”

“Anything,” he says. He’d follow her anywhere. The feeling in him right now is like nothing he’s ever felt before. The pain in his chest, Peter realizes with some surprise, is gone. He feels immortal. Like living in this one moment could last forever.

They end up spending the next few hours together. Y/N shows him around the city, taking Peter to her favorite spots. Peter stares at the vast cityscape and finally starts to understand why someone might choose the modern world over the natural one. He’ll always pick Neverland first, of course, but seeing the world through Y/N’s eyes, it makes sense.

The two of them get along like a house on fire. Y/N’s got this rebellious streak to her that fits in perfectly with Peter’s, well, Peter-ness. No joke is too dark, no sarcastic comment too caustic. They feel the same. Peter doesn’t think he’s ever met someone who thinks so much like him.

As the sun starts to set in the sky, Peter feels his spirits sinking. He doesn’t want to let go of this day, not when he knows it can never happen again. He’s supposed to be finding Henry’s spell-girl, but all Peter wants to do is spend more time with Y/N.

His mood is especially ruined when they turn a corner and find Henry Mills walking towards them. Peter’s eyes widen and he tries to steer Y/N back in the direction they’d come, but it’s too late. Henry lets out an audible gasp and starts hurrying towards them.

“Peter,” Henry calls out when he’s close enough to talk, “We’ve been looking for you all over! Where have you been?”

Y/N glances at Henry dubiously. “Who’s this?”

“My little brother,” Peter blurts out.

At the same time, Henry chimes in, “My friend from school.”

Peter shoots the younger boy a quick glare, then turns back to Y/N. “Both, actually. He’s my step-brother. Recent marriage. We’re still getting acclimated. Our family is a little chaotic.”

“You can say that again,” Henry mumbles. Peter fights the urge to butcher him.

While Peter silently advises himself on why murder would be bad at a time like this, Henry stares openly at Y/N. All of a sudden, the boy’s mouth hangs open. “Oh my gosh, it’s you.”

Y/N’s brow furrows. “Excuse me?”

All of a sudden, Peter feels a sick sensation in his stomach. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t.

“You’re the girl from my dream,” Henry announces. “We’ve been looking for you.”

Y/N looks back at Peter. “What’s he talking about?”

The open, carefree expression, which had been on her face all day, is starting to be replaced with deep, unsettled fear. Peter hates to see it directed at him. “There’s something I need to tell you,” he begins. “Something about yourself.”

“You’re sounding a little creepy right now,” Y/N warns him. “Get to the point.”

“Alright,” Peter says. “You’re magical. So am I. We need your help to break a curse and save my life. How about that?”

Y/N shakes her head quickly. “This is crazy. Magic isn’t real.”

Peter can’t lose her, not like this, so he leans forward and holds out his hand. A ball of light appears inside his cupped fingers, glowing and bright. It’s a simple charm, one of the first he learned, but it has the desired effect. 

Y/N stares at it, transfixed, and when she speaks again, her voice is hushed. “That’s impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible,” Peter says. “Not magic. Not even the fact that you would find me in this city by accident. Magic is drawn to magic.”

Y/N’s eyes slowly raise to meet his. “This is real, then. I have magic.”

“You have magic,” Peter confirms. “Come with us, we can show you. They’re good people, Y/N. You can trust them.”

It’s the closest he’s ever come to honesty. For once, Peter isn’t playing a game. He isn’t trying to trick Y/N over to his side. He just wants her to be safe, and he knows that isn’t through lies.

Y/N smiles at him. “I trust you, Peter. That’s enough for me.”

She reaches over and takes his hand. Now that he’s focusing on it, Peter can feel the slow loop of her magic when they touch. It feels like power, but more than that, it feels like life. A life with her, maybe. A life for both of them.

ouat tag list: @loveanimals0000, @eclliipsed, @w1shes43, @lost-ender

all tags list: @wordsarelife

[asexual-disaster]

‼️FHJY EP 3 SPOILERS‼️

all my thoughts of episode three

AS PER MURPH LOOKS SO GOOD

as does lou

Riz literally biking to school with everyone’s files to make sure they can make it through the year !! stop he’s so cute

and then you and Adaine are nerds

actually for the wizards I’m super chill

riz literally finding out what college they could all get into!!!

figs multiclassing appears to be undocumented, how would her bard teacher know that she multiclassed if she never goes to class

me and riz would write three essays each

the lone wolf. his record is not as bad as it should be

‘i cast friends on both of you just to get you in the car’

‘it’s a 10 and i’ll give you the help action’

‘fluffier than mine?’

LYDIA IS MY LOVE, MY FAVOURITE MORHER (except u sklonda)

‘you guys missed this, song of the summer! kids are going nuts’ ‘this emo song starts over the radio’ proceeds to play the hardest song i’ve heard in ages

riz making adaine her own folder for fun that he signed inside ,, i will sob over this little goblin

a dragon with a receding hairline

the thistlespring sex binder stop

gorgug is such an awkward little guy

fabian not knowing how to make food, stop my baby has been abandoned

‘a little hobgoblin with a brass lollipop’

sorcery teacher jace, i would die for you. ur the teacher i would fancy in school

big shoes to follow

figs bad luck continues

‘should we sign up for student government? there’s gotta be a cabinet right?’

mazey is a highland cow stop i love her

stop she’s a dancer, was she at the camp fabian was meant to be at??

‘oh you’re in the buttcrushers?’

she’s worse than kalvaxus

badidas

FABIAN IS OLDER BECAUSE HE WAS ADVENTURING WITH HIS DAD??

‘that would impact you as well’ ‘yeah’

‘i’m going to go to bard class, you’re going to love this, but not as myself’

im going to cast disguise self on myself to look like an emo girly

wanda childa

here girlie

porter is hot shut up

gorgug getting told he can’t do the mcats because he’s a barbarian. basically being told he’s not smart enough to do artificer classes because he’s inherently stronger, angrier and ‘less smart’ stop

im going into a worry

fig taking fabian to a wizard class because she doesn’t know where bard classes are

‘fabian, you said something alarming and it made me curious’

riz’s entire interaction with jawbone

Kristen chillis applebees

KRISTENS BROTHER

the way it’s never really spoken about how kristen, as the oldest, protected her younger brothers from her parents but she’s been gone a long time and she’s now seeing that. behavioural pattern continued to them treating her oldest younger brother the same she was treated

BUD CUBBY STICKING UP FOR KRISTEN BY TELLING HER PARENTS THEYRE AWFUL PEOPLE STOPPP

‘a hard couple months?’ ‘in the dark? where’s your god? he’s the sun god right?’

‘that’s what you think’ ‘bye girlie’

adaine realising she can’t even afford her school supplies now is so sad

‘what smell would be enticing to emo kids? maybe cigarettes and peach schnapps’

i just wanda’d in

they’re investigating all of figs disguises???

figs agent is rubens agent too fuck off

kristen adhd confirmed

also kristen deflecting all of her trauma with humour is so sad

‘maybe i could just have a tiny little religion of weirdos who wanna gamble’

cassandra i love you but kristen is a literal child

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN CASSANDRA IS WITH KALINA

[monkeytrick]

ausjswoidwi0xei2w93294232

Ok like. Executive dysfunction. And trauma response. Are both phrases that might earn an eye roll from you and I get it. But I feel like one is the other for me and they’re both just causing a horrible loop that is making my life worse constsntly man. It really hit me today that like. Oh my god I am traumatized. I regularly will have flashbacks and either go totally limp and try to ignore everything happening and play dead or I’ll freak the fuck out and start screaming and sobbing and shit and I feel like this entire past month I’ve just been constantly going back and forth between both without any time dedicated t being a normal person which makes me feel so awful and insane because I’ve had like actual fun shit to do this month but I’ve been breaking down so fucking bad bc I literally don’t think I have the capability to live like a normal adult person is supposed to and I don’t have a choice at all because I don’t think I can ever be in contact with my family again. My dad is a domestic abuser and a methhead and an attempted rapist and I’m so scared he’s done more than attempt it since I last saw him. MULTIPLE times he just showed up st my workplace which is across the country from where he actually fucking lives without warning and when he went to jail it was in this state and not his home one. I still don’t know what the fuck he did because I only heard about it from my brother and I can’t fucking talk to anyone else in my family because I’m afraid of them all! My mom is actively without exaggeration trying to ruin my fucking life as revenge against me not talking to her because she was already doing this shit before I cut contact and will steal my money and try and track me down and threaten suicide over my continued existence. I don’t have anyone I can go to in real life about any of this shit and even the people who understand can’t help me at all. I’ve been trying to move in with my friend and after recovering from the extended mental breakdown I’ve been having all month I’m realizing I literally like. Do not have the shit I need to do that. And I don’t know if I ever will because of my family situation. I don’t know how to break it to them and I don’t know what the fuck to do because I don’t think I have an option that isn’t fucking them over extremely badly and it’s entirely my own fucking fault man bc I’ve just been trying to ignore my life so bad. I feel so bad about my current living situation bc my friend and their family were kind enough to let me stay and were really understanding initially but they all just really fucking want me gone by now which is like. Understandable. And the reasonable way to respond. But I’m so scared because I need to be out of here by the end of june and I think my best option is subletting on my own but I feel more certain and terrified every day that I’m just going to be homeless and fired from the job I currently have before I’m 21. I don’t even want to be someone that wants to kms anymore but I feel like god is like literally actually punishing me for existing and I can’t bring myself to deal with living at all. I’m not going to kill myself now and I have stupid reasons to continue being alive but they are reasons but I feel like the only way to stay set on that path and not change my mind and go insane and fucking die is if I get in a psych ward right the fuck now and trying to review my options there is making me even more miserable bc I don’t think I’m even on health insurance anymore and I don’t think I’d be able to get on it in time to not go insane and be a danger to myself. No matter what I am going to be in horrific debt. I just don’t know what to fucking do man. I haven’t looked at any of my texts in like 3 days because I am so fucking scared. I no wanna be around anymore. I cannot bring myself to do fucking snything

[rescue-ram]

F / P / T / U

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom?

I mean, by some definitions of "in fandom" 20+ years, but most of those are pretty passive- like, I still enjoy it and will seek out content once or twice a year, but I'm not actively engaged. I think the longest I've been actively engaged is about 4 years?

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

This is awful but I feel like a MASH but they're Transformers AU would actually work... The way their nicknames already almost scan as TF names lol... But Hawkeye and Trapper as neutrals who get rescued by the Autobots and shanghaied into the medical corps, and they can't exactly let people die right in front of them when they could help but they didn't want to be involved in the war... BJ who's been separated from his Conjux Peg and their sparkling Erin who's the one of the few sparklings forged in millennia and he's super anxious and over protective of her... Also I feel like BJ would be a seeker, Trapper is a different model of aerial like maybe a copter or else something very functional like a dump truck, Hawkeye is a grounder and probably an ambulance on Earth, Radar is a minicon who's lost his partner, Margaret is a seeker, and Frank is a grounder who has a complex about seekers kfjf.

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending?

I feel like I never know how intensely I believe something until I see it being contradicted kfkfk.

A couple off the dome from least to most crazy...

Trapper is a middle child who grew up poor.

I have very strong opinions on how the Force works in Star Wars and it DOES bother me when it's written as a super power rather than a spiritual/mental discipline

Rodimus was a priest of a schismatic sect before the war

Chase was life partners with his gun minicon before the war, but his partner was requisitioned by the army and they never saw each other again

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

Scott Summers- I imprinted on him at an early age, he's a delightful mix of angsty and competent, he's got a pretty deadpan sense of humor, I genuinely like his relationships with other characters, he sucks in surprisingly realistic ways that make him feel grounded for a ridiculous comic book character, and he's fun to subject to Situations.

Rodimus- Insanely underrated and underappreciated protagonist! I like that he copes with Literally All of That with humor and making his own purpose in the world. In the IDW continuity, there are a lot of Implications that are never really explored in canon that can be followed up in fanfic (or in my case daydreaming because it's too complex/too many characters for me lol) I also really like his relationship with Drift, and I think he's got an interesting relationship to spirituality where he's simultaneously a true believer AND literally tells God to his literal face to go to hell jcjcj.

Trapper- I want a buddy like him :') Literally friend shaped, very funny and played with a lot of sensitivity by Wayne, I feel like there's lots of room to expand on the boy and he's an excellent comfort character, both for envisioning in cozy situations and for subjecting to Situations. He's literally just fun.

[serenanymph]

find the word tag

tagged by @e-klair, over here! my words were valid, left, repeat, and pity.

valid (did not turn up for Witch's Book, so welp, gonna pull from the first book instead. luckily there was one result!)

“Icarus,” Crys says, firmly, and he looks up, and stops. A deep breath, and Crys continues: “It’s not – it’s not your fault. I came because they were going to execute you, and I couldn’t let that happen. That’s it. I – Klysmos,” another dry laugh, “they were going to execute you. They hated you so badly they were just going to burn you alive at the stake, without giving a trial, without a single valid reason, and – “he sucks in a sharp breath, realizes his hands are shaking and tries to make them stop, and why is it that now, when all of it is over, that somehow all the fear is coming right back? “That’s messed up.” Icarus shrugs again, a little helplessly. “That’s what always happens.”

left

It’s just past lunch, and they’re trekking through the forest towards the clearing where they usually practice spells, an out of the way place where they can best avoid getting anyone caught in the crossfire, or accidentally destroying the house (Madge is trying very very hard to control her magic, she is, but it’s just too easy to blow things up sometimes). Mama had gotten caught up with a customer, so it’s just them for now – though she’d made Zephyr swear up and down and right and left, cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die, that he wouldn’t let Madge do any magic without her to supervise before she let them go.

repeat(s)

“’Nothing much’ my ass,” Kas grumbles. There’s a screech of wood against wood as he yanks out a stool from under the kitchen table, his ankle hooked around the chair leg, before plopping himself down. Zephyr gasps, as he always does, immediately darting over to Madge’s side and clapping both hands over her ears. “Kas! Think of the seven-year-old!” Madge cranes her neck back until she’s staring at Zephyr’s upside-down face, half-tipping off her own stool. “Zee-zee, I already heard it.” She pokes her tongue out between her teeth and repeats: “’Nothing much’, my ass.”

pity

Creed walks forward, still smiling, the tap of his boots echoing against the stone – steady and even, each step a war drum, a herald of death – and plants a foot on top of their head and slams it into the floor with a crack, and the choked cry that rends through the air is something awful, a desperate attempt to stifle the pain that doesn’t quite work. Icarus sucks in another sharp breath and it sounds like it physically hurts. The one without wings shouts, “Taya!” – the crowd stirs, Creed holds up a hand; the crowd stills. “You should remember,” he says pleasantly, “that these are Beasts. They aren’t human. Given the chance, they would slaughter all of us in our beds, use our blood to paint their houses red. There is no need to feel pity for these creatures. After all” – he turns, looks out over the crowd, and in the one second his cutting gaze sweeps over where the three of them stand, Crys feels his bones locking up, feels something inside him turn brittle like ice – “that would make you a Beast sympathizer.

Tagging @arctic-oceans, @macabremoons, @reneesbooks and @sidhewrites for the words evening, bitter, sample and mutual!

