#ending isn't really happy

[throneofsapphics]

Manon x reader x Asterin (angst) please 🤸‍♀️

think for yourself.

(part two)

Manon x Reader x Asterin 

Summary: “I don’t care how you feel about this.” The white haired witch said through gritted teeth, those gold eyes seeming to burn a brand into you. 

“When have you ever cared?” Your voice was quiet and you went against all common sense, turning your back to walk towards the kitchen area. “Leave.”

Word Count: ~1.4k

Warnings: angst, slight injury, blood 

A/N: angst is my favorite thing to write. I'm so sorry. also not proofread very well

It was late at night, in the small cabin you lived in, a few miles from the nearest village, perfectly secluded. The safest way for you to live. When you made trips into town, they welcomed you with open arms - mostly because of the herbs and goods you would barter or sell, but you did have a few friends there. Nobody there knows exactly where you live, nor did you invite anyone over, and you always took different routes home, shaking any who tried to follow. Even if that meant you would double the amount of time it took you to get back. Paranoia is good. It’s kept you alive. However, any common sense seemed to fall away for two witches. Who’d thankfully captured your heart instead of tearing it out. 

-

I haven’t seen your kind for some time.” A smooth and cold voice purred from behind you. Rarely could anyone sneak up on you, not with the senses from your Fae heritage. You slowly turned to face them. To of them. Witches. One with white-blonde hair and a predatory look in her eyes stalked towards you, the other fell into step a pace behind her, matching each other in pace and stride. Instead of the urge to flee, a small voice told you to stay. So you did, with that immortal stillness. Fleeing would give them a chase, something they undoubtedly would enjoy. 

You didn’t flinch as iron nails snapped out, or as one dug under your chin, tilting your face upwards. You met the burnt-gold eyes with a defiant gaze. “I don’t remember them being quite so pretty,” the other commented, and you could hear the amusement but didn’t dare take your eyes off the witch in front of you. The nails snapped back, and the two walked away without another word. 

-

The cabin had one bedroom, a living and kitchen area, and an outhouse. A few hens cluck around outside, along with a particularly nasty rooster you caught Manon eyeing once in a while. Like it would be her next meal. 

You laid, stretched across the couch with your head in Asterin’s lap, her fingers running through your hair, and Manon sat not too far away, in a worn down but cozy red armchair you’d come to associate as hers. 

A tension filled the room, both of the witches seeming on edge, and you couldn’t figure out why. Finally, you sighed and sat up, ignoring Asterin’s huff of protest and angling yourself so you could easily see both of them. “What is it?” you asked. 

“We’re leaving.” Manon said bluntly, and Asterin winced. 

“When?” You replied, fighting the dread that crept inside you. The left frequently, but something about this felt different. Off. 

“One week.” 

Your heart dropped, eyes starting to burn slightly but Manon wouldn’t react to your tears, she never did. Asterin, on the other hand, would. To anyone else, except maybe the rest of the thirteen, she would seem just as unflinching, the perfect mask of stone obedience. But, the corners of her lips turned down ever so slightly. Guilt, you could sense her guilt. If they were telling you this early … 

You cleared your throat, “how long?” 

“We don’t know.” Asterin said softly. 

“Can I ask what you’ll be doing?” 

“You can always ask,” she teased, but it fell short. She and Manon exchanged a glance, and Asterin continued - to your surprise. “The King has been breeding Wyvern’s. He needs riders for his aerial cavalry.” 

The world froze around you. You felt fate tightening its strings, twisting around your heart. Ironteeth witches as aerial cavalry for the king's army. That same army who … but they didn’t know about that, or they never would’ve told you. 

“Are you going to say anything?” Manon snapped, your silence annoying her. She didn’t like being ignored. 

“Why?” You looked back and forth between the two of them. 

“When we are done, when we’ve served” Manon said the word with disgust, “him, we will keep the wyverns and reclaim the wastes.” 

The wastes. The homeland both of them had been dreaming of for longer than you were alive. But serving him? The King had already conquered Erilea, committed various genocides, banished magic, and had an entire continent under his thumb. What more is he planning to do? Manon, herself, would never make the choice to serve a king, to follow his orders, meaning it had to have come from her grandmother. The High Witch of the Blackbeak clan. You tried to swallow your anger, you really did, but the words came out before your filter could catch up. 

