#disintegrating into the wind as we speak

[lil-inky]

Whiteboard doodle dump weehooh!

And some…spicier doods under the cut 🤫

poggers 😶‍🌫️

[shisasan]

Picking a single favourite quote might be an impossible task so which quote (or quotes) do you seem to come back to more often than others?

Picking a single favorite quote might truly be an impossible task because there are so many brilliant writers out there whose words have deeply influenced my life. These extraordinary souls have breathed new life into me when I was ready to give up on everything. Without any particular order, these quotes are not intended to enlighten or educate anyone but offer a brief insight into the words I turn to for comfort, inspiration, or understanding when I'm not at my highest self.

I'll begin with my most dearest Hermann Hesse, whom I like to call my Alpha and Omega. He transformed my life from a young age, opening mysterious portals to other worlds and making me feel deeply understood, embraced, with a true sense of belonging. His writing not only awakened my mind to new realms of thought and emotion but also offered immense solace and companionship through his exploration of the human spirit:

"A wild longing for strong emotions and sensations seethes in me, a rage against this toneless, flat, normal, and sterile life."

"I have always thirsted for knowledge, I have always been full of questions."

"We have to stumble through so much dirt and humbug before we reach home. And we have no one to guide us. Our only guide is our homesickness."

Rainer Maria Rilke, a beautiful and tender infinite soul, whose writings deeply resonate with the complexities of the human condition and the relentless quest for understanding:

"I am dark, I am forest."

"I grow strong in the beauty you behold. And with the silence of stars, I enfold your cities made by time."

"Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer."

Novalis, who occupies a cherished place in my heart for his poetic and deeply insightful exploration of life and love.

"We are eternal because we love each other."

"I often feel, and ever more deeply I realize, that fate and character are the same conception."

"Sometimes with the most intense pain a paralysis of sensibility occurs. The soul disintegrates—hence the deadly frost—the free power of the mind—the shattering, ceaseless wit of this kind of despair. There is no inclination for anything anymore—the person is alone, like a baleful power—as he has no connection with the rest of the world he consumes himself gradually��and in accordance with his own principle he is—misanthropic and misotheos."

Egon Schiele, whose intense and raw portrayal of human emotion and beauty has deeply moved me, revealing the unfiltered essence of the human experience.

"I must see new things and investigate them. I want to taste dark water and see crackling trees and wild winds. I want to gaze with astonishment at moldy garden fences, I want to experience them all, to hear young birch plantations and trembling leaves, to see light and sun, enjoy wet, green-blue valleys in the evening, sense goldfish glinting, see white clouds building up in the sky, to speak to flowers. I want to look intently at grasses and pink people, old venerable churches, to know what little cathedrals say, to run without stopping along curving meadowy slopes across vast plains, kiss the earth and smell soft warm marshland flowers. And then I shall shape things so beautifully: fields of colour…"

Anaïs Nin, a force of nature and embodiment of feminine strength, whose deep exploration of inner life and boundless creativity has left an indelible impression on me. Her work continues to inspire and challenge me to embrace the fullness of my inner world:

"She was colour, brilliance, strangeness."

"I have the power to multiply myself. I am not one woman."

"Ordinary life does not interest me. I seek only the high moments. I am in accord with the surrealists, searching for the marvelous."

"I can only connect deeply, or not at all."

Carl Gustav Jung, one of the most brilliant psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, and empiricists in history. Jung's exploration of the collective unconscious and shadow self has offered me invaluable tools for self-awareness and personal development. His legacy continues to inspire and guide those seeking to understand the depths of the mind and the path to self-discovery.

"A man who has not passed through the inferno of his passions has never overcome them. As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being. Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."

"People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."

"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are."

Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the maddening genius with profound understanding of human nature and morality:

"If you want to overcome the whole world, overcome yourself."

"People speak sometimes about the 'bestial' cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel."

"People. People. Endless noise. And I am so tired. And I would like to sleep under trees; red ones, blue ones, swirling passionate ones."

"I exist. In thousands of agonies—I exist."

"If there is no God, everything is permitted."

Virginia Woolf, a literary giant whose deep introspection and exploration of the human condition have left an indelible mark:

"No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself."

"What is the meaning of life? That was all—a simple question; one that tended to close in on one with years. The great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark; here was one."

"I want to raise up the magic world all around me and live strongly and quietly there."

"Reality? Reality has never been enough for me."

Mikhail Bulgakov, a masterful writer and playwright, another troubled soul who faced censorship and persecution in his lifetime, with immense talent and a deep soul, fascinated me with his imaginary worlds that blend reality with fantastical elements, feeling both familiar and boundlessly expansive:

"But would you kindly ponder this question: What would your good do if evil didn't exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows disappeared? After all, shadows are cast by things and people. Here is the shadow of my sword. But shadows also come from trees and living beings. Do you want to strip the earth of all trees and living things just because of your fantasy of enjoying naked light?"

"Kindness. The only possible method when dealing with a living creature. You'll get nowhere with an animal if you use terror, no matter what its level of development may be. That I have maintained, do maintain and always will maintain. People who think you can use terror are quite wrong. No, no, terror is useless, whatever its colour – white, red or even brown! Terror completely paralyses the nervous system."

"Everything passes away - suffering, pain, blood, hunger, pestilence. The sword will pass away too, but the stars will remain when the shadows of our presence and our deeds have vanished from the Earth. There is no man who does not know that. Why, then, will we not turn our eyes toward the stars? Why?"

"There are no evil people in the world, only unhappiness disguised as evil."

And then there is indispensable Franz Kafka. Although I have shifted away from his writing in recent years and no longer resonate with it as much, he was a dear friend and frequent company during my darkest, loneliest, and most challenging times. His work, full of raw honesty and insight, offered a kind of companionship that felt both intimate and enduring:

"The way he can risk everything and risks nothing, because there is nothing but truth in him already, a truth that even in the face of the contradictory impressions of the moment will justify itself as such when the crucial time arrives. The calm self-possession. The slow pace that neglects nothing. The immediate readiness, when it is needed, not sooner, for long in advance he sees everything that is coming."

"I, for the most part silent, had nothing to say; among such people the war doesn’t call forth in me the slightest opinion worth expressing."

"You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet." Of course, there are many more authors who deserve to be on this list, but I chose these because they have touched my life in ways that are both unique and deeply personal. I hope that at least some of you will read to the end and find a bit of inspiration and insight in these quotes, just as they have given me. If you’ve made it this far, thank you. 🌹

[svquincy]

HOME IS WHERE...?

The Underworld-- where the past is always close behind. Too close for Odysseus’ comfort. Here, he’s haunted by the memory of the hundreds of men who died under his command. One in particular he doesn’t dare wish to face again. Despite this, he perks up when his ears recognize a familiar tune. 

"This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms..."

"Polites…?" He looks around for a moment, trying to find the source of the voice. Soon, his eyes lock in on a blurred figure in the distance. He can’t see any of the figure’s facial features, but he’d recognize that headband flowing in the wind anywhere.

"Whatever we face, we'll be fine if we're leading from the heart..."

"Polites, I'm here!" Odysseus makes his way toward the melodic voice, but finds that no matter the distance he treads, the figure appears no closer than before.

"No matter the place--"

"Can't you hear me? It's me, Odysseus!" His stride quickens, desperate to reach his lost friend, but every step he takes is futile.

"--we can light up the world, here's how to start..."

"Polites, please answer me!" He can’t tell if his misty eyes are from the fog blocking his line of sight, or from a desperation deep within. It seems that no matter how much he tries to disperse the haze before him, his vision remains clouded.

"Greet the world with open arms, greet the world with open arms..." The voice fades away, and Odysseus finds himself standing all alone.

"Polites..."

A gust of wind blows past, filling the silence around him. For a while, he can’t bring himself to move, frozen in place by the reality of his isolation. 

"... Captain?" That familiar voice eventually speaks once more, from behind Odysseus, putting an end to his solitude. There’s a softness in that voice that he recognizes instantly. He turns around, surprised to find himself now face to face with his old friend. Here, even amidst all the fog, he can see every detail so clearly now.

"Polites?" 

"Captain, is that really you?"

"Yes...! Yes, it's me! I'm right here!" Odysseus reaches out his arms to grab hold of Polites' shoulders, but all he manages to grasp within his fingers are the disintegrating vapors of a fading spirit. His short-lived smile quickly descends into a solemn frown, disappointment etched all over his face.

"I... I can't see you..." Polites' eyes wander, searching for the sight of his dear friend, but all that fills his vision is abyssal nothingness.

"What do you mean?"

"It's all just darkness here. There's no light anywhere. No... nothing." A silence falls among the pair for a moment. "Captain... I'm scared."

"I know... Death is terrifying."

"Death? So... you mean..." The words of explanation are on the tip of Odysseus' tongue, but his tightly pursed lips forbid them from escaping. "Right, of course," Polites continues with a feigned smile, understanding the truth of his situation without hearing another word. "Your silence speaks volumes, my friend. How did it happen?"

"The Cyclops." Odysseus swallows hard as flashes of splattered blood and panicked screams come back to mind. "It was quick. You didn't feel any pain," he lies. The memory of Polites reaching out for Odysseus as he lies in a pool of his own blood nearly makes him expel the contents of his stomach.

“So then… if you’re here…” Polites’ mind immediately goes to the worst possible scenario, but Odysseus is quick to put him at ease.

“No, no, I’m not…” Dead? “There’s no need to worry, my friend,” he tells him, offering his most sincere smile, though it’s tinged with sadness, knowing Polites will never be able to see it.

“Thank the Gods for that,” Polites smiles back anyway. “You still have to make it home, after all.”

“Home…” Odysseus’ voice trails off. “Home without you isn’t really home anymore, is it?” Though Odysseus’ remark is solemn, Polites still smiles brightly.

“My friend… You’ve lost so much…” Odysseus can almost feel a comforting hand on his shoulder. “But you have to keep going until you make it home. We're all rooting for you." Before Odysseus can respond, the visage of Polites begins to dim. "Wait... Polites, please, don't go!" Odysseus reaches for his friend, but his efforts are in vain. "I'm not going anywhere." Polites places a hand over Odysseus' chest and smiles. "I'm always going to be right here." Before long, the spirit of Polites vanishes for good, leaving Odysseus alone once more.

[silverynight]

Feral

When the kakushi arrive at the scene, it's still chaos; the parts of the demon left are disintegrating under the sunlight.

There's a baby, a little pup secured on a rock and a very feral omega, making sure nobody touches them.

They have never seen Kamado Tanjirou like that before; his eyes are white, but he's not acting sweet and confused like the other times his inner omega takes control of him.

"Tanjirou-san?" One of them tries, getting closer, but the omega growls and bares his teeth as he moves right in front of the pup.

He's protecting the baby.

"You're hurt. We just want to help!" Another kakushi says, just to be snarled at by the redhead.

He's bleeding.

"We won't touch the pup!"

Tanjirou growls at the mention of the pup; he takes the little one in his arms, without looking away from any of them, and nuzzles against the tip of the baby's nose, making him giggle.

They don't know what to do or how long the feral state is going to last; Tanjirou is a very strong slayer, there's no way any of them can manage to tie him up and take him to the butterfly estate.

How do they make him go back to normal?

"Nice! You got rid of the thing with your bare hands, huh?" Despite being a tall and strong alpha, Shinazugawa doesn't make any sound until he speaks. He startles a few kakushi because of that.

Tanjirou answers with a growl and the wind hashira grins in response.

He looks like he's enjoying this.

"He's–"

"I know he's feral," the white haired alpha cuts the kakushi off. "It's okay. I'll take care of this."

The kakushi don't like where this is going, but it's not like they have any other choice.

What surprises them is that he leaves his katana on the ground, but flexes his knees like he's about to jump; his hands are curled slightly like he's ready to use them.

