#i didn't even realise when i stopped seeing him as puppet

[puzzledemigod]

Ok so at the beginning of the movie Pinocchio is kinda scary right? His limbs are too long and he's not wearing clothes and he's half unfinished and the way he moves his face is unsettling (you're used to the mechanical movement of the other humans at that point so the use of replacement to show the emotions leaves a wooden, static effect on his features at all times). He keeps repeating phrases and speaks too loudly and doesn't read the room and doesn't feel pain. It would be threatening or mocking if it was on purpose, and even it not being was at least a bit cringy. It's very much Geppetto's point of view: you tried to bring your son back but he came back wrong and now he's destroying whatever life you had left

And then the movie goes on and Pinocchio doesn't really change; he understands better, he starts to listen to those around him and to see what people need, but he's still gangly and awkward and loud, he still breaks things and doesn't show emotion the way other people do, is still undeniably other.

But he shows he was absorbing everything Sebastian told him; he payed attention to others who were, like him, exploited for being weak. He comforted, protected, saved, risked himself for his father, who seemingly rejected him. For the kid who bullied him. For the monkey who was the reason he was enslaved. We don't know if he was empathetic to these people but he had such a strong concept of justice and of fairness, he was so pure of all the hate being spat in the society he was born in, that he stood against it without a second thought.

And at that point I realised, without him having anything physically changed about him to make him more relatable, that I stopped seeing him as other, as weird, as menacing. He had the same energy and emotions but by then he was just another kid, he was a cute and sweet boy who I'd do anything to protect, who was in danger

And he didn't have to change a thing about himself!! It's us and Geppetto and Cricket and Candlewick and Spazzatura and the world around him who have to come around and accept him. And we do, eventually, and I think that was so beautiful

[virune]

If you're still accepting prompts, then I've got one for the Puppet AU:

Shadow, despite claiming he was indestructible, finally gets a tear in his fabric, and it's on the back of his shoulder, which he can't reach.

Sonic then offers to help him [You can decide how it goes].

Ever since Shadow had been brought into the studio, Sonic couldn't take his eyes off him.

Sometimes it got distracting. He was grateful that he didn't really have to do anything while a human was controlling him, so he could zone out and think about how pretty the other puppet was. Deep, rumbling voice, piercing red eyes, glossy, velvety fur...

Sonic was infatuated.

But then when the humans left and the puppets could finally be themselves, Shadow would vanish. Every time. Sonic would try to catch him after their show, but Shadow always separated himself from the group to disappear somewhere. Sonic found himself never quite being able to figure out where Shadow was going, and why he was so adamant about being alone.

On this day, however, the routine seemed to change.

When the last human left the studio for the weekend, the puppets rose to their feet as usual. Sonic praised Tails for his great performance in the Tornado before turning to watch Shadow leave, as he always did.

But he hadn't.

Shadow's lingering presence caught Sonic off-guard, but he didn't want to squander this opportunity to finally talk to him.

"Nice work today, Shads!" he called, waving a plush arm to catch the other's attention. He just hoped that Shadow wouldn't suddenly realise he hadn't left and get away before they could have a proper conversation.

Instead, Shadow folded his arms over his - woefully soft-looking - chest. "I don't need your approval. I know that I'm good at my job."

Despite himself, Sonic couldn't stop the dopey smile that stretched the cotton lining of his mouth. "I hear ya. Just wanted to extend an olive branch, so to speak."

"I'm not interested."

Sonic tried not to visibly deflate with disappointment. "Why not? If we're going to be working together, we may as well --"

"Not interested," Shadow reiterated harshly, and then he skulked out of the room to go… who knows where.

Sonic felt half-inclined to follow him, if only to sate his own curiosity. He glanced behind him; the others were busy stretching out their limbs and chatting amongst themselves to notice him slip away down the corridor.

The courtyard was Sonic's favourite place in the entire studio grounds. It was spacious, calm, and best of all, outside. He liked being outside. Except on rainy days when the rain would make his fabric smell like mildew and he'd be tossed into the dreaded washing machine.

For a while, he'd been unable to get to the courtyard outside of work hours; somehow a human had found the key that Sonic had swiped and relinquished it from him. 'Who left their key with the puppet?' the human had asked. The other humans shrugged their shoulders. Sonic tried his best to remain inanimate.

To see the door slightly ajar on this particular evening was a surprise. And it could only mean that Shadow had found a way outside, unbeknownst to everyone else. Had he also gotten a key? Was the courtyard where he was disappearing off to, after all this time?

Sonic had worried about rain, but the weather was clear and balmy. Crickets chirped in the grass. Streetlights cast a warm glow against the vermilion sunset. It was pleasant.