“Is this how you’re going to spend the rest of your life, following your grandmothers every order, whoring yourself out to that King?” Before you could blink, both were on their feet. Manon’s iron nails dug harshly into your skin, and you felt the warm slick of blood starting to drip down your neck as she dragged you to your feet. 

“I should kill you.” Manon snarled, cold fury in her eyes. You’d insulted her, hit right where it would hurt. Good. Asterin laid a hand on her cousin's shoulder, but her eyes were cold too. 

“Do it,” you snarled right back, “your never master would order you to anyway.” 

Asterin barely yanked Manon back in time, scratches that would scar left blood dripping down your neck. “Be careful what you say next,” she warned as Manon shook off her grip. Seconds ago, Manon may have killed you but you could tell she wouldn’t now. 

“I don’t care how you feel about this.” The white haired witch said through gritted teeth, those gold eyes seeming to burn a brand into you. 

“When have you ever cared?” Your voice was quiet and you went against all common sense, turning your back to walk towards the kitchen area. “Leave.” 

Two sets of footsteps left, the door creaked open and slammed shut, and hushed arguments sounded outside your door. Too quiet for you to hear. One set came back in as the heavy oak door creaked, but closed quietly this time. 

“She does care,” Asterin said softly, her arms wrapping around your waist to pull your back to her chest. Despite the anger still bubbling in you, you melted back into her, resting your head against her shoulder. “She’ll be back in a few days,” she murmured, not expecting a reply from you. 

She let you lay in her arms until late that night, content to enjoy each others embrace, as if she knew what would happen next. 

-

Manon stormed towards your cabin, intent on doing something. She wouldn’t apologize, but didn’t want to leave on those terms, with your words in her mind. Whoring yourself out. Your new master. If you were anyone else, you would’ve been dead before the second curse had been uttered. 

Asterin followed closely behind her. They knew something was off as soon as they arrived. It felt stale. The hens and that gods-damned rooster were nowhere to be seen. She slammed through the door and the place was empty. You hadn’t been there in a few days. A quick scan told her everything essential to you was gone.

She whirled on Asterin. “Did you know?” Her second shook her head, her emotions flooding through her eyes. 

A small note on the table. Manon’s stomach dropped seeing it. She didn’t want to, but she had to read it. Instinct told her the note was meant mostly for her, even without a name on it., 

I love you. If you ever loved, cared for, or respected me, you’ll leave me alone. I hope you learn to think for yourself one day. 

Discolored spots and splotched ink littered the page. You cried while writing it. Manon dropped it like it burned her, and stalked out the cabin without a look back. 

Asterin read it one. Twice. Three times, and memorized it before destroying it. She took one last look around, trying to memorize every detail, before letting out a long breath and following Manon. 

-

The battle was over, and Manon still felt empty. A gaping hole left in her soul. Twelve pieces of her were missing. But, footsteps sounded behind her, and she prepared to snarl at whoever might be disturbing her. She was surprised when Abraxos didn’t react beyond curiosity. Manon knew that scent. Intimately. She whirled around to see you. Alive. 

“So you did learn to think for yourself.” 

[queeniewithabeanie]

The "Hyena"

Dpxdc Prompt #12

Word in Gotham is that Harley Quinn got a new hyena. He is apparently, "a lean, mean, green, fighting machine" according to those that have caught sight of him so far.

Damian wanted to meet this new adversary because he always wanted to meet new exotic animals in gotham (and to make sure that harlequin was taking care of her pets) to scout out what future fights would be like.

He didn't expect the hyena to be a dog, or actually green, or the size of a small building, or being able to fly-

The "hyena" was full of many surprises Damian couldn't have accounted for.

Damian figuring out that is not a normal hyena: Quinzel! Did you stoop so low as to genetically modify a dog to have a better chance at defeating father! Harley, appalled: I'll 'ave you know this puppers showed up on my door like this. I didn't do no "genetic modifyin'" I'm not that kind of doctor Harley: Would you stoop so low to imply that I care that lil 'bout my animals. Cujo is a 'appy, 'ealthy, hyena! Cujo: breaths heavily and licks Damian's face Damian: Fine, I'll concede, for now. If I see any signs of mistreatment or unhappiness I will see to it that Cujo becomes a guard dog for the Bats Harley: I's a good thing that 'e's 'appy with me then, isn't it? Damian, who has somehow disappeared into the shadows: hmpf

Later in the Batcave Dick: Woah Dami, did you get dragged down into the sewers by Killer Crock or something? Why's your costume so wet. Damian, coming up with different plans on how to get Cujo for himself: It is of no importance Richard, now, how would you feel about another dog?

