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firegirl888101 · 10 months

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Insatiable Madness (6)

|Sagau Yandere Fatui Harbingers x Reader|

And so they remain in this world for longer than what they planned.

Reader is Gender Neutral!

"What gave you the idea I can tell the future?" You scoffed.

"That doesn't matter! Tell me, do I become the strongest? Does Lord Capitano finally recognise my strength and duel me?" He answered.

"How am I supposed to know? The game isn't even finished, you psychopath!"

"It can't be that far away that even you don't know." He scoffed.

"It's not a question of how far in the future it is, it's whether I can actually answer it or not that matters!"

"Oh, so you do know but you just can't tell me because it would mess with the future! I see..." He muttered to himself.

That is not what I meant.

"Tartaglia leave the poor Decider alone. We've tormented them enough." Pulcinella scolded, prodding his walking stick at the ginger.

"But I need to know!--"

"-And you will learn what you want later, when The Tsaritsa has finished her plans with them." He scolded.

"Come on, boy, I thought I taught you better than this."

"Dottore what is taking so long!? I was promised we wouldn't stay here much longer." Sandrone raised her voice.

Why is that cosplayer so pissy? It's not like she can actually 'traverse back to Teyvat' like she says she can.

"I'm not sure, let me redo my calculations." He replied.

All Sandrone did was groan in response. "Fine! You do your calculations, I'm taking The Decider with me."

"Don't stray too far!" Columbina waved, giggling at The Doctor's increasing speed in shuffling his papers.

You felt her grab you by your restraints and drag you with her, she seemed to be heading behind the counter.

"Now that I have your undivided attention," She coughed into her hand. "Educate me about these beautiful machines this place has!"

"What."

"I have never seen machinery so big and so seemingly illustrious in my lifetime! You simply must report to me which genius created such pleasing creations."

Careful there Sandrone, out of context it sounds like you're describing something else...

"Well..." How were you supposed to explain them? You didn't know how they work, you've never worked a day in your life! You're just a college student with barely passable grades.

"I don't want any hesitancy. Speak now." She glared.

"Uh... This one! This one is used for frying things, the things being chips... They're more commonly known as fries though."

"Ah, I see... And I suppose the liquid in this 'basin' is oil?" She questioned, tracing her hand on the metal.

"It's not a basin, that would be in a bathroom... But yes, it is. I also advise that you don't touch it, it's most likely still hot. Not that I'd mind it burning you..."

"What did you say, you unrisable creature?" She spat, turning to you with a blank gaze.

"Nothing, Sandrone." You sighed. "Now that I answered your question, will you answer one of mine?"

"Of course not. It's also 'Lady Sandrone' to you." She smiled, turning back to the oil with a look of interest.

"So... how does one make and then 'fry' these 'chips' in this machine?"

"Would you like the basics or the very start of the process?" You sighed, you really didn't want to explain that you cut a potato and then clean and so on.

"The very start, just who do you take me for?"

Fantastic. You shouldn't really be picky in this type of situation though.

"You take a potato, clean it then cut it into strips..."

"Important! Thin or thick strips? What's the exact diameter? The length?"

"It depends what type of chips you want, as typical fast food chain's ones are thin like fries they're quite thin and short. Those who get long ones are said to be the luckiest." You explained to her, as she writes everything down on a piece of paper.

"And the diameter?"

"You don't need a specific size, as long as they're somewhat equal they're fine. They're going to be eaten anyway, I don't see why you're making such a big fuss."

She stayed quiet for a moment. "I want them to be perfect."

Nothing is perfect but if I said that she'd get even more pissed off.

"Next, you take your clean cut chips and put them in this basket. You then place the basket with chips in the oil and wait for a certain amount of time for them to cook."

"For how long?" She questioned. "I don't know? I've never personally used one before, I'm just saying what I've seen others do."

...and by 'seen what others do', you mean impatiently peering behind the front desk to see what the workers are up to.

"Useless, and here I thought you were becoming convenient for me." Sandrone scoffed.

"Well, the chips are supposed to be a golden colour so I think that's context enough..." You mumbled.

"And then what? Surely there is more."

"Not really, once they're cooked you put salt on them then eat. Some like to eat them straight away, but I like to add sauce sometimes."

"Excellent, I have written every word of your explanation down. As you provided the least minimal detail possible, you will show me a clear and explained demonstration." She scolded.

"I'm sorry, you want me to use one of these machines to help you with your notes?"

"Precisely." She nodded to herself.

"No." You answered shortly. "I have no idea how to operate one of these machines, what if I set fire to the building?"

That's a bit dramatic, but you don't want to embarrass yourself. Besides, a fire could count as arson and you weren't willing to potentially get yourself to prison with the rest of these lunatics.

"I suppose that is anxiety raising. Especially when I've been ordered to stay out of public eye..." She sighed to herself.

"What a dilemna this situation is. I'll have to take the machine apart and rebuild it once I return to my lab. You will aid me in my endeavour, won't you?" She glared.

She's good at staying in character. It's freaking me out.

"S-Sure..." You stuttered in fear.

"Excellent." She smiled at you once more.

Suddenly, lots of cars could be heard from outside the building. You could tell they were fast as the sounds left as soon as they came.

Oh, please tell me that's help!

"What was--"

"Marionette, bring The Decider now!" Dottore shouted from the other room. "We need to get out of here, they alerted their own soldiers!"

"You did what while under my merciful eye?" She turned to you.

"Sandrone, there's no time to be mad! Get your puppeteering arse over here right now!"

"Ugh."

She dragged you to the rest of the harbingers, who all gave you nasty glares.

"What did you do!?" Signora screamed in your face.

"I called the authorities to arrest you nutcases! You're all delusional and high in the fucking sky if you think you're the actual Fatui Harbingers from a fictional game!"

"Did it ever occur to you that you are currently being held hostage by multiple enemies of yours? You have courage to do such a thing while captured by us." Capitano praises.

"We have circled the entire building! Give the hostage and we will arrest peacefully!" An officer yelled from the front entrance.

Finally! I thought they'd never arrive.

"Dottore what do we do?" Arlecchino shouts at him. "Let's just kill them all again, it worked before didn't it?" Childe grinned.

"Not this time, Tartaglia. Even if we disposed of these soldiers, I am positive more would soon arrive." Capitano stated, unmoving unlike most harbingers.

"So you're saying even if we take care of them, we'll still be outnumbered."

"They're not soldiers, idiots. They're police officers who work for justice." You spat at them.

They all looked at you, silently telling you to shut up then turned back to eachother.

"Listen to me, as I'll only suggest this once." Signora thought outloud. "I'll freeze them with my cryo delusion, then we'll run to a safe place? As much as I'd hate to do that as I'm wearing heels, I believe it's our only option."

"I agree with Rosalyne," The old man coughed. "We need speed and tactiful thinking if we wish to leave this world."

"Signora, I've never known you to be so vague!" Childe laughed at her, looking at Pulcinella in hopes he'll laugh along with him.

"She's obviously talking about the park we entered this world in." Arlecchino scoffed at his behaviour.

"Then that is what we shall do." Pierro agreed.

Signora then pushed herself through the double doors calmly. You couldn't see what was happening due to Capitano covering your view, but you could hear screams and hysterical laughter.

"Please don't tell me she's killing them." You muttered, a look of repulsion present on your face.

"Did you even listen to her plan? She's not killing anyone." Sandrone rolled her eyes.

"I don't trust you, nor do I trust her."

"A wise decision on your part, but it doesn't aide your case of being kidnapped." Pierro answered for her.

"I'm aware of that, arsehole..." You whispered. "Pardon?" He glared.

"You know what? I've had enough of staying quiet. Fuck every single one of you! I hope that one day you breathe a vapes' cancerous flavour and your lungs dissolve at the second!"

"What's a vape?" Dottore turned to you.

"Okay, maybe I've been assuming too much, maybe you imported some illegal drugs from elsewhere? That's not the point though." You sighed.

"I feel better now that I got that out of my chest." You smiled to yourself, noticing Capitano giving you a blank stare through his mask in return.

"It certainly doesn't help you, but you do what you deem fit."

"Let's move!" Signora's voice could faintly be heard from outside, the harbingers one by one leaving the building through the doors.

"Apologies." Capitano coughed into his hand, picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder.

"Hey! I can walk myself, you tied my wrists together not my ankles!" You argued to him.

"Does it look like he wants you over your shoulder?" Scaramouche rolled his eyes, before realising something.

"Nevermind, you wouldn't be able to see." He laughed in your face, hitting your head which banged against Capitano's back.

"Dude! Careful, I don't want to be near his arse! Besides, I--"

You stopped yourself from talking when you managed to turn your head to the police officers outside. They looked in terrible condition, you thought Signora was being drugged up when she went on about her cryo delusion!

Seeing the police officers shout to each other as they struggle against the ice freezing them in place made you realise one very important thing.

These cosplayers... They're the real fucking deal.

How do we feel about some bonding time with Sandrone? :>

I don't want the reader to be too quiet about their situation, but I just wanted to make it clear that they're afraid since they're aware of the current situation they're in. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to write this but I suppose thats what practice is for...

Please don't expect too many happy, nice and generally fluffy scenes.

This is Yandere, a genre which should never, under any circumstance be considered normal. It's abusive, unhealthy and leads to a lot of victims facing awful conditions which they never should or ever have to endure no matter who they are.

This is fiction that I'm writing, meaning it's all taken light-heartedly IN A FICTIONAL SENSE.

If anyone, by chance, is currently in conditions where a loved-one or yourself has suddenly become distant and/or being hurt when away from eyes please get help. Talk to them, or if it's you, talk to someone you know you can trust.

If you can't talk to anyone, find authorities who can help you. Call 999, as it is in the U.K, or your local emergency service. They will always help you, and will never deny your rights or freedom.

Thanks for reading this, I hope all who's reading knows this information already, but I thought I'd include it since who knows when it comes to where you are in the world and whether your education programs taught critical information like this.