"If any of you touches my sword, I'll kill you."

The omega notices the change in the hashira's demeanor, and he snarls as a warning. He leaves the pup back on the rock and prepares to attack the alpha.

Tanjirou doesn't recognize Shinazugawa, although they're not sure if it would change a lot if he did; rumor has it those two had a long talk and a fight a few weeks ago and now they're kinda friendly towards one another, but they're not sure if that's true.

Just a month ago, Shinazugawa seemed to hate having the omega around.

"Tanjirou!" The alpha smirks. "Show me what you're capable of!"

And then he jumps at the omega who immediately attacks back. Their "fight" is not very difficult to follow, even for the kakushi around; they're not using breathing techniques or anything, mostly because Tanjirou's rational thoughts are gone and they have realized that Shinazugawa doesn't want to hurt him.

He's just trying to pin the omega to the ground, making him submit, but it's quite a challenge considering Tanjirou's inner omega probably believes he's protecting his pup.

However, Shinazugawa is still a hashira and a prime alpha.

Finally, the wind hashira gets the omega pinned against the ground, and it looks like the fight is almost over when the baby starts crying.

They have no idea where Tanjirou gets his energy from, but he growls again before headbutting the alpha above him.

Shinazugawa ends up on the ground too and even though there's a clear red mark on his forehead now; he grins like he's having the best time of his life.

Tanjirou rises from the ground with a jump, but something happens then... he blinks a couple of times before freezing on his spot.

Then the kakushi notice the protective scent the alpha is releasing.

"What... happened?"

Everyone around releases the breath they were holding before they notice Tanjirou's pretty eyes are no longer white, but their usual shiny red.

However, Tanjirou is still a very caring omega who loves taking care of little ones so the first thing he does is to check on the crying pup. He cradles the baby in his arms, nuzzles against their face, and hums a lullaby for them.

"Is he alright?" A kakushi asks.

Tanjirou nods, looking at the pup with so much love already, anyone would think they're his.

"She's fine, just hungry."

It's a little girl then.

That's when Tanjirou notices that everyone has recoiled significantly, right before he sees Shinazugawa rising from the ground.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt any of you?"

The kakushi assure him he didn't, and the wind hashira just laughs.

"Like you could do something like that," the alpha snorts, red mark visible on his forehead.

Tanjirou notices it too, but knows Shinazugawa well enough not to make a comment about it.

"Thanks for helping me snap out of it," the omega mumbles instead, a little bit embarrassed.

"It was my pleasure," the alpha smirks, and they can tell he absolutely means every single word.

"What happened, Tanjirou-san?"

The omega presses a kiss to the pup's forehead that makes her giggle; he pulls her against his chest like he wants to protect her from a non-existent threat or perhaps just the memory of it.

"Wait, are you hurt? Let us–"

"That's not his blood," Shinazugawa cuts the kakushi off, still smiling and looking at the omega like he's the most beautiful thing in the world at the moment.

"I arrived too late," Tanjirou mumbles then, face twisting with guilt and regret, even though everyone around is sure none of what happened is his fault. "The demon had killed this little one's entire family, and when I saw him trying to reach for her, I completely lost it. I... I don't remember the rest that well..."

Judging by what they found when they arrived, it was a brutal fight. The demon probably suffered quite a lot.

"I think we can find her a home..."

Tanjirou takes a step away from the kakushi who says that, before pressing the little one protectively against his chest.

His scent changes slightly and they just know that the omega got attached to her.

"I'm going to keep her," Tanjirou says, almost fiercely, like he's daring them to tell him not to.

Nobody does that; they like the omega too much to say something that could hurt him.

"I'll help you take care of her," Shinazugawa says then, surprising everyone; he doesn't seem the type to have fatherly instincts, but he's still releasing that protective scent from earlier. So maybe he does have those instincts after all.

"Really?" Tanjirou blinks in surprise, but he doesn't look opposed to the idea. He even lets the alpha get closer to the pup.

Shinazugawa reaches out, trying to touch the pup's forehead with his fingers when she moves her tiny hand and wraps it around his pinky.

The alpha looks almost in shock, but he doesn't move his hand away.

"She likes you!" Tanjirou says, absolutely pleased. His scent turns really sweet out of the sudden; he seems happy with the alpha, and when Shinazugawa realizes that, he lets out a loud alpha purr.

"You know you should... I mean, I think it'd be better for her if we smell like mates," the wind hashira says after a while, unable to hide the attraction he feels for the omega.

But of course, Tanjirou doesn't notice.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah..." Shinazugawa clears his throat, turning slightly pink for a moment. "At least let me scent you."

The omega nods and tilts his head slightly to the side, exposing his beautiful throat.

Shinazugawa stares at it for a moment; his lips part in awe, and they all can see his sharp teeth. For a second, it looks like the temptation to bite and mark is too strong, but the alpha manages to control himself before he nuzzles against Tanjirou's neck.

They both purr when their scents finally mingle.

Tanjirou still smells good, even though there's another scent surrounding him, like a neon sign they have only seen in the Red light district, that tells other alphas to back off if they don't want to get teared apart.

Shinazugawa looks way too pleased.

"Come on, let's get this little one to the butterfly estate," the alpha says as he carries Tanjirou in his arms. "So you can feed our pup."

The omega blushes at his words, but nods and doesn't even try to walk on his own; he must be tired or perhaps he feels more safe in the alpha's arms since he's busy carrying the pup.

Maybe it's both.

"Those two are going to end up mating, right?" A girl asks her fellow kakushi.

"It certainly looks like it."

Which means there's going to be trouble because Shinazugawa looks like the possessive type and Tanjirou is way too popular among alphas.

Although they're sure the baby is going to be very happy with her new parents.

***

Patreon

[comicaurora]

These have been pent up for a while, so there's a whole list lol. Some are Aurora, some are not.

1) Can lacrimas carry out multiple purposes at once? Or will they blend them? I'm assuming that this is possible, considering that the automaton in the ruins was using a lacrima as a brain

2) Has anyone tried to make tools or weapons out of lacrimas? I'm talking like chisel that needs no hammer. Or maybe a Fire lacrima on a bow that sets your arrows on fire

3) Can you engrave runes on lacrimas to make them affect themselves?

4) Where can I read more about the Twins? If I'm not wrong they're the creator gods, aided by the Light dragon and the Void dragon to create life, but I might be getting a wrong read on that

5) Since we see Erin successfully become the first Void mage, does that now mean there's potential for him to make a Void lacrima? The dragon probably won't allow it, but still

6) What exactly does elemental corruption of each element do? Fire literally burns you up, as we saw in Arc 1. I can infer that Life likely makes you a chimera. Void corruption makes you a cave crawler. But what do the other one do? Does Earth make you a statue? Does Wind disintegrate you, Thanos style?

7) Now onto the non-Aurora questions, is your art vector or raster? I believe it's vector, but it's always better to confirm

8) What are your opinions on reading into the environment and the character design to infer things about the character themselves? In any type of media

9) Have you played Baldur's Gate 3?

10) Do you have any music that you'd recommend? I've listened to every song I liked so many times that I hate them now.

11) I'm new to Tumblr, anything that I should know? You don't have to answer this one if you don't wanna. I think I know some of the basics already. Reblog what you like, and avoid the terfs, right?

You might be able to tell that I like the idea of the lacrimas a little bit. Just a teensy bit. The artificer in me definitely isn't obsessed. I appreciate any answers you can give :3

Cheers!

Ooh, lots of stuff!

Yes, it's possible. A lacrima can be engraved with multiple spells, set in a casing engraved with commands, or some combination of the two. Typically, all spells engraved directly on a lacrima will activate at once when the lacrima is "switched on", but a spell can be quite complex, and conditional activations are possible - "if-then-else" statements, basically.

Yes, magic items exist.

Generally no. If the lacrima is disrupted or broken, the spell generally stops functioning, so a self-affecting lacrima will run only as long as it takes for the lacrima to distort or break.

There's an extra lore page about them!

He probably could if he wanted to (and the Dragon allowed it) but Void energy is very dangerous, so he likely doesn't want to.

Each form of elemental corruption agitates the presence of the element in the mage's body. Earth corruption can damage or alter bones, encourage unhealthy petrification of soft tissues, etc. Wind corruption can have physical effects but it often most obviously produces breakdowns in the person's ability to speak or understand language. Lightning damages, numbs or intensifies a person's physical senses.

Raster, I draw with CSP's digital pens. I've only very briefly experimented with vector art - I don't like how it simplifies the lines.

I think it's a fun school of analysis but, like all literary analysis, it runs into trouble if it tries to lock down exactly what the writer was thinking or intending (which is an objective fact that one can be incorrect about) rather than trying to analyze the story on its own and what meaning might, intentionally or unintentionally, be factoring into it.

Nope

don't trust my taste in music it's 90% nu metal and sonic OSTs

Like what you like, reblog what you want, generally it's considered dubious form to add a comment to a reblog unless you have something profound to contribute (commenting in the tags is fine), steer clear of discourse and callout posts and generally the sectors of the site that are constantly on fire, blocking someone for any reason is 100% fine

[thescarletnargacuga]

BLOODED SKIES

A HARLEQUIN AU ONESHOT

AU credit @iamespecter @tadc-harlequin-au

A/N: created in tandem with Ziku's incredible poster!