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Danse Macabre

[Commission]

[nattikay]

the constant inner struggle of a Na'vi speaker/teacher browsing Na'vi OCs

[coffehbeans]

So you're telling me there was a manga that had all my favorite g/t tropes and I didn't know about it???

Even the megalophobia trope I'M-

[lschmidtartblog]

Took a few weeks off from thinking about drawing to visit family and attend my friends' wedding but I'm back and still rewatching Naruto. Team 7 has a day off and is having a team building dinner but is l probably going to eat junk food all night since they're 12 year olds

[annabelle--cane]

a minor tma fandom thing that has amused me for a few years is that, after the show ended, a very obvious way to see the different approaches people had been taking to engaging with it became to hear their recommendations for what media you should try if you'd liked it. suddenly the veil parted and I could be like ooohhh of course we never saw eye to eye, you're listening to it like the way you listen to heart-warming found family actual play ttrpgs and I'm listening to it like eighty hour hamlet.

[w1lmuttart]

They are so cool what-

[cloudinal]

Happy birthday Hype-chan !!

[tiredandoptimistic]

I'm thinking thoughts about Agent Curt Mega today. Specifically him at the end of Doing This, when Tatiana ends their kiss. I highly doubt that he's ever come out to anyone other than the men he's slept with, and he's still too afraid to say it out loud. But it's not just that he explains through a euphemism ("you're not my type"), it's that when Tatiana tries to say it more plainly he cuts her off ("so you're into-" "yeah"), because he can't even handle hearing it from her. He is fully expecting her to hate him for being gay, and when she doesn't, and just continues the conversation as normally as she can, even saying she still wants to be his friend, he is blown away by positive emotions because this man has probably never had a real friend before. It's just so.

What I love about the ending of the musical, when Curt kills Owen, is that he realizes that he deserves better. He realizes that his relationship with Owen isn't worth fighting for, and that his friendships with Barb and Tatiana are. And that's really meaningful to me, seeing platonic love held up as a happy ending and romantic love acknowledged as fallible.

[hesagoodone]

Sorry to bring this up on your dash, but I don't know how to get this specific moment out of my head. Those vicious, vicious kicks and.. and a broken, unresisting, shuddering-bundle-on-the-floor Sherlock. The sheer hatred and rage emanating from John! It baffles me, like what did he even do to you, John? WHAT? Where's all this hellish rage coming from? The Fall? Mary's Death?

Makes no sense to me, not to such an extent, but perhaps I would've understood the hurt, the pain, the frustration of it all - if it was just that. But it's not. It's such blind, hateful, out-to-kill rage that I see in this instant here and it unsettles me deeply. John looks like he wants to crush Sherlock up, people literally had to drag him away. How do you hate someone, anyone with such intensity, let alone a friend who has lived, died, killed for you?

[ministarfruit]

bad ending

[13-nothing]

Rapid fire Inky Mystery Theories:

Bendy Shadows = Dead ink illness people (In other words the Lost Ones duuh)

(Tho last chpt descriptions made me think of Canon Bendy more than Lost Ones cause of the teeth and spines on the back, but ehhh, whatever, my statement stands)

Steven = Baby

(Don't kill me but I totally forgot about him til the last 2 chpts cause I don't reread that arc as much and he was a flash in a pan in the over arcing story. Tho I have to admit I got a little choked up realizing he died when I read it the 1st time)

Grandmama = The Eye Looking Through the Crystal Ball

(It's in my theory boards from last time buuuut there was a LOT on there and I didn't want it to get lost)

Bendy Shadows don't want to be humanoid in shape cause they aren't exactly who they were anymore. They're just the inky puddles now.