[ethernetmeep]

miscellaneous memories;

• one year in particular, 2020, i distinctly remember setting myself up with the task of going through and reporting a plethora of videos which came out in the wake of ronnie mcnutt’s death. spoiler alert; i’m not exactly an old individual, so i was doing all this in the range of being 12-13. i set myself up for this task because i was so incredibly angered at the fact people on the internet would take a random mans suicide and turn it into a meme. i also distinctly remember scrolling on his instagram page for new posts, determined to report all of the ones which were graphic & tagged him. i still remember how drained it made me, seeing this mans death on camera over & over in different places and different fucked up quote unquote jokes. how was this even remotely funny? regardless, i had a plethora of nights where i remembered the last words he said, over & over, and remembered the visual much more than a 12-13 year old should. i shouldn’t have even been doing that, nor should i have seen the visual in the first place. i should’ve been catching bugs or at least doing something less incredibly jarring like play super mario instead of going and watching a man die over and over, even with the goal of reporting the videos it was still so awful. although i temporarily got somewhat desensitized in the middle of my process of reporting these videos over & over, it didn’t last long. somewhat glad it didn’t, because i prefer being sensitized and being affected by things than to not be affected; that’s just me though. i hope his family is okay.

• on christmas day itself i remember a topic being brought up my mother and i frequently scuffle over, all over a simple thing i remembered and thought of as silly that had something to do with santa. my mother instead thought of it as inherently ‘mean’, and made a passing remark i didn’t see as fitting. called her out on it at the table, & she made some god awful statement about victims forgiving their attackers.. what? remembering it is god awful, especially when my grandmother agreed and had other people not needed in this topic shove themselves in, but since i’m already recounting i’ll continue. the conversation boiled and i eventually left the dining room, content with being quiet for the rest of the time spent up at my grandmothers besides a handful of simple responses. as soon as we got in the car, i told her what was on my mind; how unfair she was being & how much she didn’t seem to understand. i cried because the topic itself always gets to me, and she in tandem cried because i cried. i think she’s more civil with the topic, now.. i still don’t understand her inherent anger, but if i put it in a way i understand i may be able to comprehend it.

• i had an old friend; name i remember is only a deadname, which is incredibly saddening. they were two years older than me if i remember right; dark brown hair, incredibly goofy. used to roleplay with them on the playground during the summer, as i went to summer camp, and they seemed adamant on a ‘pokemon love shop’ they had as an idea. one of their prevalent plot points was having a character have a ‘dark alter ego’ which would assault another character. i believe this was built from their own trauma they had, as they had dealt with many things, and i’ve lost contact with them for several years now. i remember they used to play minecraft and stardew valley, remember they were learning japanese, moved to florida; surely much more. although we’ve since lost contact and i likely have no way to contact them again, i do wish them well and hope they’re in a better mental space.

• as a kid, i was petrified of the concept of someone having constant eyes on me. both because of religion + whole santa shtick, i always believed someone was watching me no matter what i was doing. remember taking baths and being petrified because i wanted no one to see me, and although there wasn’t anyone actually present, there simultaneously was because i was always told things like ‘santas watching’ or a similar sentiment but with god. even if i wasn’t always told these statements upfront, they were always in the back of my mind. made me incredibly insecure in myself and everything i did, along with uncomfortable in my own body. i’m not someone who likes to be observed in vulnerable ways unless its with someone i can trust.. and yes, that sentiment does continue with eating as well— although eating is far different from being viewed bare, i digress.

• somewhat related to the above memory, yesterday i seemed to finally take the time to inspect areas of my body. not in a scrutinizing way, nor in any true way; simply in a neutral format. wondered if i still had stretch marks; definitely do, they’re just faded. difference between the marks and my regular skin depended on the pigment, and the difference is easier to see in a bath. noticed my right arm + some of my shoulder still have marks from the days i picked at skin out of nerves. also noticed the fact i seem to enjoy having body hair as its both something which makes me feel somewhat hopeful my body isn’t permanently the way it is, overtly feminine, and the fact my body hair used to be something i heavily disliked. i remember being young & having gotten started with puberty early, constantly hearing the phrase “when are you going to shave?” said by my mother in the summertime. my legs were pale, so it made leg hair stand out quite a bit. it was irksome, both my moms words of telling me to shave & the noticeable factor of said hair, and i had grown to have a subconscious distain for any body hair for a short period of time as i saw it as unclean. this soon faded, and now i freely enjoy myself as i am. should also note; you can obviously be feminine with body hair & theres no right or wrong way to be a girl, having body hair kicks ass no matter what you’re doin, i just hope its known i enjoy my body hair because i see it as somewhat masculine although it isn’t actually. hair is just.. hair, but on me i like to see it as masculine. it can also be feminine & gender neutral and whatnot. just wanted to clarify :^)

huh, relived a lot of memories writing these. makes sense.

[thefamilyeldritchabomination]

Chapter Twelve: Oily Night Pt. 3

“What’s wrong Face Fur? You said you wanted hot, so now I’m HOT! Am I not hot enough for you?!” Envy growled out as they held Freddy’s face close to the disgusting mess that was Sawyer Carpenter’s face for a brief moment.

 “I’M SORRY FOR SAYING I WANTED YOU TO USE A HOTTER DISGUISE!! NOW GET OFF ME!!” Freddy wailed, freaking out at the state Envy is in and being clung by the ever changing flesh bundled.

 “Awwww, but we were having so much ‘fun’ with this interaction Face Fur.” Envy made a weird sort of hissing-purring-like sound as they slinked off of Freddy like an octopus that had escaped its containment.

 “Okay Envy, I think you had a bit too much of the tequila there…how about we get you on the couch and sleep it off…” Dolly forced a smile as she tried to remain calm during this situation.

 “Nah, I’m going to latch myself to the ceiling.” Envy said as they grew eight sickle like limbs and promptly climbed up the wall.

 “Envy, get down from the ceiling, you’ll hurt yourself and you’re making holes in it.” Dolly said as she watched Envy perched themself on the ceiling like a fleshy cocoon.

 “I’ll get the broom.” Hughes was not amused with the developing situation.

 “Do it Hughes, do it!” Freddy encouraged, the thoughts of Envy being batted with a broom brought up feelings of catharsis. 

 “Oh why am I not surprised that the ungrateful brat is encouraging the one month old in misbehaving? I’ve been nothing but kind to you both and this is how you repay me?” Envy chided from the ceiling in a mocking fashion.

 “What the hell do I have to be grateful for!? Be grateful for the highly illegal doctor’s appointment with a child doctor!? Oh wait, was I supposed to be grateful for the destruction of Gherkin!? Could it be that I should be ever so grateful that I have a horrible monster for a roommate that torments me at every single moment of my life? OH HOW COULD I BE SO UNGRATEFUL FOR SUCH AN ENRICHING EXPERIENCE, ENVY!” Freddy finally exploded on Envy for all the grievances they caused thanks to the liquid courage consumed. 

 The entire apartment went silent for a moment as if to process everything that had been said by Freddy when Envy retracted their sickle limbs and landed onto Freddy in a screaming rage fit. To hell with Dante’s plans, Freddy had to die and it would be the most satisfying for Envy to enjoy after the shit day they had. Hughes and Dolly went to try to separate the two drunken morons as Dorian watched in pure awe of the moment. It was hard to grip Envy, mainly because their body was very much like a balloon filled with chunky chowder with a mind of their own. Freddy didn’t hold back on Envy as he finally started punching the blob right back in retaliation. Envy still couldn’t find the urge once more to kill as they got punched repetitively by Freddy. Instead, Envy went for whipping their little pseudopods at Freddy, leaving horrible red marks on Freddy’s arms. The fighting continued before Envy suddenly went limp and passed out on the floor, the tequila finally kicking in to send Envy into sleep.

 “Fuck…is Envy dead?” Hughes asked as he got Freddy onto the chair to sit out after the brawl he got into.

 “No..there’s like a bubbling thing going on with their body, so I think that’s Envy breathing.” Dolly said, looking at the bubble-like ripples on the flesh mound of Envy.

 “There’s no fucking way Envy is staying here…” Freddy was done messing around with Envy and the bullshit they’ve pulled just now.

 “Okay I’ll just bring Envy over to Lust and Gluttony to take care of them then..” Dolly went to try and haul the Envy puddle out of the room.

 “No, have them be placed in the toilet and flushed down.” Freddy growled as he pointed to the bathroom.

 “Freddy we are not flushing Envy down the toilet! They’re drunk and formless right now!” Dolly argued, not thrilled with where it’s going.

 “But Dolly, Envy would nicely fit in the sewer system and the rats would be given a good meal for once.” Freddy sneered as he glared at Envy from the chair. “Come on Freddy, just calm down. It’s not worth it to stoop to Envy’s level right now. For now, I need to check you over for injuries.” Hughes calmly said as he looked over the lacerations on Freddy’s arms.

 “Okay, Hughes, please take care of Freddy. I’ll be back shortly after dropping Envy off at Lust and Gluttony’s room to sleep off the tequila.” Dolly tried to move Envy, but found that Envy had latched themself to the floor having woken up.

 “No..I’m staying..” Envy protested as they clung to the floorboard. 

 “Envy, you did a scary thing with your body and harmed Freddy. You need to stay the night with Lust and Gluttony until you’ve both sobered up.” Dolly attempted to reason, Freddy back on guard and ready to flush Envy down the toilet.

 “No, not unless you stay there too.” Envy was clearly ready to die on this particular hill as Dolly gave Envy a very weirded out look at the deal. “Envy, you’re going to have to be reasonable here, I need to make sure that Freddy..” Dolly paused as she got cut off by an angry Freddy who was very much done with everything. “Just go with them Dolly, if it means that they leave, just go and stay there.” Freddy said, his angered eyes focused right on the blob known as Envy.

 “Freddy, are you sure, you got pretty badly hurt there..” Dolly looked at Freddy with worry at the moment. “Yes I'm sure, just take that asshole, I don’t want to see them right now.” Freddy huffed as he finally turned his head around to stop looking at Envy.

 “Alright, I’ll see you later tomorrow then.” Dolly conceded as Envy let go of the floorboard, having gotten what they wanted.

 Envy clung to Dolly like an octopus when she teleported them next door. Freddy relaxed and slumped down a bit on the couch now that Envy was gone. For Freddy, this was a welcomed reprieve from the torments of a deranged homunculus that hated him for no real reason. It didn’t help the situation now that Envy has now caused him physical harm. There really was no going back for Envy in Freddy’s eyes and he was certain to have them switched out for Hughes instead. The sting of the disinfectant caused Freddy to wince as Hughes applied first aid to his wounds. It was going to be a long and painful night for Freddy after the tequila incident, likely to never drink it again afterwards. Meanwhile, next door, Lust and Gluttony were getting ready to run out to do a late night job at some library when Dolly came out of nowhere with a maniacally laughing blob of flesh. It took only a matter of seconds for Lust’s expression to go from startled, annoyed, and finally confused at the horrific thing Dolly was carrying over to the couch.

[fleigies-cat]

Y’know something I hate?

When a remastered FNF song is 99% better but made just ONE bad change.

Elastic Destruction V1 is awful compared to V1.5. But its singular redeeming quality is that it has Jake doing a cool laugh at certain parts. V1.5 TRIES to do this, but the laugh is auto tuned, it doesn’t have the same unique animation given to the ACTUAL laugh used at the beginning and towards the end, and the third prong is not given any time after the hold note because Jake instantly launches into more insanity.

If they just kept that laugh, Elastic Destruction V1.5 would be a ten out of ten. My other problem is that Jake has a REALLY deep voice in the V1 and not in the V1.5, which causes some clashing in Together Forever V1.5, because Finn’s voice is high pitched, and Jake counteracted him with deep notes.

Then again, this high problem is also present in Mordecai in Terminated, which, for all intents and purposes is Overworked 1.5. Terminated is worse than Overworked purely because Of Mordecai’s voice.

Elsewhere in the mod, ignoring the new songs and new sprites, Save the Day and Glitched Gem got really good improvements while also keeping to the theme. Weirdly, The Change, which was originally one of Steven's Songs, has been moved to Freeplay, and the other two were moved down to make way for an all new song, My Monster, which is also amazing.

The thing that confuses me is why the Freeplay is like that.

Mordecai and Sponegbob get one song each, Terminated and Ready or Not respectively, yet they both get their own weeks, Regular Show and SpongeBob SquarePants respectively.

Yet Dr. Livesy, who has two, Black Mark and Treasure Island, is trapped in Freeplay.

The extra Steven Universe songs, I’ll Be Fine, The Change, and Familiar, those make sense. Though I think Familiar should have replaced Save The Day, because it starts with Kid Steven, and Glitched Gem has teen Pink Steven.

The Corrupted Hero rework with Finn’s new voice, that also makes sense.

Gunshot and Last Spooktober, which were both replaced during the FNF week by Schoolhouse Massacre and Spooked, those I get. Why they were reworked so heavily and yet maintain the same names, I don’t get.

Wish Come True also makes sense.

Also fun fact, House of Mouse is the only song in the entire mod so far in which Pibby sings. In everything except the FNF songs, she’s just kinda there.

Also fun lore fact, Vicky is probably the only one to ever willingly submit to the corruption, which is why, beyond being crazy, she is almost entirely human. She has her pupils, something that is very unnatural.

According the person who made Wish Come True, Vicky willingly submitted and became an agent of the darkness to retain her consciousness.

It’s also annoying how she calls Timmy a twerp when he shows up, even though they’re on the same side. Old habits die hard I guess. SpongeBob in the beginning of Ready or Not is really cool. He’s cast in shadow, and I looked it up, that’s his actual Sprite. So we don’t know if he’s actually Corrupted or not. But the cool thing is how they handle the echoes. They use shadows to hit those notes while the main Spob continues on.

The only bad part about Ready or Not in Pibby Corrupted is the lack of animation on the ending.

[dailyaudiobiblechronological]

8/8/2023 DAB Chronological Transcription

Jeremiah 4 - 6

Welcome to Daily Audio Bible Chronological, I'm China, today is the 8th day of August,  Welcome. So glad to be here with you today as we come together around the global campfire. When we get to read The word of the Lord together, and maybe if you have felt a little Isolated  A little lonely. Understand that there are so many others who are listening right now with you, and maybe that brings you comfort and maybe you're like, Nope. Umm Which is to imagine that There's other people who are who are listening to the word of the Lord, and the Lord is speaking to you, He's speaking to me, and He's speaking to others that are listening, and he is uniting us all together. And his miraculous and amazing is that is may we be comforted knowing that we're not alone. We have the Holy Spirit With us, and we also have the assurance and the knowledge that, Umm, This community isn't small and there may be someone who's listening closer than you think, but. Also may just the comfort and peace of the Lord be with you and upon you and your home today. Today we continue the book of Jeremiah. We are in chapters 4 through 6. Continuing with the good news translation today or through the office week, and we're going to start with a call to repentance. It's a great place to start from where we left off yesterday.

 Commentary

Man that last little part really gets me. It is useless to go on refining my people because those who are evil or not taken away it will be called a worthless dross because I the Lord have rejected them. I I feel as like I have no skills in metal working or anything of this trade of sort, but for a material to be that needs constant refining. To just basically buy the Craftsman to be told this It's not doing what it's supposed to do. It's just it's better to throw this away. That's a great loss. And we're really hearing the Lord's heart throughout the book of Jeremiah. And it feels very weighting, it feels very intense and it is It's like when You know, you messed up. Or I guess really the Israelites are kind of still in denial here. But it is like that feeling of like, you know when you mess up and then you know someone is just letting you have it and you hear the heartbreak of what's going on and then you hear how they're.Gonna have to put up boundaries and how they're gonna have to, like, cut you off, basically. And there's that grief and that sadness in both people. And it's like, this is a breakup, this is heartbreak, and it is devastating and it's sad and it's awful. And so to read about this between the Lord And his people and calling them stupid and they don't know me and there's going to have to be a wiping out. I it's it's devastating to read that for sure. And yet we still see that the Lord is trying everything He possibly can to get His children, his people, his beloved, to turn back to him. 