WARNING: nightmare imagery

~~~

Tiktiktiktiktiktiktiktiktiktik

Tiktiktiktiktiktiktiktiktiktik

Tiktiktiktiktiktiktiktiktiktik

The music box was wound back. The key twisted until it could go no more. The music box sat open and played its beautiful melancholy tune. The music carried softly through silent halls.

Pomni opened her eyes. She stood in the center ring of an empty circus tent. Like the one we met Caine in but...it looked new. The tent was vibrant and the lights glowed bright. The only thing that seemed out of place was a single small golden sprig growing out of the ground. A single glowing leaf broke free and drifted away on unfelt wind.

Pomni watched the leaf fly towards the tent entrance, beyond which was darkness. She felt compelled to follow. Before she stepped beyond, she heard a whisper. Someone distant, yet familiar. "Don't go...please..."

She turned, but the circus was still empty. If a bit more dilapidated than the last time she looked. The colors were faded. The lights were dim.

After one more look around, she went beyond the threshold. Deep in the shadows she heard more whispers she did not know. A music box mixed with a long single tone sounded before silence.

Darkness gave way to pinks and violets. She stood on the surface of glass calm water. Pomni felt at peace here. At rest. The golden leaf flew around her, joined by a few others. They danced around like fireflies, illuminating her curious face.

The leaves moved faster, more erratically. The gold being juxtaposed with red veins. Suddenly, they shot up into the air out of sight. Pomni stared straight up, watching the leaves vanish into the ether above. After a moment of silence, the sky fractured.

The deep purple hues broke away to reveal a deep blood orange that burned into her. The water beneath her feet dried to cracked earth. Buildings and machines of war erupted from the ground around her. They emerged, rusted and fell apart rabidly. Some of these machines looked like people. Mannequins that could walk and talk. Their bodies disintegrated before her, reaching out in vain.

Pomni tried to back away, but something held her. A thin, near invisible string was around her wrist. She tried to pull away but her other wrist was restrained. Then her neck. Her legs. The bell around her neck felt heavy. Looking up, a ghostly hand marionettes her movements.

Her body moved without her say, no matter how hard she fought it. As she struggled, she heard more incoherent voices. Commands and questions and guesses. One word stood out to her. "Directive." Then thunder rolled through the sky. The sounds of machinery breaking. The strings loosened

She felt in control again, but barely. She tried to keep moving, nearly stumbling over a large broken crown. A soft squeak of a child's teddy bear toy came from underfoot, as she tried to avoid the hammer half buried in the ground. A broken blue charm laid to the side with the fragments of a porcelain mask and the ruined remnants of multiple arms.

Pomni couldn't speak, she could hardly breathe. She was being controlled and condemned and confused.

The broken and scorched earth floated apart like pieces of debris and space. She was isolated with the multitude of items at her feet. From the items, oozed a gelatinous black substance. It coagulated and crawled across the ground like vines.

Pomni had nowhere to go, and she was afraid. The black veins stuck to her and climbed her body. Simultaneously, she began to sink into the ground. The items around her closing in. The black veins restrained her more than the strings ever did. Her legs were immobile as she sunk to her knees. She could not lift her arms as the black veins connected her wrists to the heavy items.

The ghostly hand above her tried to pull her back. She felt its resistance but the veins were stronger as she continued to sink. The veins climbed her neck, making their way to her bright hazel eye. She gasped, seeing flashes of faces and places of a time gone by. A city not ravaged by time or war. A warm hand to hold. A man's whispered love.

She sank up to her chest. Her eyes stared wide at the sky, invaded by it. Consumed by it. Body and soul. Only her head remained above the swallowing earth. The ghostly hand never gave up, choking her. She was pressed in on all sides by the littered items mixed with the black veins.

As the world around her went black, she jolted awake. Her legs kicked out at open air as she oriented herself. She was in her room, sitting in a sofa chair. It was near sundown, the sky a rich mix of violets, reds and oranges. She took a deep breath and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She had no words for what just happened, not even an expletive.

A gentle knock at her door broke the silence. "Pomni..? You in there?" Caine's voice gently asked. "Haven't seen you in a few hours, been awfully quiet. May I come in?"

When he didn't receive an immediate "Fuck off," he entered. Seeing her so still, worried him. "Hey...something wrong?" He moved over to her, sitting on the ottoman in front of her.

"I...don't know..." Pomni slowly answered, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

Caine wanted nothing more than to pull her into him. Tell her everything was alright. He leaned forward, matching her pose. His hands lightly clasped together. "Is there anything I can do?" His fingers twitched towards hers as she moved.

Pomni sat upright and ran her hand through her hair, taking out her ponytail. Her longer back hair draped over her shoulders. "I don't know." She gazed into his concerned eyes. She really didn't know if he could help her or even understand what she was feeling. Not that she was ready to share. She had to think on things more.

Caine couldn't resist anymore. Pomni was in some sort of distress, even if she wasn't outwardly showing it. He carefully reached out and took her hand. "Whatever you need, I'm right here."

She felt it. The warmth. Still so new to her. She closed her hand around his to feel more of it. It was rather nice. She was looking so closely into his eyes she completely missed the fact that the key crank on the back of his head was missing.

[xn4vyl1c1ousx]

How did we get here? when i used to know you so well..

cw: angst?, kinda occ, word vomit, implied past relationship with bakugo, pro hero!bakugo x villain!reader (kinda), ends with a cliffhanger

wc: 789..

♫ ▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။|||| …

notes: okay this is probably gonna be booty cause i kinda just put stuff down, i hope it isn’t too bad if anything needs fixing don’t be afraid to tell me, i might not make a pt 2 to this cause idk what else to write after it, uhhhh that’s it :p

now playing: Decode - Paramore

back to navi..

“Get out of my way!” the sound of explosions was heard throughout the city. buildings were falling everywhere and dust clouds replaced them.

cars, busses, and street signs suddenly ripped up from the ground and swirled around in the air.

“what the hell is going on?!” Bakugo spoke out loud, looking around for anyone as he ran towards the center of chaos.

all the others were around trying to help people out of the fallen building. Midoriya, Kirishima, Mina, Tsu, Tokoyami, and Bakugo were all running to the source. rough screams were heard as a car came crashing down onto the road, right in front of bakugo. it all happened so quickly, but fortunately, he was quicker.

with an explosion he launched himself over the car and continued running. the sound of his boots was barely audible over the sound of rushing air and car alarms blaring through the wind.

Midoriya hopped around from building to building , getting ever so close to the source of chaos. Just as he was within reach of whoever was the cause of this, he was swung back by a forceful wind. The force of the wind ended up sending everyone flying back, including Bakugo, who was sent straight towards Kirishima.

Kirishima couldn’t move fast enough causing Bakugo to crash into him, sending them tumbling. “PAY ATTENTION, HAIR-FOR-BRAINS!”

“i’m sorry bakubro! you came outta nowhere!”

the wind suddenly picked up in speed, sending everyone flying into the air agian. “What the hell?!” bakugo’s voice fell upon deaf ears as everyone became separated. the wind around them almost cutting their exposed skin from the sheer speed and force.

As bakugo looked around, he spotted you in the center. your eyes met his, a sudden shiver ran down both of your spines as a realization came to both of you.

How did you end up in this situation? someone who oh so desperately wanted to be a hero, becoming a villain. a puppet for the LOV. Your facial expression said it all. It was him who caused your sudden change.

Suddenly, bakugo was thrown away from the chaos. his body flew through the air, making him set off blasts to try and control where he was going. yet it was all in vain. his body slammed against a building, sending all the air in his lungs out.

“Wait! guys it’s them! it’s y/n!” he yelled out as he finally regained his breath.

no one could hear him. despite his harsh and loud voice, the wind muted him.

he watched as Midoriya somehow made it to you and collided against you. a sharp gasp ripped from your chest as the pain of his punch radiated from the place of impact.

no one could see you, they only saw the monster that they thought you were. he watch as mina came next, sending her acid toward the quirk enhancers on your wrists, causing them to disintegrate. then went kirishima, grabbing you and holding you down, making it impossible to move.

tokoyami grabbed Tsu as she fell from the sky, holding her up so she wouldn’t hit the ground. they safely landed in front of you and the other 3 hero’s.

bakugo watched from afar, his body unable to move. was it from the injuries? or was it that he knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop what was going to happen to you.

“let me go!” you yelled as you thrashed around in kirishima a grip, his quirk activing, causing it to be even more difficult to move.

“we got you now, there’s no escaping.” Midoriya spoke, his voice full of victory.

you looked up at them. the world froze. no one moved, too stunned to speak. it was you. it was really you.

it had been years since your disappearance. and now here you were, conspiring against them, attacking them, and being in the most dangerous villain group of all japan. it was still you.

“y/n?! but why? you? why.. why would you turn back on us?” mina’s voice shook, full of hurt, betrayal, and anger.

you stayed silent, kirishima grip on you faltered enough to let you send a strong wind, knocking them all back.

“it’s his fault. if you really want to know why i’ve chosen to backstab you all, ask him. ask bakugo.”

and with that, you sent yourself into the air with a flick of your wrist, right into a purple portal in the sky.

you disappeared yet again, this time right in front of them.

The five hero’s turned to look at bakugo, who still kneeled on the ground. frozen and with a look of pain and guilt on his face.

just what did he do to let this happen?

General Taglist for all my works (comment or send an ask to be added)

@sunolls

[katyawriteswhump]

Omega Found, Omega Lost pt 2

Title: Omega found, Omega lost; Chapter: 2/5; WC: 2031; Rating: M, getting on for E; Tags: Steddie, Omega Steve, Alpha Eddie, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, foreplay. For whumptober 2024, day 6 prompts: not realizing they're injured, unhealthy coping mechanisms, "It's not my blood."

Chapter 1 on tumblr Chapter 1 on AO3

Chapter 2: "It's not my blood"

Steve nestled deeper into Eddie’s chest, beneath the soft, fake-fur collar of Eddie’s jacket. His hands burrowed up under Eddie’s coat, clawing Eddie’s t-shirt. He wanted to drown in Eddie’s musk, which was thick as roasting chestnuts and tangy as cola-bottle gummies… 

…and sure as heck more addictive. Steve was hooked, inhaling Eddie deep into his lungs. The pain in his leg subsided to a dull throb, subdued further by a floaty liquidy feeling, and by the gentle vibrations in his own chest.

Yup, he was purring.

His purrs fell into rhythm with the steady thud, thud of Eddie’s heart. His every Omega instinct wanted to burrow even closer. He curled his right knee into Eddie’s lap. Heck, he wasn’t even that cold anymore. Wind lashed the cheek he hadn’t gotten plastered to Eddie, which made Eddie’s heat even more delicious.

Then Eddie started to pry himself away. Steve’s purrs disintegrated into a needy whimper.

“Listen to me, Sweetheart.” Eddie cupped Steve’s face in his hands. “I need to take a peek at that ankle. Hold tight.”

Steve blinked at him. Nodded. Up close, Eddie stunned him—Jesus, those lips!—and the instant he moved away, Steve shuddered violently. He glanced at his own hands, clasped in his lap. They were scratched and bloody, and he couldn’t quite remember why. 

Eddie’s scent, his closeness, had fogged Steve’s head right up. He gawked at his foot, beside which Eddie now squatted. At the dark stain in the snow around.

Too much.

“It’s not my blood,” he mumbled.

Eddie squeezed his shoulder, “Whatever, Babe,” then returned his attention to rolling up Steve’s trouser leg.  He threw back his hood and pulled a bandana off his head. He folded it into a strip to use as a bandage: “Gonna murder whoever left this trap.”

Steve trembled, supporting himself shakily on his elbows, while Eddie bound up his ankle. Okay. So maybe he was hurt, because the pressure of the binding forced little cries from him, which he tried to muffle. Snatches of what’d happened filtered into his brain fog, and the distance between he and Eddie reignited the pain further.

Steve started to sniffle again. 

Also, to feel ashamed about it.

It wasn’t like he’d been raised to be an Omega. His mom had always assumed he’d be a Beta, like his dad, and pushed him hard in sports and shit—into being a Jock. All in the faint hope he’d turn out Alpha, like her, after all.

What a fucking disappointment he was. Ugh, and now Eddie could see how pathetic he was too.

A cold knuckle against his cheek startled him. Eddie said, “Hey, did you seriously come romping out without gloves?”

“Uh… no… I… Look, I’m not a total moron.” Sure about that, Harrington? “They’re around here somewhere.”

As Steve floundered, Eddie spotted the soggy mittens in the snow. He wrung them out then slid them back onto Steve’s hands, speaking soft and low:

“What the heck were you doing, playing solo out here?”

Steve groped for the answer. “I was searching for Henderson. Turned out he was safe and I… okay, yeah, I was being a total moron.”

Eddie seemed scarily cross for a moment, brows knitting, then he shrugged:

“Listen up, there’s an empty cabin nearby. We can shelter there, till this storm quits partying. Sound good?”

Steve nodded, and let Eddie manhandle him to his feet. 

“Okay, Sweetness?”