(Tho it does make me wonder what would happen if he tried to make them look specifically like who they used to be)

The Thing Demons Portal thru = Ink Realm

(Idk what to comment on here it just is)

Bendy's whole purpose is to fix the machine and BOTH of his fav activities will forever be tainted (hehe) by the fact he was created to specifically be good at them and not because he just chose them as HIS things to do.

(It's extremely sad when u think about it)

As of Chpt 268 Angelo was brought to the be with the shadows

(Wow, it's been like 80 something since that happened)

Sooo yeah that's all I got right now. Figured I'd try to get some of my theories out while before we get too far into the upcoming arc. Anyway, uh, thanks for reading and I say farewell to thee my fellow existences!

[starrynightskies12]

Something about Felix's line in Representation "The reason we're doing this Dusuu is because we're hoping for a happy ending" just gives me Feelings

[ruanbaijie]

During the Republican Era, Shen Zhiheng, a member of the Tianjin gentry who happened to be a vampire, offended the Japanese and became the target of an assassination attempt. He was saved by a blind young lady, Mi Lan, and his best friend Situ Weilian. When he went to repay Mi Lan for saving him, he discovered the terrible family situation that Mi Lan was in, and so began to pay more attention to her. Meanwhile, Shen Zhiheng’s plan to take revenge on Li Yingliang, the mastermind behind his assassination, fell short of success thanks to Li Yingliang’s Japanese superior, raising suspicions about his identity. Since then, Li Yingliang and the Japanese were in hot pursuit of Shen Zhiheng, determined to dig out the truth about his secret.

Please do not repost this anywhere else or retranslate it!

MAIN DIRECTORY ☾ PREVIOUS CHAPTER

When Shen Zhiheng woke up, the first thing he saw was Mi Lan.

He was lying on his back on the grass and looking up at the sky, while Mi Lan was kneeling across his chest. Her skirt, which had first been completely drenched in fresh blood which had then dried on it, was now stiff and heavy. With her hair loose and in a mess, she was currently fixing his buttons for him with her head lowered.

He was awake, but he still had not come to his senses, and did not know where he was or when it was. Raising her eyes, Mi Lan exchanged glances with him, but she did not say anything, only staring straight at him, as if she could not get enough of a look.

Shen Zhiheng slowly turned his head and saw the green grass beside his face, and even saw the moon and stars in the night sky. Above the green grass and beneath the moon and stars was a young girl in clothes stained with blood, Mi Lan.

“Did we escape?” he asked softly.

Mi Lan nodded her head. “Mm.”

“Were you the one who saved me?”

Mi Lan replied, “Of course it was me.”

Shen Zhiheng smiled. “You always save me.”

Mi Lan opened her mouth, “I…”

It was not that she was hesitant to speak, she simply had not thought of what to say next after “I”. She would save him forever, accompany him forever. If he died, she would go and die too. There were so many things to say, which should she start with? And then which one next? She had always been taciturn, and if words could not properly express her meaning, then from where should she start speaking again?

So, she might as well say nothing. She wouldn’t say anything now, and when she thought of it properly in the future, she would say it then.

Mi Lan helped Shen Zhiheng up, and it was then when he noticed that he had changed into a clean set of clothes. It was just that the measurements were wrong. A section of his ankles and wrists were exposed, and the shoes were too small. He took one step, holding on to Mi Lan, and felt that he had some strength, and belatedly asked, “Mi Lan, did I… kill a lot of people?”

“Yes.”

Shen Zhiheng changed the topic, “Where did you get these clothes from?”

“The chauffeur.”

“The chauffeur?”

“That day, to find you, I hired a car and tailed Li-shushu, but the chauffeur wasn’t willing to wait here for me, so I sucked all of his blood.” She raised her hand and pointed to one side, “The corpse is there. When I found him just now, his flesh had not gone bad yet, so I removed his clothes and gave them to you to wear. The car is behind that big tree, you know how to drive, let’s go home!”

Shen Zhiheng was finding it hard to believe her. “You killed someone?”

Mi Lan looked at him calmly and quietly, with no intention to explain any further. She had long completely accepted her identity as something that was not human. She killed people, just like how a human would kill chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, dogs, or cats. There was no important goal behind it; it was simply to satisfy a craving to have a bite of meat, or to have a piece of pelt.