He looked around for a moment, soaking in the relaxing atmosphere, but he didn't notice Shadow immediately. That's when Sonic remembered a particular little corner tucked away just off to the side, where there was a swinging loveseat he liked to sit on sometimes. When he made his way over, he found Shadow sitting on that same loveseat, faced away from Sonic and fiddling with a box beside him.

"You come here often?" Sonic joked, and Shadow flinched, whipping around to glare at him.

"Why are you here?" Shadow growled.

"I like to come here sometimes," Sonic explained. Shadow seemed tense, his body moving in front of the box to obscure it from Sonic's view. "I used to come here a lot, but I lost the key…"

"Unsurprising," Shadow said, and then hesitated for a moment. "Did the humans take it?"

"Heh, yeah. I was never really good at hiding it. I tried hiding it in my head - y'know, the little space where they put their hand." Sonic tapped the little opening on the back of his head for emphasis. "But they found it pretty quickly. I was never able to get the key again after that."

He realised he was rambling and quickly shut his mouth. Shadow had his hand on his shoulder and a strange, disgruntled look on his face. Well, more disgruntled than usual.

"Hey, uh, is everything OK?" Sonic chanced, taking a step closer. Shadow bristled, the hand clasping down firmer as he leaned away slightly.

"I'm fine. If you've got nothing important to say, I'd like to be alone."

"Did you hurt yourself?"

"None of your business."

"What's that box next to you?" Ever stubborn, Sonic ignored Shadow's warnings and approached the loveseat, peering over the other puppet to inspect what he was trying to hide.

A sewing kit.

Shadow shot to his feet and pushed Sonic away harshly. Sonic stumbled, but the fence behind him caught his body before he could fall. He grasped his fingers into the chainlink, getting his bearings. Shadow looked mortified, like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't.

"Don't misunderstand," he spoke, voice wobbling just a little. "I'm taking stock of my sewing supplies. That's all."

Sonic's eyes fell to the shoulder that Shadow continued to protect with his hand.

"Do you have a tear?"

Shadow tensed, his free hand curling into a fist. He bared his teeth at Sonic, a warning, but Sonic refused to leave. Not if Shadow was damaged. Not if he could help.

"The humans can't find out. My - my material is far too expensive to be damaged. I have to fix it before they come back."

"So, what's stopping you?"

Shadow faltered. He looked down at the grass, and then flopped back down onto the loveseat.

"I can't reach it."

Sonic blinked, stepping closer. When Shadow didn't try to push him away this time, Sonic sat next to him and softly urged him to remove his hand. The tear was small, almost unnoticeable - but it was on the back of Shadow's shoulder, an awkward spot that he definitely could not mend by himself.

Sonic offered an encouraging smile. "Well, it's a good thing you taught me how to sew, then, right?"

Shadow turned to stare at him and Sonic couldn't help but laugh at how incredulous he looked in that moment.

"You're messing with me."

"I'm not!" Sonic said through his laughter, reaching out to take Shadow's hand in his own before the other could leave. "I'm not, I promise. Do you want me to help?"

"I…" Shadow paused, as if considering the offer. He stared down at their connected hands. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Not if you're adamant about the humans not finding out."

Shadow sighed. "Alright. Fine. There's some thread in the kit."

Sonic moved to Shadow's opposite side to rifle through the box, fishing out a spool of black thread (that Shadow specifically picked out; apparently the others weren't the correct shade, although he personally could not discern the difference) and threading it through a needle.

"Remember the stitch I taught you?"

"Yeah, don't worry." Sonic sat behind Shadow and gently poked at the tear in his fabric to make sure he got the right spot. "I'm gonna start. You ready?"

"You better not do a poor job," Shadow grumbled, but didn't move. "Let's get this over with."

Sonic wished Shadow would trust him a little more, but the puppet's pride had always been a big part of him, a part that Sonic found himself adoring, despite how snappy it made Shadow sometimes.

Sonic carefully pushed the needle into Shadow's fabric and pulled the thread through. Shadow didn't fidget or tell him to stop, so he kept going: again and again, in a steady rhythm, just as Shadow had taught him. Sonic weaved a zig-zag stitch along the seam, closing it up little by little. Shadow's stuffing had poked out, so he pushed it back in with his finger as he went.

He hadn't gotten much practice, and the stitching was just a bitwonky, but Sonic reckoned he'd done a good job. Besides, with how dark Shadow's fabric was, and how small the tear had been, the stitching was barely noticeable. He knotted the thread once, twice, and then snipped it free. With an "All done!" and an encouraging pat to Shadow's shoulder, Sonic returned the items back into the sewing kit.

Shadow moved his arm around to test Sonic's work, rotating his shoulder and stretching his hand towards the sky. Sonic peered back at the stitching to check, and to his delight (and personal pride) it hadn't budged at all. It looked pretty dang secure.

"I think I did a great job, if you don't mind me saying!"