✨Elusive✨ Taglist!:

@valeriele3 @pale-value @pix-stuff @yumi-genshin-writer @yuii-v @itz-luna @annoying-mary @etherisy @khalhaimdad @haikyuusboringassmanager @magica-ren @sweatyexpertdeputyduck @booksandteaplusart @9140 @whatamidoing89 @raesleepyhead @nasidibakar @shikanosn @purpleamethystsblog @chihawari @esthelily @stuffyfrenchflowers @conspicuous-mayonnaise @sielt @katsumikumo @greyhoundwires707 @carminerin @raidendeeznuts123 @angelofdarkness2

Quick Reminder Here! If you no longer want to be on the taglist that's completely fine; I take no offence whatsoever so please don't hesitate to tell me. ^^

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puddleorganism · 9 months

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Pondering a new rancher au (yes the giant fucking bird is Jimmy) - rambling/explanation under the cut

[Image IDs:

ID 1: a digital drawing of Jimmy/SolidarityGaming and TangoTek, in which Jimmy is a massive approximately 20 foot/6 meter tall bird-like creature. He’s standing idly (to show off his design) with a nervous smile on his face. He has a long neck and long legs that make him look like a dinosaur, but he is covered in light golden-brown feathers and has wings. His wings are huge, the primaries/tips sticking out behind his back. They’re modeled after a turkey vulture’s wings. He’s got a grey hooked beak that is mostly covered in feathers. He’s also got long tail feathers that look just short of skimming the ground. His legs are dark grey with huge talons. All over his legs, wing tips, and tail feathers is a dark grey ash. Tango’s sitting cross-legged on his back/shoulders, hunched over and looking at one of those map books you usually have in your car. (Note: the next image is of Tango, so to avoid redundancy I’m going to describe his appearance better there.) /End ID 1

ID 2: a digital drawing of TangoTek, a humanoid with fire for hair and a long, thin tail tipped in fire; like how a lion’s is tipped with fur. He’s standing idly (again, to show off his design) with his hands in his pockets. He’s got light tan skin with freckles on his nose and wrist. He’s got what look to be black scales on his ears - which are long and pointed - cheeks and nose that have glowing orange cracks in them like burning wood. He’s wearing a red handkerchief over his nose and mouth and has red-tinted goggled pushed up on his forehead. He’s wearing an off-white sweater, a worn leather jacket with red accents, grey cargo pants and black boots. He also has a pale gold and brown messenger bag slung over his left (the viewer’s right) shoulder and back behind his arm. He’s also got two scuffed, worn pins on his jacket; a small, round yellow one and a tiny polyamory flag. He’s also covered in ash - even more so than Jimmy - to the point where his boots, sweater, and handkerchief are stained with it, and are almost more grey than their original colors.

ID 3: simple digital sketches of the above characters. From left to right they are: Jimmy laying down with his head bowed, and Tango standing on his tiptoes to lean against Jimmy’s head. Both their eyes are closed and their foreheads are pressed together. The next is of Tango with his goggles on and looking confused at the map book, which is folded in half in his hands. Jimmy is leaning over his shoulder to look at the map as well. Two question marks float by Tango’s head. The last is of Jimmy standing upright, one of his talons held up near his chest. In his talons he’s holding Tango who seems surprised and is kind of doing that thing that cats do when you pick them up under the arms. This sketch is captioned with the word “hold”. There’s also a small bit of wing from a drawing that’s been cropped out in the corner. /End ID 3

/End IDs]

Ok rambling time!

So it’s set in a that was similar to the modern day, but after in a post-apocalyptic world (recent enough that they both would’ve known the world before). Not a zombie apocalypse or anything, though. There may be Foes but probably not.

I’m not exactly sure what the apocalypse that happened actually is yet, but it’s left the world an ash-covered wasteland with few ruins and even fewer survivors (survivors being organisms in general, not just humans). I want the landscape to be kind of surreal and bizarre, but I haven’t decided if that’s because of the apocalypse or not. Maybe it was just Like That lol.

Anyway, one thing you may want to know more about, is why the hell is Jimmy a giant bird? And the answer is: I like giant birds. In all seriousness though, he’s cursed! Don’t know why. He was a normal ass dude. Now he’s a bird.

Tango might also be cursed? Depends on how edgy I end up wanting this to be lol. He might be an undead wraith or something who knows.

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lamnwar · 1 month

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"Hey, babe."

"Hm?"

"Do you think we can get a dog?"

Taiga raises an eyebrow at you, facing your pleading eyes, that look on your face he only sees when you ask for him to take you out on a nice dinner.

"Are you serious, babe?"

"Dead serious."

He stares back, thick eyebrows torn in confusion at your sudden request, and one that makes no sense at all since...

"I'm scared shitless of them."

You laugh, a blatant mockery of your boyfriend and his irrational fear of dogs. You've been aware of it for a long time now; from the way he goes the opposite direction of anyone walking their dog on the street and how he stays on his guards every time you hang out at Tetsu's. The sight never fails to amuse you. Can it get more ridiculous than seeing a buff, giant man like your boyfriend shitting his pants in front of a creature which's not even a quarter of his size?

"Come on Taiga, we'll get a small one, maybe something chill like... a corgi?"

"Can't we get a cat?" he replies, still not convinced by, what is to him, an absurd demand.

"I'm allergic, you know that."

He sighs. He doesn't get it - where this sudden demand comes from or what even is the necessity for you to get a pet. As far as he's concerned, the two of you are well enough. So, what more can you seek? Is his company not enough to keep you from loneliness?

"What do you need a dog for, anyways?" he mumbles, a slight childish pout on his face.

You don't reply instantly, your gaze travelling away from his adorable face. The reason for your request is not a mystery to you, yet voicing it out scares you. It's just painfully embarrassing.

"Maybe you'd like a bigger breed? Should we get a German shepherd?"

He clicks his tongue, turning your face towards his, "Answer my question."

You remain silent, still not looking his way. It's not like Taiga would judge you for your reason behind this seemingly random request, but it's more that you don't like what it may reflect of you.

"Hey, babe. Not gonna judge, I'm just trying to understand. Y'know, depending on the answer I might actually be open for negotiation."

You laugh softly, a breathy sigh coming out of your lips as you finally speak, voice little.

"I... I want company so I don't feel alone when you're not home."

Your answer surprises him at first; eyebrows raised as he ponders what you mean by that. For all he knows, he's at home quite often, safe for the few times when he has to play abroad. Taiga's routine, overwise, is constructed so he gets to spend the most time with you. Morning in your arms, making sure he's home to cook a delicious diner for you every evening, and even going to occasionally pick you up earlier just so he has more hours to spend with you. And you are fully aware of it, which makes you feel terrible for being so clingy. You literally have no excuse, when your boyfriend is Taiga Kagami.

"It's stupid, I know." You groan, hiding your face in the palms of your hands.

"Nah pretty, I get it."

"Huh?"

Strong arms pull you towards your boyfriend's warm chest. He keeps you there, in a soft embrace as you feel his laugh rumble in his torso.

"I'd become a househusband if it meant spending all my days with you. So I get it."

"Yeah? Because there's that and also..." you pause, gathering your thoughts. "I wanna take care of something."

This time, though, he doesn't get it at all. You could mean anything by that statement, and for all he knows, it might have everything to do with him, or not. You grimace, not expecting to open up that much from what started off as a rather simple request - well, simple in your book, that is.

"I don't get to take care of you, since you're so independent. But I wanna care for something, have someone be dependent on me. Is that crazy?" you laugh in embarrassment, "shit, my shrink would probably put that on my mommy issues."

In all honesty, Taiga doesn't really know how to respond to that. It's not really that he's at lost for words, as much as he simply cannot comprehend what you are feeling.

He wishes he could though, and after a few minutes of silent reflection, he eventually does. Taiga grew up to be self-sufficient, and ever since you started living together, he's unknowingly started taking care of you, too. It's just a second nature to him, something he does without thinking about it too hard.

"That's why you want a dog, huh? well, I would rather have you take care of me" he says, a tinge of jealousy in his voice.

"Envious of our non-existent dog already, Taiga?" you chuckle.

"Honestly? Yeah."

He sighs, bringing you closer to him as he buries his face in the crook of your neck. You're a bit stunned by the sudden demonstration of affection, but your fingers automatically find his hair, twisting his red locks between them.

"I didn't know you felt like that, babe. But I don't want you to get a dog either. If you wanna take care of someone, take care of me."

You laugh softly, "then start needing me a bit, you do absolutely everything by yourself, s'not fair!"

He pulls away, looking at you curiously. Well, you're not entirely wrong, he clearly doesn't need you to clean after him, cook for him, or do anything of that sort. He even takes care of the spiders and other insects! So really, he doesn't need you for that. But at the same time, he'd argue that you're omitting one crucial thing which just you can tend to.

"Are you stupid? I still need your kisses. Want me to be more needy for them? I could absolutely do that!" he leans in again, face so close that you feel like he's taking your air all for himself. "Kiss me, I'm begging."

You stare back in surprise, flustered by his sudden request. Yet, some part of you feels warm by hearing these words. Maybe you do crave him begging for you, for anything that only you can provide.

Your lips find his softly, drawing a hum of satisfaction out of your boyfriend. If he's being a 100% honest with himself, he'll gladly admit craving your touch more than anything else. He leans in, grabbing the back of your neck almost in desperation, almost as if he wants to gobble you in. You giggle, pulling away and leaving a playful pat on his hair. Lovestruck eyes stare at you, making your heart bloom in a thousand of flowers.

"See? No need for a dog. I'll always need you for kisses."

#idk what prompted me to write this but listen!!#i love writing soft kagami 😙#knb x reader #knb #kagami taiga #knb fluff #kagami x reader #kuroko no basquet

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icycoldninja · 10 days

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Hello! I'm wondering if you could write the Sparda Boys + Lady (If you write for her, feel free to ignore if you don't) with a Dhampir S/O?

I don't do Lady but I do write for the boys. Enjoy 💜

Sparda boys + V x Dhampir Reader headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-Dante is amazed. He's the spawn of a demon and a human, and you're the child of a human and a vampire? So cool.

-Won't stop bombarding you with questions regarding your abilities like an overly curious child.

-Will challenge you to duels and races to see if your Dhampire strength and speed can outmatch his demonic stamina.

-Constantly testing your senses of smell and sight by doing stupid things like dropping a pin in the middle of the road at 2:00 AM to see if you could hear it, or by taping really tiny notes to trees outside to see if you can see them.

-Has absolutely no problem being your living blood bank, to be leeches off of whenever you need it.

-He'll extend his arm, leg, and even neck to you. It doesn't matter, Dante will let you drink from him anywhere, for as long as you need. He loves the feeling of being drained dry. Don't read into that

■ Vergil ■

-Quite impressed, as Dhampirs have a great deal of POWER.

-Wants to test your strength in every way possible, from arm wrestling to actual, physical wrestling in which you end up suplexing each other onto the floor.

-Sword duels are also common, during which your true strength is displayed. It's exhilarating, finding a good match, and as a result, duels become as commonplace as your daily workouts.

-Your heightened senses are a boon during devil hunting missions since you can sense them anywhere, no matter what they may be doing.

-Has absolutely no qualms about you feeding on him since he secretly enjoys it. The man will never admit it, but he can't get over the feeling of having your fangs sink into his flesh.

-Bonus points if you bite him on the neck. It makes him feel like you're in a cheesy Wattpad vampire-romance story where he's the lovestruck human and you're the baddie vampire.

□ Nero □

-Nero was honestly scared at first. He always thought of vampires as mythical creatures (ironic, given his dad and uncle are half demons) and never thought he'd end up dating the child of one. But here you are in all your spooky glory.

-Looks up Dhampir on Wikipedia (like I did lol) and asks you questions to see if their information is true. If it isn't, he logs in and changes the page.

-Takes you on devil hunting missions so you can help him beat up demons with your remarkable strength. After seeing you in action, Nero has to admit, you're almost stronger than him. Almost.

-Is very curious to see if you can turn into a bat.

-Is also astounded when he learns you feed on blood, but doesn't want to be your personal blood bank. It's not that he's afraid, no, it's just the thought of having another part of his body ripped away from him is stressing, to say the least.

-To compromise, he brings you animals and occasionally fat demons for you to feast upon. Enjoy!

● V ●

-V was pleasantly surprised to learn you were a Dhanpire. He'd read about them in stories once or twice, but he never even imagined getting to meet one in real life.

