#did I make this more heartbreaking???

[the-weirdos-mind]

The Call of the Heart

To go with @writing-heiress Fairytale/Disney AU. I decided to go with the Idia X Estella: Atlantis AU for this.

~~~~~~~~~

The girls knew they didn’t have a choice in this matter. If they hadn’t come with Silas then he will kill their father. The only parental they have left in their lives after their mother died all those years ago when their home sank thousands of miles down into the sea. Estella, Oriane, Silas, Epel and Idia all stood in a room that was hidden in the throne room. Silas walked to the edge of a small yet deep pond and looked above him. In the center, high up in the air, were floating stones with carvings of the princesses ancestors. Kings and queens who once ruled the land. They were protecting a large cyan energy sphere.

They would weep if they saw how their kingdom has fallen. The lead mercenary kicked a small rock into the crystal clear water. The cyan turned to crimson as it sensed a disturbance. He looked up and many crimson beams start circling around the room. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” Epel said. “I don’t like this place.” He had warning bells going off in his head and a pit was growing bigger in his stomach by the second.

“Alright, Shroud.” Silas said. “What’s next?”

Idia nervously held the Shepherd’s Journal and started reading out loud. “O-Okay. There’s a g-giant crystal hovering a h-hundred fifty f-feet above the o-our heads over a b-bottom less p-pit of w-water…”

What he didn’t realize is that when he was speaking, the lights turned to their original color when a beam landed on Estella’s crystal necklace. Oriane noticed and grabbed her sister’s hand. She was getting a bad feeling about this. It was all too familiar to her. The crystal started floating above her neck… as if guiding her. “Interesting.” She mumbled in her native tongue. Her eyes started glowing that same cyan as the light over took the pupils and irises. Oriane held her hand tightly.

“No.” Oriane muttered. “Estella no.”

“Then move it.” Silas ordered.

“I don’t even know how to move it.” Idia said, losing his stutter the more angry he got. “I don’t even know what’s holding it up there!”

“ESTELLA!!” Oriane shouted once her younger sister started walking towards the crystal. She held onto her hand for as long as she could until Epel grabbed her hand and pried it off. “SISTER NO!” The other men stopped when they heard the older princess yell. Silas held his hand out and stopped Idia when he went to run after her. That cry that Oriane released… it was one Idia knew. All too well. They all watched as Estella walked the the edge of the pond.

“Talk to me Shroud and Princess.” Silas said. “What’s happening?”

Oriane just stood there in silence. ‘Not again.’ She thought. ‘Please no.’

“Look,” Idia said pointing to the page in the book. “All it says here i-is that crystal is a-alive, somehow. I don’t k-know how to explain it, it’s their deity, it’s their power source.”

“Speak English professor.”

“It’s a p-part of them, they’re a part of it. I’m doing the best I can here!”

“Well do better.” The mercenary pulled his gun out.

“Well, why don’t you translate and I’LL WAVE THE GUN AROUND!”

The argument stopped when they heard Estella speak. Her voice sounded disoriented as she spoke and she even turned to the group. “All will be well Idia Shroud and older sister. Be not afraid.” She said.

“Let my sister go!” Oriane yelled. She ran forward to grab her sister but Silas grabbed her arms and held them tightly to her side. Idia gave a shy smile though he felt dread rise in his stomach. Oriane’s voice held the tone of a heartbroken sibling.

“What did they say?” He asked as he held the struggling princess.

“I-I didn’t catch it.” Idia mumbled.

Oriane stopped in her tracks. Her blood turned cold as her little sister started walking on the water. “NO! ESTELLA NO!” She screamed. They all watched as the younger princess was walking towards the crystal. They cyan beam is still on her, she’s what it wanted.

Estella walked until she was directly under the crystal. The stone heads started moved away from the crystal. They all stared in shock and amazement. Oriane’s eyes started watering and a tear fell from her eye. The multiple cyan beams combined into one the moment it sensed that the crystal was near. A bright flash of cyan light filled the area as Estella closed her eyes. A larger beam came from the crystal and shined down on the girl.

“My daughter.” She heard a voice say. “It’s time to join us.”

She started floating up towards the crystal. Her hair lifted above her head and rippled in the air. Her necklace was the guiding force to the massive sphere.

“SISTER!” Oriane screamed.