"That remains to be seen." Shadow clicked the sewing kit shut and picked it up. "As long as the humans don't find out that I got damaged."

"Why are you so worried about that, anyway?" Sonic asked, following Shadow as he got up and began heading for the studio door. "We've all gotten ripped plenty of times, but the humans always take care of us."

"Of course you have," Shadow sneered, but his voice was weak, quiet. "I am made of high-quality materials. If the humans found out, they would surely be upset and flounder about as they figure out how to fix it. I was not made to be easily broken."

Sonic hummed thoughtfully as they stepped inside and Shadow locked the door behind them. "I don't doubt it, but you're a part of the family, y'know? They would want to look after you."

"…Thank you," Shadow said after a pensive moment. "For assisting me."

"Of course, Shads." The nickname came out softer than Sonic had intended.

"If you tell anyone I was damaged, I'll put you out of commission."

Despite the threat, Sonic found himself beaming. He'd long since learned that Shadow was all bark and no bite. Well, sometimes he bit. Those teeth were not to be messed with. Even so, Sonic nodded in agreement as they made their way back to the others.

Maybe Shadow needed a little more time to settle in, but he still had a place in the group. From the day he was lifted out of his box, he was welcomed with open arms, even if he didn't see it that way. Sonic made sure to remind Shadow as many times as it took that he was wanted. That he was loved.

And, well, since Shadow had trusted Sonic to help him with such a delicate problem, maybe Sonic's words had finally gotten through to him.

Sonic sure hoped so.

[myimaginarywonderland]

I am sorry but I am just imaging that if we keep Tommy and have Bucktommy for a while (as we should), there will inevitably be an episode where Tommy's helicopter goes down right?

Like, we all know that if Tommy stays because the fan support will presumably only grow for him, they are going to traumatize him in the typical 118 fashion?

Now, imagine Buck and Tommy have been dating for something around half a year obviously going strong and maybe Buck is at a stage where he considers the "I love you" even.

And then, there is a call.

The 118 is called to a helicopter crash somewhere and Buck feels anxiety but it's fine because he knows Tommy has his day off so it can't be him, right?

Except suddenly dispatch informs them that it is from Tommy's hanger because of a bigger call. They are already nearly at the scene so there is not turning back.

And Buck's anxiety sky rockets.

Everyone tenses up. Bobby, tentatively asks Maddie (because it has to be Maddie to make it more dramatic) if they know who is in the helicopter, how many.

There is a short silence.

And Buck knows. It hits him like a fucking train. He knows his sister even if it is only a split second, so minimal most wouldn't notice.

Maddie just says that there were a 2 pilots, a paramedic and a civilian.

And Buck has to know, he has to be sure, he needs to confirm, needs to hear it.

He tells Bobby to ask Maddie. Bobby hesitates, clearly not wanting to upset Buck but he is getting frantic, because he knows deep down that something is so wrong.

After a few arguments and silence Buck comes onto the comms and ask "What pilots? Is it Tommy?"

And there is silence.

A silence that speaks louder.

And Buck demands, he has to know if Tommy is okay, still clinging to that tiny bit of hope but then he hears Josh (who has to take over because he tells Maddie she is too close eventhough he feels himself breaking too) "Firefighter Kinard was one of the helicopter pilots."

Another short silence.

"We haven't heard anything since there mayday call."

By now they are at the scene.

And Buck acts before he can even think, before anyone can even attempt to stop him.

He is jumping, running, sprinting towards where he can see the helicopter crashed into a small valley. He is ready to run down, already preparing himself to jump to get down when he feels arms holding him back. It's Bobby.

And Buck is kicking, screaming, not even noticing because he needs to get to Tommy.

Because Tommy has to be okay.

Because Tommy is always there.

Tommy can't be gone.

He just can't.

And then Buck's scream for Tommy shatters the quietness that didn't even realise.

There is nothing, no response, no sound, no movement.

Buck just slumps. He is like a puppet whose strings were cute, all the energy drained from him.

Bobby tightens his hold, directs everyone else on what to do while he himself has to stay up here, holding Buck.

Buck isn't aware of anything.

He just slides to the ground, Bobby gently going with him, not losing his grip.

Bobby feels horrible because he knows. He knows what Buck is feeling and he prays that if nothing else, that at least Tommy somehow survives this because he doesn't know how Buck would survive without Tommy.

Tommy (which none of them saw coming Bobby admits to himself) has calmed Buck in a way he never thought possible.

Tommy has grounded this wonderful man who he is proud to see as a son.

And Bobby can't see Buck losing him because he knows that Buck would lose himself too so he holds onto Buck, praying (for the first time in a long time) that please, do not take this from him. Buck has already lost so much, has already been through so much, experienced death more than any person should and he isn't sure that Tommy's death wouldn't be worse than Buck actually dying himself for the younger man.