-Now that he has, he's curious, are the stories really true? What are vampires like? Do you have the ability to turn others into vampires? Did your father turn your mother into a vampire after you were born? Are vampires really goth? Would he pass for a real-life vampire?

-Depending on your answers, V may decide to write a discourse on vampires, Dhampires, and everything in between, though what he'll do with it is a mystery.

-Very much enjoys it when you put your super strength to use by toting him around the house all the time. You're his personal transport, and he loves it.

-To repay you, he'll offer up his blood for you to feast on, even if there isn't all that much left in him to begin with.

-Loves to cuddle you while you feed; being nestled in your embrace while his blood is drained from his body makes him feel so relaxed for some reason. He expected it to hurt, but it doesn't. It feels strangely good.

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sodaquail · 6 months

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Dude I’m so hyped for your werewolf AU, you have no idea. I’m the biggest werewolf!Chip fan out there. Anyways, if you want asks (sorry if I misinterpreted your post):

What type of werewolf are we talking here? Classic bipedal or twilight style giant wolf? Somewhere in between?

Are any of the other characters werewolves, and/or does Chip know any others?

Is lycanthropy a known thing? How do people react?

One of my D&D books has a section on lycanthropy, and while you can play player characters affected by it, it goes hand and hand with the Evil alignment (it’s an older book, not sure about lycanthropy in 5E). Is this similar in your AU, or are werewolves misunderstood?

Don’t feel obligated to answer any of these haha, I understand that they could definitely lean into spoiler territory, I’m just so excited!! :D Werewolf world building is the best.

Im sooooo glad to see you're excited!!! I can totes add you to the tag list ^_^

for the TYPE of wolf... I totally leant more into mythology rather than werewolf movies. ive never actually watched a werewolf movie (although, a friend said wolfchip would be like the wolves from twilight so now im planning a marathon with IRLs.... oops) I'm doing a lot of worldbuilding into the nature and magic of werewolves and that stays hidden but.. - physically they are BIG. like twilight wolf sized... big big. - They have no tail (a mythology thing for werewolves!! common for creatures rumored to just be witches in disguse actually) I was VERYYYYYYYY much not going to pull the werewolf pop culture thing and have some 'weird human-wolf hybrid cross' because i did not like the idea tooooo much..... would rather be taken out back and killed with bricks than make chip bipedal wolf-man hybrid thing.... noooooooo...... also in human form werewolves are distinctly inhuman!! Won't go into TOO MUCH worldbuilding of mine but essentially, among other things their wolf form and traits fluctuate with the lunar cycle. on new moon they're indistinguishable from human, on full moon they're fully wolf, and all inbetween is a mix of traits. It all depends on when you catch em, whether it's day or night, whether it's new moon or close to full moon.... you might not know what you're signing up for if you find a normal person on the full moon only for them to change as the lunar cycle goes on, lol. but from mythology these are the traits which often identify a werewolf in human form - unibrow (not giving chip this one. no dice) - low, swinging stride (yes!) - lower set ears (also yes!) - when the skin is cut, there is fur under it! (yes, but i felt might be too obscure for people.... not included in common werewolf pop culture sadly...) as well as a few special things of my own!!! I ALSO HAVE A PHOTO OF WHAT WOLFCHIP LOOKS LIKE!! i found this on a dog grooming video on tiktok and went 'thats wolfchip."

2) Yes! I have one confirmed werewolf NPC (of my own making for the purposes of the story) and am toying with the idea of making another character a werewolf. It won't be too big of a deal though... just a neat little reference!! 3) now THIS is staunchly spoiler territory!! sorry dude!!! 4) this is also spoiler territory but what i will say is that I did not go off of DND modules (although it wouldnt hurt to give them a read...)!! I play BECMI and 5e as my DND modules among other TTRPGS but i did not lean from any of them. Honestly, I didn't take much inspiration for my werewolf worldbuilding outside of some mythology shit (and not a lot, anyway). I think i just went off the general, well known werewolf myths and said 'ok what can i do with this' and i sewed and cut and now it is a new beast. it is MY beast. TYSM for your questions!!! Hope you enjoy the final project ahhhh...... seeing the answers for the spoilers in the fic will be SO much better than reading them here i swear :3

#wolfchip my whole heart and soul (and diamond and pearl)#I looooooove talking about my fics..... special interest brain neuron activate!!!#jrwi #chip jrwi #jrwi riptide #gillion tidestrider #jay ferin #sodaquail chatting #jrwi fic #werewolf #werewolves #sodaquail werewolf fic

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affo-gatto-gateau · 1 month

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Okay, so I know there are plenty of 'tf2 mercs as [insert animal]' but I would also like to do this, so I, because I'm a sort-of nerd, I would like to do it as a crossover. I present:

What Star Wars creature would each Merc be?

Scout - Twi'lek/Clawdite Hybrid

He will tell you that he is a full Twi'lek, like his older brothers. His lekku are definitely as long as his full-blooded Twi'lek family, and his skin doesn't completely change its colour depending on his emotions. His dad was Twi'lek and couldn't have been anything else. (everyone believed that.)

Soldier - Besalisk

(Four-armed sentient, think Dexter Jettster or Pong Krell. Actually, don't think Pong Krell. Fuck Pong Krell.)He's thrill-seeking and has very little fear of death. Will leak secret intelligence if just lightly asked. Will engage in violent mating rituals, but then will stick with them for life. Also, think of how much more bread he could teleport with 4 arms. He could hold a shovel and a rocket launcher at the same time!

Pyro - Tusken Raider

How did a Sand Person get off Tatooine? Where is their tribe? What are they doing as a mercenary? What is under their mask? All good question, with zero answers. Pyro just is. Why does the Tusken Raider have a large flamethrower? Unclear! Can we take said flamethrower off them? Not while keeping all your limbs intact!

Demo - Togruta

I... I don't know why. He just seems like a Togruta kind of fellow. He needs lekku of some kind, and Togrutas also get to be carnivorous. I can see Demo being carnivorous. Maybe he's even missing one of his lek/montrals. Or, he makes up for his missing eye with the echolocation that his montrals bring

Heavy - Wookiee

Big, strong, loyal but known to rip off arms when provoked. Follow a warrior's code of honour. When angered (say, if you murder their Medic in cold blood) will fly into a berserker rage. Great for cuddling. Is there much else to say? Heavy is a Wookiee to a T.

Engineer - Lannik

(think a dwarf with ears bigger than an elf. Or, if you know him, Even Piell) Strong-willed, smart and great at battle strategy. Also, Lanniks are good with technology! Plus, Engineer is SHORT

Medic - Zabrak

(same species as Darth Maul and Savage Opress, though I don't believe he'd be Dathomiri. More likely from a Core World) Self-assured to the point of arrogance, striving to be the best, even to the point of playing god. A terrifying man, but you'd be glad to have him on your side.

Sniper - Kiffar

(Same thing that Quinlan Vos is) Idk but I really vibe with this. I mean, Sniper's a hunter, so it would make sense that he's good at tracking. And also, Sniper with traditional Clan tattoos??? Yes???

Spy - Clawdite

(a shapeshifting sentient species. Like that one bounty hunter from Attack of the Clones. I apologise for ) I mean. A species that can change their appearance at will? Come on. Who else could it be?

Idk I really just went with the vibes. I'm sure if I dug deeper into the pits of Wookieepedia I could have found some more obscure or better-fitting species, but I also don't want to make them just random things for the sake of being a nerd and forcing people to look just as deep as I did to make any sense of what I'm saying. I just thought this was neat. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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arisenreborn · 11 days

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Going to start posting some of my pawn lovers guild qotd answers here for archival purposes (and to fondly look back on the Pain).

Todays question was... well, I think it was something about what music would play in a fight against them which turned into "Design a Boss Battle" 😂

Emrys Boss Battle

Okay so he’s a pain in the ass. He’s taken the form of the dragonsplague dragon evolution pretty much; similar features but a little more physicality to him, bigger than a drake (not as big as Grigori), very sexy and fucked up. More aerial a bit like a wyvern, he’s frustratingly fast and fights like an archer/thief: pelting you with briney arrows that leave corrupting puddles where they hit for a small period, or darting in close and lashing you with his tail or talons before dipping back out. He shouldn’t be able to move so fast for something so damn big.

Poisons, fire breath, duh, but it has a cool briney effect to it and will have an acidic-like effect around it (similar mechanically to poison really). He’ll occasionally control one of your pawns. Higher chance of dragonsplague infection just fighting him in general.

I like to think he wanders the world and is kind of a “random” encounter. Gonna segue a second about the music: Lux Aeterna is the inspiration but definitely a twisted up version that ‘grows’ with every encounter; it starts out discordant and hard to pick up on the melody, with sort of Silent Hill-ish vibes woven through it. With each encounter (three MAIN encounters depending on how each fight goes) it grows in intensity, frenzy, and drama. It becomes more ‘clear’ but also more ‘violent’, the final version has an aspect of ‘anxiety/fear’ - a creature torn between fight or flight.

youtube

Getting him in a ‘downed’ state in the first two fights is just him hovering feebly closer to the earth and making him an easier target.

Each encounter can be ‘failed’ or ‘succeeded’, failure is him flying away, success obviously when you defeat him results in him basically divebombing the ground which almost seems more like a kamikaze/escape…he crashes and bursty-melts into a plaguey, brine-like substance in the ground you shouldn’t touch until it gradually goes away -will have the same effect as genuine brine. You get exp but frustratingly no loot, alluding to the fact he’s not actually gone yet. Each success grows the difficulty (and music) of the next encounter.

You probably get garbled dragonspeak also: mostly just cursing you as the Arisen, the second fight gives you a ‘you won’t take … from me…’ as he fades away.

Third fight will be the most intense - and he’ll try to escape often. He’ll lose -some- of that physicality and be more of a dick to hit without magic/enchanted weapons. A lot more briney attacks, can control up to two pawns if you’re not quick about dealing with the first one.

However once in his downed state he’ll actually slouch down on the ground on all fours, and his ‘heart’ will be revealed, a cavity in his chest leaking out what looks like a woman wrapped in black and red tendrils and fleshy sinews.

Yeah, it’s Olivia, though she looks a bit, yanno, like she’s become the pseudo-heart of a plaguedragon. So you’ve gotta attack her while he’s downed and you will hear him make… awful awful sounds when you do. He may even beg you to stop.

But you won’t, of course, and once you’ve broken his heart sufficiently he’ll gradually crumble to mist and dust with the final words "Olivia... forgive-..." and leave you with all the gold and wyrmslife crystals you could have hoped for, you monster.

Also a ‘Corrupt Dragon’s Aegis’, idk what it’s stats are (probably not *super* different from the usual) but it’s probably neat. And depressing. Probably a description along the lines of ‘A shield once carried by the brave Arisen of another world…’ Finally, a wolf fang necklace… (it was a gift Emrys gave to Olivia. It can be given to an NPC for high +40 affection)

The description on the necklace is: "It seems to exude an aura of love, whoever once owned it treasured it dearly."

#crow's writing.#crow's lorebook.#oc: emrys (pawn)#oc: olivia (arisen)#pawn lovers qotd.#rann and reveries is... an ongoing process...