“Yeah, fine. M’fine.” I am now you’re here, Alpha. “Stop fussing, dude.” Never let me go!

Steve’s every sense reeled giddily. He leaned heavily on Eddie, and they started off through the snowy forest. Steve slipped and stumbled, and his fear and doubt seeped back, underpinned by spikes of fiery pain from his ankle.

He’d been attracted to Eddie since before he presented as Omega. Nevertheless, there were reasons his parents disapproved. By the time Eddie half-dragged, half-carried Steve up the steps of a dark shack, Steve’s skin crawled with gooseflesh, and not just because of the cold. Should he try to run? His brain fog had cleared, but he’d no way gotten the strength. He felt wobbly, frighteningly helpless.

And completely dependent on an Alpha he probably shouldn’t trust. Who had no pack loyalty. Who might belong in a Video Nasty for all he goddamn knew.

Eddie guided him through the gloom to a low wooden bunk, and sat him down on its threadbare mattress. Then he bolted the door and went to kindle an old-fashioned wood-burning stove with his lighter.

It blew out a couple of times. Eddie snapped, “C’mon, you son-of-a-bitch,” and Steve bit his lip to the point of pain.

Rogue Alpha. Unmated Omega. Dingy cabin where nobody can hear you scream. Like Hopper said, You do the math.

He could fuck you raw, knot you, fill you with pups and leave you dying of rejection sickness… and that’s a better case scenario. I mean, how did he even find you? Was he out there hunting for random lost Omegas?

The latter seemed unlikely somehow, and… Oh Jesus, now they were out of the weather, Eddie’s scent bowled him over afresh. How could something that smelled so right be wrong?

Because he’s basically using it as a date rape drug?

Steve lay down flat on the bunk, arms crossed on his chest, not knowing what to think. 

“Let there be light,” said Eddie, as a soft, lambent yellow washed across the room. Eddie returned, perching close and stroking Steve’s dripping hair from his eyes.

“Okay, Babe. We need to get you out of those wet clothes. Get us both out of them, I guess.”

Steve opened his mouth. Shut it again, noticing how hard his teeth chattered. Oh, and how Eddie’s fingertips trailed delicious tinglings across his brow. His own fingers curled, forming needy, smarting fists, and his fears scuttled back into their dark corners. Those vibrations in his chest started up again, vying with his shivers, and his voice hitched on a needy squeak:

“Yeah, I guess.” 

Let’s get naked, Alpha!

...

So there Eddie was. 

In a tumbledown cabin that barely kept the weather out, in charge of a cute Omega, who was cold and hurt. And squirming to get naked.

It wasn’t how he’d envisaged this evening would turn out, but hey, he’d blast through. Which was easier when he focussed on the physical aspects of looking after Steve. Rather than torrents of decidedly un-Alpha self-doubt.

Steve was currently trying to get his own sweater off over his head. He’d gotten one arm caught, whacked the other against the wooden wall, and was now trapped with the garment over his face. 

“Chill, Babe. I got this. Skin a bunny, huh?”

He peeled the shirt off. Now he had a shirtless Steve, staring up at him with huge, befuddled, scared eyes:

“Skin a bunny?” said Steve. “Like, what the fuck?”

“It’s something my old granny used to say.” To be fair, he could see that Granny’s old-school saying howled of predator and prey. Then again, she’d been an old-school kinda Alpha. “Don’t fret. I, uh, don’t eat bunnies?”

“Not a freakin’ bunny,” mumbled Steve, fumbling apart his own fly. Eddie draped a scratchy blanket around Steve’s shoulders from the front. He helped him peel his sodden jeans off, careful not to unsettle the bandage.

He then used the blanket to dab Steve dry and, yeah, it slipped a couple of times. Eddie would’ve enjoyed the display more—damn, he’d kill to sweep his tongue down that trail of soft hair beneath Steve’s navel.

He couldn’t. He mustn’t.

Steve bruised easily—his wrist was already mottled purple-red from where he’d bashed it against the wall. His hands were bruised and cut where he’d pried the trap from his leg, and Eddie half-wished Steve had waited. Then Eddie would have taken the hit on his already guitar-callused hands.

That guilt only brought him home to yet another alarming question.

How he’d found Steve in the first place.

Because he’d smelled him, when Steve had been at least a mile away from the trailer. That kinda link reeked of soulmates. Eddie knew it, and there was no way he was ready for that.

And why had his gut told him to bring Steve here, rather than to a hospital?

Yeah, they’d have had to travel further through the storm, and Omegas were delicate. Steve certainly seemed to be. But this place had no food, only a couple of crappy blankets. The stove was low on dry fuel, and he’d yet to locate a tap for clean water. And while Steve’s injury didn’t seem too bad, what if blood poisoning set in?

Great protector you’re turning out to be, Munson.

Worst of all, Steve was now doused in Eddie’s scent. The whiff of woodsmoke from the crackling fire did nothing to conceal any of it. While Eddie could still sense the Omega’s blood and fear, Steve also exuded pheromones that set Eddie’s body raging.

As he stripped, with his back to Steve, he was already nursing a semi. He left on his boxers, even though they were slightly damp. He forced himself to think of sucky things—those hideous mould spores Gareth bred on his socks!—as he lay down on the bunk. Spooning himself behind Steve, he pulled a dry blanket up over them and draped an arm over the Omega.

Who emitted a small noise that resembled a chirrup: “Eddie, I feel drunk… Why do I feel drunk?”

“Blood loss makes your head all fuzzy. Maybe I should check—“

“It was only a scratch.”

“No, Hon—"

“I can’t be hurt, Eddie. I’m fiiiiiine. Honestly, never better.”

Jesus, Munson. Why is the truth so difficult? SAY IT! “Yeah, that’s probably something to do with my scent.”

The scent I doused you in.

Heck, too late to hit reverse gear? He got back to snorting the forbidden fruit, nuzzling behind Steve’s ear, dangerously close to that mating gland. Aaaand, now he was salivating.

He pulled back, his arm still over Steve but with his face to the cobwebbed ceiling. “Look, I’m not a doctor. I’m not an expert on any of this. Just try and rest, Babe.”

“Okay, Alpha,” whispered Steve.

He resumed gently purring.

Which was literally crack cocaine to Eddie. He re-buried his nose in Steve’s damp hair, and littered soft kisses up and down Steve’s nape. He cuddled and warmed Steve, running his hands over Steve’s body, going with the flow. Jiving with it, because beneath his touch, Steve’s body seemed to melt, go pliant. Steve sighed and purred ever louder.

Eddie’s nuzzlings evolved into licking.

He could taste his own scent, mingled with Steve’s sweetness, and…

Okay. Whoops. Ouch?

He’d gotten a full-on erection nestled against Steve’s ass, which felt plump, round and totally lush. Hold on… hadn’t he left Steve’s underwear on him, like his own? Because Steve’s butt was butt-naked now. Where the heck did his panties go?

Oh SHIT.

Steve’s purrs grew fierce. His hips jerked back and his ass-cheeks clenched in a sudden spasm, almost as if trying to capture Eddie’s cock. To suck it from behind Eddie’s thin shield of fabric and inside of him.

Deafening sirens wailed in Eddie’s brain:

You deflower a high-class Omega, protected by strong pack leaders? They’ll gnaw your limbs off then carve your heart out with a spoon.

Plus, he suspected life would be far from peachy for Steve.

With an effort that wrenched through him, Eddie shimmied his hips aside. His erection now slapped Steve’s thigh, rather than that mega-inviting cleft.

Steve mewled like a lost kitten. “Alpha! Need! Neeeeed!”

“No, Baby. We can’t. You’re hurt. You’re not thinking straight.” His palm stroked soothing circles on Steve’s chest, which shook with uneven breaths. Steve’s down was thick, but so, so soft. Eddie’s dick dripped and ached. And Steve started to cry again, fidgeting and rocking himself so he could scrub his butt against Eddie’s steel boner.

“Pleeeeease,” Steve whined suddenly. “Eddie! Fuck me, fill me. I need you so bad.”

His anguish hurt Eddie’s heart, but… Jesus, Munson. Restraint! You deal Es and Wizz without doing them. You can’t… DO… him.

...

Chapter 3 can be found here on tumblr

tags: @wheneverfeasible @mugloversonly @ellietheasexylibrarian

@strawberryyyenthusiast @stripey82

If anybody else fancies reading more chapters, which will be posted at intervals throughout the month, I would be happy to tag :)

My endless outpourings of Steve whump can be found on AO3 here :)

[goodnightmemes]

THE TUDORS SEASON TWO SENTENCE STARTER (PART TWO)

s02e06 - s02e10

❛ Will you come to my bed tonight? ❜

❛ You are marrying into a great family. You will do it, whether you like it or not. Do you understand? ❜

❛ Something's going to happen to me. ❜

❛ Don't talk like this. Nothing is going to happen to you. ❜

❛ I'm unable to give a King a son; a son to be the living image of his father. ❜

❛ It's all right. Everything is going to be all right. Please don't cry. I love you. I'll look after you, I swear. ❜

❛ I like you and enjoy your company. But you have a reputation: you gamble and you whore. You sail close to the wind. God forbid it should ever blow you onto the rocks. ❜

❛ I have no doubt what so ever that Your Majesty's reign will always be remembered. ❜

❛ Are you amusing yourself at my expense? ❜

❛ I swear to you it will never happen again. I love you too much. I have no right to ask you to believe me. But it's true. ❜

❛ Is she one of your mistresses? How many do you have? What are their names? ❜

❛ Here's the truth: you must shut your eyes and endure like your betters have done before you. ❜

❛ How can you say that to me? Don't you know that I love you a thousand times more than [name] ever did! ❜

❛ Don't you know that I can drag you down as quickly as I raised you? ❜

❛ This is lucky you have your bed already, madam, because if you did not, I wouldn't give it to you again. ❜

❛ Listen to me. You're the Queen! For the love of God, act like it! ❜

❛ At least seem happy. Not a heap of misery! ❜

❛ It's been tasted. It's not poisonous. ❜

❛ I am not "your dear". I am nobody's "dear!" I am a woman and I demand equal respect for my ideas! ❜

❛ Why are you here? To see the degradation that we have been forced to? ❜

❛ You may kiss me. Then you will leave me alone. Forever. ❜

❛ Anyone can see that the King is not so much in love with her as he used to be. ❜

❛ All this time and you're still in love with her! ❜

❛ Let me look at you. There you are. I have not seen you for so long. An eternity. And here you are! ❜

❛If I had a son, it would bring about a golden world. ❜

❛You ought to be careful, or I will have you cropped at the neck. ❜

❛ I did not bring you up to have opinions or to express them or to quarrel with those closest to the Crown. ❜

❛ I am carrying the King's son. We are on the edge of a golden world! ❜

❛ I'm certainly aware there are some at court who would like to see the queen replaced. ❜

❛ I was married before and I must confess, I rather like the liberty of not being married again. ❜

❛ You have just come from another's bed. No. Do not deny it. ❜

❛ Sometimes, my love, I think that with you I'm already condemned to live in purgatory. ❜

❛ His heart is very weak. I don't know if he will come back to us. ❜

❛ In such a crisis, all could disintegrate. So the centre has to hold, and we must hold it. ❜

❛ You know, I cannot think whether it would be a bad thing or a good thing if he died. ❜

❛ As Lord Protector, you would ipso facto...be King, ❜

❛ Though you are still a young man...you're not as young as you used to be. ❜

❛ I'm so happy you're well. I was so alarmed, so afraid. ❜

❛ It was a mistake to think I could behave like I used to. In any case, those carefree days are gone. ❜

❛ In the future, I won't see you unless your other family members are present. I just had to see you now. ❜

❛ What is this? Just when my belly is doing its business...I find you wenching with Mistress [name]! ❜

❛ You've lost my boy. I cannot speak of it. The loss is too great. ❜

❛ I see now that God will not grant me any male children. ❜

❛ You have no one to blame but yourself for this. ❜

❛ Because the love I bear you is so great...it broke my heart to see you loved others. ❜

❛ It's true what they have whispered. I shut my ears to them, but now I know it to be true. ❜

❛ I will treasure this all my life. And if they ever open my grave, they will find it again, right next to my heart. ❜

❛ You have overreached yourself. Believe me, you have placed yourself in very great danger. ❜

❛ Do you assume I no longer possess the power to crush you? It would be an easy mistake to make. ❜

❛ The king cannot satisfy a woman. He has neither the skill, nor the virility. ❜

❛ We have come so far. No one is going to be allowed to destroy us. No one. Do you understand? ❜

❛ I think we should drink a toast to new beginnings and to new friendships and to a mutually beneficial future. ❜

❛ If your master wants to deal with me, he must first apologize for all his ill treatment of me in the past. ❜

❛ Princes are different from us and are not to be easily understood. ❜

❛ It's come to my notice that some acts of treason and other offenses have been committed by those we loved and trusted. By members of our own court. ❜

❛ I want to tell you in this slippery world, you represent for me all that is innocent, everything that is good, unsullied, uncorrupted. ❜

❛ If anything should happen to me...will you promise to care for my daughter? ❜

❛ Please. For the love you bear our child, have mercy. ❜

❛ After everything we've been to each other. After everything we were. Please. One more chance. ❜

❛ My enemies have poisoned the air with their horrid lies. ❜

❛ I pray God will help me, for there is no truth in these allegations. ❜

❛ Sometimes, in order to defeat evil, one must learn to consort with the devil. ❜

❛ When am I to die? ❜

❛ My lady, I am obliged to tell you that your marriage to the king has been declared null and void. ❜

❛ Tell them to ready the horses. But tell no one of our destination. ❜

❛ I hear you say I will not die before noon. I am sorry for it, for I thought to be dead by that time and past my pain. ❜

❛ Yes, I heard the executioner was very good. And in any case, I have only a little neck. ❜

❛ Have you ever killed someone? What did it feel like? ❜

❛ I would really like to see someone die. Can I go to the execution with you? ❜

❛ I want her dead. I want it over with. Finished. Go and do it or, by God's blood, you will join her. ❜

❛ I swear to you, from tomorrow, everything will be different. We will be young and merry as we used to be. ❜