Prayer

And so, God, I just pray that we would be a people who understand the Cause of our are though the weight of our actions, Lord. That we would be willing to understand that we are not a perfect people. We are not without blame. And I thank you, Lord, that your word is just calling these things to mine for us to be aware of, but also for us to take. Really, it's a good reminder to take action steps for our relationships. But our relationship with you That we would be a people who are not stubborn in our ways or in our hearts, but that we would just be willing to sit with you and your presence and say, Holy Spirit, would you show me the ways in the areas of my life that I need to be convicted and that need to change, That need to die, that need to grow, That need repentance. And may we sit in that and be parented through that or re parented and God, I just thank you that it's safe to trust you to do that. And so Lord, would we just enter into a time with you are we pray out our own prayers or journal on our own thoughts and just invite Holy Spirit to do what the Holy Spirit does, which is to comfort, see each exhort, honor, and to convict. And I pray that. And we would just be willing and whatever comes up, would that, would it not just be a quick process, but would it just be a a continued conversation with you today and for as long as you see that it needs to be. And it’s in your name we pray, Amen. 

Community Prayer Line

Good morning.Beautiful DABC Family, this is Christine, Pennsylvania. Just calling for God's butterfly. I I heard you this morning and I know exactly what you're going through. I had a mother-in-law similar. I'm unfortunately divorced. However, I have a neighbor who deals very rough with me and I feel like God was really talking to me to speak to you about this today. Umm, You have Jesus and he knows. He knows your heart. So he asks us to love other people, even our enemies, just as God loved us even when we were hostile toward him, we have to love and bless others and turn our other cheek. Umm So just keep that in mind and I know it's difficult, very difficult sometimes, but Just continue to pray for her, and maybe in a quiet moment, ask your husband or speak to your husband about how you know her, whatever she's doing makes you feel. And maybe have a, you know, a courageous conversation with her as well, explaining that you love her and you want to honor her and you want to respect her, but you need to you know the same as well. So just keep that in mind. I hope that encourages you on another side. I'd like to give a quick update on little Penelope. She's still in the NICU. She was re intubated or re ventilated because they had to do an MRI for possible definite mass in her nostril, which is causing her to struggle with breathing. So That added 8 to 12 weeks to her stay at NICU. So if we can just continue to pray for a little Penelope, I would really appreciate that and pray for my son and daughter-in-law as they struggle through this without Jesus. I just pray that they would see God's presence in in the blessings in all of this. Love You all, have a great day.

Hi DABC, This is Cynthia from Texas. I'm calling, First of all, my brother William had his treatment yesterday, so we're praying that that will work really well for his healing. But the main thing I'm calling for is my daughter, Alicia. And she's 11 months old and she's not gaining weight, so God has blessed us with the second baby. I'm pregnant.Um, but Alicia has not been really growing or gaining weight since I got pregnant about 4 1/2 months ago. So she's wearing six month size clothes and her percentile and weight has just plummeted and now she's 5th percentile. And the pediatricians getting concerned, Umm. And of course I'm getting concerned. So I'm asking for prayer for wisdom, for peace, and that she would gain weight and grow like she needs to and her body would get the nutrition it needs. Um, so yeah. Wisdom. I I'd really appreciate all of that. Thank you all so much. God bless.

Hello DABC, This is Aaron from Houston. I just have one major prayer request, and that is prayer for my brother in laws or my future brother-in-law 's mother who is right now in the hospital. She had a stroke and Is in a coma and has been for several days now. My understanding is that she's stable. But we're kind of now waiting and wondering, you know, when is she gonna wake up? And it's it's hard for bone for both my sister. As well as my future brother-in-law. So just be praying over her that that's really all there is to say about it. Be praying over her. Be praying for healing. Be praying for strength for them.And that they can still prepare for wedding and all that. Thank you very much.

Hey DABC family, it's Kerry, AKA Jesus Girl. I've got a couple requests today. First of all, a very dear friend and sister of mine has a teenage daughter named Maddie, Who has She's caught up in the lies of the devil and at this point she is extremely depressed. She is cutting herself. She is She has attempted suicide just within the last week and I'm just asking that you would please lift up Maddie to the Lord. I thank God that her mom, Ashley, is a praying Mama. And there are certainly those of us at church that are praying with her. But I'm just asking you as a community, would you please lift This girl up. Bring her before the throne, please. My other request is my daughter Ariel that I had called in for at the beginning of the year is due to have my grandbaby in a week and actually not even that long five days. And so I ask that you would pray for.Be safe and healthy delivery and I will be making the drive from Michigan to North Carolina completely by myself this time, which is the first time and I get road Verizon mesmerized and hypnotized and struggle to stay awake.So if you would cover us, my daughter.And myself in prayer. I would also appreciate it. I love you all so much. God bless you. Have a wonderful day. Bye. 

[watevermelon]

Just Enough | Diluc (Genshin) x Traveler!Reader

✧ Summary: Between freeing Dvalin and pursuing the Geo Archon, you were constantly moving forward to find your brother with hardly a second to look back. You were in a rush to find your lost sibling, not realizing how your heart had stopped in Mondstadt. Visiting the city while waiting for things to die down after Rex Lapis’ death, you return to a… jealous Diluc?

➳ Spoilers for the Dark Knight Hero quest and some of the manga background ➳ Notes: lots of fluff, slight angst and jealousy, character development, mutual pining at one point, a long one-shot that covers the (1.0) beginning of the Liyue story  ➳ Navigation

---xXxXxXxXxXx---

If he had only asked you to stay.

To say that these past few weeks were a blur would be a severe understatement. For months you were simply a lost wanderer, traveling from world to world for any sort of clue that could lead you to your brother.

And in just a matter of weeks you were suddenly Mondstadt’s hero.

From bringing peace to Dvalin’s heart to meeting Mondstadt’s infamous Dark-knight hero, you were familiarizing yourself with a people and a place for a world you knew you did not belong to. Learning of the history of the Seven Archons, the Gods’ of contracts or of freedoms, suddenly you were being thrust into it all at once.

You shared the burden of knowledge with a few of Mondstadt’s elite, the true God of Freedom walking in plain sight to the citizens of his nation. And with him, were the quick allies you found side-by-side when fighting a dragon. 

It was all happening so suddenly and Lord Barbatos himself was giving you directions to the next country over, to continue on your journey in meeting all seven Archons to Liyue. 

To this day, you could fondly recall your final celebration in Mondstadt.

“To think that despite his small stature he can drink so much.” Kaeya commented from his seat at the table, eyes slid in the direction of Venti at the bar next to you. You could see the impatient stare behind Diluc’s eyes, not at all happy that their God was indulging himself so freely.

“Honorary Knight, Mondstadt thanks you for your service.” Jean formally stated, for the nth time since Dvalin had been freed.

“I’m just glad I was at the right place at the right time.” You answered back, offering a placating smile in return.

“Humility doesn’t pay for dinner!” Paimon hmphed next to you.

“But aren’t we at a feast now?” You countered, gesturing to the table. 

She sighed again before moving to get a taste of some of the honey roasted ham. “Fine, don’t blame me when we have to settle into that poor excuse of a tent!”

“Please, do not feel you are in any rush to leave.” Jean offered, “You are welcome lodgings at our Favonius Headquarters.”

“With the other Knights of Favonius?” Diluc asked, face completely blank if not for the small upward tilt of his left brow.

Kaeya flirted with you from across the room, uncaring of the other partygoers, “You could always stay with me.”

You laughed lightly and responded, “That’s a hard pass.”

The Cavalry Captain simply shrugged, offering it to you again if you changed your mind before grabbing another glass of wine and walking with Jean toward the busy table.

Barbara was trying different dishes and offering some to her older sister, spouting descriptions with medicinal purposes and flavors that compliment one another. Lisa was no better as Amber egged both of them on, completely sober as she continued to feast on the food laid before her. Other Knights of Favonius that you recognized were scattered about, enjoying the first truly peaceful night in the past few weeks.

“You are welcome to stay at the Dawn Winery, while you look for your brother.”

He relished in the sight of your smile.

“Thank you, Diluc.”

That was three months ago.

And since then you had been thrown into more of not your business but suddenly IS your business, business.

You remembered your last day before setting off from Mondstadt. The Knights of Favonius would surely call on you again and so you had quick goodbyes with Jean and Kaeya the day before. Venti was saved for last, a somewhat light-hearted and yet somber goodbye as he was the first and last person for you to see in Mondstadt. 

But Diluc… How could you even start that conversation?

He was the lone wolf with a prickly reputation and an even worse sense of patience. You remembered the first time you even spoke to him, clipped words meant to get straight to the point. Not to mention that he was the first person to antagonize Kaeya, who was one of the few people you kinda trusted in the beginning.

It was not until the side adventures, the little quests you did one-on-one that you realized how much more there was to the edgelord that was Diluc. 

Of course, he was still the strict type to focus solely on the mission. 

But you realized more about why Diluc had come to be this way. 

‘The uncrowned king of Mondstadt.’

As you worked together against the possible abyss invasion of Mondstadt, you poured over strategies and testing of his slime potion. And while slimes were not the hardest enemies to fight, he still complimented you on your form and appreciated your quick style with the sword.

You had a unique style, unlike Kaeya or anyone else of this world.

“Elegant, but deadly.”

You took that as a compliment.

And little by little Diluc opened up to you, cluing you into his personal history. 

He and Kaeya were step-brothers, growing up together at the Dawn Winery. How he knew Jean since he was child and once served as her superior in the very organization he now despised. How he still has things to protect, to avenge. And while his description about what happened to his father was nothing more than a quiet stare, you were still grateful that he was entrusting you into his world.

You remembered Kaeya’s words as he discovered Diluc’s nighttime secret:

“I’m glad you’re working with an assistant.”

Kaeya’s tone may have come out scathing, but you knew better. Kaeya and Diluc used to be close, close enough to entrust their lives with one another. There was no doubt that Kaeya still cared about his brother, but with Diluc pushing everyone away….

Again, you were so appreciative that he chose to let you in.

When Kaeya finally left the bar, you turned to Diluc with a smile. “I think my work tonight earned me at least one glass of wine?”

That broke a small smile on his face, not the slight tilt on the sides or the wistful, far off look he got when he recalled something beyond your knowledge.

“Alright.” He waved over a nearby waitress, all of the customers tonight employees of the Dawn Winery. “Let’s take this up to the balcony, I’m going to close up anyway.”

“Oh?” Paimon’s squeaky tone somehow went up another octave in curiosity, “I just remembered I have to ask Venti something! Why don’t you two enjoy your date alone.”

She flew away before you could swat at her for her teasing words, blush apparent on your face. Diluc kept his flat face as he maneuvered things behind the bar, wiping at something before putting something in the below cabinet. 

To your surprise, he handed you a bottle and two glasses, motioning with his head toward the second floor. Charles was among some of the ‘customers’ tonight, taking his usual spot behind the bar as Diluc stepped out.

You followed him wordlessly, walking up the steps and out the second-floor door closely behind him. He pulled out a wooden chair next to the table outside, you taking the seat underneath the stars as he plopped down alongside you.

“I thought the stars here in the city would get overcrowded by the lights.” You admitted, “But they’re beautiful even here.”

“Yeah, they are.” Diluc agreed, making you smile before turning to him.

“You’re not even looking at the stars.”

The pyro-user simply smirked, before looking up at the starry sky with you. You relished in the moment, glad to have some time alone with Diluc. Many had commented that the winery owner was so elusive, missing from the bar weeks at a time and unseen within the city walls. And yet here he was, enjoying the crisp air and a glass of wine with you.

“Thank you.” You started.

“Shouldn’t you be demanding thanks from me?” Diluc asked.

You laughed lightly, “Yeah, cause I’m sure that the abyss mage would have totally kicked your ass without me.”

Diluc had that slightly amused expression on, looking a bit more light-hearted as he turned to you with a slight tilt at the corner of his lips.

You continued, “I mean, thanks for entrusting me with your secret.”

Diluc paused, looking you straight in the eyes, probably to gauge your honesty. And he would concede that there was nothing else there. You wanted to be his friend, the first in a long time to have approached him without your own agenda regarding either the winery or his fortune.

In return, he poured you a glass of wine and replied, “You’ve long earned it.”

“Thank you, Diluc.” You took the glass and felt your heart flutter at the brush of his fingers. “I’m glad I got to know you.”

“I’m glad you’re in my life too.”

He shot you another one of his genuine, millisecond smiles before pouring some from the bottle for himself. 

“Wine and not grape juice today?”

But he did not answer, instead eyes latching onto the rise of goosebumps on your arms. You could not help it against the crisp Mondstadt air, naturally feeling a chill at this time of night. Without a word, he shrugged off his outer coat, the thick black one he wore at almost all times of day, and rested it casually on your shoulders.

You muttered a small thanks as you snuggled into it. Diluc’s iconic dark coat, a complete contrast to yourself. While you wore a white dress with open sleeves and plenty of skin, Diluc wore black covering most of his body with the exception of his neck and face. Seeing it on your shoulders only reminded you of that fact.

“Don’t need you getting sick anytime soon.” Diluc stated plainly, as he returned to his seat.

You huddled into it more and replied, “Aw, Diluc cares.” Again, you were rewarded with another flat expression. “Or rather, if the events of today are to show anything, you’ve always cared. Just in your own, protective way.”

He slung an arm across the back of your seat, leaning closer before stating in a low voice. “Don’t forget that.”

Your eyes snapped to his, the both of you basically sharing the same breath in your close proximity. His scarlet eyes, usually a searing color when on the battlefield, looked surprisingly tender only inches from yours.

“You mean so much to me, Diluc.” You whispered back, afraid that anything above a whisper would punctuate this amorous atmosphere.

He slowly dragged his face alongside yours, stopping beside your ear and continuing in his low voice. “So do you.”

There was no stopping the shiver of anticipation that crawled up your spine.

You could feel the small smirk grow against your skin before he pulled off and grazed his lips against your forehead.

The expression on your face was practically begging him to kiss you. From the small lean in your side against his arm slung around you to the way your eyes slowly fluttered closed, it took all of his self-control to stop himself before he pulled you closer. He wanted nothing more than to grasp you by the back of your neck, relish in the way you melt against him. To kiss you now and tomorrow and maybe even the morning after at the winery.

Diluc had to remind himself that in less than a week you were going to be long gone.

He did not want to ruin this memory a week from now, asking what if and why. And so he settled on a simple kiss above your brow before leaning back in his seat, enjoying the moment he had with you tonight.

You were disappointed, but actually not surprised. It was a feat in itself that you were so close to Diluc in this short amount of time, it would do no good in pressuring him into anything else. But also, another more rational part of you, had to remind yourself that getting attached to the people of this world would only make it hurt more when you had to return home.

This was for the better.

But no matter how much rational thought Diluc used to push you away, you were sure that you had already fallen for him. From the small interactions with Diluc, you could barely recognize the moment that you were completely enamored with him. It was not during the first time you saw him fight or even the night he leant you his jacket. No, you feared it was much before then.

To think you had gotten attached to Diluc in such a short amount of time.

But then you had to say goodbye.

“Safe travels.” Diluc stated from behind the bar when he saw you enter on your last day.

You were not sure what you expected, a drawn out goodbye or a fore longed hug, but Diluc was still, well. He was still Diluc. And to see him re-erecting his walls before you left for your journey was a sad thought, but needed while the two of you were hundreds of miles away from one another.