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tixdixl · 12 days

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Let's do desire for your fabulous four :)

Thank you so much!! This one is going to be interesting to answer for sure.

desire: What's one thing your OC wants more than anything in the world? Are they open with that desire? Why or why not? What would they do to fulfill it?

Oisín: so this answer changes during the course of their journey. I will do my absolute best to avoid Book 7 spoilers for you, but it is very difficult to answer this without having the context from Book 7.

Early Pre-NRC - Survive the colonization befalling Briar Valley and to successfully do their job.

Late Pre-NRC - To support and cherish the fae that stole their heart, even if its unrequited.

NRC and Post-NRC - To stay connected with their families (both their actual family and their found family).

They don't start out open about literally any of this, but over time - and also depending on whether or not they are put in the corner- for one reason or another they do open up to those they are closest to. They aren't exactly open about their thoughts and feelings for a couple reasons. For starters, dullahan are traditional solitary creatures. They start out completely alone until they finally get together with Lilia, and even that is rocky at first. They dont really see a need to focus on themself when other people are far more important and involved than they are. Until of course they get the brutal awakening that keeping things to themself will accidentally and inevitably push people away. To which they immediately try to do what they can to change. And... its a long and rocky journey for them. Vulnerability does not come naturally to them. But they want to try.

Kingsley: this one is also tricky, because for a long time, his goal is to obtain his parents approval. And he is willing to do anything, including commit murder, to make it happen. But as he starts to question his upbringing... he becomes... lost. Where his goal is to figure out "what do I actually want for myself? What do I want in life?"

He isnt exactly open about any of this. He is incredibly closed off and reserved. But honestly... thats okay. He learns that he has the support of his friends regardless.

And I havent figured out what happens here exactly, but I want to. And I will update when I know!!

Emil: My poor poor boy...

He starts out wanting to save his sibling.

Then when he fails in that, he wants a goal and a purpose, because he feels he has wasted his entire life for nothing.

Overtime though, he finds a new goal. He wants to support his polycule, his friends, and his communities. He wants to show people love and compassion so that they don't ever feel like they are fighting alone in the world. He wants to make sure his loved ones are fed, and sheltered, and feel like they have a place to hide when the world is harsh and cruel. He wants to be a lantern in the darkness.

And Emil is so so open about all of this. It is in his openness that he is able to gain the support he needs to be able to grow and move forward. Its his openness that allows others to come in and show him how much he is loved and valued in his community.

René: They want to be their own damn bird lol. They want to be themself truly. They want to stop being perfect. They want to be messy. They want to enjoy life to the fullest. And they work so so hard after Overblotting to enact those changes. From escaping their father, to following their dreams, to falling in love. And I love who they are becoming as I develop them.

They aren't open at first, but that's kind of the whole point of their journey. They transform from completely closed off to open with those they trust. And it's honestly so so good.

Prompt List

Tag List: @cyanide-latte @simons-twsted-children @ramshacklerumble @inmateofthemind

@rainesol @elenauaurs (lmk if you want to be added)

#twst ocs #twst #oc asks #twst oc asks #my ocs #Oisín Anbás #Kingsley Tyr #Emil Lehr #René Lamar #seris talks

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aurelim · 8 months

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So I have to ask, how exactly does this 'draining energy' thing work? Why does it have to be humans specifically? Can they not drain what they need from other living beings or do they need to be sentient for that?

As MC and friends go about our journey, how will their er, diet, be handled?

*Cracks knuckles and pulls up a 500-slide presentation* I'm glad you asked.

So, if you have played the game, you already know that the merfolk need energy to survive. Without it, they grow weak and eventually die. This can occur at an accelerated rate if one is injured or sick (case in point when Cordelia got sick and required extra energy).

What this energy does is it feeds the merfolk. So they do not necessarily need food, although seaweed tends to be a favorite past time snack for some. However, seaweed cannot provide sufficient energy. So they must get it from other sources.

Some do steal the energy of sea creatures, although this must be done daily as this energy can be burned through quickly. Most take the energy of humans, as their essence is longer-lasting, though harder to find.

All merfolks have an innate thirst for energy. It does not matter where it comes from, but once a target has been acquired the merfolk hone in and their senses come to life. These senses can feel overwhelming and may change one's normal attitude. Some get angry, some get sad, but it really depends on the merfolk.

A human's metabolism is different, as I'm sure you know. Humans need food--actually substance food--in order to survive, as well as water. This is completely different from the merfolk.

If you think about it, A and the Royal are humans, so their diet will mainly consist of substance food. This comes in the form of seafood since they live right next to the Laguape Sea. (This can be an issue with MC or not!)

So once humans, the metabolism changes to that of humans, though there may still be a lingering effect of their merfolk blood. It cannot be helped--as said before, the merfolk have a constant want for energy. It can never truly go away.

Echo is the same as the merfolk, despite being a siren. Sirens' bodies operate similar to that of the merfolk. They need energy to survive, but sea creatures are not enough. So they hunt humans.

I hope this answered your question! You can find most of this information in the game: as you play through, at some point you should get a notification about the updated codex. You should look out for the merfolk and siren pages, and then head to "Species" to read a fuller version of this!

#answered #anon #As the Ocean Lures #atol #atol faq

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myddle · 1 month

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How Would Vampires Work In The Undertale Universe?

This is something I've wondered about ever since I saw Dalv in Undertale Yellow, although it's a question the fangame doesn't answer itself (which is fine, it wasn't trying to), so watch me just freeball on this question for a few paragraphs if you're interested.

Content Warning: Long Post, Opinions, Fictional Bigotry

Part 1: Biology

Now, as a mythical creature, the rules for vampires are pretty malleable, so we can pick and choose whatever best fits Undertale's setting and vibe, but generally vampires are monsters that hide among humans and parasitically feed on them, whether out of neccessity or for power, and can turn humans into vampires with a bite. Very different from your standard UT monster. In what scenario would a vampire deal with hiding when they can just steal a human SOUL for power?

Well, that depends on a few details regarding how this all works. Firstly: how manageable a monster with a Human SOUL actually is. Asriel's transformation implies it's fairly easy to spot, and while they are described as having unfathomable power, a village of humans brought Asriel to the brink of death (he wasn't fighting back, but whatever), so a vampire could get immedately ganked if they tried it. It's a thin tightrope though, as 7 SOULs apparently allows you to be invincible and control reality (unless Asriel was exaggerating, and Mr. Deletes-your-save-file-but-not-really definitely does that sometimes).

Second issue: would vampires even count as monsters with all these human-unique interactions? Answer: unclear, but probably. We can just drop the human-turning aspect in an UT implementation if we have to, and turning into dust on death is already something that vampires do, so they'd fit in just fine in that regard. The typical power level of vampires is a bit above most UT monsters other than Boss Monsters, but there is one variation that fits our purposes; vampires that only become powerful after feeding on humans, and are fairly weak otherwise. This helps them fit in with the rest of monsterkind while letting them keep their potential power, and also dodges the issue of vampires sealed under Mt. Ebott just starving to death immediately.

Part 2: Culture

Alrighty! With all that bullshit out of the way, we can get onto the baseless headcanons I actually care about; the question of how vampires would interact with Undertale's world, and it's themes of descrimination.

The big point I'm circling is this: Vampires are monsters that look like humans. A lot of UT monsters are at least somewhat humanoid, but a vampire is just a pale guy with fangs. The only other monster types that even come close are werewolves - only sometimes looking the part (and also notably absent from UT) - and skeletons - Sans & Papyrus are clearly human skeletons, but also clearly skeletons without any human on them, so that doesn't work. In contrast to most other monsters, vampires could feasibly hide in plain sight in human society, and therefore, could be outside the Underground when the Barrier was formed.

Just think about that for a moment. Monsters outside their prison, able to blend into the world of their jailors. What would they do with themselves? Would they simply play along, hiding among humans and living quiet lives? Would they take advantage, utilising the psychological powers vampires often have to gain wealth and status? Would they stay loyal to the Kingdom of Monsters, and form a resistance to try and break the Barrier from the outside? Would they walk away entirely, living out in the wilderness away from any civilisation? A mix of all of these and more, differing between each individual? The possibilities are colossal in scope.

Of course, not all Vampires would have this position. Some would undoubtably be caught in the initial war and imprisoned with the rest of monsterkind, or caught later on and simply pushed in (remember, anything can enter the Barrier, it only stops leaving). These vampires might just live the same as the rest of monsterkind - peacefully but struggling - but I have a darker yet darker thought. Hold on to something, this gets a bit heavy.

Part 3: Batthew the Vampire

Let me set the scene. The royal children have died. The humans have once again taken everything from monsterkind. King Asgore has declared war on Humanity to unify his people. Anti-Human sentiment is through the roof right now.

You have a vampire neighbor. Let's call him Batthew. You haven't seen him outside as much since the news dropped, and when you do, you see other monsters giving him dirty looks.

Monsters know what humans look like at this point in the timeline. Some of them probably met Chara. Their new source of hope, the war, has filled them with hatred for humanity, but they have no outlet for it. Batthew isn't a human. But he looks like one. And bigotry makes people do stupid things, because bigotry is inherently pretty stupid, lets be honest.

One day, Batthew's house has a broken window. A few days later, it has a "FOR SALE" sign out front. You don't know where Batthew went. Maybe he moved to some other corner of the caverns. You've heard rumors of the RUINS of the former Capital, maybe he found a way in there. Maybe he "fell down".

You no longer have a vampire neighbor.

#undertale #undertale yellow #undertale yellow dalv #F's in the chat for Batthew

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magicspace114 · 1 year

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New faces part 3

So it turns out, Toby needed to be kept warm. Warmer than your apartment's ambient temperature. They were currently curled up on the floor in front of your electric heater and snuggled in a blanket. It looked cute and you had to hold yourself back from awing at them.

Of course, you had questions and you were struggling to find ones that they'd actually answer. "Hey, how old are you?" You decided.

Toby paused and looked up at that. "Um, well I'm not sure if it will translate well. Does a hundred and seventy-one lunar cycles make sense to you?"

Your lips puckered in thought. "Lunar cycle. We have one of those. Is it the same thing?"

"Well, we have two moons. We call them the primary and secondary moons. The secondary one doesn't really change because it's almost always side on from the sun but our primary moon changes every dark cycle. We use it to measure time. You only have one moon, right?"

"Yup," you nodded, "it changes each night depending on how much of the sun's light can hit it. Right?" Toby nodded. "So, going off our moon, that's one cycle per month. A hundred and seventy-one months." You couldn't do the maths in your head and grabbed your phone to calculate it. Toby tilted their head curiously. You stuttered on seeing the number. "Are you really fourteen years old?" You leaned forward now.

"Um, I don't know what years are." Toby shrunk back.

"...Toby? A-are you a child?" You really hoped they weren't. Maybe aliens aged differently and you weren't harbouring a child in your home. Where would you even begin searching for their family?

"I'm not a child," Toby bleated with offence, "I'm an adolescent!"

You sighed, "same thing. Where are your parents?"