❛ If you would take my advice for what it's worth find a rich man to marry who is too stupid to know anything about politics. Then perhaps - unless you die in childbirth, which is likely...or the plague, which is almost inevitable - then you will be happy. ❜

❛ Forgive me. It's just that I so much want a new beginning. A renaissance. Sometimes it is hard to be reminded of things. ❜

❛ Tell me, was it all worth it? ❜

[dreamdepot]

Dreams of the Kingdom - Chapter 25: The Fifth Sage

Previous < First > Next

AO3 Wattpad or below!

Unlike the other Thunderhead Isles, Dragonhead Island was the eye of the storm – quite literally given the architecture. The island was almost serene above southern Hyrule. “After all of this, I think you and I should just enjoy these islands. It’d be a relaxing date… provided we don’t need to fly on that again.”

“Aww come on,” Link replied. His latest flying creation lay in a heap at the edge of the island; you had barely made it before the wing disintegrated beneath your feet. “It’s not that bad, and we can always use the Purah Pad now. Think about it, we could bring some food, have a picnic, maybe fly around the skies, or we could go to one of those with the pools and have our own private swimming hole.”

“I’d like that.” You looked out on the horizon. You still wore the Charged set, enjoying the warm wind wrapping around you and rustling the thin robes. “It’s crazy how big and yet how small Hyrule looks from up here.” Just then, you had an idea and scribbled something down in a pocketbook. You snapped it shut, shoving it into your pack.

You slid down the vines into the sublevel of the island, following Link as he slashed through some old roots to a massive stone door, the draconic herald of the Zonai carved on the face. The symbolic eye was etched with two hands, making the purpose clear. “Ah, one of these,” Link muttered, getting ready to plant his feet.

Before he could, you reached up, placing your own hand on the left side. “But wait, it tests your strength and saps your health!” Link said.

You raised an eyebrow. “You say that like I’d let you do that to yourself. Nothing says it has to be one person.”

Link relented, placing Rauru’s hand on the other side. Together, you pushed, and the runes slowly lit up. You could feel your energy drain slightly, but instead of exhausting you, it almost invigorated you, like a runner’s high. The dragon’s eyes lit up, and the door trembled. With a rumble it swung open. You couldn’t wait to see what was on the other side. It could be the temple, Mineru’s laboratory, maybe the secret stone! It could be-

An owl mask.

“Not exactly what I expected,” you said, walking up to inspect the Zonaite mask with Link. He tapped the activation sigil. At first, only a small pinprick of light appeared on the mask, but then the floor parted underneath you, revealing another level to the island and a hidden launch bay for Zonai wings. The mask rotated on its pedestal, shooting a beam of light towards the Dueling Peaks. “Looks like Tobio’s Hollow, but there’s nothing there? Just a bunch of old statues.”

On the contrary…

Both you and Link jumped at the disembodied voice.

Link and Prince [Y/n]… Take this. Follow the light.

You lifted the mask – surprised at how light it was. “Please build something a little more stable.”

“No promises,” Link said, leading the way down the ramp.

“Link. My knight, my love of my life. I swear you’re going to be the death of me.”

“I mean, technically speaking…”

“Not helping your case.”

==============================

The flight was, thankfully, much better. No sooner had you landed did the massive owl-like statue shook, lifting to reveal yet another ramp, this time leading to an underground platform. You placed the mask into the pedestal on this platform and it began its slow descent down into the Depths. “If only all chasms were like this,” you muttered. You and Link both quickly changed out of your armor into protection more suited to the Depths. For you, that was the Depths set, which made you look like a rather grim figure but protected you from gloom. For Link, it was the Miner’s set, illuminating the dark and giving you quite a nice view of your boyfriend’s chest and arms.

Link and Prince [Y/n]… chosen protectors of Hyrule… You must hurry, there isn’t much time.

The voice came through a bit clearer this time. “Glad we changed behind the eyes,” Link joked.

My name is Mineru. I am the Sage of Spirit. I am happy to finally meet you both. Unfortunately, I no longer have a body. Without a physical form, we cannot yet speak face to face. But, there is a way. We are traveling to the Construct Factory. Surrounding the facility are four storehouses. I would ask you to visit each of them and assemble a body for me. This is my request to you. ��

The platform sunk lower and lower into the Depths, finally coming to a rest at a massive Zonai facility, the largest you had seen yet. As Link activated the nearby Lightroot, you carried Mineru’s mask to the center of the facility.

It’s funny, you look different and yet I can still see Sheik in you.

“He’s the one who sent us to find you.”

Of course. The sooner that you can build me a body, the sooner I can help you stop Ganondorf. Time is not on our side.

“You can say that again.”

Link returned, using his Ultrahand to lift Mineru’s mask into the mold for the massive construct body. As he did, the lotus-like shell closed around her. “You get the feeling…”

“We’re being watched?” You finished. Both of you drew your weapons, matching Silver Lynel Greatswords Link fused for the two of you. “Okay, we know you’re here, come out!”

“Kyeh-heh-heh! I should have known someone as tricky as you could find me.” In a burst of smoke emerged the one and only Master Kohga. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my nemesis! The Prince of the Wild!”

“Kohga… I thought you were in the southwest?”

He stamped his foot, pointing at you. “I was, but you didn’t follow me! You’re really rude, you know, a nemesis is supposed to chase after the other. I got bored and came here, and good thing too! I found this factory and here I will upgrade our ultimate weapon for our Lord Ganondorf!”

“I was… a bit busy?” You weren’t sure what to say in response to that. “Ganondorf, uh, has a lot going on.”

“Well of course, he’s our great Demon King! The unbeatable Ganon! But you’re MY nemesis!”

“I beg to differ, but whatever peels your banana.”

“Gross,” Link muttered.

Kohga trembled with rage. “How dare you… I will have my revenge – starting with this factory! Yiga clan! Procure those parts so that I might improve our ultimate weapon to surpass the petty Prince!”

A whole platoon of Yiga appeared behind him. “Yes, Master Kohga!”

Your grip tightened on your weapon. “Link!”

“Way ahead of you, you get the east side, I’ll handle the west!”

The two of you ran in opposite directions as you charged for the first storehouse. A Yiga Footsoldier appeared by your side, barely having time to draw his bow before you slashed him. You dove with your paraglider into the storehouse, but a Yiga Blademaster was already ahead of you. Using his Earthwake technique, the room shook, dropping a glowing case with what appeared to be a construct leg inside. “A pleasure defeating you, Prince.” He rumbled, lashing the container up with ropes. Two more Blademasters appeared to carry the case away.

You clashed against his sword, driving him back against the wall, but you knew time was tight with the two Blademasters there. With a quick parry, followed by a flurry rush, you knocked him back in time to fling a bomb in his direction, just as the others were carrying the case out the door.

“Get back here!” You shouted. You thrust your left hand forward, feeling the Band of Hylia grow warmer. Suddenly a metal claw appeared embedding itself in the part’s case. With barely any effort, the chain grew taut and pulled you up to them. “What the…a hookshot?!” you looked at your hand, seeing a glowing blue device in your hand for a moment before disappearing. “Okay, it’s not the Triforcem, but this I can definitely work with,” you grinned.

“No fancy toys will save you from us,” the Blademasters growled. One slammed his fist into the ground for another Earthwake, sending a ripple of energy through the ground. As the wind tore from the earth, you rode the updraft with your paraglider.

“Funny, I was gonna say the same thing to you.” You focused, thinking of your travels. “Fire Rod!” The magic red staff appeared in your hand – much larger than the one you saw with the Four Links, and thrumming with much more magic power. You swung the staff, summoning a wave of fire that formed into a wyvern, racing across the room after the Blademasters.

“What the- what is this!” One shouted, fleeing the fire.

“Fall back!”

The fire licked the sides of the room but fell to a simmer as the Blademasters retreated. “Oh, I can get used to this,” you snickered. “Titan Mitt!”

The Fire Rod disappeared, replaced by a glowing set of gauntlets over your hands, letting you easily heft the case with one arm. You quickly ran back to the factory. The container dissolved as you got closer, and the lotus shell opened around Mineru to let you slide the leg inside.

Suddenly, you heard screams and an evil cackle. You instantly drew your sword again, but you weren’t expecting who the evil cackle came from. Over the hill came a horde of Yiga, fleeing in fear as a vehicle with a spiked front and Zonai cannons came rolling after them. Your boyfriend stood atop the death machine. “RUN! RUN COWARDS! THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR ATTACKING US!”  

Most of the Yiga gave up and beat a hasty retreat, while others peeled off to run to the remaining storehouses. Link brought the vehicle to a stop in front of you. “Hey cutie, like my ride?”

“I thought we agreed no war machines?”

“You said no war machines. I promised nothing, especially if it means keeping you safe.” Link looked way too pleased with himself as he unloaded a case with a construct arm.

“I… later,” you muttered. “We’re talking about this later!”

“You can run, but I know you think it’s cool!”

You shook your head, running towards the next storehouse where a group of Yiga Footsoldiers were struggling to move another case. “Okay, let’s see how you guys like a taste of my crossbow!” You shouted, thrusting your band forward.

Nothing.

“Crossbow?” Only a puff of smoke shot out of your hand. “Oh, you’re kidding me.”

“Now’s our chance!” One of the Footsoldiers yelled. “Get him!”

Five of them tried to dogpile you, but they weren’t fast enough for your sword. You easily knocked them back, catching their sickles and disarming them. “Oh, come on, you guys used to be a challenge!”

“HYAH!” One shouted, leaping towards you. You easily deflected his kick, sending him flying into his cohort. You picked up a dropped sickle, flinging it towards the others before charging at the last one with your own sword. In mere seconds, the fight was over, and they retreated under cover of their smoke bombs.

One, however, remained, guarding the case. “S-s-stay back!” The Footsoldier trembled, his hand stuffed in his bag. “I’m armed!”

“Then draw your weapon,” you muttered. His voice seemed a bit familiar. “Oh, hey! You’re the guy I knocked off the cliff over in the Akkala Depths, right?”

“KYAAAH! HE REMEMBERS!” The Footsoldier shrieked. Suddenly, you felt something small bounce off your chest as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. “FORGIVE ME MASTER KOHGA!”

“Guess reputation is a good thing.” You picked up the odd toy he threw at you. It was a marionette, carved to look like… well you weren’t sure, other than it looked like a middle-aged guy in green tights. You tossed it aside, turning towards the case. “Now how to move you…” You looked around at the discarded Zonai devices, mostly rockets. You then looked back at the marionette and snapped off the strings. “This might be my dumbest idea yet.”

You tied the rockets down and held onto the case for dear life, kicking the device. They burst to life and before you could take a breath, the case – and you – shot out of the storeroom and across the rocky depths, bouncing and bounding to a stop right at the edge of the factory. “Ow…”

Link knelt next to you. “You know, you didn’t have to try and show off.”

“I wasn’t!”

Link just laughed, picking up the case for you with Ultrahand and carrying it over to Mineru. With the final piece gathered and placed into the machine, it buzzed to life – ribbons of energy connecting the pieces. With a grinding noise, the machine rumbled and extracted itself.

“Finally,” Mineru muttered. “Thank you, only task rema-”

“Damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!” Kohga roared, reappearing behind you. “Useless soldiers can’t put up a decent fight. FINE! You managed to steal the last parts for your construct, but I’ve already got enough for my own. Sure, it might not be as great or whatever, but Yiga ingenuity always defeats dorks like you! I’m gonna steal that shiny rock I saw. I’m gonna power up mine, and then Lord Ganondorf will be forever grateful!” With a series of secret ninja hand forms, another flying machine appeared. Kohga leaped aboard with a cackle. “Chase me if you dare! Mweh-he-he-he-he!”

“Quickly!” Mineru shouted, kneeling so you and Link could climb on. “We’ve got to stop him before he gets to my secret stone!”

==============================

To call the Spirit Temple a true “temple” was generous; Mineru’s laboratory was large but very straightforward, more or less consisting of two rooms. “Ugh, remind me later to create an improved form that’s more suited to agility,” Mineru muttered as she stomped up the stairs to the platform.

“Big battle construct has its advantages though,” Link countered. The platform rumbled down to the lower floor, which was coated in gloom. Mineru’s secret stone was safe for now. You rode Mineru across the gloom, when suddenly the floor parted, and another construct emerged, with Kohga riding its back. This construct was corrupted, filled with gloom, and looked as if it was barely holding itself together.

“Heh, this is where I stop you once and for all, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

Your eyes darted over the battlefield. On all ends you were hemmed in by barbed wire, and nowhere on the floor was safe. “Link, I’ve got an idea. Help guide Mineru and fuse more weapons to her. I’ll take care of Kohga.”

Link nodded. “Be careful.”

You perched on Mineru’s shoulder, drawing your Royal Bow as Link fused Flame Emitters to Mineru’s arms, giving you some extra damage against the corrupted construct. Flames passed through Kohga’s shield, giving you the perfect opportunity to shoot the moment he dropped them.

The ninja master flew off, crashing into the gloom. Wasting no time, you leaped off and ran across the toxic floor. “Remember this?” You taunted.

“No, wait please!” You granted him no mercy, slashing at his backside with a spin attack.