Shen Zhiheng did not criticise her; he had neither the position nor right to do so. When he was famished, he would go on a killing spree, and would be even more uncontrolled and violent than her. He suddenly thought, he had lived so difficultly for more than a hundred years, was it now time that he acknowledged his fate?

Shen Zhiheng got into the car, where he found a towel and a bottle of water. Dipping the towel with water, he meticulously cleaned the specks of blood and dirt on his face, and then washed the towel and tore it into strips that he wrapped around one half of his face. If passers-by happened to look at him, they would assume that he was simply a patient with a head injury.

Mi Lan was curled up in the drunk, as her bloodied clothes simply could not be hidden, and whoever saw her would be given quite a huge fright.

As the sun was about to rise, rays of sunlight shone faintly along the edges of the sky. Shen Zhiheng started the car. Now, he no longer cared about Situ Weilian or Li Yingliang. Situ Weilian should still be alive, but he no longer had anything to do with him, and he had not even asked Mi Lan where he had gone. Li Yingliang was probably dead. The last memory he had of this little brat was of him kneeling before Kuroki Rika, selling him out.

This last memory made him thoroughly disappointed in Li Yingliang. It was not hatred or fury, just disappointment. If Li Yingliang had followed Situ Weilian then and escaped together, he probably would not have been as disappointed.

On the way back to the city, Shen Zhiheng’s luck was not that bad. They only met a few checkpoints of the Japanese army, and the inspections were also quite relaxed. The certificates of this car were also in order, and it had originated from a large car company in the city, so it was easy to muddle through the inspections.

 Seeing the streets full of people and cars, he was quite disoriented, up until when he drove back into the concession zone and returned home. He got out of the car and stepped through the doors, and saw Zhang Youwen before him.

Zhang Youwen had not seen Young Miss Niece for three days and nights in a row. He was so anxious that he had been about to slit his own neck, and he had become considerably thinner. Suddenly seeing Shen Zhiheng return, and in such a dishevelled state at that, he was startled, delighted, and afraid at the same time.

“Mr. Shen, you’re back? You’re fine? Are you injured? Do you want to go to the hospital?”

Shen Zhiheng replied, “There’s no need. I’m fine. They’re just flesh wounds.”

Zhang Youwen then said, “Mr. Shen, there’s one more thing, that is, Young Miss Niece. Young Miss Niece has gone missing!”

Shen Zhiheng was nonchalant and relaxed as always. “She is not missing, she will be able to return in a moment. Go out and buy some fruits and ice cream first, she can eat it when she returns.”

At once, a smile appeared on Zhang Youwen’s face, and he delightedly ran out. Shen Zhiheng hurriedly took the chance to open the trunk to let Mi Lan out. Without needing him to say anything further, she rapidly ran into the house to shower and change.

Half an hour later, Zhang Youwen returned with fruits in his hands, and really saw a brand new Young Miss Niece. Over these three days and three nights, Young Miss Niece had evidently suffered much. First of all, her once long hair had become short, reaching until her ears, with the hair at her temples tucked behind her ears. Dressed in a sports attire, it gave her the aura of a boy. Upon seeing Zhang Youwen, she was like a mute, not caring to explain where she had run off to these few days. Not wanting to lower himself to her level, Zhang Youwen turned his head and looked back again at Mr. Shen, and saw that Mr. Shen had also recovered his old appearance. The clothes on his body were layered and neat, and he did not seem to feel bothered by the heat. Snow white bandages were wrapped diagonally, covering half of his forehead and one eye, as well as a part of his face.

Sitting on the sofa, Mr. Shen seemed extremely tired, and he asked, “What is today’s date?”

“The twenty-fifth.”

Shen Zhiheng raised his head and looked at Mi Lan. “How fortunate, we can still make it for the ship tomorrow at dawn.”

Mi Lan stood in a corner of the parlour. “I’ve already packed all my luggage.”

Shen Zhiheng suddenly turned to face Zhang Youwen. “The situation in the north is too messy now, and I’m an enemy of the Japanese, so we now intend to head south to lie low. If you’re willing, you can stay behind and look after the house for me.”

Zhang Youwen immediately nodded. “I’m willing, I’m willing, as long as the boss trusts me.”