But you would regret it if you didn’t say anything.

Instead you settled on, “I’ll miss you.”

The hopeful look in your eyes spelled out exactly what you wanted to hear back.

Diluc instead replied, “You fight good.”

“Oh. Um.” The hesitation was clear in your voice.

Was this really how you were going to leave things?

But with Diluc turning his attention back to the wine glass he was previously wiping, yes. It seemed that this was exactly how he wanted to leave it. Paimon scoffed, but said her own goodbyes before flying away.

“Goodbye, Diluc.”

Outside the tavern, you let your frown grow at that interaction. After everything you had been through together, Diluc complimented you on your fighting? Then said peace out?

“That was really lame.” Paimon commented aloud as she floated alongside you. You could not help but internally agree, but you had a whole journey ahead of you. At least the busyness of Liyue would keep you busy from dwelling on that conversation.

But as you said goodbye to Venti, the both of you stood in silence under the giant tree staring at the city. You thought about going back three times, to get a proper goodbye out of Diluc. But doing so would do neither of you any good, since it would only open more issues.

“No more questions about the other Archons?” Venti asked, voice surprisingly serious.

“Can’t think of anything.”

“None even of a certain… winery owner?” You could almost hear the smile in his voice.

You rolled your eyes and responded, “You’re such a little shit.”

“Hehe.”

You both continued to stare at the city, the marvels of its people and history within its high walls. To think Barbatos and Dvalin were finally free, because of your otherworldly intervention. Venti was truly thankful for you, and while he knew his words were on the more mischievous side, he knew that you understood.

Venti’s voice permeated the air. “Be safe in Liyue.”

You smiled back and offered him a tight hug, replying. “As always.”

To think that the same day that you stepped into Liyue, Rex Lapis was murdered before your very eyes. It was like the Gods actually hated you, having to rely on a Fatui to run away from the government officials hot on your trail.

Since then you had been working with Zhongli to prepare for a parting ceremony. From running around for certain types of Jade materials to singing to flowers, you were happy to take a second to yourself at all. You were afraid that trouncing around Liyue with a bounty on your head would do you no good and often stayed in the wild areas. Visits to the city were for necessities only, which often left you relying on the ever so truthful Childe or the mora-averse Zhongli.

More than three months after your initial departure to Liyue, you stepped back into the walls of Mondstadt’s bustling city, a commission nearby and you figured you were safe simply due to your reputation under the Knights of Favonius.

Venti was the last face you saw and the first face that greeted you, beckoning to join him for lunch. With your final commission of the day finished, you joined him with a smile and ordered some honey roasted ham.

You recounted some of the news to Venti, meeting many of the adeptus and how out of touch they seemed with the region. You described Zhongli from the funeral parlor who always felt like he knew more and played a higher part in Liyue (and you inwardly noted how Venti’s eyes lit up in recognition at the name). And also, Childe the Fatui Harbinger that had you on edge. 

“You’re hanging out with a harbinger?” Venti asked.

“Uh oh.” Paimon reacted.

“Well.” You remembered your last encounter with Signora. “It’s complicated.”

Venti paused before sighing, “Is he cute?”

“That’s not why!” You huffed back instantly.

“So he is cute!”

“And rich!” Paimon added, joining in on the teasing.

“Not the issue here.” You stated, “He saved me from the Millelith and helped me get into contact with the adepti.”

Venti’s mischievous smile from the earlier teasing turned blank, as if he was fully ingesting your words. “... Why would he do that?”

“Huh?”

But Venti quickly recovered, waving away the question and urging you to move past it. “Just thinking out loud, continue. What happened after?”

And so you recalled everything from then. How the soldiers followed you all the way up the mountain and how you had to defend yourself from people that were supposed to be on the same side as you. 

How there was someone out there with the strength to take down a God.

Venti laughed at you for like, twenty minutes.

After his laughter subsided, he held a hand over his stomach and asked. “They think you killed Rex Lapis?”

He took another look at your pouting face and laughed again.

It only made you scowl further. “I’m glad you think my supposed war crimes are so funny.”

“I think I’m missing the punchline again.” Paimon added.

“Hehe. You’ll be fine.” Venti shot back his mischievous smile, “Besides, I’m sure you’re looking forward to laying low here with a certain… someone here.”

You paused and put your fork back down, “What are you trying to say?”

“Well, the Dawn Winery is throwing a festival tonight.” Venti stated clearly, “Isn’t that why you’re here?”

“Wait, really?”

The mischievous light was back in Venti’s eyes, “I’m sure the winds of fate have brought you here purely on coincidence.”

You sighed and turned to him fully. “You trying to fight, old man?”

“Hehe.” His signature giggle, one you found almost endearing, was undoubtedly mocking you. “We should go together later.”

And true to his word, somehow you found yourself with the Anemo Archon heading over to the bar. To think that it was Venti who introduced you here and now he was bringing you along again.

That is, if you even had a chance to make it inside at this rate.

The area was packed to the brim, all the seats outside in front and on the side of the building already taken. There was a line out the door, many hopeful young women with gleaming eyes trying to get a one-on-one conversation with the current barkeep and owner.

You peered into the open door and saw Diluc and Charles behind the bar, the red-head adorned with his usual flat-expression. It was the first time in months since you had seen him, but he looked exactly as the day you had left. Still the same colored wardrobe and prickly atmosphere, Diluc was still, Diluc.

What did not help was the ever growing line of flirty men and women trying to vye for his attention.

It only seemed to further nail the pit in your stomach.

Was this… jealousy?

You didn’t dwell on the thought for long.

Instead, you considered for a single-second if you should just turn tail now, but Venti must have seen your hesitation and grabbed you by the arm to walk inside. Dozens of eyes followed you on the way in, many people recognizing you as the young hero of Mondstadt and honorary knight of Favonius.

The crowd was surprisingly less inside, but knowing Diluc he probably would have tried to corral everyone to the outdoor areas. Venti continued to lead you towards a table in the back and you saw a familiar red-bowed Outrider.

“I didn’t even know you were going to be here today!” She greeted you excitedly. 

“Tone-Deaf Bard here convinced us to stay the night.” Paimon replied.

“Oh?” Her voice lifted in a tone that only spelled trouble, “No matter, I’m glad to see you in one piece.”

“I’m assuming you’ve heard.”

Amber stretched in her seat and lowered her voice, smile turning to a smirk. “Well, I won’t confirm anything. But my suspicions are that the blonde person the Knights were pursuing for stealing the Holy Lyre may be the same blonde person running from the Millelith.”

“What a crazy theory.” Paimon responded as she cleared her throat.

“At least it’s just a theory, right?” Amber replied. “Anyway, we’ll hold the seats. Do you mind going up to the bar to order?”

Paimon chimed up as she floated down into the wooden seat, “Yeah, you should go.”

You barely had a second to object before Venti agreed and was motioning for you to go back to the bar. If not for their eager stares at you, you would have rolled your eyes at how obvious they were being.

“Fine, fine. I’m going.” You stated aloud, getting up from the seat you inhabited for at most ten minutes. 

Turning towards the bar, you took in a deep breath to collect your thoughts. To think you fought the Wolf of the North and Oceanid with more courage - it was just Diluc.

“Long time no see.” You greeted, trying to sound extremely casual. “Bottle of wine for one of your favorite people?”

Diluc looked at you for a quick second, then back down to the bar, then rapidly snapping back up to you in surprise. “Hey. Of course.”

Unsure what to say, you responded back with a simple, “Thank you.”

“Didn’t know you’d be in town today.”

“It was all coincidence. Venti told me about your event tonight.” You mentioned, motioning behind you to the table where the three of them were waiting. Amber waggled her eyebrows in response and you turned back to Diluc in embarrassment.

But he was looking at you the entire time. “For a war criminal, you look well.”

“Ugh, not you too.”

“Ironic how you delinquents always return here while hiding it out.” Diluc did not answer, instead openly teasing you.

Honestly, it was a little ironic that you and Venti ran here after stealing the Holy Lyre, just to end up back here while the Millelith were on the hunt for you.

Instead you replied, “They didn’t release any names.”

“Right, it’s probably some other sword-wielding blonde with white clothes and access to the Anemo vision.”

“Obviously.”

To think you were so involved in Teyvat's politics. An otherworldly being with no prior connections to the people or nations was somehow involved with the highest ranking people of every country you’ve stumbled into.

Everyone from the Dvalin team knew about your primary objectives: to find your brother and regain your full power through the seven Archons. And when news of Rex Lapis’ death reached Mondstadt, Diluc could almost physically feel the dread in his heart that something had happened to you. And when the Millelith released their man-hunt of your exact profile, there was no doubt that you were involved. 

To see you standing before him, in association with an Archon of all people, it was like a breath of fresh air on his heart. You were here in the tavern, fine and even enjoying the night. 

A large part of him wanted to ask about your journey, what was it that had you on the run again? But with the growing line out the door, he knew he barely had time to keep this conversation going.

So instead, Diluc grabbed glasses and a bottle of wine from beneath the bar and asked, “Spare a few minutes for me later?”

You nodded quietly, handing him the necessary Mora before returning back to the table.

Amber did not pull her punches, “So, you guys dating yet?”

You almost dropped the bottle, but Venti was quick even through his laughter.

“Yeah and I’m the Archon of Snezhnaya.” Paimon replied sarcastically.

“Shut up.” You pouted, “It was just nice to see each other after all this time.”

“Oh so you had a good conversation? Did he ask you to stay after? Are you going to stay the night? Did he offer for you to stay at the Dawn Winery?” Amber spit out question after question, not a sense of patience or tact in her words.

Venti was still laughing like the Archon of assholes he was.

While they prodded through their multiple questions, you tried to wave them away to another conversation topic. If Amber was prodding you like this, you could only imagine that the other Knights, such as Kaeya and Jean, were also aware of your strange relationship.

Amber tried to push it a bit more, but you were able to spin the conversation to ask what the others were up to. It was interesting to hear about the little tasks in Mondstadt, small commissions that the Knights take care of in the city as well as guarding the areas further out into the country.

And while you hated to drift off with them sitting right in front of you, your mind often wandered toward the red-head behind the bar. Diluc had personally asked you to stay back later, undoubtedly to speak to you about something one-on-one. Would it be cowardly if you left early? Would the others notice if you tried to make a break for it at one point?

Again, it seemed as if Venti was capable of reading your mind, lightly calling you to attention and putting a casual hand on the back of your chair.

He was not letting you get away from this.

Venti even shifted the conversation to you, asking about Liyue and the local adventures you had while in the city. Unable to ignore the direct questions, you told them about the stories of the people you met so far and the strange events you seemed to be dragged into.

“Wait, start over.” Amber cut into your most recent story about a ship just outside of the Liyue city. ”You just glided down onto the Pearl Galley?”

You paused then replied, “Well. I mean the ship was just sitting there outside the harbor and I was curious.”

“And so you boarded a luxury ship without an invitation?”

“Yeah, so?” Paimon answered with a question, genuinely confused.

“And yet you wonder how you keep getting involved in all these crazy schemes.” Amber answered ambiguously.

“Well, eventually I did get an invitation.”

“But after you were already on the ship.” Amber pointed out. “How did you even glide that far out?”

“I climbed to the top of the nearby mountain and then just dropped down.”

“Wow.”

“Is it really a surprise?” Venti commented, “She doesn’t even follow the proper stairs here in the city. Don’t think we don’t see you climbing over every wall here in Mondstadt.”

“You’re such a weirdo.” Amber sighed with a smile, “You’re lucky we love you so much.”

You continued on with your stories, some in the city and others within hidden temples deep in the wilderness, puzzles and timed traps masking treasures you sought to find. Amber and Venti listened on in rapt attention, asking questions here and there and even teasing you about your constant climbing.

You hadn’t even noticed how the bar patrons were starting to slowly thin out.

The night with Venti and Amber was such a refreshing feeling compared to the nights you spent staring up silently at the night sky, only Paimon at your side. It was nice to hear and speak to other people, to not be on the run and always looking over your shoulder.

Feeling a light tap on the side, you turned to see Diluc standing at attention.

“Hey.” He greeted you again.

“We were just on our way out!” Amber exclaimed, standing instantly with Venti not far behind her. “Mondstadt’s star Outrider has to be up bright and early tomorrow.”

“Which is why you’re both leaving…?” You asked.

“It’s my duty to ensure the safety of the city and we said we were going to discuss something.” Venti answered ambiguously.

You crossed your arms, “Discuss what?”

“The— !” Amber paused, “The thing. You know, with the stuff at the Seven Winds Temple.”

“Right! Let’s get going.” Venti turned to Paimon at the last second, “I think this will interest you.”

Paimon winked at you before turning to Diluc, ”Right, the stuff!”

Diluc motioned you to follow him and so, once again, you found yourself following behind the Pyro-user out the second-floor balcony. However, instead of sitting at the table, you learned against the railing while Diluc stood to the side.

“Wasn't expecting you to be gone for so long.” Diluc started with a flat voice.

You turned to him with a slight grimace. “I’m sorry, I ended up getting caught in something important back in Liyue.”

More important than him.

The implication was quiet in the back of Diluc’s mind.

But that would always be the case. To think that the first person in years to open up his shell was someone who could only be in his life temporarily. You intrigued him to the high heavens - the strange mix of both pride and humility as you fought and carried yourself. You were strong, but merciful. Kind, but a purveyor of your own brand of justice.

It had been a while since he met someone with such genuine reservations as you.

But your time together was already ticking down, from your time in Mondstadt to your time in his world. You were looking for your brother and who knew if he was even in Tyvat currently? It would be unfair to be bitter towards you. And so he resolved long ago to simply cherish the moments you had together.

So instead of snapping back, Diluc teased you.

“I’m sure. I’ve heard of your extensive… wanted days.”

You sighed aloud, “How did the news travel here so fast?”

Diluc smirked, “First Barbatos and now Rex Lapis? What kind of luck do you have?”

“The worst kind.”

Of course, there was something he wanted to learn more about. After he had caught wind from Katheryn in Liyue, Diluc still wanted to be informed about your current situation. To think that you were in close association with one of the high Fatui Harbingers after Signora personally attacked you, it was almost like you were openly inviting trouble.

It also did not help that many of the gossip mills included how attractive this particular Fatui was.

He goes by the alias of ‘Childe.’ Young, but deadly!

A Fatui, but doesn’t wear his mask - for good reason! He’s quite the looker.

I wouldn’t mind if he impaled me somewhere. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Needless to say, his sources did not alleviate his worries.

Of all people? A Fatui was one of your close associates in Liyue? A party of him wanted to snarl, the thought a worse downgrade from the Knights of Favonius. At least he knew Kaeya would do you no harm; he doubted the same could be said about Childe.

Archons, why did he care so much?

Diluc told himself multiple times that your abrupt parting was necessary to keep himself from getting too attached to you. But it hardly mattered when he was worrying this much anyway in spite of that.

Fuck, why did he just let you walk away like that?

Diluc was not going to make the same mistake.

He turned to you and asked, “Like the Fatui kind?”

You sighed, “Believe me, I don’t like it either.”

“And yet somehow here we are.”

“It’s complicated, okay?”

“When is it not with you?” Diluc asked, more hypothetically. And while from anyone else, it may have felt offensive, you could tell from his tone that it was just a tired sigh.

“Tell me about your journey.” He continued.

“What?” You answered with a question, genuinely surprised. “It’s a long story, not all that interesting.”