Kohga broke free soon enough, and leaped back to his construct, putting up another shield and summoning his infamous steel balls. You ran back to Mineru for cover, and for the gloom to pass off your armor. Link, meanwhile, covered with his own shock arrows, sending bolts of electricity between the steel balls, zapping Kohga with every pass.

“You’re both infuriating!” He shrieked, charging with the construct. As it grew close, you shoved your sword into its rickety body, locking its arm to its torso. “Not fair!”

You swung your leg up, kicking Kohga in the face and knocking him off his mount. You drew your sword out, just in time for Mineru to slam her fists down, shattering the failed machine. You turned to Kohga, sword drawn. Link peered down at him with his bow aimed directly at his head.

“You think you’re so clever… don’t you,” Kohga growled. The three of you closed in as the gloom dissipated from the floor. Kohga leaned back, crossing his arms and laughed haughtily. “Bold of you to assume that you have me cornered. That may have been my weapon for Lord Ganondorf you destroyed, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have other tricks up my sleeve.” He pointed at you. “That’s right [Y/n], my nemesis! It’s time to bust out my serious moves! A brand-new technique I came up with in the deepest darkness of the darkest Depths! It will… destroy you!”

He clasped his hands together, the arcane Yiga runes floating behind his back as the final weapon appeared. “BEHOLD! The secret ultimate ultra-special weapon of the Yiga Clan! Tremble in fear before my unstoppable Kohga Rocket!” The weapon wasn’t so much a “weapon” but rather a long stick with a spiked ball at one end and about twenty Zonai rockets hastily tied on the other. “That’s right, tremble in fear, you Prince of the… er, Stupid! My genius even scares me!” He leaped forward, and with a creak, the rocket tilted downward… a little too much. “Fly Kohga Rocket! Fly and-”

Suddenly, the rocket ignited, slamming into Kohga and flying him around the room. “Th-this wasn’t supposed to happeeeeeeen!!” His body ragdolled at the front as it zipped up the platform shaft and out of the temple. “I’ll be back! I’ll have my reveeeeeenge!”

For a moment, the three of you stood in stunned silence. Mineru was the first to break it. “I did not expect such strange characters in your time.”

“He’s one in a million, I assure you,” you said.

Mineru turned and approached her secret stone, which fused to the new body. As she did, her spirit emerged, addressing you with grace. “Thank you both, I didn’t anticipate such opposition when I placed myself in stasis.”

Link crossed his arms. “No one did. Ganondorf changed everything. We’re lucky [Y/n] was around to see the problems and to go through time to fix things.”

“I did have a lot of help though,” you said.

Mineru swapped out her arm attachments for fresh ones, while a Servant Construct appeared and checked her new body over for any lasting damage. “In that case, it’s best we don’t hesitate. Ganondorf likely knows I’ve awakened, which means he’ll be on the move.”

“So where are we headed?” Link asked.

“The Temple of Time.” Both turned to you, Link in surprise, Mineru more in interest. “Sheik said that’s where the entrance to the hidden path is; only thing is that we needed Mineru to open the way.”

“That you did,” Mineru said, merging once more with her construct body. You could hear the smile in her voice. “To the Temple of Time then. I assume you have a way through your Purah Pad’s travel network?”

“Way ahead of you,” Link said, pressing the location, and teleporting the three of you across Hyrule.

==============================

Despite the Sheikah Shrines being dismantled – a bit too excitedly by Purah and Robbie – several of the travel waypoints were repurposed, one being set at the Temple of Time. The three of you materialized at dusk, much to the surprise of a few Bokoblins and Aerocudas. None of them stood a chance against the three of you. “Might take a moment to find it,” Mineru said. “The temple wasn’t built in my time, and nothing quite looks the same.”

“Why pick a place that wasn’t even built yet?” You asked.

“Zelda was adamant about making sure it was set here for you. She said it’d be protected, and it would be somewhere you’d know.”

“Fair point,” you said. You looked up at the crumbling roof of the Temple of Time. To think, at one point, you could’ve been married in this beautiful cathedral to Link. Closing your eyes, you could just imagine it – you and Link walking down the aisle, Sharpe playing the organ, the Champions and Zelda in the front row…

You stopped yourself there, looking at Link instead as he watched the tree line for any other approaching monsters. “No,” you said to yourself. “There’s a new future here for us. Once Ganondorf is gone, once Hyrule is safe…” You couldn’t help but imagine Link’s face when you proposed… you could only hope that the custom ring from the shop in Gerudo Town would be finished soon.

“Found it!”

You and Link ran to Mineru, who stood in a small courtyard between the twin staircases that led to the temple proper. Mineru pressed against the column and the cracked windows swung open. “This is it!”

You stared at the window that seemingly led to nothing. Link answered for you. “Um… Mineru, are you sure?”

“I know it doesn’t look like much, but trust me, this is the way in. I just didn’t expect so many changes to it.” She pushed one of her arms inside the opening, which vanished before your eyes. “Believe me now?” She pushed her body the rest of the way in, disappearing into thin air.

Link shot you a confused look but followed Mineru into the strange void. You took a deep breath and followed. Your stomach flipped as you crossed the veil, feeling the window shut behind you.

As you pushed through the strange doorway, you were suddenly surrounded by natural light. On the other side was the Temple of Time, just far grander than the one you remembered. Light streamed through the stained-glass windows onto the polished marble floors. Each of the windows depicted different parts of Hyrule’s history. For a moment, you lingered before one, very clearly depicting your Link holding the Master Sword aloft and surrounded by the four Champions.

“Prince [Y/n], this way,” Mineru urged.

You followed, finding yourself before a massive fresco depicting Din, Nayru, and Farore creating the Triforce, which shone high above the land. “It’s changed a bit since I was last here,” Mineru said. “Before it was a simple room, but it seems it has grown, just as Hyrule has. I imagine the Sages of Hyrule’s history continued to grow and change the temple to suit different needs. Perhaps it was some sort of safehouse in another era.”

“Even I know the stories of the true Temple of Time,” Link murmured. “Makes sense if you’re hiding something here – who’d ever find it outside time?”

“Hide it where time is all happening at once,” you finished. You wanted to stay longer just to explore, but you knew you needed to hurry. Part of you half-expected to see Time here, but only the three of you seemed to be around.

Mineru stood before the fresco, pushing against parts of the wall. Little by little, different bricks seemed to sink back by a hair. Like a puzzle box, each part slid into place, until Mineru revealed a simple doorway below the Triforce. “This is it – the way to the Shadow Temple.” She pushed the door open, revealing a dark portal.

“Fitting, but not exactly welcoming,” you muttered. “Okay, so what do we do?”

“This is where we part, temporarily.”

You turned to her; eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

Mineru slumped slightly. “I’m sorry, I can’t follow you. One of the trade-offs of preserving my body like this… the path to the Shadow Temple was designed to only allow certain people entry. My construct body would be destroyed if I tried to cross the threshold. It’s likely your sage aspects will not work either. Once you unlock the temple, I’ll be able to join you.”

“Okay then,” Link said, unfazed, “what do we need to know about this place?”

“I worked with Sonia and Zelda to create it – or rather they did most of the work. Zelda was determined to make it as difficult as possible, so that she could be sure only the two of you would survive. Whatever you do, stick to the shadows and do not go into the water. If you run into trouble, I placed several Zonai devices inside to help you.”

You took a deep breath, wondering just what your sister created. “Alright then.”

“One more thing. Zelda made a rhyme to guide you. Follow the Tears to the Horned King. Strike him down to reveal a wond’rous thing. Let the guards slumber night and day. Return home to find the temple way.”

A pit was quickly growing in your stomach, realizing just what you were about to enter. “Zelda…how?”

“We’ll be okay,” Link said, taking your hand. “Ready?”

“One sec,” you said. You pulled your pocketbook back out and ripped out a page. “Mineru, while you’re waiting for us, could you please take this to Outskirt Stable northwest of here? Just follow the road out of the Great Plateau. This message is critical.”

Mineru took the scrap of paper. “I can, but people might not react well to my new form.”

“I promise, it’s worth it. Just give it to the stable hand and tell him the Prince sent you.” You turned back to Link, taking his hand. “Ready, my love.”

==============================

Crossing the threshold felt like plunging into a cold lake. The air was still, smelling faintly of flowers. Hyrule was eerily quiet, there was no sound of life anywhere around you, not so much as a cricket chirp. You shivered, opening your eyes. Light seemed to be inverted. It wasn’t night, but it wasn’t day. It was as if Hyrule itself glowed ever so slightly. You stood at the entrance to the Temple of Time – restored to its former glory – but the exit behind you had disappeared. “Nowhere to go but forward,” you muttered.

You and Link walked quietly down the steps of the Temple of Time, your footsteps feeling as loud as cannon shots in the unsettling world. As you looked out across the Great Plateau, you could see all of Hyrule, frozen. Specifically, it was Hyrule as it once was, before the Calamity. It was the Hyrule from your childhood.

Your bodies glowed in the surreal light. Link looked around nervously at this twisted version of your home. “Babe, where are we? It reminds me of the Trial of the Sword. It’s like it shouldn’t exist. Everything feels wrong.” He was right. It was a Hyrule you once knew, but too perfect. The trees were a little too green, their leaves almost copied from each other. The bricks you walked on weren’t individual stone, they looked more like a painting – flat and uniform.

You swallowed hard. Your skin tingled in the strange energy of this place. “The blood of Hylia flows through my family, but I never thought Zelda would be capable of something like this…” You turned to Link, trying to mask your trepidation. “It’s like Sheik said, The answer is nothing but silence. Link, we’re in the Silent Realm, Zelda’s Silent Realm.”

==============================

A/N: I can’t believe we’re already in Chapter 25. Back when I started outlining this story, I thought it’d take forever to reach Mineru, yet here we are.

That means it’s time for something a bit different. After this story wraps up, I’ll be taking a bit of a break – this is the longest story I’ve ever written, after all! But I do plan on continuing to write. The problem is that I’m having some trouble deciding on the next story, beyond that we will be taking a bit of a break from Hyrule in the next one. I have three choices I’d like your input on. I’ll be doing a poll on my Tumblr for the next story. Your choices are:

Monochrome Redux (Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir from Miraculous! and (eventual) Miraculous Holder Reader) – A handsome hero catches your eye and you catch his, but does duty come before love? And doesn’t his heart belong to Ladybug? In a Paris turned upside down, anything can happen. (This would be rewriting and finishing the unfinished “Monochrome” from 2019).

Falling Stars (Leon/Dande from the Pokemon series and Pokemon Breeder Reader) – Can Leon see he lives in a castle of sand? Can old friendships be repaired and an unrequited crush from childhood grow into something new, or is the Unbeatable Champion lost in the glitz and glory?

Super Royal Assistant! (Bowser from the Super Mario series and Executive Assistant Reader) – Working for Princess Peach as her official assistant seems like a dream job, until you realize how much you have to deal with a certain Koopa King. Why does he keep kidnapping you with your boss anyway?

I have more information on each option, including a quick summary here. Please leave a comment or shoot me a message with your preferred option. The poll will be open until November 29, and the results will be announced in the final chapter of this story. I appreciate your help!

Next time: We conquer the Silent Realm and find the Shadow Temple.

[succubusbri]

CHAPTER ONE: What Is Grief?

❝What is grief?❞

DEATH.

The concept of death isn't what you had prepared for. Despite the reoccurring losses, never had one hit you so hard such as T'Challa's. Despite it being part of the circle of life, it never felt right with you. Since the passing of T'Challa, there has been a terrible shift in Wakanda.

The people of Wakanda lost their protector and king. And while you helped in protecting the land, it wasn't as great as to when T'Challa was still alive, keeping peace with nations as much as possible. A piece of you had disintegrated, leaving you unhealed and heartbroken.

T'Challa wasn't just a king to you, he was your best friend, your person you could rely on for advice, even if it wasn't so helpful. You knew that he would want you to move on.

Everyday was a nightmare as you witnessed your own people continue to turn against one another. The world who Wakanda hesitantly shared knowledge about your resources with, took you for granted. It hadn't been a week after T'Challa's death when everything went spiraling downhill from there.

Now that Ramonda had reclaimed the throne, she has dealt with nothing but stress and a load of weight pressured down on her. Grief wasn't even in the picture; the queen couldn't fully come to terms that her eldest son was just.... gone. Just like her husband. All she had left were you, Shuri and the people of Wakanda who were now left without a black panther to protect them.

From as long as you had known T'Challa and Shuri, Ramonda considered you like another daughter. Blood related or not, you had felt like an older sister Shuri never had.