Estella floated into the sphere until her body couldn’t be seen anymore. The stones started spinning around the sphere as its power was being transported into the girl. The faster they went, the stronger the wind they made. It wasn’t long before a cyan silhouette was in the center where the crystal once was. It was as if Estella’s body had turned into her people’s power source. A ripple of cyan light flashed through the area— the transformation was complete.

Everyone else stood in shock at what they had just witnessed. Estella started floating to the ground, slowly like a leaf. She landed on the water’s surface, with a circle of cyan light around her. “Estella.” Idia whispered. He started to take a step out towards her but Silas grabbed his shoulder.

“Easy there, Lover Boy.” He taunted.

“Estella.” Idia said, a bit louder.

“Little sister.” Oriane said.

They’re only response from her came in the form of her opening her eyes. The light had overtaken them completely. “No.” Oriane mumbled as she let out a wail. ‘Not again.’

Estella started walking back towards the group. The stone heads started falling from the ceiling and splashed when they collided with the water. The splashes were slipping away from her as if she was in a protective sphere from the water. When she got to the group, Silas held out a hand to touch her but was stopped.

“DON’T!” Oriane yelled.

“Don’t touch her.” Idia said. He knows by the look of Oriane’s face that he’s faced something familiar; an older sibling losing the younger one.

Tags: @adrianasunderworld @mangacupcake @writing-heiress @marrondrawsalot

[amaranthdahlia]

i leave him to you. | i got it ... my hero.

[purplecatghostposts]

*Holds up Félix and Chloé* It’s not obvious because it’s all WIPs and very little has been posted but I care them so much. I love putting them in a room together and locking the door to see what happens. They’re two somewhat territorial cats who are fighting one minute, then totally chill the next. They’re judging each other. They like to hang out and judge other people. They’re mocking each other one minute and then planning each other’s parents’ (Andre and Audrey’s/Colt’s) murders. Amélie invites Chloé over and treats her like a daughter. Chloé is breaking down crying in Amélie’s arms because she feels loved one moment, then smirking at Félix because she’s stealing his mom five minutes later. Sabrina knows Félix by his full government name due to Chloé’s ranting but has never formally met him. They both love Adrien so much but they’re not the greatest at remembering to tell him. They both have so many issues. They complain about each other. They have blackmail material for days. They would kill for one another if it came down to it. Do you feel me. Do you get me. Did any of that make sense. I know I’m taking a five second interaction and allusions to what their relationship was before and blowing it up out of proportion but they interest me so MUCH and I WILL make headcanons about it.

[wonder-worker]

I've been thinking about the tragedy of Elizabeth Woodville living to see the end of her family name.

I don't mean her family with her husband, which lived on through her daughter and grandson. I mean her own.

Her sisters died, one by one, many of them after 1485. When Elizabeth died, only Katherine was left, and she would die before the turn of the century as well.

All her brothers died, too. Lewis died in childhood. John was executed. Anthony was murdered. Lionel died suddenly in the peak of Richard's reign, unable to see his niece become queen. Edward perished at war. Richard died in grieving peace. For all the violence and judgement the family endured, it was "an accident of biology" that ended their line: none of the brothers left heirs, and the Woodville name was extinguished. We know the family was aware of this. We know they mourned it, too:

“Buy a bell to be a tenor at Grafton to the bells now there, for a remembrance of the last of my blood.”

Elizabeth lived through the deposition and death of her young sons, and lived to see the end of her own family name. It must have been such a haunting loss, on both sides.

[good-beanswrites]

My thoughts on how the Milgram mv machine works based on the evidence we have:

(I know there’s been discussion about where exactly the interrogations take place, but wherever they are,) the prisoners are made to sit in a specific chair near the wall that houses the machine.

It’s ordinarily hidden, but the wall panels shift aside to reveal it when the mechanical sounds play in the dramas. As well as the walls moving, the chair transforms to restrain the prisoner and attach whatever it takes to access their brain. The fact that none of the more frightened prisoners try to run or break it makes it seem like they physically cannot. This is why Fuuta sounds so panicked, and why Amane is suddenly helpless in front of Es in their T1 vds.

(My mind conjures very classic sci-fi mad scientist machines with wires, pipes, lights, nodes, needles, etc, but I’d love to hear how other people visualize it.)

In some vds (maybe all? I’d need to check,) you can hear Es take some steps right before their iconic line -- it would make sense that for safety reasons, the power mechanism is placed across the room. Once again it could be anything, but the sound effect makes me think of one of those giant wall-mounted levers you have to pull down.