Diluc took a step forward, taking the spot next to you against the rail as your shoulders touched. “I want to hear it from you.”

You couldn’t help but smile, “Okay.”

And so you recounted your journey to find the Geo Archon, how the adepti set up strange puzzles and at some point you swore you were pulled into a teacup that somehow contained a full domain.

There were also other missions on the side, other things you would do to collect Mora or materials if you were going to get any stronger. Some of them made sense — doing deliveries, clearing abyss camps, and other mercenary like duties. Other instances, not so much.

“Only you would accept a commission from a ghost.” Diluc teased as you recounted the treasure in the mines.

“In my defense, I didn’t think he was a ghost at first.”

“Right. Nothing suspicious at all about a transparent old man in the middle of an abandoned village.”

“I was reading the poster he was showing!”

“And when did you realize he was a ghost?”

“... After I met three other ghosts.”

Diluc cracked a smile at that, only making you pout more. You had adjusted your postures overtime, standing against with rails to your backs as you faced the tavern.

“He paid me good Mora!” 

“How…?” Diluc thought about it before waving it off, “Forget it. I don’t want to know.”

You laughed back before you saw the lights inside the tavern switch off, complete darkness in the windows as the remaining employees packed up and went home. 

“Oh wow, I hadn’t even realized how long we were out here.” You admitted, “I’m sorry I took up so much of your time.”

“Don’t apologize. I wanted to spend this time with you.”

“Still, it’s already late.”

“You’re right. Where were you and Paimon going to spend the night?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” You admitted, “Venti convinced us to stay, but I don’t even know where he is.”

Diluc pushed off the railing to stand facing you, “You could stay the night at the winery. We can retrieve Paimon tomorrow.”

What game was he playing? Your disappointing departure with Diluc cutting you off and now he was asking for your time and space back into his life? You hated that he pushed you away just to pull you back in at his convenience. And while you understood his personality tended to keep people at a distance, you had your own limits as to what you could withstand. 

“... Diluc, what are you doing?”

“You’ll have to be more clear.”

You closed your eyes, trying to gather your thoughts and hamper down on your rising temper. “Come on, why are you being so nice to me?”

He stared at you expectedly, blank eyes urging you to continue.

It only served to make you more angry.

“Diluc, when I left you hardly blinked. And now that I’m here, after months of us not talking, you want me to spend the night?”

“I told you before how much you meant to Mondstadt.”

To Mondstadt? Not even to himself personally? 

You decided it was better to confront him cleanly asking, “Why didn’t you kiss me that night we were drinking here?”

Diluc paused, not a single hint of surprise on his face as you addressed the situation head-on. “Why should I have?”

“Don’t act like you didn’t feel it. There was something between us.” You scoffed.

He noticed your use of past tense.

“Does it honestly matter? You would’ve left anyway, I saved us both the trouble.”

You visibly recoiled in response. “Is that what this is about? I have to go to Liyue and the other counties, Diluc. I have to find my brother.”

“I know that.” Diluc cut in, before you got the wrong idea. “You don’t think I’m acutely aware of that fact? The fact that this is my home and not yours. That one day you’ll find your brother and I’ll never see you again?”

“Wait.”

“Believe me, I know better than anyone that you’re off to find your brother. And I’ll help you in any way that I can.” Diluc continued, not heeding your confused attempts to stop him. “But let’s not pretend like I was anything more than a stepping stone in your journey.”

“That’s not true!”

“Oh?” Diluc’s tone was almost challenging,  “It’s not? So once the dust is settled, if I asked you to stay here with me, would I be enough?”

You stuttered over your words, “I --”

“I don’t want to hear your excuse because we both know the answer.” He cut you off, “I was trying to save myself from that before it happened.”

“Will you let me speak, you idiot!?” Your voice cut through the silent evening air.

Diluc paused, standing a good ten feet away from you and looking angrier than you’d ever seen. But he did, thankfully, stop talking.

“Is it crazy to think that I feel the same way about you?”

“What?”

“Diluc, I’m just me!” You answered, “I have nothing to my name but an objective to find my brother — if he’s even alive at this point. I need to try and I need to continue on this path…”

He crossed his arms, but stayed quiet as he listened. 

“But just because I have so much ahead of me, that doesn’t I don’t care about where I’ve already seen.” You took a few steps toward Diluc as you spoke, “You mean so much to me and I wouldn’t ever want to throw that away.”

“You won’t have a choice if you have to leave this world.”

“If!” You pointed out, “Diluc you’re so worried about the future, about me walking away from you forever, but it doesn’t have to be this way.”

“And suddenly there’s an alternative?”

“There’s always been one, you idiot! You just never bothered to actually talk to me.” You put your hands on his chest, the light material of his dark clothes underneath your palms. “I would’ve tried. If you asked me to make this work, to come back to you at the winery back then, I would’ve done it.”

Diluc closed his eyes, taking in your words as his hands snaked down to your wrists.

“Don’t give me empty promises.”

“I mean it!” You defended, “You aren’t just another person, Diluc. I—“

He opened his eyes then, reflecting back to you as hopeful and curious. “You…?”

“I care about you more than you know.” You settled on, still unsure about the extent of your feelings. “Why are you giving up on us before even starting?”

You stared right back at Diluc, his silence paramount to the inner turmoil you were sure he was going through. From his late father to the betrayal from the Knights, there were plenty of reasons why Diluc was so hesitant to connect with other people.

But you’d be damned if you didn’t try.

Your hands felt heavy against his chest. Despite your small demeanor and even smaller palms, the weight of your hands seemed to play seesaw between his heart and mind. He had logical reasons to keep you at a distance, but here you were trying to carve your way through back to him.

It had been a long time since he cared about anyone like this. And Diluc could not even recall the last time he wanted to sorely kiss someone at all. But how could he not want to now? You stared up at him, eyes blazing with determination as you tried to convey your feelings.

“You mean so much to me.” Diluc stated after a few silent minutes, “Let’s make this work.”

The smile you shot him was wide and radiant, a private blessing that only he was gifted tonight. He wrapped his arms around your waist, eager to feel more of you — to envelop you in his arms and keep you within them tonight. 

One hand strayed upward, carding itself in your hair and pulling you closer until both your eyes fluttered closed. The soft skin of your lips slotted against his, an endearing frenzy to give one another tender pecks. You could not help the happy mewl that escaped your lips as Diluc licked against the crease of your skin.

Moaning aloud to his tender touch, Diluc was eager to explore every inch of your wet cavern. There was no battle of tongues, simply moving in tandem as Diluc dominated the kiss. You tried to maneuver to give him more access, but with your height difference it was the best you could do.

Diluc lifted one of your legs, wrapping it around his waist and lightly tapping the other to do the same. Eyes clouded with lust, you did as instructed and quickly felt the soft thump behind you, the wall of the tavern helping hold you upright.

You fell more and more into the passionate lip lock, pushing to match his intensity as Diluc connected you in one of the most intimate ways possible. One hand was still in your hair while the other continued its scandalized trail downward.

You prayed to Barbatos that nobody heard you outside the tavern.

The both of you would later attribute this impassioned frenzy due to the prolonged time apart and mutual pining (culminating in a mistake outside on the balcony, twice inside the bar, and the rest of the night back at the winery).

For the first time, you enjoyed the morning sun streaming in through the windows, a lazy arm strung across your waist as you snuggled in the chest of the man you were growing to love.

Diluc woke long before you, hand threading through your hair silently as he resolved to remember this moment. You kissed at the naked skin of his chest twice before nuzzling him, feeling the light arm pull you closer.

“Good morning.” You started, voice muffled against his skin.

But you would have never expected Diluc to be so affectionate.

He kissed the top of your head, murmuring in a low tone. “Good morning, my love.”

Nothing about your relationship was perfect. You still fought and cried like every other couple. But you both knew that what you had was real, willing to fight for it no matter the obstacles that came with the future.

It did not matter that Tyvat was not your home.

Wherever Diluc was, that was where you’d return.

---xXxXxXxXxXx---

Extra: “What if they end up fighting?” Amber asked the other two as they walked down a side-street of the city.

“Then we’ll find out the moment it breaks out. Trust me.” Paimon replied. After all, your Anemo power would only serve to make any fire larger.

“They’ve both been in that pining puppy phase for so long, I doubt it’ll come down to that.” Venti added.

“500 Mora says they’ll be dating by the end of this week.” Amber bet.

“1,000 that they’ll be together by tonight!” Paimon countered.

“10,000 that they’ll be joined in every way by tonight.” Venti added, the mischievous tone not missed by either woman.

“You tone-deaf bard!” Paimon exclaimed as she slapped her hands over her red cheeks. “The traveler is more dignified than that!”

Amber had a hand on her chin, “Dating? Probably. But more than that…?”

Venti held out a hand to both, vying for both to shake one and accept the bet.

Nothing, but a couple of suckers. 

Amber grumbled once when she heard the news, but otherwise excitedly congratulated you two on finally accepting your feelings. Paimon’s whine could probably be heard in a fifteen mile radius and Venti’s proud smile didn’t help either — accepting the easiest twenty thousand Mora he ever made. 

And, just to gode the tiny guide a little more, Venti turned to Paimon in the middle of her complaining rant. 

“Hehe.”

---xXxXxXxXxXx---

A/N:

The festival idea comes from Diluc’s story 1: “The winery holds festivities from time to time. These events are routinely attended by enthusiastic fathers, eager to introduce their wonderful daughters to the young and single winery master.”

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

Camlann, except no one is being held back by stupid destinies;

Merlin manages to keep Morgana and Mordred on the side of the light, which has a few rather influential knock-on effects.

Morgause leads her army onto the barren fields of Camlann, her hair and eyes wild, but her sword and focus sharp. Opposite stands her traitor sister’s half brother, the Boy-King of Camelot, surrounded by his precious knights. Today, they would all die, she would make certain of that.

Arthur struggles to keep his hands from trembling, he’s well aware that this battle will likely be his, and subsequently Camelot’s, downfall, but his nerves are settled slightly by Merlin’s comforting presence at his side. Which he feels immensely guilty at. 

He’d done his best to urge Merlin to run, to take Gwen and Gaius and maybe even Morgana, to go to Ealdor to pick up his mother and run even further, just in case. Merlin had refused of course; Gwen and Morgana had squawked at Arthur’s stupid chivalry and planted their feet firmly in the throne room, a symbolic last line of defence, and Gaius rolled his eyes and reaffirmed that he would be in the infirmary tent, as planned. 

He’d given his men his speech and they all seemed content to die for the cause, for one last desperate attempt to keep their home safe, but that didn’t stop the freezing claw of guilt from shredding Arthur’s lungs every time he took a breath. They were just waiting now. For someone to make the first move, for Morgause to get a little closer, for someone to send a messenger. 

Arthur’s broken from his stare when a warm, soft, steady hand takes his gently. His head whips to the side to see Merlin, stood without armour (oh, how The King despaired) staring at him with a slight frown. A frown, Arthur thinks, that should be much deeper, and much more afraid. He’s grateful it isn’t. He’s not sure he could cope with seeing Merlin scared:

“Arthur, if... if I knew a way to win this, once and for all, with not a drop of Camelot blood spilt... would you let me?”

It takes Arthur a few moments to process what Merlin had said, on account of his brain focusing on how grateful he is to hear his voice and feel the warmth of his hand instead of actually listening to him speak, but when he does, he copies his servant’s frown, though his is slightly more confused. He doesn’t let go of Merlin’s hand as he responds, instead tightening his grip:

“What on Earth are you talking about?”

Merlin gulps and looks away briefly, a look of guilt if Arthur ever saw one, but he finds he doesn’t really care. They’re all about to die, he’d forgive Merlin anything:

“If I could win this battle, and the war, right here, right now. Would you let me?-”

At Arthur’s continued perplexed look, Merlin rolls his eyes and huffs, smirking slightly as he adds on:

“-Just humour me.”

Arthur gulps, glancing towards the slowly advancing army before once again squeezing Merlin’s hand and looking back at him:

“It would... depend on the consequences, I suppose. Would you get hurt?”

Merlin shakes his head, then stops, and tilts it sideways as though he’s considering something he’d really rather not think about. He can’t meet Arthur’s gaze as he responds:

“I... might need a few hours to rest, afterwards, but any... long term consequences would depend on your reaction.”

Arthur recoils slightly at that, frown deepening as he shakes his head, completely oblivious to the keen listening ears of his six most loyal knights, and another, hidden towards the back of the group. If he’d turned to see them, Arthur would’ve noticed the blank looks of steely determination on Lancelot and Mordred’s faces:

“Well we would never have to worry about that. I... I could never see you hurt, Merlin.”

The King’s voice cracks as he mentions Merlin getting hurt, and the servant’s gaze softens, knowing that Arthur was thinking of their inevitable demise, creeping closer and closer. He squeezes his hand, giving him a soft smile as his other hand lifts up to rest on his shoulder; his question comes out soft and pleading:

“Do you trust me?”

Arthur has to use all of his self control not to yell his answer across Camlann:

“More than anyone.”

Merlin smiles sadly and steps back, dropping both of his still-steady hands to his sides; Arthur feels the gap between them more heavily than he feels the armour on his back. Merlin goes to turn away without another word, but before he can take even one step, a figure is pushing through to the front, gripping his wrist and pulling him back:

“I’m coming too.”

Arthur’s eyes go comically large as he hears Morgana’s voice come from under the hood. He steps forward to rip it down, and she only spares him an annoyed glance before she’s back to staring purposefully at Merlin. A gasp goes up around the group from all bar two, and Mordred dismounts his horse, walking forward to be in line with Morgana. The three of them entirely ignore Arthur’s outraged words:

“Morgana, what the hell are you doing here? You need to be safe at the castle, you’re meant to take the crown what the hell are you doing here?!”

Merlin meets Morgana’s determined glare with a resigned one of his own:

“No, this is my-”

Mordred interrupts him, his voice strong in a way that Arthur had never heard from the youngest knight before:

“No. No, it’s not. You’re not just fighting for Camelot, Merlin, you’re fighting or us, for our people.”

Merlin looks like he wants to argue, but Morgana crosses her arms and holds her head high as she speaks:

“You’re making a stand and you have no right to stop us from doing the same. This is bigger than you, bigger than all three of us, this is our fight just as much as it is yours.”

Merlin can only hold their stare for so long before he sighs and looks to the floor, entirely oblivious to the knights panicking (bar Lancelot, of course). He looks up with a small, relaxed smile on his face, and if Arthur weren’t so preoccupied with the fact that Morgana was definitely not supposed to be here, he would’ve found Merlin’s almost-nonchalance calming. The servant holds both his hands out:

“Together?”

Mordred grins widely, taking one of Merlin’s wrists as he responds confidently:

“For Camelot.”

Morgana does the same, a sudden wind whipping her hair behind her wildly:

“For our people.”

Without another moment’s of hesitation, Merlin turns and marches towards Morgause and her army. His steps are purposeful and strong, and Arthur can’t bring himself to stop him, no matter how desperately his brain is screaming at him. Morgana turns to him with a not-quite-cruel smirk:

“This has been a long time coming, brother. Enjoy the show.”

Arthur can only blink in surprise as she turns and walks towards Merlin. Mordred looks to him next, though the young knight’s smile is a lot softer, a lot more pitying:

“You should consider yourself lucky, Arthur,-”

Arthur barely registers the use of his first name:

“-my Lord gave up his throne in favour of serving you, buried his crown in favour of polishing yours.”

Arthur shakes his head slightly, his voice quiet and confused and strained as he asks:

“Your Lord?”