Tears poured from your eye sockets as you gazed off into the sunset, a calm breeze flowing past. Memories of you and T'Challa growing up together flooded your mind. The two of you had known each other since you were kids. And when you had been bit by that radioactive spider, he was the first person you told when you suddenly gained superhuman abilities.

It was safe to say, you were his closest friend.

T'Challa's death wasn't the reason you were hurting the most; he hid his illness from you and the rest of the family. A year tragically passes and you still mourn. Your eyes blinked the tears way so your vision wouldn't cloud as much as it had did. There was a long dreadful silence that lingered, followed by the sound of leaves blowing from the wind's current.

"Oh T'Challa..." You wiped your face, forcing yourself to smile for once. This was the third time you wept. There are days where you were fine and then there were others where you just broke into pieces.

As you attempt to enjoy the beautiful landscape of Wakanda, there was a presence that emerged beside you. The person takes a seat beside you in silence. No exchangement of looks, no words spoken, nothing. You turn to see the princess seated beside you, her eyes staring straight ahead. Her face was neutral and relaxed, yet the look in her eyes said otherwise.

Emotionless, sleep deprived. Those eyes weren't the same joyful and excited ones anymore.

"Shuri." You greet quietly, the tone in your voice betraying you trying to come off as enthusiastic. It had been a few days since the two of you had the chance to sit down together.

"Hey." The princess greets back, her voice strained as she contained herself from breaking down. Grief took a major toll on Shuri, you could tell. It was difficult as it is to keep yourself together, at every reminder of T'Challa. Silence takes over between the two of you for a short minute until the princess cleared her throat, preparing to speak again. "Can we talk?"

Shuri fidgets with her hands, unable to make eye contact with you in that moment. A tear rolls down her face, dropping down onto the ground."Everything feels like a blur. I'm still in disbelief that my brother is..."

"Gone?" You finish for her, noticing the struggle in your friend's voice as she desperately searched for the right words to say. Shuri nods, but her eyes still don't meet yours.

"Yeah, gone..." Then it went silent again. And it wasn't the type of uncomfortable and awkward you feel when there wasn't anything to say in a conversation. The silence signified the impact and effects both of you experienced in that time of day.

"But that is not why I am here."

[MISC]

[PREVIOUS CHAPTER]

[NEXT CHAPTER]

[glamphantasm]

OMxWhumptober Day 4 - Magic, Hallucinations, Sensory Deprivation

I dare not claim with any certainty what is real anymore, though my fingers tremble as they trace the cold stones of the tower floor. My mind is a shattered thing, a fragmented mirror reflecting a darkness too deep to understand, and somewhere within that fractured reality, the shape of Solomon lingers, the one whose name I fear to whisper even in my most fleeting thoughts.

This tower, this suffocating prison, has no end and no beginning; it is a labyrinth, not of walls and rooms, but of the mind, a place where time does not move, where memory disintegrates like ash scattered by an unseen wind. I kneel now in the dark, my body shaking with every breath, but I cannot tell whether the trembling is born of the cold air or the madness that has wormed its way into my very soul.

"You’re still alive in my head," I murmur to the void, my voice weak and foreign in my own ears. But who am I addressing? Solomon, or some ghost of my former self that lingers in the corners of my consciousness, a shadow of what I once was?

I am, or was, his apprentice. There was a time when the arcane was not a nightmare, when I sought knowledge beneath his tutelage with the earnest fervor of youth. I say this, as though it were decades ago, instead of months. I remember the stars then, their pale, indifferent light filtering through the high windows of the tower, back when I could still look upon them without trembling. Back when reality held firm beneath my feet.

Now, I cannot even recall the shape of the stars.

Solomon has consumed my world, if there is indeed a world left to be consumed. I speak of him as though he is a man — a sorcerer, yes, but still a creature bound by flesh and blood. But that is the trick, isn’t it? The first of his many illusions. Solomon is not a man. Not as we understand men. He is a eidolon given form, a force whose essence stretches far beyond the realms of understanding. It took time to learn this, to feel the truth creeping in through the cracks in my mind. The more I learned of his magic, the more I realized the depths of his cruelty — not just in the torment he inflicted on my body, but in the way he unraveled my sanity, thread by thread, until nothing of myself remained.

The void where I kneel now was once a room. A simple chamber, where we practiced the conjuring of spirits, the weaving of ancient runes. But it has since become something else, something unrecognizable. The edges of reality blur here, warping and twisting in ways I cannot comprehend. I see walls that pulse as if alive, their surfaces shifting like the flesh of some unnameable beast. Shadows writhe in the corners, their movements too fluid to belong to anything mortal. When I blink, they vanish, only to return when I am too exhausted to fight the visions any longer.

Solomon’s voice slithers into my mind, as it always does, a low murmur that echoes through the very marrow of my bones. "You are nothing without me," he whispers. "You are merely an echo of what I allow you to be."

He is right. I have no illusions left about who I am — or what I have become. The days of defiance are long gone, ground to dust beneath the weight of his will. There is no escape from him, no end to the horrors he inflicts. His magic twists my senses, bending the very fabric of existence until I can no longer tell what is real and what is a hallucination.

There were others once, weren’t there? I remember — or think I remember — figures who moved through my life with warmth and kindness. They may have been friends. They may have been my family. But the memories are like fog, distant and elusive, slipping away the moment I try to grasp them. Sometimes I hear their voices, faint whispers in the back of my mind, calling my name, offering me salvation. But I cannot trust those voices. They are too distant, too unreal. I wonder if they ever existed at all.

I am alone in this place. Alone with Solomon.

The deprivation chambers are the worst, though it is difficult to say why they terrify me more than the rest of the tower. Solomon places me in them often — dark, silent rooms where I float in nothingness, where my body feels weightless and numb, and where the boundaries of my mind slowly unravel. It is there that I am most lost, drifting in an eternal, cosmic abyss that stretches far beyond the confines of the tower.

In those moments, I am certain that I touch something vast, something incomprehensible. It whispers to me in a language older than time, its voice an eldritch hum that vibrates through the void. And I — broken, shattered thing that I am — listen. I understand. The universe is not what we think it is. There are forces beyond the stars, beyond reality, forces that laugh at the fragile minds of men.

Solomon knows this. He has touched those forces. He is their conduit, their emissary in this world, and I — I am his vessel.

“You cannot be saved,” his voice echoes in the abyss. “There is no one here, no powers that will come for you. There is only me. Only my will. You will know nothing else.”

My mind slips further with every passing moment. His magic has spread its roots deep into my psyche, warping my thoughts, my perceptions. There is no difference between hallucination and reality anymore. Solomon speaks, but his words are everywhere, filling the dark spaces, pressing into me until I feel my consciousness unraveling. How long have I been in this room? Hours? Days? Years? I do not know.

And then I see the stars again.

They shimmer faintly above me, their cold light piercing through the suffocating blackness of the chamber. But they are not the stars I remember. No — these stars are wrong, alien, their patterns twisted into impossible geometries. My heart races, but my body is too weak, too broken to respond. These stars speak, their voices low and hungry, resonating with Solomon’s power. I hear their promises — promises of freedom, of release from this torment. But their promises are lies. They offer only oblivion, a descent into the nameless void from which there is no return.

The hallucinations blur together. Faces from a past I can no longer trust appear before me — specters of those who once loved me, perhaps. They reach for me, their eyes wide with terror, but when I try to touch them, they vanish into mist. They are no more real than I am.

"You belong to me," Solomon’s voice calls again, and I know it is the only truth left. He is more than my master. He is the gatekeeper to something far worse than death, and I — I am already lost.

I see now that there is no end to this madness. The tower, the void, the stars — they are all parts of the same cosmic nightmare, a reality twisted beyond reason, where time and space mean nothing, where my very soul has been claimed by forces I cannot name. Solomon has broken me, utterly and completely.

And in my brokenness, I see the truth: I am nothing.

I kneel before him, and I weep, but there is no comfort in my tears. Only the cold, eternal gaze of a sorcerer who is not a man, but a reflection of the madness that lies at the heart of the universe.

There are no gods here. Only Solomon.

And I am his, forever.

[darkmaga-returns]

the disintegration of the media cult and its followers

el gato malo

Nov 11, 2024

imagine you are the enterprising head of a would be doomsday cult. you’ve got a great song and dance. it’s atavistic, scary, it calls to action, you’re really packing the public into the tent. but you have a problem: the world is not actually going to end on tuesday as prophesied. obviously, this poses some issues for you: can’t have a doomsday cult when the doom keeps stubbornly refusing to turn up.

or can you?

the reality is that when the end of the world fails to be nigh, you do not actually lose your flock. many of them wind up becoming more rather than less devout. you’re going to lose some, but you can, if you’re clever and take a few elementary precautions, actually deepen the devotion of the devotees and how many you keep and how rapt they become will come down to how well you handle this transition. in the end you’re playing on one key aspect of human nature:

“rubes will happily believe damn near anything in order to avoid admitting that they have been played for rubes.”

in the end, cognitive dissonance is your friend here and you can use it to not only prevent the changing of minds but to bind them more strongly to your doctrine. it comes down to three things:

isolate

alienate

indoctrinate

and that’s it.

you need to be the only one speaking. no outside noise or perspective.

you need to make the outside look hostile, predatory, and menacing.

and then you push your dogmatic payload again as “us vs them” and “only we love you and they carry the awful taint of heresy” and faster than you can say “branch davidian” they are all back in line and rarin’ to go.

it’s culting 101.

[n3mesi5]

Series 0 - Absence

(absence [The element]: Nothingness manifest, can be channeled to annihilate or store large amounts of matter. A tar like substance, viscous like crude oil. Dark enough that light can't escape. It's smokiness its reaction to air making contact.)

[[Why do they call you Absence?]]

A figure of absence, its shape held by a mysterious porcelain-like metal, walks back home after assassinating a king that wronged his creator. "Absence!" a scout shouted, shooting his knees with arrows to force him on the ground. The arrow's strength is enough to blast a chunk of his essence off his person, disintegrating in the ground, yet... He was absent of pain. Gently yanking them off. The rest of the warriors emerged from hiding just to block his path. The best fighters working under the king, not just his champions but also his most closest friends. Their daggers ready to mangle, greatswords held high excited to cleave him in half and finally axes whetted just to butcher his body limb from limb, and yet He was absent of fear.

"Absence... Elaborate?" Absence spoke, curious.

"That's you." Said one of the champions, gritting his teeth in fury for Absence has murdered his king.

"I sense anger. Explain?" Absence asked, curious.

The champion's body, hands shaking in wrath.

"HrggGHH! Are YOU playing Dumb!? HIS BLOOD IS ALL OVER YOU!" Yelled, voice full of fury enough to make the winds part.

"I punished him on behalf of my creator. My quarrels are not with you and my goals are complete. I have no plans to har-" as Absence tried to reason with the King's avengers, he was cut short by the scout, striking his head with an arrow, which Absence has to pull out.

The champion cackled maniacally, before he speak his taunts, the scout covered his mouth.

"You have no reason to entertain him, He is absent of the gifts we possess since we we're born! He is absent of emotions! Absent of EVERYTHING! He has NOTHING!"

"Your claims need citation. I am not absent of emotions, I am filled with anger, I am filled with confusion, I am filled with GRIEF. My creator has healed your sick and taught your young how to write, and your king's reward for him is DEATH!? He does not deserve your malice! But I agree that I have nothing, because your king took EVERYTHING from me." His voice still monotonous as a calm lake, he does not know how to voice his struggles. For he is not human.

The King's champions approached closer, circling around him, while Absence is still confused on their accusations.

"How am I absent of emotions!? Is it because I'm absent of a mouth to smile!? I'm absent of eyes to cry!? I can still feel FEAR! Because I-" A champion lunged at him, axe in hand! cutting his words midway.

Absence delivered his counter-attacks, using the king's own techniques to parry his strikes and then cut the champion in HALF! The remaining champions clutched their weapons tightly as they squared their shoulders, they're gonna put more effort into slaying...

"He didn't kill our king like a coward... He killed the King in one-on-one!?" one of the champions voiced his fear! Confused how this monster managed to learn a technique within a night?!

Absence spoke again feeling the blood trickle down his hands. Continuing where he has left off.

"-I... am scared of humans because I do not understand them... But I can learn, I will learn your source of malice, even if the means involve dissection! I will be ABSENT of MERCY!"