Shen Zhiheng continued, “I’ll leave a cheque behind for your living expenses, and you can continue staying here. I’ll occasionally make a long-distance phone call back to ask about the situation here.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Youwen was delighted again. For no reason at all, he now had money to spend, and a Western house in the concession zone to live in. Besides, he did not have to work or put in any effort. Was there a better task than this on earth?

Shen Zhiheng then stood up and said to Mi Lan, “Go back to your room and rest. We have to wake up early tomorrow morning for a long journey, which will be another tiring one.”

Mi Lan did not say anything to Zhang Youwen, and quietly returned to her room to sleep.

She slept for a very, very long time, and when she woke up again, the sky outside the window was faintly light. It was already the dawn of the second day. While she had been fast asleep, Shen Zhiheng had consolidated their luggage and taken care of the car. When Mi Lan had washed up and walked out of her room, Zhang Youwen had already started the car and was waiting outside.

The atmosphere in the concession zone was still one of peace, and they smoothly reached the pier and boarded the passenger ship. There were too many passengers on the ship, and although Mi Lan was in a first class cabin, she still thought that it was very noisy, and that noise could last for an entire day.

At night, she lay down on the small bed, wanting to sleep but unable to fall asleep. Suddenly, Shen Zhiheng, who was on the bed opposite hers, sat up.

She asked in a small voice, “Do you also have insomnia?”

Shen Zhiheng answered, “The bed is too small, it’s uncomfortable if I lie on it for too long. I might as well go out and walk a bit.”

She got up as well. “I’ll walk with you.”

The two of them left the cabin and headed for the deck. Night had just fallen, and the gentle wind was quite chilly. Leaning against the railing on the deck, Shen Zhiheng lowered his head and looked at the waves below him, and so did Mi Lan. There was no one around them at all, it was just the two of them, standing in the middle of the winds of the vast ocean.

Blown completely awake by the wind, Mi Lan turned her head to gaze at Shen Zhiheng, and suddenly felt that now that fortune was smiling upon her, she could think properly. At this moment, the contents behind the word “I” that she had been unable to express clearly, were now clear to her.

She extended her hand and patted Shen Zhiheng’s arm. This time, she did not call him Mr. Shen, only calling him with a single “eh”.

Shen Zhiheng turned his head to look at her.

She was quite nervous, and with her fingers clutching his sleeve, she said, “I love you.”

The second those words left her lips, they were blown away by the ocean winds. Shen Zhiheng raised his eyebrows at her in confusion, and then shifted his ear closer to her lips, asking loudly, “What?”

Mi Lan pulled onto his ear, nearly pressing her lips onto them, and shouted loudly, “I like you!”

Shen Zhiheng was startled by her, moving slightly away. Raising his hand to cover his ear, he looked at Mi Lan and replied, “I know.”

Mi Lan stared at him, curling her hands around her mouth to form a trumpet, and she shouted against the ocean winds, “You don’t know! I love you! I want to marry you in the future!”

This time, Shen Zhiheng was truly surprised, so much so that he looked at Mi Lan, unable to say anything for a moment.

One midnight a few days later, Shen Zhiheng and Mi Lan arrived safely in Shanghai.

At the same time, thousands of miles away in Tianjin, Jin Jingxue, who was returning for the night, got out of the car in front of her mansion.

She had yet to call back the servants on leave, and the two maidservants she had left at home had not known to step out and welcome her home. She entered the house alone and was about to go upstairs to rest, when she heard someone knocking at the front door behind her. At first, she was startled, but nearly at once, her face lit up with joy. She turned around and ran over to open the door.

“Liang-gege?”

Outside was the dark, endless night. Immaculately dressed, Li Yingliang stood beneath the lamp at the door, and gave her a slight bow.

“I’m back.”

Full of joy, she was about to extend her hand and pull him in, but halfway through, she slowly stopped, for another tall and large figure had walked out from the darkness. It was Situ Weilian.

Situ Weilian walked to Li Yingliang’s side, and the two of them, standing shoulder to shoulder, started to smile at her together.

[puemort]

Just got totally fooled by a fanfic.

There was "Character death" warning but since it wasn't a "MAJOR Character death" I just figured it wouldn't be one of the main ones but yeah JOKES on me I totally got wrecked.

I know it's my fault but damn I really didn't see it coming. What the fuck.