The voice dramas don’t really provide the type of crime details that an actual interrogation would reveal, and it’s odd that they’re placed before the extraction rather than after Es gets to see the new details. This leads me to believe the machine functions with priming. All Es needs to do is get them talking about their murder, so it’s on their mind.

The video produced is much like a (non-lucid) dream. Even if the prisoners figure out that this is how it works, they can’t control it just by thinking really hard about something else. The murders produce the strongest emotional affect, and that’s what it picks up on. If someone else used the machine, it would default to whatever gave them the strongest emotional reaction in the ~15 minutes beforehand, hence why Es’ video focuses on their daunting task ahead. (The Undercover theory is still a bit loose, though, given the private shots that Es wouldn't have known about). It’s why the videos are usually closely linked to the vd topics/beats. I also like to think that the reason their prisoner colors appear so much is because they’re looking at those colors on their uniform 24/7.

The bell rings to inform Es that it’s the optimal time to use the machine -- the prisoner has been thinking about things for long enough that the video will be about their crime, and if the conversation lasts much longer they’ll start thinking of other things. It’s at a different time for each prisoner because it’s based on the specific conversation. I guess Jackalope is listening in to the interrogation, timing it perfectly. (The only one that kind of messes with this theory is Yonah, because they just keep talking afterwards lol, but it could just show that the interrogation is still in Es’ control.)

Their “Sing your sins” is the final priming nudge to get them to think of their actions as a sin, revealing their guilt.

Once activated, the prisoner enters a sort of trance/sleeping state. It’s very much like REM sleep, with the machine forcibly activating neurons and recording the output. The prisoners have asked Es what they saw, meaning they don’t remember the mvs. I like to think the prisoners do experience the mv in real time, acting as the major version of themself that appears, but can’t remember it afterwards. It’s when you experience a dream, but as soon as you wake up you’re just left with fleeting emotions and memories right on the tip of your tongue.

The video plays immediately upon extraction -- whether on a huge projection or little screen depends on which room it’s in. It simultaneously saves the memory so that Es can rewatch it later (on those old TVs in the jailbreak mix). The machine downloads the song and video together, but requires special parts to retrieve them. The technology is pretty new and fragile, so if one is broken, there might be a delay between when Es can hear the extracted song and see it with the video. (That’s my justification for Kotoko’s delays -- after 9 prisoners the parts wear out, or maybe Mikoto himself overheats it with his complex situation.)

Based on the lack of conversation we get afterwards, I picture Es leaving before the prisoner wakes from the trance. The machine adjusts their brain back to normal before they awaken, restraints freed and able to return to the rest of the prison.

It’s very much like a dream, so it’s not harmful despite the amnesia/head injuries the prisoners have. It does, however, exhaust them. Brain activity alone takes a lot of energy, so forced brain activity with added emotional strain would cause them to feel pretty drained the rest of the day.

[quatarisprite]

Hey nonexistent uglies by Scott Westerfeld fandom what’s up

[eyra]

a little while ago, a two headed calf was born and I instantly thought of beneath a big blue sky Wolfstar and how excited Sirius would be because “Remus!!! A two headed calf?!?!?” And Remus is just so heartbroken because he knows how the situation will play out and he doesn’t want to tell Sirius

no stop that immediately because this can happen with lambs too and I had the same thought when I saw that story and it devastated me then and it devastates me to this day. I can’t even think about any of that without getting choked up like I may sob I may fully break down because what if a two-headed lamb was born in that damn barn.

you know sirius would be staying there all night long with that lamb even when remus tells him it probably won’t live to see the morning. and remus would stay too and watch sirius care for it and wonder how it’s even possible that he falls more in love with him every single day.

anyway I’m going to go drink myself into oblivion now so I don’t have to think about this. x

[sciderman]

You said that if you dated Peter or Wade it would make you miserable. Which– Okay fair, Wade does have a history of purposely hurting the people he loves.

But what about Peter? Why do you think dating him would make you miserable?

because I’ll always know I had the option to climb a 6’8 cyborg and I passed that up for a sweaty little twunk that I perpetually have to remind to bathe (sorry peter)

[dyingnerdyprude]

finally watched spy another day and it feels like the tin can bros ripped my heart out of my chest, put it in a blender, made a smoothie out of it, and poured it back into the gaping hole where my heart was.