Mordred looks to Merlin, still marching across the seemingly never-ending field, with an awed smile; his voice is quiet and holds notes of what almost sound like worship:

“He’s more than you know.”

Before Arthur can respond, Merlin and Morgana stop, turning to look at Mordred expectantly. Merlin stares blankly, his brows slightly furrowed, but Morgana sports a wild grin as she yells back:

“I though you wanted to join in on the fun, Mordred?”

The young knight grins in response, turning to Arthur and giving him one last short bow as he cheerfully says, not a trace of worry in his voice:

“Lady Morgana is right My Lord, enjoy the show.”

He turns away quickly, jogging to catch up with the other two before anyone can say anything. Gwaine is the first to react, jumping off his horse and starting forward, to catch up with them, to pull them back, to ask them what the fuck was going on, but Lance quickly lands behind him, grabbing his shoulder:

“Wait, don’t. You trust them right?-”

He casts his gaze around the others, all looking slightly confused but mostly panicked as they dismount their horses. Mordred, Merlin, and Morgana make their journey to the centre of the field, but Lancelot’s eyes focuses on Arthur:

“-You said you trusted him, so just... this is what he does, Arthur. Please, just trust him, everything’s going to be ok.”

Arthur is desperate to question his knight, to demand that he explain what’s going on and give up anything, everything he knows, but before he can say anything, Elyan gasps and points somewhere beyond their friends. The whole army seems to resume their earlier jitters as Morgause differentiates herself from her soldiers.

~

The three magic users spread out slightly as they come to a stop, Mordred on the left, Morgana on the right, and Merlin, of course, in the middle.

A storm seems to be fast approaching and the loud wind makes hearing each other difficult, but they don’t need words to speak, and Mordred’s question echoes in Merlin’s head as all of their gazes focus on Morgause stepping forward:

“Are the other two coming?”

The Warlock nods, tapping his finger to his temple briefly as he replies:

“I called for them hours ago, they’re almost-”

~

Arthur is distracted from all that’s in front of him when a desperate and terrified voice screeches out from the back of his army:

“DRAGONS!!”

He, and all the other knights, whip their heads around in panic, only to see exactly what had been yelled about. The Dragon that Arthur had supposedly killed years ago is flying towards them like a hurricane, golden scales shining bright even in the shadows of the approaching storm. Next to him flies a much smaller dragon, pure white and clearly young, unstable in the air but still graceful, still terrifying.

Arthur’s heart sinks even impossibly further as they both fly straight over them, aiming for the other side of the field. If Morgause had two Dragons at her beck and call somehow, there was no hope, no matter what ridiculous plan Merlin had. Arthur felt the tears fill his eyes, but he didn’t let them fall. If this was to end in fire, then he’d sprint to Merlin, just so he could see him, hold his hands, beg him for a smile, one last time.

Lancelot holds him back with a hand on his shoulder and a soft smile:

“I know this doesn’t make sense, but just... trust him.”

He turns back to Merlin just to see the great beasts land in front of them, almost acting as a barrier between the three of them and the opposing army.

~

“-Took you long enough.”

Kilgharrah does his best imitation of rolled eyes before dipping his head in a bow:

“Where would you like us, young Warlock?”

Merlin grins, allowing Aithusa to push her head into his hands as he answers:

“I want you somewhere off to the side looking vaguely threatening. Only intervene if you have to, I don’t want the Camelot knights getting twitchy and skewering you, you’re an old man after all, I’m not sure you could take it.-”

Morgana laughs aloud and Mordred snorts behind his hand, but Kilgharrah just rolls his eyes again, giving another bow that this time somehow seems sarcastic before clomping off to the side, prowling up and down the edge of the field and huffing the occasional puffs of smoke in the opposition’s direction. Merlin looks down to Aithusa next, scratching her chin and using a much softer voice:

“Go watch over Arthur, keep him safe but don’t let him or any of the others hurt you, I’m sure Lance will explain. Try to stay out of the fighting and don’t let Morgause get anywhere near Arthur or the knights, you understand?”

The creature purrs and nods, stepping around her master and beginning an impossibly fast sprint towards Arthur.

~

Arthur stares with wide eyes at the gathering in the middle of the field, letting out a deep breath when the Great Dragon bows down to Merlin’s confident stance. The smaller creature bounds to him as he... exchanges words with the beasts, and all Arthur can do is stare as his brain argues over which emotion should be at the forefront. Fear? Confusion? Betrayal? Some kind of guilt? Pride, maybe?

Lancelot definitely looks proud, worried, but proud, and Arthur spares him a questioning glance; before he can say anything, Leon lets out a quiet yelp, pointing across the field and drawing his sword on instinct. Arthur whips his head around to see the white Dragon speeding towards them, eyes bright, teeth bared, and sharp claws ripping up the ground with every step.

He draws his own sword, panic clawing at his gut, but before he can step forward in some pointless attempt to protect his men, Lancelot pulls him back again, stepping in between Arthur and the approaching Dragon with a placating hand held out to each of them; his voice comes out quickly and desperate:

“No, no, she’s on our side, don’t hurt her. Merlin sent her here to protect us, don’t hurt her.”

Arthur stares between them with a mix of blood-curdling fear and endless confusion. But he trusts Merlin, and he trusts Lancelot, so much to Leon’s displeasure he lowers his sword, though he doesn’t sheath it, not yet.

The Dragon finally reaches them, coming to a skidding stop a few feet away. Arthur’s fear is overpowered by confusion, and an odd fondness in the back of his mind, when the creature almost topples over in it’s haste. She purrs loudly, and even Leon appears to relax slightly, even more so when she dips her head in what appears to be a bow to Arthur, before turning her attention to Lancelot and pushing her face into his hands.

The other knights all start forward on instinct, but when Lance lets out a low chuckle and begins... scratching the creature’s chin?? They step back again, watching as the Dragon begins purring even louder, almost bowling Lancelot over as it rubs it’s scaled body across his legs. It’s... acting like a cat...

Gwaine coughs very deliberately and Lancelot looks up with a blush, biting his lip before saying, his words awkward and stilted:

“Uh... guys, this is Aithusa, she’s... a Dragon. She can’t speak yet, but-”

Percival makes a confused noise in the back of his throat, shaking his head with wide eyes as he asks incredulously:

“Dragons are meant to be able to speak??”

Lancelot grimaces, but nods, but before he can say anything, Morgause’s crazed voice echoes over the field, and their attention is drawn back to the face off between Merlin, Morgana, Mordred, and the enemy.

~

“You can not beat me, not even with your precious pets!!”

The gang can hear Kilgharrah’s low growl at the insult and the sound vibrates across the ground and up into their very bones, even with the distance between them. Aithusa tenses in response, eyes narrowed and teeth bared as she detects the anger and insult swarming in her Kin, but Merlin holds a hand out to the Great Dragon, and both creatures relax as he monotonously responds:

“I’m giving you one chance, Morgause, do not send your followers to a pointless death.”

His tone is even and confident, his back straight, his head held high, and Arthur wonders how he’d never noticed Merlin’s obvious power before. Despite speaking normally, his voice is heard by everyone, even over the howling wind.

The knights can see Morgause’s hands shaking in her rage, her eyes wide and bright golden as she screeches her response, her anger showing through clearly:

“I am no coward!! You are nothing but a servant, a child soldier, and a pampered princess! What hope do you have against me?! I am a High Priestess, you are nothing!!!”

Merlin lowers his head, nodding slightly in resigned sadness. His muttered words, once again, somehow seem to echo across the field, and Arthur recoils at the grief in his tone:

“So be it.”

He slowly lifts his arm, holding it at a forty-five degree angle from the ground, his fingers splayed wide, and Elyan gasps, pointing wordlessly to the lightening dancing between his fingertips. Gwaine lets out a boisterous laugh, grinning as he realises with sudden clarity that Merlin is about to kick ass in a major way.

Arthur just gapes, struggling to process what was happening even as Gwaine whoops and Lancelot smiles proudly. The other knights are also staring, varying levels of confusion, awe, and happiness on their faces. 

From where they’re standing, they can see Mordred and Morgana get into a fighting stance, though neither of them draw the swords they have hanging from their hips. Morgause lets out an ear piercing screech, this one wordless, giving the distinct impression that her mind had snapped under the weight of her fury. Her army begins their march forwards as she hurls a fireball the size of a horse straight for Merlin, but he simply twists his wrist sharply forwards. A bolt of lightening rips down from the sky, intercepting the fireball and forcing it to the ground where it explodes in a miniature storm of silver sparks and golden flames.

Morgause screams again, her and her army speeding up in their approach as Merlin gives some sort of unseen command. All of a sudden, Mordred gives a small leap forward, planting his feet firmly as he thrusts his hands towards the ground before ripping them up again; with the movement, the ground at his feet explodes, vines and rocks and roots bursting from the field in a sharp line heading straight for the army. Morgana, at the same time, swirls her arms gracefully around her head, a few sparks of fire lighting up in the darkness as if from the friction between her hands and the air. She brings her arms down again, completing the elegant flow, stepping forward as she blows harshly into her cupped hands. A great, hot fire bursts forth, huge and angry and writhing as it shoots towards the enemy.

A few feeble counter attacks are thrown from Morgause and the sorcerers she has in her ranks, but ultimately, the army can only look on in horror at their approaching deaths. After a few moments of Merlin staring proudly at Mordred and Morgana’s handy work as it rips apart the first few hundred soldiers, he takes his own step forward, raising his arm to the sky. Lightening dances between just his fingertips at first, then down his arm, then all over his body; he connects to the flashes in the sky, and he glows brighter and brighter until he thrusts both arms forward. A tornado of flashing, crackling light shoots out from his hands, striking down thousands of soldiers. Shards of lightening jump from enemy to enemy, leaving none untouched by magic, each being struck down by Mordred’s earth, Morgana’s fire, or Merlin’s sky.

The Camelot army can only stare on in shock and horror as the enemy is wiped out in minutes, screams of those being buried alive, burned as if on pyres, or fried from the inside out reverberating across the field. Arthur’s mouth hangs open, his eyes wide and frozen on Merlin as he conducts lightening as if it were what he was born to do. Something deep in Arthur’s soul tells him that this is what he was born to do.

Aithusa’s protection isn’t required; none of the enemy soldiers get within ten metres of Merlin and his pupils, let alone Arthur and the other knights, but she patrols the front edge of Camelot’s army regardless, nudging back those that step too far forward (everyone was too focused on The King’s manservant, knight, and half sister being... well... Godlike, to care about the fact that a Dragon was using her snout to gently push people around), always with one eye on Arthur, just like her master had asked.

Within minutes, the field goes almost silent; the only sounds to be heard are the gentle crackling of still-smouldering bodies, and the deep breaths of Morgause, Mordred, Morgana, and Arthur. Merlin seems entirely unbothered, his stance still strong and powerful where Mordred and Morgana sag slightly from the exertion.

Morgause falls to her knees, tears on her cheeks as she finally realises the power that she’s up against; Merlin tilts his head slightly before clicking his fingers. The four of them disappear in clouds of deep black smoke and Arthur struggles to stop himself from yelping and falling back when they reappear in front of him.

Morgause is still kneeling, Merlin in front of her with a blank expression on his face. Morgana stands to the side, her face an odd mix of sorrowfully defeated—Morgause was her sister after all—and vindictively victorious. Mordred stands at her shoulder, looking a lot more tired but still managing to stay upright as he gazes upon the scene with well put together indifference. Aithusa bounds over to be stood at her master’s side, and even Kilgharrah joins them, standing behind Aithusa a way’s off.

Morgause finally speaks through her deep breathing, staring up at Merlin in desperation:

“Who are you?”

Merlin just tilts his head and frowns slightly, crouching down to place a soft hand on her shoulder:

“Who do you think?”

Morgause sags even further, her tears streaming down her face as she almost whispers, her voice cracking:

“Emrys.”

Merlin nods slowly, looking to Arthur for the first time since the whole ordeal started. Arthur is taken aback at the shining gold of his eyes, but holds his gaze, gulping and waiting for his servant (?) to make the first move:

“Your orders, My Lord?”

Arthur takes a deep breath, looking first down at Morgause, who is staring at the floor blankly, then to Mordred and Morgana, who raise eyebrows at him, then Lancelot, who shrugs, and finally the other knights, who stare at him with wide eyes, waiting for his answer just as Merlin is. His hands clench at his side, but he looks back to the dark-haired man, his face determined and his voice strong:

“Your suggestion?”

Lancelot nods approvingly at Arthur’s obvious show of trust; the question is more than just a question, it’s a display that The King is treating Merlin like an advisor, asking for his counsel and trusting his allegiance in front of a crowd. Merlin smiles slightly, tightening his grip on Morgause’s shoulder, not that she notices:

“I’m not overly fond of execution, but we don’t have dungeons strong enough to hold her long term, and too many have suffered at her hand.”

Arthur nods, though he sheathes his sword. He takes a deep breath before his next instruction, knowing that this is... delicate, and important; a turning point in his Kingdom’s history:

“Make it merciful.”

Merlin holds in his proud smile and Morgause only has time to gasp quietly as his hand moves from her shoulder to her forehead. Her eyes roll back and she collapses to the floor, dead before she even hits the ground. 

The Warlock spares the dead witch a quick, pitying glance, and the grief in his eyes, even after all she had done, is endearing, reminding everyone around them of the compassion Merlin is capable of. He stands quickly, but is careful not to make any of his moves too sudden, stepping away from the body and towards Arthur. His stance is strong once again, allowing some before unseen authority, confidence, power to shine through; Mordred and Morgana take their places either side of them, and even Aithusa sits up, tall and proud, as Kilgharrah edges forward slightly.

This is Merlin, showing off his army, presenting it to his King, offering it up for judgment. An army consisting of himself, his two apprentices, and two Dragons; not large, but likely the most powerful the land has ever known, and ever will know.

Arthur gulps, but meets Merlin’s golden gaze. The atmosphere is thick and charged and The King couldn’t pinpoint whether it was from the residual lightening still jumping between Merlin’s fingers, or the sheer power that was just displayed, seemingly effortlessly. He glances over the Warlock’s shoulder at the carnage behind him and can’t help but take a deep, fortifying breath. Merlin tilts his head, glancing at the massacre for just a moment before looking back with an almost repentant smile:

“I apologise for the theatrics,-”

He’s interrupted by Morgana’s whispered murmur of “I don’t, that was brilliant.” but ignores her:

“-but I can... fix that. If you like?”

Arthur frowns slightly, confused and so far out of his comfort zone that he doesn’t even want to hazard a guess at what Merlin might be implying. He feels a mould grow spontaneously in his gut, a horror with spores that spread throughout his bloodstream as he realises that... he doesn’t really know anything about magic, about how it works, about how Merlin is offering to use it. It had yet to occur to him to be afraid of Merlin, but the sudden realisation that he’d been persecuting his servant’s people with no real understanding of his own former hatred was... jarring.

The Warlock sees Arthur’s hesitation, widening his reassuring smile slightly as he repeats an earlier question, from a time that felt as though it had come years before, but was really only minutes. The discrepancy in timelines between Arthur’s head and the real world does not alter the King’s answer

“Do you trust me?”

“More than anyone.”

Merlin closes his eyes, holding his hands out to the side slightly as he lets out a deep breath. The storm, which Arthur and the knights had become entirely oblivious of despite it’s ruinous thunder and blinding flashes of lightening, quickly dissipates; blue sky and bright sun peek through the fading clouds. A gold shimmer ripples out across the ground from Merlin’s feet, spreading backwards like a wave over sand, turning pebbles and leaving the beach clean and fresh in it’s wake. The ground clears, bodies sinking into nothingness and fires being smothered by magic, even Morgause disappears into the dirt. 