"No!" Toby bleated again, this one in fear, "please. Don't send me back." They pulled the blanket over their head to hide. You reached a hand out but stopped before ever touching them. It would only freak them out more.

"Toby?" You asked with the softest voice you could, "are they the reason you're here?" Toby whimpered. You grimaced, "can I comfort you?"

"W-what?" Toby poked their head out. Their eyes were big and toxic yellow but now that you knew they were a child, all fear of danger was gone. They were just a child to you now.

"I won't hurt you," you said carefully, "I just want to help. I want to comfort you if you'll let me."

"W-why?" Toby asked, eyes seemingly growing bigger and lip trembling.

"Because you don't deserve to be stranded somewhere with no one to comfort you. It's the least I can offer."

"How do you know? You weren't there." Toby bleated.

"Toby, I don't know anything any adults could do to warrant stranding them on an unknown planet with 'the deadliest creatures in the universe'. I don't need to be there to know."

Toby's lip quivered and they let out bleats and sobs. There were no tears but you weren't sure if Toby even cried like that. Supposedly humans were the only ones in the animal kingdom to do that.

You scooted up close to them now and waited as they carefully leaned their head on your shoulder. Slowly, you moved one arm around their shoulders. When they didn't tense up or pull away, you tucked them under your chin.

They pulled the blanket around them more, not moving to hold on to you but not pulling away. You let out a small hum. It was only a simple melody but it was enough that they heard it. They froze mid bleat and listened. You continued the hum. Their breathing was still stuttering and hiccuping but they stopped bleating and whimpering.

Eventually, you felt tension roll off of their shoulders and their breathing calmed down. You rubbed their shoulder and opened your mouth to add lyrics to the song. You've not sung for someone in a long time and though you were out of practise, it did the job.

The next time you looked at Toby's face, they were asleep.

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#creative writing #writing #humans and aliens #alien oc #a bit sad

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unknown-art-room1 · 3 months

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hello! i saw ur post about an original stand and i would love to about its abilities :]

it looks p cool and i like hearing about any fan stands

ALSO cool jojo pose

My friend! I would like to start out with saying, you have just made my day by simply doing this! So, I shall gladly answer your question!

Vita Spectrum in the image provided is actually similar to Echos Act 1. As in, before they gained a form that could actually be used they were what looked to be a blob of muscle that was constantly changing, some areas being skin, some covered in fur, feathers, scales, etc. Once the user was able to activate the stands ability that allowed them to take on a more physical form.

The ability, is to change its body or part of its body into that of another creature that isn't human or used to be human (so vampires and zombies are a no). Now this is where it starts to get a bit complicated. To start off with, the stand isn't limited to one creatures ability at a time, they can use several animal abilities at once, though the more creatures used requires more energy and focus to maintain that form.

Next is how this can be used, now the stand can either take the form of the creature as what it actually looks like, so if they wanted to look like a wolf they could look like an actual wolf. Though the telltale sign that this isn't a wolf would be behaviour and that the eyes don't visibly change. But in the more humanoid form it would look more like a wolf man: the tail on the back changing shape, more prominent claws, fur, etc.

Depending on how this ability is used actually affects the stats and does one other interesting thing. The stand though one being, can actually split apart into several smaller forms similar to Highway Star, the difference being instead of turning into flat feet they turn into basic small animals like bugs! To put it simply, the bigger and more complex the creature the closer to the user they have to be and in one singular form, the smaller and less complex can travel further and be split into several forms.

This affects the stats, as depending on what creature feature/s is used can dictate how this stand can be used in battle. I would personally say this stand is more used for tracking and being on the defensive. Lets say for example Vita used the strength of an octopus, that's roughly eight to nine times the strength of a human. You put that up against another stand, the only thing you know for sure is that Vita isn't as physically strong, but is more flexible and less likely to break a bone.

However that leaves a more... Interesting subject to talk about. When first creating this stand a few years ago, I was only new to the fandom and didn't know much about what this ability could do in detail. But after getting into the fandom fully, this left me with a question. Could this stand copy the ability of the Pillermen?

Despite the fact they are human like, they aren't human are they? So looking at the information given, I would say they probably could use the abilities of the Pillermen. Only under certain conditions that is. The first one is simply, it has to be used at night otherwise we get the whole situation of turning to stone. The other condition being, the user would have to know about the existence of Pillermen.

So if the user wanted to use this 'Pillar' power stand - since it is technically muscle - would have to be basically attached to their user on an almost cellular level. The stand would most likely have to wrap itself around the cells of the user, which has it's benefits and downfalls.

A benefit being the healing ability, durability, increase in reflex (probably thinking time as well) and the overall strength/powers they have. The downfall was something I had to discuss with some friends, but we figured out that if the user did use this ability. They would have an overall increase/want for blood, their morals would temporarily become more questionable and they would have a voice in the back of their almost egging them on to be more violent and less caring about the humans around them.

I hope this wasn't too much reading for you and I hoped it explained everything you needed to know!

#jjba #jjba stand #jjba fan stand #jjba stand information #jjba fan stand information #jojo stands #jojo no kimyou na bouken #jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo no kimyō na bōken #Vita #Spectrum #Vita Spectrum #and the pose I used I just looked up awkward model poses

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redgyl · 1 year

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I actually wrote this up at the same time as the first chapter, but I held onto it for editing purposes. That's always wise, editing, thinking things through, all that jazz.

Much thanks to @applestruda for creating this AU, and to all the other commentators for their contributions.

Here be Chapter 2 of my version of the "Scar attacks Grian" story. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

“Hey, Scar, could you hold this for a minute?” The winged man was crouched on the ground, holding a leather pouch up to him. On the ground in front of him was assorted stuff.

Though the tone and the question were completely ordinary, a red flag rose up in the minds of those who knew him best. Pearl peeked over, then quickly ducked behind a tree. Mumbo, who had seen what Grian did, stepped behind his horse and covered his ears, suppressing his laughter. Only Impulse continued packing his gear like normal, oblivious to the danger.

“Sure,” Scar said, reaching for the bag without the least bit of caution.

The bag exploded with a BOOM and in a huge puff of gray smoke, thoroughly startling Scar enough to make him scream and fall back. Impulse jumped and yelled in surprise. When the smoke cleared, Grian, covered in white ash, hugged his sides like they hurt, laughing like a maniac.

“Geez, Grian!” Impulse exclaimed. “What was that?!”

Grian was laughing too hard to answer right away. “Oh, that was good,” he managed between gasps. “So, so good.”

“Gr-GRIAN!” Scar finally shouted, wild-eyed and shaking. He was sitting up, cuddling and petting Jellie like his life depended on it. “What the hey — What WAS that, Grian?!?”

“Lava salamander scales, ground up and mixed with an anti-fire powder,” he finally answered, wiping a tear from his eye. “So you wouldn’t get burned, just scared. Oh, that was glorious! I knew I could count on you to hold it.”

Mumbo peeked out from behind his horse, smiling. “You’re a bad, bad man, Grian.”

“I know, and it’ll all catch up to me,” Grian impishly finished the light-hearted lecture, drawing the “all” out. “Bad karma, all that. But I was bored, so …”

Mumbo stifled another laugh. “How can you be bored first thing in the morning?”

“If I waited until evening, your guard would be up.”

“Oh, it’s ALWAYS up with you around.”

“Everything’s alright, Jellie,” Scar continued muttering, petting his familiar. “He’s not going to hurt you.” Then Scar started laughing, and everything was all right again. He looked at his ash-covered armor to Grian’s. “You’re all covered in ash.”

“Yeah, I didn’t mean for it to go off so soon,” Grian said, brushing off the ash before gathering all his things into his travel pack. “Didn’t have time to get away. I’ll need to fix the timing of the explosion better. Can you help with that, Mumbo?”

“No way,” Mumbo said, though flattered. “I’ll have to keep SOME of my secrets safe.”

“Ooh, nothing is safe …”

Before too long, they were on the road again. At some point during the day, Scar had spooked Grian’s horse, sending the steed careening through the woods with Grian barely holding on and Scar laughing. No harm done, and the pranking scales had been balanced, so all was well. The forest seemed to go on forever, then it finally opened up into a huge meadow. The flower-covered field was a welcome sight after all of the endless green, brown, and gray shade of the trees. By then, the sun was already setting, so they set up camp.

The next day woke bright and beautiful, except that Mumbo found that Grian had hidden his travel pack while he slept, while Grian took his turn to stand watch. Mumbo said to go on ahead, so the rest rode on slowly, Impulse and Pearl taking the lead, as Scar and Grian lingered.

“What’s with the canaries?” Scar asked Grian. There were three small songbirds riding on the smaller man’s shoulders.

Grian looked grouchily at the creatures. “They’re finches. Pesky birds …”

Scar chuckled, a strand of his hair turning pale. “You’re like a fairy tale princess.”

“Not really,” Grian said, glaring at the birds. “The fairy tale princesses could actually talk to the animals and get them to do useful things. These birds are just annoying.”

He felt a darkness, then. It was a deep, supernatural darkness, one that physical eyes could not see. He followed the sense of it with his inner and physical eyes, finding himself staring into the trees they were approaching.

It was just the very specific type of danger he had made a pact to combat. He was certain Pearl could sense it, too.

All business, he didn’t notice the birds taking off. With a start, he saw Jellie zip ahead, making the fastest beeline for the place where the spiritual Darkness was at.