~~~Writers notes~~~

This scene came from an animatic I'm planning, most of the answers to your questions will be there. So stay tuned~

[da-bestest-writer]

Unnamed Baki Next gen au. part 1

The main character is Tomoe Hanma

she's Baki and Kozue's daughter, Obviously considering her name and the kind of au this is.

She would probably start the 'series' at around 12-14, and sheltered from the fighting world by her parents. as far as she knows initially is that her father was an amateur martial artist who didn't get to go professional since her mom thought it'd be dangerous.

she knows of her grandfather to a degree, Mostly that her mother doesn't like him very much, While her dad's relationship with him is very comploicated, She's a clever enough girl to realize it was abusive but not to what extent.

Eventually Yujirou comes for a surprise visit for her birthday. And initially seems to be a /mostly/ normal grandfather, Sure he lacks social graces, and he gets really intense about things,, And he speaks like a character from her favorite fighting manga But he's not scary in the slightest.

Baki and Kozue decide to humor Yujiro, and the day goes on as normal, Until Tomoe overhears her father and grandfather talking. "Ya know baki, I was real dissapointed when i heard your woman gave birth to a girl, Even more so when the idiot doctors she trusted so much more or less made her infertile. " Yujiro spoke, Making Tomoe's heart sink a little, Was she a disappointment?"But, She's still my blood, And yours too... I shouldn't be disappointment in her lack of potential, Because as a hanma it's certainly there, But i am pretty pissed at you for not helping her to bring it out."

"c'mon dad, " Her own father starts to speak "It's not like she has to follow the same path we did, She's just a kid. If she wants to pick up fighting she'll do it on her own time, When she's an adult." Tomoe listened intently. "I'm not interested in being the strongest in the world, And i don't need my child to be either. She's Tomoe hanma and she's her own person."

Yujiro leaves it alone at that, The conversation shifts to more normal family stuff, Almost as if they knew she was listening in... \

Later on, When its time to open gifts, Yujiro steps forward with a pair of tickets. "Here kid" Yujiro says with a smirk that would almost be mistaken as dangerous if he weren't her granpa "Two tickets to Androv Dade's title defense match,Tonite at 7:30"

Kozue has none of it, She looks ready to throw hands with her father in law then and there. Fighting is dangerous, And barbaric, she's not letting her kid see such things...

Baki puts his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Aw, C'mon now, It's not like she'd be getting in the ring. It's juist a way for her to spend time with her grandpa, Nothing more." Though Tomoe can hear some distrusting tension in her father's voice, The subject is left alone for the time being.

Later that night, Yujiro and Tomoe go to the Tokyo dome to watch the fight. And Androv Dade winds up winning the match very quickly.

The arrogant romanian begins taunting the crowd, Saying he has pleanty of gas in the tank and he'd take on any man there. Taking that as an invitation, Yujiro steps into the ring.

"Is this really the world's greatest welterweight? Even the world class punching bags of my day had more talent in their left pinky than you've got! A little girl without a day of training in her life could take you out!"

Dade questions who Yujiro is to say such things, Only for the old, but No less powerfully built man to reveal the dreaded demon back, Flexing hard enough for his shirt to disintegrate. "They used to call me the ogre, When i was a young man. You should be honored to even be standing here with me... I can see the excitement in your eyes. But i'm not the one challenging you. "

He leaps back to the stands, and with ease picked up Tomoe with his hands on her shoulders. "Meet my granddaughter! "

[birb-boyo]

The Chain with My Hero Academia Quirks

Quirks and info about them are under the cut

Time - Mortal Essence

Mortal Essence was something I came up with for my Percy Jackson OC but then I thought of it and was like HELL YEAH so it’s Time’s now

Basically, in my head, god’s have their essence that mortals can’t see or they will die instantly. Like with Semele, Dionysus’s mother, she saw Zeus’s essence and disintegrated immediately

In contrast, a mortal essence is an essence that can make the user have powers on par with gods, or turn the user into a god temporarily

We all know about Fierce right? You know, the war god that can temporarily take over Time’s body? Well, Fierce is Time’s quirk.

Sky - Goddess Guardian

Ok…so maybe he’s the goddess’s guardian but shhhhhhh

This quirk was inspired by Demon Snow, an ability from Bungo Stray Dogs

Basically, Sky has a goddess or an avatar of a goddess who protects him and can and will kill you should he ask her to

He’s best friends with her, don’t worry

I mean, Sun was also in the academy guys, she can and will fuck you up should you try and hurt Sky

That being said, Sun is and isn’t Sky’s quirk

I might say that it’s Farore that’s his guardian instead of Hylia because his girlfriend is Hylia(technically)

Twilight - He technically already sort of has one(Wolfie) but Essence

If you watched My Hero or just know Todoroki’s backstory or you watched Heroes Rising you’ll know that quirks are hereditary

Twilight has sort of inherited Time’s quirk

BUT

He sort of has Malon’s quirk too

Malon has a quirk that allows her to command any animal to do something that she speaks to

But anyway, Twilight’s essence quirk allows him to turn into anything that he has DNA to as long as it is in his system

Plot twist

He can only turn into animals which makes things a little weird for him sometimes

His favorite for in his wolf form(obviously) he enjoys growling at people and he thinks that he looks cool

Warriors - Frost Blades

Warriors is just an ice user. I can sense it in my bones

Frost blades are mostly what they sound like

Blades made out of frost. If he’s mad enough and his quirk loses control, they can be solid ice

How the blades work is, no one but him can hold the blades, without the coldness of his hands, the frost will disperse

Knowing the Captain, he mostly doesn’t rely on them. He’s more like Aizawa, he uses his quirk when he feels like he must

Warriors quirk is mostly lackluster, but trust that he can still very much beat your ass without it

Wild - also technically already has one(bullet time) but Spiritual Connection

Spiritual Connection was thought of because of his whole thing with the other Champions

Wild can see and talk to spirits. He can also use their quirks, if they allow him to take it

Spirits love being around him, and he has probably been suspected of having AFO at some point, but he just has a lot of dead friends

Because why have living friends, when you can have dead ones? :3

Wind - Wind Bombs

Wind deserves bomb rights.

Wind bombs are small cyclones that can and will explode, should Wind make them

He probably blew a kid up once when his quirk first spawned

Parents hate him, but he loves his quirk

It’s a nice warning when you get hit was a wind bomb in your chest (:

Hyrule - Cloned

Hyrule can clone only inanimate objects

You know, like how his sword sort of has a shadow? I don’t feel like getting a picture

But when his enemy gets hit with his sword’s silhouette? Yeah, that’s his quirk

He clones money a fuck too

He’s a rebellious teen probably…idk

Legend - Alteration

Inspired by the whole painting shenanigans in albw

But anyway, Legend’s body is able to adapt to any environment

If he needs to keep up with a long legged person, boom, he has longer legs than they have now and now they have to jog to keep up

Need to get your phone that fell in the crack of your bed? Boom. Thin arm

Need to slip into a crack in a wall to kill that roach, bam, small and skinny

My man is more fantastic than Mr. Fantastic

Four - Mental manipulation

You know how the colors have their respective emotions…but not really…I think

Like Blue is usually characterized as angry a lot

Like that

So with Mental Manipulation, Four can alter someone’s emotions or thoughts

It’s that simple

You’re feeling depressed today? Nah. Have some choccy milk and be immensely happy.

Your significant other is making you nervous with how much you want to kiss them? Nah, Four got you, have some more confidence

You think you’re a sane human being? Nah. Go commit arson

So…yeah

There it is

The Chain and their My Hero Academia quirks

Thank you for reading :3

If you have different ideas for their quirks, I’d love to here them in the comments

Anyway, thanks for reading