Arthur absentmindedly thinks that that could be seen as honorary or disgracing; he supposes it depends on what type of person you were before the end of your life. Merlin would see being entombed within the Earth itself as a blessing, he somehow thinks that Morgause, with her God complex and inflated feelings of infallibility, would find it... demeaning.

Merlin sags his head slightly, and when Arthur’s brain comes back into focus, mostly prompted by the gasping and widespread whispers of the uneasy army behind him, he sees that the barren fields of Camlann, soaked with blood and scorched by lightening, no longer exist. In their place was a vast meadow, bright with the colours of spring and summer; untameable wildflowers stood tall and crimson butterflies were the only reminders of the bloodshed that had watered this paradise before them.

Arthur feels the smile on his face before he had even made the conscious decision to smile, but he decides that today, of all days, he doesn’t mind accidentally wearing his heart on his sleeve. Trust Merlin to do something as unspeakable as rip an army to shreds with lightening, and then apologise for his dramatics by creating heaven on earth.

The King sighs before shaking his head slightly, letting out a short, disbelieving laugh. He can feel the sun on his skin, and his smile grows with the knowledge that the heat warming his cheeks was entirely unnatural for this time of year; Merlin really was pulling out all of the stops.

“You’re a gift to this world, Merlin.”

His voice comes out softly, as if he were afraid of ruining the peace, though he only adds to it; The King finally turns to his Warlock again and almost stumbles back at the immeasurable devotion shining from his now-blue-again eyes. His whispered response carries on the wind as if he were a part of it, and Arthur wonders just how much of this world Merlin has touched, just how much of this universe Merlin has created, extended himself to. Did the wind exist before Merlin? Did the sun? Did butterflies, or lightening, or the colour gold have any space in this universe before Merlin willed it? Gaius’ thick books say they have an answer, but Arthur thinks they might be lying:

“A gift to you, Arthur, only to you.”

~

THE END!

I’ve been looking forward to writing this one for a while, so I hope y’all liked it!! I LOVE writing BAMF!Merlin, (and BAMF!Mordred/Morgana as well so) :D

Same as always, you wanna extend it/write it properly/remix it, then that’s fine, but drop me message before hand and credit/tag me!! :)

[killer-rabbit-of-caerbannog]

Potent Quotables

God may judge you, but his sins outnumber your own. - Tumblr user afabbaeddel

“I’ll do anything for you!” “Anything?” “Anything!” “Then perish.” - Obama hewwo rp

Violence for violence is the rule of beasts. - Tumblr user Kumagawa, quoting a dream version of Obama

I will face God and walk backwards into hell. - Twitter user @drill

One day, you’ll be face to face with whatever saw fit to let you exist in the universe, and you’ll have to justify the space you’ve filled. - Tumblr user curseworm

“If you eat it, the fey own you, though.” “That’s the fey’s problem.” - Tumblr users creepsandcrawlers and kramergate

You kneel before my throne, unaware that it was born of lies. - Tumblr user aplpaca

No amount of skill will protect you from the sheer luck of a chronic dumbass. - Tumblr user polygonfighter

What fatal flaw has God injected the human psyche with? Why must we always strive for the things furthest away from us? - Tumblr user pukicho

Jesus is my homeboy but God has a lot to answer for and my rebellion will continue until he does so. - Tumblr user hokuto-ju-no-ken

Weird hill to die on, but at least you’re dead. - Tumblr user primarybufferpanel

Nothing’s set in stone, but they’re set in a dirt road. If you roll your wagon in the same path too much it’ll soon be the only path you can take without struggling. - Tumblr user one-time-i-dreamt, quoting a dream character called Time

Can you feel your heart burning? Can you feel the struggle within? The fear within me is beyond anything your soul can make. You cannot kill me in any way that matters. - Tumblr user personsonable

Decay exists as an extant form of life. - Tumblr user personsonable

Do I look like the kind of man who dies? - Tumblr user watsonshoneybee, quoting a dream version of Prince

I am going to flay your skin from your cowardly bones and wear your hide as a bathrobe. - Tumblr user biggest-gaudiest-patronus

No curse of mine shall befall you from my dying breath. - Tumblr user flyfella

Love is dead and never existed. All you did was betray me as I lay sick and festering. You are the definition of dread. - Tumblr user mintyton

One day you will have to answer to a god who will not be as merciful as us. - Tumblr user teamesme

It looks like we’re both wrong, but more importantly, you’re wrong. - Tumblr user bombing

I’d rather die standing up than live kneeling. - Tumblr user sectonia

I feel like a lost priest finding Jesus in a bar. - Pinterest user Tibbles

She’s got lungs fit to blow the trumpets at Rapture. - Tumblr user horo, quoting a random guy off the street

Then become the dirt I walk on. - Tumblr user pukicho

I want nothing more than to uppercut you directly to Heaven’s front door. - Tumblr user pukicho

Back to hell with you. - Tumblr user pukicho

“Women who had period cramps before pain killers were invented were metal as fuck let’s give them a standing ovation” “A standing ovulation” “A round of menopause.” “It was a difficult period of history for everyone” “I didn’t ask for this to happen” - Tumblr thread, users who-the-fuck-let-me-have-a-blog, gingerbludger, nightvalesponsors, & helpwigi

“It’s not that deep.” Maybe not originally, but the ground is soft and I am ready to dig. - Tumblr user tailornorata

One day you’ll decompose, and I’ll be there to watch it happen. - Tumblr user turing-tested

You callow youths, who think in your innocence that memes come and go, you are tepid fools who still smell of milk. - Tumblr user naamahdarling

“Met a dumb ass today, awful.” “You looked in a mirror?” “Someday you will have to answer for your actions and God may not be so merciful.” - Tumblr users disney-official and soldierpallaton

Why would you blame the people reaching for heaven instead of the god who cursed them? - Tumblr user hell-propaganda

The bar was so low it was practically a tripping hazard in Hell, yet here you are, limbo dancing with the Devil. - Tumblr user omnybus

That’s the problem with gods; their pleasure and their wrath often look the same. - Tumblr user madmaudlingoes

Do good recklessly. - Tumblr user therealflurrin

And I’ll leave my brain wherever I please. And mine may be in a jar, but even without it I seem to have a bit more critical thinking skills than you. - Tumblr user witches-of-color

“Do you think you’ll ever stop loving him?” “The mountain itself is sure to crumble to dust before my love for him ends.” - Tumblr user reclaimeddurin responding to an anonymous question

It’s not my fault you’re human - Tumblr user derinthescarletpescatarian

And when we finally kill the gods neither hell nor heaven will be waiting for them because they created those to imprison us - Tumblr user malewifecombat

You bury a seed not because it looks nice in the dirt, but because the limbs that branch out will look nice in the sky - Tumblr user abyss13warlock

Everything you touch will crumble - Tumblr user jumex

You need to not be ruled by your hominid yuckberry instinct. That’s where bigotry comes from. - Tumblr user jumpingjacktrash

I’m at the grasping at straws stage but by god my grip strength has improved. - Tumblr user sometransgal

I know there will come a day when we part ways, whether it be by choice or by death, but please - I want to say a thousand hellos before we must say a single goodbye. Will you let me stay, that we may greet each other when we wake? - me (Tumblr user killer-rabbit-of-caerbannog), quoting a dream version of the prince from Rapunzel

You are not better than Icarus just because you have the benefit of his example. - Tumblr user manywinged

What is man but an animal playing god? - Tumblr user pukicho

What you know will kill you, but you will die laughing. - Tumblr user bondsmagii

[tarosin]

the great adventures of y/n tubbo tommy ranboo and george - trampolines and chaos

this is part 13 to the great adventures series

an: so it’s very clear y/ns love language is spending time with people and physical touch, all love mentioned is platonic

you and ranboo settled in rather quickly. However, there was good and bad news the bad news was you both had to isolate which meant when tubbo would go out with the others the pair of you couldn’t go the good news however, was that it would only be for a week and that you could both spend a lot of time together catching up and talking about anything that came to mind making the pair of you grow close. the pair of you would work on the scrapbook with tubbo, this was your favourite thing to do as ranboo would add his own twist to it and often came up with new ideas, you would both stream together for your twitch channel when tubbo was out and when he would come home you would all stream on ranboos channel. you often found yourself helping ranboo film videos for youtube or help him cook when tubbo was streaming. since you shared a room with ranboo every night you would sit on the couch pulling him close so you could play with his hair whilst a random film would play in the background, today was no different you sat on the couch and put bo Burnham's inside on whilst you waited for him to walk over with a blanket so he could sit in between your legs letting you play with his hair

“your hair got long boo…I’m going to try and plait some of it”

“I couldn’t get a hair cut and you know this”

you laughed quietly to yourself continuing to plait some of his hair he would occasionally sigh and pretend he didn’t like it but it was pretty obvious that he was beginning to relax under your touch, you continued plaiting his hair listening to him quietly sing along to the songs. it was moments like this you both loved and appreciated but would never tell anyone that it happened. it was your little secret.

after five days passed you and ranboo were free to go meet with others again meaning you could finally go out and film the trampoline vlog for tommys channel which you spent the last five days planning. safe to say you were excited, you hadn’t been to a trampoline park in a while. you woke ranboo up at 10 am you didn’t need to worry about tubbo as you heard him walking around talking to his phone it took a few minutes to realise he was doing a Twitter space. tubbo sent you a message earlier to let you know that there was a package for you near the door so once you got ready you went to grab it, inside was a couple of shirts, hoodies and hats from your sample merch you were honestly amazed. ranboo walked up to you grabbing one of the shirts and a hoodie.

“y/n these look great wow”

“I got a couple of each size, find the sizes you want and they’re yours”

a few minutes later ranboo walked back into the room wearing your merch

“mind if I wear it for the vlog”

“of course you can ill be showing it on stream later”

and with that you all made your way to the tubbo and began your journey to the trampoline park, it was a relatively quick trip the three of you spent the entire trip talking about stream and youtube ideas.

as soon as Tommy saw you all walk into the trampoline park he ran over tackling you all into a hug

“Hey guys, how have you been! we’re just waiting for George”

“speak of the devil he’s just arrived..ranboo I am not an armrest”

“sorry y/n it’s not my fault that you’re the perfect height to be one”

a few minutes later you all made your way to the trampolines. this is where the chaos began you all didn’t know where to begin, excitement took over and safety when out the window. you and ranboo challenged each other to see who could jump higher

“CATCH ME RANBOO”

“HUH Y/N”

you jumped from the trampoline you were on into ranboos arms (luckily as if he didn’t catch you, you would have fallen)

“thank you boo”

Tommy dragged you all the area where you had to try and hit the person opposite you off of the plank, you stood laughing as tubbo instantly hit Tommy making him fall

“boooo”

“I’d like to see you do better y/n”

“bet..tubbo get back on”

the pair of you put up a decent fight, Tommy ended up distracting tubbo which allowed you to win, you then went against George and won then ranboo decided to go against you

“…haha hey boo looking awfully tall today”

“you look awfully short today”

you then tried and failed to make him fall ranboo on the other hand was able to make you lose your balance however you weren’t going down on your own so you dragged him down with you. after that you stood in awe watching tubbo do tricks on the trampoline

“look at him go he’s like a gazelle”

“I'm sorry ranboo what gazelles have you been watching”

“you don’t know what I’ve seen y/n”

you laughed as Tommy went up next claiming that he could also do that…he couldn’t.

George noticed a box and attempted to jump over it followed by you who only just managed to jump over it as you got distracted on the run-up, up next was tubbo who jumped over it, Tommy tried to jump over it but ended up rolling over it you stood shaking your head as ranboo went next unsurprisingly he jumped over it easily then lied down on the box

“Hey how’s it going”

you and Tommy had the same idea

“we’re going to jump over you ranboo”

“oh no please don’t- OH GOD”

so you and Tommy failed to jump over him and crashed into him

“hey boo-“

“that didn’t go to plan”

“no, it didn’t”

you and Tommy got up and decided to lie down with him you noticed tubbo at the run-up getting ready to jump over the three of you, you all screamed as tubbo successfully jumped over thou all

“holy shit”

“oooohhhh”

“didn’t doubt you for a minute tubs”

you got up and went over to George who seemed to be having a lovely time on the trampolines, you heard screaming in the background and turned around to see ranboo chasing Tommy who decided that the safest option would be to run headfirst into the wall

“what the fuck is up with him”

you all stood on the inflatable safety hazard not knowing which way it was going to turn, this didn’t go well for any of you as everyone but ranboo (because he was filming) was instantly hit by the inflatable you ended up on the floor you looked up to see ranboo looking down at you

“don’t look at me like that boo”

“you really do amaze me”

“I put a rock in your pocket”

“no- what how”

you couldn’t contain your laughter as ranboo pulled out a rock which you did indeed place in his pocket sometime during the trip. you all decided to try again on the inflatable this time it went slightly better…for less than 30 seconds you got hit and dragged over to tubbo and George who had also been hit

“Hello boys”

a few minutes later you tubbo and ranboo tried again this time it went well for you, you managed to pay attention and ignore ranboo who was shouting that he will beat the machine. well, it went well till ranboo got hit as you found it hilarious which ended up being your downfall as you got distracted.

you all decided to have a totally safe game of dodgeball

“guys it’s like mcc”

you and ranboo looked at each other before yelling about how you both wouldn’t know, you decided to aim at tubbo who was focusing on Tommy which allowed you to hit him multiple times

“Y/N I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS”

you made your way over to him tackling him resulting in you both falling

“We are bee boy”

“I hate you”

“love you too”

after helping tubbo up and aiming at Tommy you heard ranboo yelling

“I just got hit in the balls by tubbo...OW AND Y/N THANKS A LOT”

“you’re welcome my beloved”

you sat with ranboo as the others continued to play dodgeball, he tapped your thigh to get your attention, you turned your head to see him holding part of his glasses

“your other pair is in my bag I’ll go get them”

“I’ll come with you”

after ranboo told the others the pair of you made your way to your bag

“thank you y/n…how did you know I’d break them”

“tubbo and I both carry a spare pair on us just in case. we went out to get them on our way to the airport”

the pair of you made your way to the others who were now stood waiting for you

“Woah what the fuck is this”

tubbo tapped your shoulder and whispered that someone is on their way to explain what it was, a few minutes later one of the workers came over and explained how it works and what to do, you all watched Tommy go up you tubbo and ranboo constantly made jokes about him the entire time, you continued to do this as tubbo went up

“can I clickbait this if you die”

“oooh can i”

ranboo went next you and tubbo both tried to hit him with the dodgeballs from earlier however you both missed you watched as ranboo slid down and looked at you

“sup”

“oh god I’m next”

you went next the entire time you made comments about not letting go

“what if I don’t let go”

“I will personally drag you down”

you looked down to see Tommy pretending to get ready to drag you down

“NO TOMMY”

and with that, you let go

“Hello boys that go fast doesn't it”

George went next and screamed the entire way down you and tubbo looked at each other questioning if you heard the same thing before looking back at George

“Are you okay”

one at a time you all jumped off of the mini wall onto the soft landing below, Tommy landed funny accidentally hurting himself

“Tommy I love you but you’re an idiot”

ranboo went next landing in the same pose as before

“sup”

“stylish..real stylish”

tubbo pushed you off before you even had the chance to jump

“TUBBO I SWEAR TO GOD”

“REVENGE FOR HITTING ME IN DODGEBALL”

the others sat down looking up at you and ranboo who was now stood on the wall looking down on them

“jump”

“okay”

“wait what”

ranboo grabbed your hand and jumped off onto the landing taking you down with him

“Why does this always happen to me why not George or Tommy”

Tommy ran off after asking you all if you all thought he could request a song as he returned you could hear mask beginning to play and Tommy trying to sing along whilst running over to you all. you all then spent a good while messing on the trampolines so Tommy had footage to use for a montage after that you all made your way to some chairs so you could have a minute to relax and have a drink. you sat next to tubbo trying not to laugh as you watched ranboo attempt to drink the water through his mask

“oh wait did you just-“

“now your mask is going to be wet”

tubbo and Tommy ended up running off to get more content for the vlog and George ended up walking off somewhere, ranboo looked at you before welcoming you with open arms, the two of you sat in each other’s embrace watching Tommy and tubbo run around the park.