He didn’t have time to connect the dots about what happens whenever Jellie leaves Scar’s side. Something hard and fast hit the side of his head. Painful stars exploded in his vision and brain, and he, thankfully, knew nothing else.

~~~~~~~~

Grian was right: Pearl felt the deep Darkness up ahead. She took a sharp intake of breath, and her hold on her scythe tightened.

Impulse, who couldn’t feel it, noticed her movements. “Pearl? What …”

Just then, Jellie dashed past them both and disappeared into the trees.

“Jellie?” yelled Pearl. She paused and looked back. “No, Scar!”

Horses screamed shrilly back in the clearing, prompting impulse to also look back. His blood ran cold. He saw Scar in his Vex form, shattered crossbow in one hand, a limp winged knight held by the ankle in the other. Grian’s horse had taken off at a fast gallop, its eyes wild with terror. Scar’s horse reared back, screaming and shaking its mane, eyes rolling in horror.

Pearl made a split-second decision. “I’ll get Jellie back!” she yelling, spurring her horse to go deeper into the woods off the trail.

“Right!” Impulse acknowledged, wheeling his horse around to face Vex-Scar. “I’ll get Grian!” He dug his spurs in, and his warhorse charged forward.

Scar’s horse started bucking, and the monster on its back let go, hovering in the air on his own set of ghostly wings. Grinning fiercely, Vex-Scar dropped to the ground, slamming Grian hard.

Then Impulse and his steed was upon them. In an instant, Vex-Scar phased into the solid earth to dodge the horse’s hooves, which was exactly what Impulse hoped for. The knight reined back hard, careful that Grian didn’t get trampled as he stopped right next to him. Knowing that Vex-Scar could attack straight up through the ground any moment, Impulse jumped off his horse, scooped up the light avian, and climbed back onto his steed.

He took a brief moment to check on his limp companion. The side of Grian’s head was bloody, and his skin was deathly pale. But Impulse could see his a faint movement under the skin of his neck, where a vein pulsed with a heartbeat.

‘He’s alive,’ Impulse thought, relieved. ‘How did this happen so quickly?’ Putting off the question to explore later, he shifted his hold on Grian to a more secure one, and spun his horse around to try and get him out of the clearing before Vex-Scar resurfaced.

“Wait for me,” a raspy voice called behind him, a voice so unlike Scar’s usual smooth baritone. Impulse urged his horse into gallop, ignoring the command. He looked back to see Vex-Scar rise out of — and off of — the ground, its eyes fixed on Impulse’s back. Then he spurred his horse forward, giving it its head.

They almost reached the trees when Impulse felt a grip on his shoulder. Vex-Scar grabbed ahold and yanked, pulling Impulse and his limp cargo off.

Impulse swore as he rolled to his feet, drawing his sword. “Scar, wake up!” he called, holding his sword at the ready between him and the monster. “I don’t want to fight you!”

Vex-Scar grinned diabolically, but his eyes shifted from Impulse to Grian. Horrified, Impulse realized what he was going to do, and surged forward to attack.

Vex-Scar lunged at the unconscious knight. Impulse intercepted him just in time, slamming him to the ground with the flat of the heavy blade as the Vex’s claws gouged Grian’s chest plate, the big man’s attack making those claws fall short of their intended target. Vex-Scar immediately fell through into the ground, Impulse’s sword bouncing off the hard dirt and grass.

‘He’s targeting Grian!’ Impulse realized, feeling a lump of cold in his gut. Quickly, and not nearly as gently as he would have liked, he scooped Grian up with one arm and slung him over his shoulder, holding his large sword one-handed.

Vex-Scar slashed upward where Grian had been just a second before. The monster’s eyes locked laughingly onto Impulse’s face. “You’re a quick one.”

“Nah, you’re just slow.” In Impulse’s peripheral vision, he saw Mumbo riding hard over the flowery meadow. Involuntarily his eyes flicked that way, then he made a point to look the other way. Eyes back on the vexed creature, heavy sword held at the ready, he sidestepped toward the forest, hoping the floating Vex-Scar wouldn’t see the rider in the clearing.

Vex-Scar chuckled, an unpleasant, rasping sound. “You should have run.”

There was no more room for words. Vex-Scar dove at him, giving a barrage of slashes and strikes with a speed and power far stronger than his own. Impulse blocked and stumbled back, shielding himself and Grian as he kept the monster’s eyes fully on him, backing away deeper into the woods. Every block sent a shock through his arm, threatening to knock his only defense loose.

A tree root betrayed him, and he lost his footing. He fell back, almost dropping his sword and his companion, the tip of his sword on the ground and the hilt above his head. Laughing with sick glee, Vex-Scar almost struck again when Jellie leaped into his face.

He started to a halt, all his attention now on the ghostly, friendly, little familiar. His eyes already regained their natural dark color, and his skin started losing their glow, and color was starting to seep back into his hair, starting at the roots.

“Jellie!” Vex-Scar said in his raspy voice. “Where have you…”

Right then, Mumbo beaned him over the head with his small rocket launcher, knocking the man clean out.

#boatem knights au #applestruda #grian hermitcraft #scar hermitcraft #goodtimeswithscar #impulsesv #impulse hermittcraft #pearlecentmoon #mumbo jumbo #pearl hermitcraft #mumbo hermitcraft #jellie #grian minecraft

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bitsandbobsofwriting · 2 years

Text

The Shadows Will Come... (final part)

The creatures creep closer with every second, and the journey to The Isle is every bit as difficult as the group expect it to be. An unexpected but more than welcome visitor helps them out.

Part 1

TW: Angst, bittersweet ending.

They set off that afternoon, not wanting to take any chances, thankfully not facing any resistance from the council for once. Gaius elects to stay behind, and though Arthur tries to make Leon, Morgana, and Gwen stay behind as well, so they can keep an eye on things, he doesn’t get anywhere, receiving nothing but raised eyebrows, crossed arms, and planted feet until he backs off.

The journey is slow and tense as they make their way towards The Isle of The Blessed, all of them feeling a sense of dread; not once have any of them been there and had something good happen. Elyan and Gwen stick close together, Leon and Arthur stick close together, Gwaine and Percival stick close together, and Mordred and Morgana stick close together. Each natural pairing gains a Merlin at some point, though never for long, and untrusting glances continue to be thrown between the two of them until they finally settle into a camp, hours after dark has fallen. Then, the Current Merlin levels a slightly harsh stare on the side of the other Merlin’s head, and said other Merlin in turn stares at the floor with blank eyes, hands fiddling tightly in his lap.

Gwaine, ever the one to break the silence, is the first to speak in what feels like days, directing his question to the group, and then to the Merlins specifically:

“I have what may be a slightly... insensitive question, if the two of you don’t mind?”

The both of them look to him, dragged from the inner workings of their minds’, and raise an eyebrow each, speaking eerily in sync:

“Depends on the question.”

It almost echoes around the forest, but the glares they shoot each other is distracting enough that Gwaine just clears his throat and says:

“... Ok. Now there’s two insensitive questions. One, who’s Freya? I don’t understand, how can one name convince you-”

He nods at his Merlin:

“-that he-”

He nods at the other:

“-is actually you somehow?”

Gwaine’s own Merlin clenches his jaw and looks away, half angry, half suddenly teary, and mutters:

“Not that question.”

But the other Merlin sighs and answers truthfully. His voice is quiet and he can’t quite look anyone in the eyes, but they all hear him loud and clear:

“I was going to marry her, a long time ago, but things went... awry, and she died. With the benefit of hindsight, I know that I could’ve saved her, but that’s what regret is, isn’t it? The benefit of hindsight?”

His counterpart glares at him viciously, his head whipping around and his eyes furious when he realises the other man has no intention of lying or keeping his mouth shut:

“Do you mind?! This isn’t your time, your life, you don’t get to fuck things up for me just because they’re fucked up for you.”

The camp goes chillingly silent, but the other Merlin just shrugs his shoulders and shoots himself a look, half condescendingly amused, half hateful:

“Yeah, well, we’ve always loved a bit of self-flagellation haven’t we? And anyway, they’ll keep asking question after question, now they know about the magic thing and the destiny thing and the immortality thing. I’m doing you a favour.”

Current Merlin snorts in clear derision, and looks away with rolled eyes and a shaken head. Gwaine clears his throat again, opens his mouth, closes it, opens it, and asks his next question, his timid voice somehow overflowing with curiosity:

“That... leads me on to question number two. Why do you two hate each other so much? You’re... the same person??”

Though a few of the people sat around the fire, Gwen and Mordred and Percival, look upset at the question, the others just seem intrigued, like they’d been on the edge of their seats, waiting for someone to ask. The two Merlins look to each other, and when Future Merlin shrugs and looks away, Current Merlin huffs, rolls his eyes, and answers quietly. It’s an odd sort of kinship they have, one in which they know almost exactly what the other is thinking, can have whole conversations in glances and tapped fingers and haughty scoffs, but still can’t stand each other:

“Have you ever... looked in a mirror, for the first time in a long time, and really... seen yourself? Your face, your hands, the blood on them? Seen how tired you are? How miserable? Except this time it’s not a two-dimensional image, it’s another version of you, warm and bloody and thinking and feeling, staring right back at you;-”

He gives them a crooked, self-deprecating grin as he quirks his eyebrow, almost challengingly:

“-it hates you as much as you hate it.”

No one quite has an answer to that, all, including Arthur, staring at him with a desperate sort of sadness, diluted with confusion at just... what could possibly have happened to make Merlin hate himself so much? Elyan is the first to speak, what feels like hours later but is probably less than a minute:

“That’s... a lot of self-loathing, Merlin. How in the name of the Gods does that sort of thing happen without anyone noticing? You’re... you’re Merlin?”

This time, Future Merlin takes the question, starting with a scornful, sarcastic snort, and ending with a tone of voice that speaks to years and years of agonising isolation:

“When you’ve made the decisions I’ve... we’ve had to make, done the things we’ve had to do... When you have to weigh the pros and cons of every life that’s ever been in your hands, every life that’s even just passed you by, and have to watch as the scales tip towards a decision that you know you’re going to have to... live with, often enough that at the end of the day, you’re more monster than man, all for one person, one ideal, one destiny, that you’re losing more and more belief in with every passing minute... well. Self loathing sort of comes with the territory.”

Everyone looks horrified at his little speech, more so when their own Merlin doesn’t even react, just stares into the fire, perfectly still, perfectly unbothered. Arthur begins regretting his anger more and more by every crackle of the fire, and is the first to break the eerie silence:

“Merlin? Is this true?”

His voice is quiet, but it carries strong over the sound of the flames, and his own Merlin looks up to him blankly, only briefly, before he sighs and looks down again:

“Destiny... is a fickle thing.”

Arthur flinches at the words, certain that he’s heard them, or a variation of them, from Merlin’s mouth possibly several times over the years. He asks the dreaded question:

“You both keep mentioning this... destiny. What destiny?”

The identical Warlocks turn to look at each other, for once seeming to seek a comforting agreement instead of sending an argumentative glare. The slightly older of the two sighs and gives his counterpart a smile that’s part pitying, part proud:

“It... might be time, Merlin. As I’ve already proven, things can go to shit at any moment.”

Though most of the people sat around the fire are tense and apprehensive, the group’s Merlin just nods, sighing and clenching his jaw before looking back to The King with a shadow in his eyes that makes him almost indifferentiable from his traumatised future self. Arthur wonders just what that means, but takes a breath, preparing himself for the oncoming explanation:

“Albion, The Forever King, and The Eternal One. There’s this...-”

He sighs again and looks down, fiddling with his hands. He speaks as though he has to force the words out, but after ten years of apparent secrecy, no one can find it in themselves to hurry him along:

“-there’s this prophecy, that you’ll be the greatest King Camelot has ever known, unite the Kingdoms—collectively named Albion—under your High Rule, and bring peace and unification between... between the magic, and the non magic. I’m meant to... protect you, guide you, stand... uh... by your side, I guess.”

Arthur’s expression goes blank, ever so briefly, but then his face pales and he gulps, shaking his head ever so slightly:

“Magic and non... Merlin, why did you never say anything?”