i am forever changed by this

@curtmega

[noisybubblegumstarfish]

"Because you're my number one... Twice"

[supercalime]

i personally cannot wait for s8 to start with an episode that focuses on the new normal under gerrard and on the eddie drama potentially. just for a small (or big?!?) bucktommy hint to be dropped in the middle or end to say that we are SO back!! 😍

Gosh, i am truly excited for whatever they do with the plot and arcs for the characters. It’s 911 so we know what we are in for. I worry about bucktommy for many reasons. I mean, we still have zero confirmation about Lou being back, and I don’t want to get my hopes up by going “when x happens” like certain unhinged fans of a certain fanon ship that shall not be named act. I want it so bad to see buck and tommy navigate through their relationship this season (I’d love to see them on a call together or maybe tommy gets hurt and we see the effect it has on buck), I really do, but unfortunately I will hold on expectations until there’s a undeniable confirmation from the 911 gods.

But we can manifest, besties. I’d love a big or small hint throughout the episode too!

[moonsavior]

He misses his mc so much 🥲

[hauntingblue]

WATER SEVEN BABYYYYY

Look at robin reacting when luffy says he wont give her up.... 🥺🥺

This is a joke right now but its actually a one piece tenet aldjsisjka

Usopp aksbaksjakqk the foreshadow is foreshadowing... Also Robin being happy with the crew after the Aokiji incident... Fuck!!!!

Sanji thinking robin just vanished or flew away and suddenly usopp is soaring thru the skies... imagine

AAAAARGGGGHHHH YOU CAN SEE THE GEARS TURNING

Zoro talking to merry..... only while he is alone of course

Why are nami and sanji matching ajdhakjsk look at the citrus sisters

Carpenter: maybe it was the government

Gov agent: I don't think so, also don't say that they are everywhere

LUFFY SUPPORTS WOMEN'S WRONGS!!!

Don't scream att chopper like that!!! Look at him... So small....

Imu tease???? (No) (Also I've changed websites again bc the translation is kinda off , I can't find a good quality b&w spanish translation and the colors scare me (i want the real manga experience))

GET HIM ICEBURG!!!!

I truly forgor if this is just a lie about her wanting to find the rio poneglyphs or genuine because she wants to die and will do it for them... because in skypiea she says she is not interested in the weapons so maybe if the gov pardons her but considering what she wants is illegal then idk abdjabjs this is such a dumb thing to forget... like thats important girl where did it go (reading this after remembering and it's kinda funny... i will make any sacrifice to kill myself (and keep you safe)... she goes HARD)

Little paulie and mozu and kiwi.... omg hello (the SBS says the twins wanted to be shipwrights too omg)

Franky's backstory is small but it does so much for me like it is so central to the themes... boats and people...

DID SOMEBODY ORDER MORE TRAGIC BROTHERS?

The fact that franky needs to learn this lesson to pass it on to robin.... do you understand how big this is.... also Tom does exactly as he says and takes responsibility for franky and what he has done... because he has done nothing wrong AND THAT'S HIS SON and he just punched spandam bc he wanta him to feel the pain franky feels... Tom is such a man..... proud of having built eater 7 up with the sea train.... goes out with a boom.... should we all kill ourselves....

I am crying again................... franky my god.... and the fucking frog!!! And of course franky can't stop Tom's hope for his island... of course he can't.... he hasnt learnt the lesson yet but this guy isn't over yet!! He has a life of being a pervert cyborg ahead!!! Iceburg following Tom's footsteps but franky not being able to do that bc of his guilt....

This is one of the coolest things chopper has done btw...

NAMII 😭😭😭

Robin damning the world for her crew when all she has ever done is damn her companions for her own sake.... how big is this...

I can't take this...... it's always nami in these positions... it happens AGAIN in Zou with Sanji... there is no way

The love letter gag is too good like damn that's so funny

AND IT'S NAMI GOING THROUGH IT AGAIN!!!! SHE LOVES ROBIN SO MUCH!!!!