“you doing okay boo”

“I’m alright a little hot”

“that’s expected I mean you’re literally wearing a hoodie and mask with glasses I’m surprised you can even see when you're on the trampolines”

“I can't”

the two of you sat talking for a few more minutes before going back to the trampolines running, jumping and falling over. 10 minutes later you sat with Tommy watching George definitely do something on the floor, you weren’t quite sure what he was trying to do

“wooo go, George”

“thank you y/n”

at this point, it was clear you were all getting tired you all went off to buy a slush before sitting back down in the chairs you were making your way to sit with tubbo however your dear friend ranboo pulled you down to sit with him

“oh hello”

“hi y/n”

“I have a slush”

“as do i “

before you could speak again you heard Tommy and George messing with a walkie talkie, you sat looking at the two of them not realising that ranboo also had one

“give us more trampolines”

“hi George”

as you didn’t expect this you jumped slightly making ranboo turn his head and laugh

“Jesus christ when did you get that”

“well tubbo gave me it I was going to tell you but I wanted to scare you y/n”

after cooling down you all went to the play area, you found a slide and ran to it ranboo not far behind

“y/n wait for me we can go down together”

“okay go behind me”

ranboo got on behind you and held onto your waist so you didn’t go down without him. Tommy noticed this and wanted to join the chain

“We can go down together”

“alright hop on”

“slide trio”

“tubbo…there’s four of us”

not wanting to be left behind, George decided to join the chain

“is everyone ready”

“no”

“don’t care”

and with that, the five of you made your way down the slide, after this Tommy dragged you all to the mini jump area where you all sat watching George have a great time

“I don’t care about the rules”

“you’re doing great”

you all ended the trip at the inflatable safety hazard again, you sat with ranboo who kept an arm around your waist whilst recording Tommy who was just constantly being hit and knocked over even though he wasn’t playing

“just get out just get out”

“get out get out”

“he’s dying”

“I'm using this for clickbait on stream”

later that night you decided not to stream as you decided that you’d rather spend the night scrapbooking and playing random board games with tubbo and ranboo

taglist

@fuzzycloudsz @wtfwriter @bearytime @milkydisaster @dumb-chaotic-bi-energy @uselesssapphickitten @l0ver0fj0y @etheriaaly @xx-smiley-xx @hawarun @kylobensgirl @cawcaw-pretty-thing @reverse-iak @renleicrashed @augustine-is-joy @c1loudee

[persephone-uwu]

Getting banned from a My Hero Server because people were openly defending Endeavour, and victim blaming Toya. It’s extremely fucked up. Saying you want him dead, and he deserves to die, but not Enji because he’s “changing,” and then admitting to being an abuse apologist? Because you like Endeavour?

I hate the argument “it’s just fiction,” because no, it’s not. Abuse isn’t fiction, and how you respond to it, whether fictional or not, is extremely telling of how you react to abuse in general.

“Being a victim doesn’t give you the right to kill your abuser,” not in the real world, no. (It should, but that’s for a different conversation.) For those of us who relate to Toya, it’s comforting to live vicariously through him. He can get justice for himself. He deserves to get justice for himself.

Saying “murder is worse than abuse,” is the most awful thing I’ve ever heard. Honestly.

That’s definitely coming from someone whose never been abused. However, I’m not defending him. Do I think he should be held responsibility for his crimes? Absolutely. But I don’t want to see him rot in prison for life, when he deserves redemption. I think he really relates to Azula, and they have a lot in common, so I love that. They were both trained to be child weapons, and the stress of being the perfect, golden child broke them down. But not even Azula was locked up forever; but it shows how much mental illness can effect you, and your choices. He’s a beautifully written character, and I want to see him get redemption. I understand he needs to pay for his crimes, but he can do that in psychiatric care, while getting help. I don’t think it’s fair that he should be held accountable for his actions, when Endeavour hasn’t been. His crimes are swept under the rug, and his fans, both in the manga and the real world, defend him.

I say this quote on Tumblr a long time ago, and I kept it because it made me really think of Dabi and Shigaraki, so I’m going to post it here: “I too once believed in the ruling power, but when I put my faith in it to protect me, I was betrayed. The people who did this faced no consequences, no trial, and as we speak continue to do harm to others. Your justice is pretty in theory, hero, but it is naive— the real world is messy and cruel, and unfair; and I plan to rectify it.

Too long I have tried other ways to make this system work— it is time to make a change.”

That’s literally what the villains are doing. They’ve been failed by their system, and continue to do so. If the vigilantes feel the need to take justice into their own hands, why can’t the villains?

“Why didn’t Toya just come forward? Get a new family? Run away?”

It’s not that simple. And why should he?? Why wouldn’t he hold his abuser accountable??? Why does he have to leave his family behind? He did find a new family though. People who cared about him, who SAW him.

If you can openly love Endeavour, because you think a 46 year old man deserves redemption because “abuse isn’t as bad as murder,” then you’re part of a much larger problem.

The League wants to “make a better, shining world” as stated by Dabi. In HIS eyes, he’s making the world a better place. You know the saying, right? “You’ll never truly understand a villain, until you understand why they’re the hero in their own mind.” And who says they’re wrong? Isn’t the author showing us that the hero society IS flawed? There is no Right or Wrong side. Have you played My Hero Ones Justice 2? Have you heard Dabi’s dialogue? He mentions meeting Gran Trino in the hospital as a kid, probably because of the intense training by Endeavor. He only says, “God, or whosoever up there, is cruel.” Which means he’s HURTING still because of Endeavor. He’s also insecure, because of his dad saying he wants good enough. He constantly calls himself weak, and at one point, Twice tries to make him feel better by telling him to not put himself down. Endeavor isn’t better, because it’s taken him THIS long, while Touya is still developing; but it’s hard to grow as a person when all you’ve ever known is pain. Shoto said himself that he could’ve grown up to be just like Dabi, if Deku hadn’t given him the “power of friendship” speech. But Touya didn’t have anyone to give him that speech. No one saved him. No one pulled him back from the edge. Endeavor can’t just “forget” what he’s done, wtf. You can’t just forget someone’s abuse, because it’s easier for you. What about Touya’s closure? His justice? He only wants to kill Shoto because of his trauma. Do I condone it? No. But it’s not his fault, he needs help. He’s not beyond redemption. For once, someone needs to help these villains, because no one ever saved them. They need therapy, and to be rehabilitated; not killed or locked away, and forgotten. There’s no sentences in their world, once you’re in jail, you’re in jail. They dump you there and forget about you. The League deserves more than that. They deserves voices who speak out against the abuse, discrimination, and everything else they’ve had to endure. “Villains are just victims whose stories haven’t been told.”

PS: It’s also hard to give a good argument when you have slow mode on.

[familyfriendlyweed]

makeup sessions (karl jacobs x fem reader)

a/n : hi! this is my first tumblr post. i have written stuff on wattpad in the past, but it’s still quite new to me, so please be nice :]] i accept positive critism and advice, as that most definitely will help me grow as a writer!

 Y/n let out something between a squeal and a scream at the same time when she saw Karl's tweet. her face was beat red and her lips couldn't help but curl into the stupidest grin ever.

the tweet read :

hey @) y/nhasursocks wanna do my makeup at my stream today :]]

 it was the simplest tweet, yet it meant so much to the girl. Karl and Y/n were always really good friends, they often streamed minecraft together, but never in a million years did he yet ask her to be in his stream in real life.

 Y/n picked up the phone with trembling hands, already seeing a bunch of likes, comments and retweets to Karl's tweet. before answering, she got curious to know what the people say. cautiously opening the comments section, the girl scanned it through with her eyes. a bunch of "awwwwws" and hearts could be seen, which worsened her already red cheeks.

With her heart thumping hard against her ribs, she started writing her reply :

sounds great! <3

 for a moment Y/n hesitated to press the "reply" button with the "<3" emoticon in the comment, but then she figured she and Karl sent lovey dovey emojis/emoticons in the past to each other anyways, so, she pressed the "reply" button at last.

 in an instant, her reply started gaining more and more likes, comments and retweets. Y/n was never really popular, having her clout was only because of Karl being her friend, so seeing this much attention was weird to her. but she didn't care about that right now. all that Y/n cared about at the moment was the fact that Karl appreciated her enough to actually invite her over.

 a little bit later in the day, Y/n received a private message from Karl, which said :

hey Y/n! I'm really glad you're up to stream together <3 i planned on starting the stream at 4 pm, but you can change the time if you're busy :] here is my address (don't tell anyone! :D) - (random address lol)

 Y/n answered :

 thanks for inviting me bestie!! 4 pm is cool, I'll be there! <33

 she set the phone down, unable to remove the blissful smile from her face. she has never felt this way before - it was really weird, but the constant butterflies in her tummy reminded her that it's a good feeling. taking a few deep breaths, Y/n reminded to herself that all she has to do is to go to Karl's house and have a good time AS FRIENDS - no romantic stuff is needed.

  ~~~~~time skip~~~~~

  Y/n got off from the bus at 15:50, but she still had about 5 minutes to reach Karl's house. in what felt like forever, the girl felt a sting of what was unmistakably fear and guilt - what if she was late? and what if Karl would be annoyed with her for that?

 slowly she broke into a panicky run. passing careless citizens, who all looked at her fear-stricken face curiously, she finally made it to the front door of Karl's home. Y/n pulled out her phone and found the code that she was supposed to enter next the main door. she quickly dialed it, a beep beep beep was heard and she entered.  

 finally making it to Karl's apartment, Y/n stopped to smooth her hair and straighten her clothes so she doesn't look too shabby. her body seemed to be moving on its own - her finger pressed the doorbell automatically.

 Karl opened the door almost in an instant - he wore a warm smile and before Y/n could stutter a "hello", he pulled the girl into a big welcoming hug.

 "hey Y/n! it's so cool you made it!" Karl exclaimed, still holding her close.

Y/n's head was spinning, she needed more time to process what was happening. but nevertheless, she finally lifted her own arms and hugged the guy. burying her face into his sweater, she inhaled Karl's scent deeply - he smelled something like honey and warm days.

"hello, Karl." she mumbled with a grin on her face.

"come on, do you want to eat something before the stream?" Karl asked, letting go of the girl and taking her hand into his instead, leading Y/n into the house.

"oh no, I'm full. let's get straight to business." she answered, the blissful smile and content blush never leaving her face.

"alrighty! you already know, but we'll have an eventful makeup session, and then I thought maybe play some minecraft so the stream isn't too short?" the guy asked, opening his bedroom door.

"sounds great!"

Karl smiled and went to his computer :

"you ready? I'll start the stream now."

the girl quickly fixed her hair again and gave him thumbs up :

"ready."

Karl started the stream with facecam on and as soon as the chat saw Y/n, it went absolutely wild.

"guys, give her a rest, poor girl just came!" he laughed, drawing her a chair. Y/n thanked quietly and sat, waving to the chat timidly. in the corner of her eye, she saw comments like "she's so adorable" and "look at Karl being a gentleman" in the chat and her cheeks grew more red, but this time from satisfaction.

"well, as you guys know, Y/n agreed to be in my stream today, and since some of you don't really know her, she's a really good friend of mine who also streams and does youtube videos - so go support her!"

from that moment Y/n relaxed more and more with each minute. it was fifteen minutes into the stream when she already felt as if at home.

"Karl, you have a hell lot of lipsticks, where did that come from?"

"uhhhh, I only bought them for the stream today!"

"oh really? why are they all used, then?" Y/n asked giggling and showing them to the stream.

"hey- don't expose me like that!"

"chat, clip it, CLIP IT!"

all was going really well, Y/n was having a really good time with Karl AS FRIENDS. it was really nice. but all hell broke loose when the time to put eyeliner came.

"alright, I have no idea why, but you have four eyeliners."

"they're my sister's."

"haha, yeah, yeah, alright. Which one do you want big man?"

"hmmm, the one in your left hand!"

Y/n set the other eyeliners on the table, quickly glancing at the chat. her cheeks grew very very red…

"Y/N DO THE MEME SIT ON HIS LAP" "SIT ON HIS LAP" "THE MEME, DO THE MEME!!!"

  a/n: if anyone is confused, this is an example of the meme i’m talking about :

the girl tried to act as if she hadn't seen the comments, but Karl was already by her side, reading them with her.

"meme… what meme?" he wondered out loud. Y/n got the impression that he was genuinely confused.

'chat, shut the fuck up, please shut the fuck up.' thought Y/n, but of course chat was just being chat.

"SHE SHOULD SIT ON UR LAP" "THERE'S A MEME WHERE A GIRL DOES A GUY'S EYELINER WHILE SITTING ON HIS LAP" "WE'RE NOT FORCING BUT YOU GUYS WOULD LOOK SO CUTE"

Y/n hid her face in her hands, unable to control her blushing. Karl just chuckled sweetly :

"chat, calm down, she's going to die from blushing."

he put on the "please stand by" screen and scooted over Y/n :

"hey, it's fine. we won't do it if you don't want to," Karl then leaned closer and whispered, "I'd be pretty glad if you agreed, though."

Y/n lowered her hands, showing off the big red hue on her cheeks. for a split second Karl's eyes widened -  she looked really adorable.

"I'd also be glad." the girl said, almost not believing her own words.

Karl's adorable smile came back and he leaned back:

"well then, come here."

Y/n stood up shyly and straddled his legs, grabbing the eyeliner in the process.

"do you want me to turn on the facecam?" Karl asked quietly.

the girl nodded :

"I don't mind."

he turned it on and put his hands onto Y/n's hips. even without looking at it, Y/n knew the chat was blowing up at the moment.

"you guys better subscribe, because we're providing very good fanservice." said Karl jokingly and Y/n laughed. turning to him, she opened the eyeliner and put it next to his eye, only to find him staring at her in an awe. the girl blushed as a strong urge to kiss him kicked in. it looked as if Karl wanted the same thing.

at the precise same time, they both leaned in and pressed their lips together, Y/n putting her hands onto Karl's cheeks to hide the view from the chat. the kiss was very short and with no tongue included - but it was the most sweet kiss Y/n has ever shared with someone. she pulled away, an identical grin to Karl's on her face and hugged him very tight - they almost fell off the chair.

laughing, she continued to do Karl's makeup as if nothing happened and everyone watching the stream wasn't fainting and clipping the kiss. this will be talked about for a long time, but as before, Y/n didn't care about that, and nor did Karl.

a/n : anddddd cut! it’s quite wonky, but i believe it’s pretty swell for my first mcyt fanfic :]] let me know what you think of it and if you have any tips or advice on how to make my future stories more enjoyable! thanks for reading and i hope to see you around <3