His face and voice seem distraught, almost teary, but both Merlins look to him with a flash of anger, gone in a second for the Future, who looks away, obviously unable to stare at the face of an Arthur that isn’t his whilst maintaining his fury. The time’s Merlin doesn’t have any problems with the tense eye contact as he grinds out through an unrelenting grief:

“Ten years of having everyone around you tell you, unknowingly, that you’re a monster and have been since birth, ten years of everyone who knows about the prophecies parroting that *telling Arthur is the worst possible thing you could do*, really effects a person, really alters the way you think.-”

Arthur obviously wants to interject, but Merlin doesn’t give him the chance, furrowing his brow and clenching his fists as he continues:

“-And besides all that, excuse me for thinking I’d ever be safe in your presence if you knew the truth, King of the self-proclaimed We-Hate-Magic-And-All-Those-Who-Use-It-and-Burn-Sorcerers-As-Public-Entertainment Kingdom. Or as you like to call it, Camelot.”

Arthur, wide-eyed and mouth open, keeps his teary stare firmly fixed on his own Merlin, though the others glance between the two versions nervously, heartbroken and not quite knowing what to say. The other Merlin catches Gwaine’s eye and gives him a small smile, muttering:

“It’s been a tough... decade.”

The King finally finds his voice, breathlessly asking, barely heard over the hooting owls and spluttering campfire:

“You’ve been waiting. For me. For ten years. My Gods, Merlin... I’m so... I don’t even know what to say, I’m so sorry.”

Before Merlin can even answer, his face, despite Arthur’s apology, still unnervingly blank, Mordred speaks up, timidly, but with an undercurrent of confidence that presumably comes from a lifetime of belief in something bigger than himself:

“A lot of people have been waiting, My Lord. A lot of people have been waiting for a very long time.”

Arthur doesn’t have time to open his mouth to ask what on Earth his youngest knight means, doesn’t even have time to blink, before Mordred’s eyes are flashing golden and the fire flares green for a moment. Everything returns to its normal colour, and The King lets out a sudden breath, deflating under the weight of his realised failure. Both Merlins seem perturbed that Mordred had outed himself, despite the young man's—almost boy’s—insistence on appearing strong. He’s failing only marginally; his face remains stubbornly challenging, but his hands shake in his lap.

The atmosphere is charged and heavy, thick with a swirling mix of emotions flowing in and out of everyone’s lungs, becoming more and more potent with each exhalation; it’s anger, misery, guilt, perhaps just a touch of pride. Both Merlins, despite the presence of Mordred and Morgana, feel as though they’ve never missed Lancelot’s quiet, determined, hand-hidden-on-the-small-of-their-back support, more than this very moment.

Arthur is the first to break the teary stare between Mordred and himself when the youngest of his knights refuses to look away; he can’t even muster up an apology, can’t look anyone in the eyes when he calls for everyone to pull out their bedrolls. The watches are decided haphazardly between the others, and no one questions it or argues when Merlin, Mordred, and Morgana settle close together—the King’s sister had always been protective of the youngest of them, and they accept rather easily that she had likely already known about Mordred’s magic, if not Merlin’s as well. The other Merlin strays as far away from the fire as he can without freezing in the cold of the night, and the way his counterpart relaxes more and more with every pace he takes away from The King is mostly ignored by everyone else.

The next day follows as the previous afternoon: silent, tense, awkward.

Arthur figures, when they settle into camp again as the sun falls, that they’ll make it to the shore of The Isle after only an hour or so of travel the next morning; originally, the Future Merlin had pushed for the group to keep going, but Gwen’s soft groan of saddle pain—badly hidden despite her effort—softens his resolve, and he allows the group to build a fire, cook some food, and sit in their customary circle.

Just like the day had followed from the previous, the night follows as well, though this time it’s Leon that starts the almost-interrogation of the two Merlins:

“I... I understand not liking each other. I understand looking at your own face and seeing nothing but the mistakes you’ve made, the decisions you’ve been forced to undertake. I’ve... I’ve done plenty of things I regret,-”

He looks away briefly, and a select few members of the group frown at the First Knight’s rare display of weakness before he looks back:

“-done things I’ll never forgive myself for. But how can you not trust each other? Merlin, or, that Merlin,-”

He nods at the version that isn’t quite his own:

“-is right: regret is formed with the benefit of hindsight, but in the moment... in the moment you are the one who makes those decisions, and you’re the same person. He’s only got one week’s worth of hindsight, and considering him just being here has already changed his past, I hardly think it counts any more. So how can you not trust each other?”

He says how can you not trust each other, but it’s hardly hidden that the question is aimed solely at his own Merlin. They both dislike each other in equal parts, sure, but the distrust comes from the time’s Merlin only, and it’s obvious to anyone who looks between them.

The Future Merlin smirks and shrugs his shoulders, signalling to himself that... he’s going to have to answer this one on his own. Though the others get the distinct impression that he knows the answer anyway. The slightly younger of the two Merlins takes in a deep breath, holding the cool air in his lungs for a moment before he lets it all out and levels a judging, assessing gaze on his other. He doesn’t look away, doesn’t even blink, as he replies, his voice difficult to read in it’s monotony:

“A lot can happen in a week, and I’m a very good liar.”

The other continues his smirking and quirks his head to the side slightly, obviously in agreement, half accepting that his past self doesn’t trust him, though also half annoyed. The knights, the King, Morgana, and Gwen, evidently don’t think his answer explains anything at all and wait in silence for him to expand; when he doesn’t, Morgana—who had previously been intent on staying silent, lest she give something away or upset Merlin—asks, her words slow and her voice low:

“Surely not that much can happen in a week? And even then, a week, a year, ten years... you’re still the same person.”

The other Merlin, now being ignored for the most part, raises an eyebrow in his counterpart’s direction, wondering just how he planned on explaining it; he knows how he would explain it, but Leon had been right, him just being here had changed things, maybe even the way he used to think. It’s all fucking with his mind a little, if he’s honest, so he tries not to dwell on it too much.

Morgana’s Merlin shakes his head, frowning, and though he glances up at his future self for just a split second, he answers with his gaze firmly focused on his Witch friend:

“No, he’s me, I’m not him, not yet.-”

He seems content to leave it there, but with the way everyone stares at him, he knows he’s not going to be able to get away with that. He huffs out an annoyed sigh and rolls his eyes, continuing:

“-What I mean, is that... with the life I lead, the things I’ve done, the things I have to live with... the decisions, the death, the pain, the... the loss,-”

He voice cracks slightly, but no one calls him out on it, not even when his future self blinks away sudden tears and looks off into the forest. He clears his throat, gulps, and continues, his voice forcefully louder and very... matter-of-fact:

-well. I’ve always been hyper aware that it might only take one more thing, one more tragedy, to... uh... send me over the edge, as it were. I’ve always been averse to proving Uther right, but if there is one person in all the Kingdoms whose mind is susceptible to snapping under the weight of magic and all the suffering my destiny has brought... it’s me. Like I said, a lot can happen in a week; yes, he’s me, that’s exactly why I don’t trust him.”

Arthur, at long last, is the one to reply this time. He seems confused, and heartbroken, and guilty, and angry, all in one, every inflection of his voice in every syllable he utters floating across the camp with a different emotion buried in it:

“So you... what? Think that at some point in that week, you went insane, killed everyone yourself, and then came up with an elaborate story so you could travel back in time and... do it all again?”

Everyone’s eyes gradually get wider as Arthur goes on, and then get impossibly wider still when both versions of Merlin just tilt their head and shrug their mouths, answering, once again, in eerie harmony:

“It’s a possibility.”

They don’t glare at each other this time, they barely even notice, in fact, that they’ve both said the same thing at the same time. When Arthur orders everyone to sleep that night, they all toss and turn in equal parts, unable to sleep both out of fear for their friend, and, as much as no one would admit it, as much as they all hate themselves a little for it, fear of their friend.

Arthur would have been right, in that the journey the next morning would only take an hour or so, had everyone had at least a few hours of sleep the previous night. As it is, it’s almost noon before they reach the shore of the lake surrounding The Isle. They had barely slept a wink between them, and even on horseback they’re sluggish and aching and slow. When they finally make it however, there’s an air of relief around them, like they know that, some way or another, it will all be over soon. It being the oppressive atmosphere that has been hanging low over their heads, choking down their throats into their lungs, dulling their senses but heightening their emotions, since the Merlin from the Future had appeared in the Throne Room, dirty and bloody and so very very scared.

The King, the knights, the servant, don’t quite know what they plan on doing once they get there, but they board the boats anyway, trusting, despite last night’s conversation, that Merlin would know what to do. Merlin who had raised an eyebrow at the appearance of multiple boats, with just enough room to carry them all across, but hadn’t questioned it in any way other than sending a narrow-eyed glare of suspicion to his future self, and a confused but passive shrug of his shoulders to Mordred and, more subtly, Morgana.

When they get to the other side and clamber through the overgrown ruins to the centre of The Isle, the room where they last sore The Veil torn just around the corner, they see... not who they were expecting. Their own Merlin is the first to figure out who it is pacing up and down the courtyard with his arms folded tightly across his chest as he mutters angrily to himself. The Warlock stops in his tracks, shocked, before he breaks out into a sprint, calling his name:

“LANCE!”

The man looks up, grinning widely and rushing to meet Merlin in the middle, embracing him tightly as the others stare, suspicious, but hopeful enough to smile and hurry their pace. When they get there, they can see that this truly is their own Lancelot, his eyes devoid of the evil darkness that they hadn’t noticed in the Shade until it was too late. The deceased knight barely spares them a glance, holding Merlin so tightly Arthur fears he might crush him, before pulling back, holding him by the shoulders, and rushing out his words:

“Thank the Gods you’re here, everything’s about to go to shit and I really don’t know what to do about it. Merlin, they’re coming, they’re going to-”

He’s cut off by the other Merlin, pale and shaking and the only one not sporting a smile as he stares at his old friend with wide, teary eyes; Arthur supposes it’s more difficult for this Merlin to see him, having already lost everyone else. This Lancelot... he’s the only one that both Merlins are on equal footing with. He is neither the time’s, nor the future’s:

“We... we know. That’s why we’re here. Why I’m here.”

Lance manages to stare at him with an open mouth for a moment, then look between him and his counterpart, and then glance to The King, before the man at his side sighs and deigns to give him an, albeit rushed and clipped, explanation:

“Everything already went to shit for him. He’s from the future, where the creatures came through, supposedly killed everyone, leaving only him. He came back a week in time to warn us, and here we are. How are you here?”

Lancelot just raises an eyebrow:

“Supposedly?”

The Merlin from the future just rolls his eyes as everyone else looks marginally uncomfortable, but the Current Merlin just waves his question away:

“A long story, doesn’t matter. How are you here?”

Lancelot hesitates for only a moment, but lets out a breath and shrugs his shoulders, accepting that he isn’t going to get much more than that:

"The Veil’s torn again. I’m... uh... somewhat of a special case apparently, I can move between Avalon and The Darkness fairly easily, unlike creatures like the Dorocha and their more... violent, counterparts. The tear meant I could climb through, before the creatures thank God, but I can’t leave the Isle. I’ve just been waiting for someone to pass, for something, anything, for me to be able to get a message to you. I guess you didn’t need me though.”

He finishes with a grin, and moves around the group, hugging everyone tightly, especially the King, Gwen, and the other Merlin, much to the Current Merlin’s evident, badly hidden, annoyance. He takes care not to waste too much time, speaking to Arthur as he lands a hand on each of the Merlins’ shoulders; the way he squeezes however, tells them that he’s actually speaking to them:

“So. How do you plan on fixing this, My Lord? Because unfortunately, I know nothing of use, other than the fact that the Veil has to close.”

Arthur raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms:

“I’ve no clue, but I’m assuming that the two Merlins and Mordred will be able to figure something out. What with their magic and all.”

Lancelot freezes, only momentarily though, before he leans to one side, speaking to one of the Merlins:

“... When did that happen?”

Future Merlin, not that Lancelot knows that, having already lost track of which is which, tilts his head and mutters, only just loud enough for the others to hear and snort at:

“About twenty minutes after I had everyone shitting themselves by appearing out of nowhere in the Throne Room.”

Lancelot just nods, muttering a quiet “Fair enough.-” before speaking up, somehow managing to stop himself from glancing to Morgana, knowing that, for whatever reason, her own magic hadn’t been outed quite yet:

“-So! I’m assuming the plan is just... see what you can manage?-”

The three Warlocks look to each other, one decidedly more worried than the other two, before shrugging and looking back to the knight, nodding their assent:

“-The Tear is just around the corner and it’s pretty... gruesome.”

They all frown at that, and with a glance to each other that is, once again, less suspicious and hateful than the group had become used, the two Merlins turn around and lead the way into the next room.

The Tear is immediately obvious, and the group doesn’t understand how they had missed it before, what with the noise. It’s deafening, seeming to suck all sound from the room and amplify it back to them, loud and distorted and painful. They would have to shout over it to be able to hear each other, but equally, they loath the idea of contributing more turbulence to the cacophony. Gwen, Morgana, and Mordred, in particular, stare at the deep, black, seemingly endless crack in the fabric of their existence with a horror they’ve never experienced before. The others... they have experienced it before, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less horrifying, and they struggle to rip their eyes away to look at the Merlins. It’s only their clothes that tell them apart, their clothes, and the way that only one of them seems to be going pale and shaky at the sound of the ear piercing screeches coming from inside the Veil. Like nails on slate.

Lance is the first to yell, his voice echoing in all different pitches and tones around the room as he struggles to be heard:

“You need to figure it out soon! It’s been getting bigger by the minute, and I have to slip back through, to Avalon, before you shut it, otherwise it won’t work!”

Gwen responds quickly, seeming to lose interest in The Veil entirely as a few tears escape her eyes:

“You can’t stay? Can’t we find a way to bring you off the Island? Can’t you come home?!”

He frowns, teary himself as he shakes his head:

“No. I’m sorry, Gwen, I don’t belong here. I have... responsibilities. And part of my soul being forced to resurrect in the form of a Shade... that’s the whole reason this happened. I have to go.”

Everyone accepts it quickly enough, though they’re clearly unhappy about having to let him go once more. They suppose it’s easier now that they know he’s ok; he’s happy, safe, keeping busy in... Avalon, wherever that is. The time’s Merlin grips his arm tightly at a particularly vicious gust of wind, and changes the subject:

“You know the most about this, how do we shut it?”

He looks to The Veil, looks to The King, and seeing the trust in his eyes, looks to the two Merlins:

“You’re Emrys! You have enough power, especially between the two of you, and especially if Mordred and- especially if Mordred helps. Just tell it what you want it to do, it should obey!”

If anyone notices his slip up, no one points it out; Mordred nods and steps forward, though frowns when a thought apparently occurs to him:

“What about the Cailleach?!”

Lancelot appears angry, only for a moment before it disappears and he yells over the growing noise:

“Fuck her! You don’t need her, not anymore! We’re running out of time!!”

The group nods, all gripping each other tightly as the wind grows, almost lifting them from the ground and dragging them into the rift; Percival has both Gwen and Elyan clinging to him, finding safety in the heaviest and strongest of them all, whilst Gwaine, Leon, Arthur, and Morgana anchor each other. Lancelot turns to face the Veil, pulling the two Merlins and Mordred together so they don’t trip and slide towards the Tear when he lets go. Everyone has to stop themselves from reaching out towards him when he begins walking towards the Veil, leaning back against the violent force to stop himself from being taken off his feet. He turns back at the last moment, screaming as loud as his lungs can manage and still only barely being heard:

“Merlin!! I’ll come find you next time you die and bring you to Avalon! Freya wants to see you! She misses you!!”

Both Merlins tear up, but the current allows the future to answer, already suspecting what will happen if they succeed; he’s decided that if... if this is where either everyone dies, or this Merlin ceases to exist, then he can afford to be a little kind to himself:

“Tell her I love her!!”

Lancelot smiles slightly and nods, but doesn’t get time to answer before the gale becomes too much for him to resist and he has to step through, to the other side.

The Veil tears even more, growing tall into the sky as sharp black claws rip through, holding on to the edge of existence as their anchor. Mordred is the first one to thrust his arms forwards, his eyes glowing golden as he yells:

“We don’t have time!! It looks like they’re early so it’s now or never!!”

The Merlins nod and push their own hands forward, groaning with the effort of forcing their magic to the edges of the Tear without letting it pull them into oblivion. With a blinding light of gold clashing against darkness, the edges slowly begin to push together, starlight stitches appearing at the top and bottom, pulling tightly and disappearing into the bright noon sky as the Veil heals, forcing the claws so disappear. It’s slow work, difficult and tiring, and after minutes of the Veil barely closing a few metres in all the time, Mordred groans loudly, hands shaking, eyes clamped shut:

“This isn’t... this isn’t enough! I can’t keep this up!!”

He sounds close to tears in his agony, and Morgana decides, in that moment, that she should have matched his bravery two days ago; she lets go of her brother, allowing the darkness to pull her forward, catching herself between the two Merlins even as Arthur reaches out for her desperately:

“Morgana!! What are you doing?!”

She can barely speak as she lifts her own arms, gold spilling from her eyes and hands and joining with the stitches of Merlin, Merlin, and Mordred:

“What I... should have done.... from the beginning!!”

No one says anything more, all praying and hoping and begging that this, whatever this is, is enough.

A minute passes. Two. Three. Four. The three Warlocks and the Witch seem to gain traction, their power growing more and more intense the further they manage to push The Veil closed. Eventually, despite the deafening noise and the blinding light, they manage it, closing the last of the darkness away with a great heave of breath and one last push.

Everyone falls to the floor, panting, feeling as though they’re floating with the sudden lack of extreme force on their bodies. The magic users are the last to rise, only able to get to their feet as other members of the group rush towards them on wobbly legs and pull them up, Gwen and Elyan to Morgana, Gwaine to Mordred, Arthur to one Merlin, and Leon to the other.

It’s Elyan. clearing his throat and still gripping tightly to his sister, that is the first to break the blissful silence:

“How do we-”

He realises he’s yelling and coughs again, speaking quietly:

“-How do we know it worked? We thought the Veil was closed last time, but apparently not.”

Leon’s Merlin, the group’s Merlin, answers gravely, glancing to his future self with what looks disturbingly like pity:

“We should know soon enough.”

He barely finishes his sentence when his counterpart collapses to the floor, dragging Arthur down with him. Everyone goes quickly to crowd the two of them, but Merlin waves a hand and they’re frozen in their spots; the magic seems to be tiring him faster than normal, which is to be expected, so he just shakes his head subtly as he looks to each of them before releasing them all. They seem to get the idea, staying back back but staring on mournfully as Arthur rests the other Merlin’s head in his lap, cradling him ever so gently:

“No.”

The creature smiles weakly but shakes his head:

“All your courage, Arthur, it can’t save me now.”

Tears drop from Arthur’s eyes as he shuffles on the floor, trying to keep Merlin comfortable but also hovering his hands over his chest, trying to figure out what’s wrong:

“I won’t lose you, not after everything, I-”

Merlin rolls his eyes fondly and takes his hand in a weak grip. He’s lethargic, more than that, his movements slurred as he opens and closes his mouth, like he keeps forgetting what he wants to say. His eyes close, and Arthur, among everyone, weeps, thinking it the last time, before they fly open again. He struggles slightly, and though The King is shocked, he doesn’t let go, clamping his eyes shut when Merlin’s remain unfocused and confused. He mutters quietly, frightened and angry, though everyone hears him, even over the sound of their own heartbreak:

“Elyan... I left... I can’t... I can’t go. I left... left him. I have to... he’s hurt, I left him.”

Elyan darts forward, kneeling down opposite Arthur and taking Merlin’s other hand softly in his own, stroking his forehead until he looks up at him:

“You didn’t leave me, Merlin, I’m right here. You and I are staying right here, neither of us are going anywhere.-”

He looks up to his own Merlin, grateful that no one acknowledges the tears on his cheeks—though that would have been hypocritical, considering everyone bar their own Merlin is crying at least a little—as he whispers:

“-Is there nothing we can do?”

Elyan’s own Merlin sighs and shakes his head, responding with furrowed brows and soft words:

“I’m sorry. The time he came from... it doesn’t exist anymore. He doesn’t exist.”

Elyan gulps but nods, looking back down to the slowly dying creature in Arthur’s lap, not releasing his hand for a second as he smiles and repeats his earlier words:

“Neither of us are going anywhere. We won, Merlin, you just need to rest, and everything will be fine.”

His voice cracks and splits as he says it, and whether the creature smiles because he believes him, or smiles because he knows he’s lying, because he knows why he’s lying, Elyan can’t quite tell. He doesn’t think it matters really, not when he creaks out a groaned:

“Just, hold me please. Please.”

Arthur tightens the grip he has around his shoulders and chest and face, and Elyan holds his hand tightly, right through the last breath. Before they can even check for a pulse, the body shimmers slightly, fading and becoming glassy and see through before suddenly collapsing into sparkling white dust. Arthur and Elyan almost fall into each other before scrambling back, staring between their hands and the cloud of stardust currently floating away on a light breeze in horror. Merlin, their Merlin, the only Merlin, steps forward, kneeling down and resting a hand on either of their shoulders:

“He’s gone. But if it makes you feel any better... he never existed. Which means he never suffered. I’m... I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.-”

The two men look up at him quickly, pouncing on him with teary eyes and shaking limbs as the other members of the group finally crowd in, all grabbing softly at Merlin’s tunic and hair and hands, in desperate need of some sort of comfort, that he is here, that he isn’t going to turn to dust before their eyes.

Merlin sighs, tired, exhausted really, and allows himself to be held, gripping especially tightly to Arthur and Elyan, and forcing himself to remain hyper aware of Mordred and Morgana’s positions; at least half of his brain is always concerned about them. He struggles to stay awake as the warmth and pressure winds him down from an adrenaline fuelled desperation to fix the Veil, to a languid, listless need to just... let go. To not need to be so tightly held together, for once. The Warlock knows that sleeping is probably not the best thing he could do right now, and with the last of his resolve, he forces himself to stand, gently pushing everyone bar Arthur away from him:

“We should get back. I need a... a nap. And a drink.”

Arthur snorts a soft laugh, obviously equally as tired, but pulls him into another tight hug, cradling the back of Merlin’s head softly, but crushing their chests together tightly, not that the Warlock would complain:

“If you think I’m letting you out of my sight ever again...”

Merlin copies his laugh, holding onto Arthur securely and deciding, not too surprisingly, that if Arthur is content to follow him around and keep him safe for the rest of his life, despite everything, well then. Merlin is content with that as well. He’s always wanted a brother.

THE END!!!

At long last!!!

As a prologue, Merlin dirties himself up, travels back in time and re-enacts everything so that no... paradoxes or whatever appear. But it was so long I really couldn’t be bothered to write it all out just for the sake of fixing a minor plot hole.

I almost made this Merthur, but I also love some background Freylin so🥺🤩

I hope y’all enjoyed!!!!! Let me know!!!

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