[teddybearsims]

𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖'𝕤 𝕄𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 - 𝟝:𝟙𝟛 𝔸𝕄 ⋆⁺𖤓₊⋆

[Stevie sits up slowly, the mixed scents of pizza, sweat, and weed only makes her more nauseous. The world spins endlessly, she can’t hold on.] ?: Look who’s finally awake. ?: I’ll just cut to the chase. We’re kicking you out of the band. [Stevie remains quiet. She’s worried she might throw up if she opens her mouth.] ?: It’s the third show you’ve missed because you were too fucking wasted to care. You’re a good bass player, but not good enough for us to put up with your shit. Get the fuck out once you can stand. [Somewhere deep and dark inside of her, she feels crushed. But on the surface, the parts of her she's revealed to the world, she remains a perfect picture of indifference.]

[Birds chirp, car doors slam, people rush by Stevie as she wanders through the early morning streets. She can’t stomach delving into the rush hour subway, and maybe the fresh air will do her some good. She walks on, aimless, the rising sun is no cure for the cold blood running through her veins.]

[Stevie pauses, realizing where exactly in the city she had wandered towards. The mouth of the beast, open and inviting, ready to tear her to pieces all over again. She didn’t even know the gig she was supposed to play last night was this close to his—] Stevie, mumbling: Don't be fucking weird.

[But her thoughts are intrusive, unavoidable. Detestable. It's so damn pathetic she can't stand it. She wonders how Jude is doing. Is he sleeping right now? Is he aware of how she feels? Does he still — But why the fuck should he care? For all she knows he's — moved on. The thought makes her feel sick again. She has no right to even be standing here.]

[Stevie gets ten steps away before turning back to stare at Jude's apartment building in utter distaste. She's been good, the meaning of that word muddied down to her own version of it.  Avoiding this place had been so easy, so why now? Why, when she could've just gone home?] Stevie: Shit, I need a drink.

[wavebiders]

Thinking about how most of the time when you have the option to stay quiet during a companion quest you get approval for letting them handle it and sometimes even get disaproval for talking over them

And then with Shadowheart's quest speaking up with Viconia not only gives a +5(while *keep silent* gives nothing) but also if you don't do that she will look genuinely scared when Viconia asks you to hand her over

[grimm-the-tiger]

My FL main went through some really weird, organic development over the...oh god, I think it's been five years since I started playing now.

So my main is named Skadi Larkin. They are a little bastard. They started out extremely 2D; I named them after my favorite Norse goddess and the protagonist of the book I was reading at the time. I originally wanted to make them female like both of their namesakes, but the second I saw the third-gender option, I thought it was too good to pass up. This is where they got their primary base characterization as a mad scientist who wanted to Cause Problems.

Then I started the Nemesis ambition and forgot which option I'd chosen for who I was trying to avenge, so they lost both their lover and their older brother under tragic circumstances (only the lover was killed by Nemesis's antagonist, though).

Then I got an Exceptional Friendship and had to give my tragic backstory in order to gain entry to the House of Chimes. Skadi pulled said tragic backstory (orphaned in a hansom accident) more or less out of their ass, but it did establish that their parents are dead.

Somewhere down the line, I realized that technically Skadi is a linguist, since the Correspondence is a language, and I made that their profession on the Surface as well.

Around this time, I started working on character designs for my fan comic. I got really into messing around with skin tone, and somewhere along the line thought it would be fun to draw Skadi (who was originally white) with darker skin, and it stuck.

Then I abruptly realized I was taking a lot of options that increased my Melancholy, and almost all of them were based on the Surface. So now Skadi has a longing for the Surface.

I left the game for a few years, but somewhere during this stretch of time, and I don't know how this happened, but I decided Skadi was now Native American; specifically, Metis. I changed their design to incorporate a sash woven in a style characteristic of the Metis, which also added a bit of color to their design (which was mostly black or grey at this point).

During this time, I started incorporating Skadi into my fan comic. This would eventually lead me to actually flesh out their backstory in greater detail. When I started playing the game again, I also created my first alt by total accident (long story), and I decided to weave her backstory with Skadi's.

So Skadi is in the interesting position of being an Indigenous person who is what we'd probably consider Two-Spirit today but they'd just call "Bollocks to that gender crap". They never belonged on the Surface, since the Metis are in a bit of a liminal space compared to other tribes due to their interesting background (the Metis are the descendants of French settlers and Indigenous inhabitants, mostly Cree), and Skadi exists in a liminal space within that liminal space due to only being half-Metis and raised primarily in white culture, although they still maintained a connection to it through their late mother. They also never belonged because no one else on the Surface outside of the communities they already felt isolated from would ever accept them for their gender. London gave them a chance to express one of those, but not both, and despite knowing that the Surface hates them just for existing, they still long to return.