So Bobby holds on, tightens his grip on Buck and knows that as soon as he let's go it will only be to let his son reunite with his boyfriend.

Buck is numb.

He can't hear, feel or see anything.

The world, his world has gone still.

His world might never start again if he can't see Tommy's little nose scrunch, hear his loud laugh, feel his strong arms, smell his stupid shampoo (he will forever deny he likes the weird mixture of sweet and bitter that Tommy's hair have after a fresh showe) or feel his giggle against his mouth.

His world is Tommy and he never told him.

How could he have never told him?

Buck only starts breathing, living again, when he bears the crackle of the radio.

"We have a survivor, coming right up, needs an immediate transport to the hospital."

Bobby hopes, hopes to a power he barely believes in that someone up there heard him and granted a wish. It doesn't even need to be for him, just spare Buck this. He breathes and ask "Do we have an ID?"

"Firefighter Kinard. Tommy is alive.

[strelitzia-mystery1097]

Cloud 'needs so much therapy that it isn't funny' Strife

*spoilers* for Ff7 Rebirth.

So Sephiroth really is trying to break Cloud more than in the original.

To start off, Sephiroth tries to make Cloud think that Tifa wasn't Tifa. That she was fake.

Why would he do that?

Answer: Because she's the one to piece together Cloud's memories. If Cloud can't trust her than he can't trust her account.

He also does his usual tricks of 'Black Materia', 'Puppet', 'Reunion', ect.

But Cloud this time around is constantly getting harassed and manipulated by Sephiroth, like way more than in the OG. Cloud also is coming to different conclusions and ideas from the OG like for example, he's degrading. He thinks that's why his memories are a mess because of degradation.

Even when he takes one step forward by remembering Zack, he then thinks Zack got washed away by the river instead of that infantry guy.

There's even times when Cloud straight repeats something Sephiroth says word for word and it doesn't register to him.

But yeah constantly his mind is under onslaught of Sephiroth.

By the time when we get to the Temple of the Ancients I'd argue that Cloud's mental state is worse than what it was in the OG in the scene when he gives Sephiroth the Black Materia.

In the OG he still has the creepy giggle moment but he snaps out of it. And when he gives the Black Materia to Sephiroth it's an out of body experience where we clearly see Cloud's inner self be against it but powerless to giving his body giving the Black Materia to Sephiroth or to beating up Aerith.

But after that Cloud finally realises something is horribly wrong with him. That Sephiroth can control him and almost doesn't go after Aerith because he's scared of himself.

...And Rebirth Cloud has it worse in my opinion.

There is no inner self. And Cloud is an obedient puppet that Sephiroth is toying with. Sephiroth already had the Black Materia and throws to Cloud and tells him to give it to him, and Cloud is almost eager to obey. Tifa tries to stop him and Aerith does too and Cloud chases after her and it's almost worse than silently beating her up because now he's toying with her while still so eager. She gives it to him and Cloud only snaps out of it after he gives it to Sephiroth. He then tries to save Aerith and well-

He wakes up after the multiverse stuff and the OG dream of Aerith being like 'imma go bye'.

But this time he doesn't freak out, terrified that Sephiroth can control him. He just... doesn't acknowledge it. He just goes on to find Aerith. When Yuffie asks what happened how did Sephiroth get the Black Materia if he didn't beat up Cloud he just goes 'uh...' and when Tifa asks him to let her know if he's getting weird thoughts he asks Tifa about what she means. She gives the example of thinking she's fake and he apologises, but the fact that he doesn't immediately realise that she's also talking about Black Materia is a bit of red flag.

And he might as well be using those red flags later on for semafor because oh my god-

What happened with Aerith's death is weird. At first I thought it was two worlds overlapping but no-

Cloud's mind f^@&ing snapped and thinks he saved Aerith.

That's why Cloud doesn't properly react to Aerith's death. No speech about his feelings and no scene of putting her in the water. He's full on hallucinating her. Whether that is Aerith's ghost or not doesn't matter because he's convinced himself that she's fine.

That's why he talks about Aerith waking up or going home because he can't cope with her being dead.

Sephiroth screwed with Cloud's mind so much here that he genuinely is more insane now than what he was in the OG.

So you can bet when they get to the Northern Crater, Sephiroth will use the truth of Aerith dead along with the truth of Nibelheim to break Cloud even more.

...And now I have to wait 3+ years for part 3. Rebirth really was a gift that gave me despair.

[gay-dorito-dust]

I just imagine the ANGER that reader has when dipper & mabel becomes distraction

The twins are arguing with each other and reader just calmly said "what if just volunteer myself with the memory gun i mean i also know the equation" then they said something hurtful calmly that make the twins realize how their action put a nail into the coffin of their niece & nephew

When they got back and want to make a deal with bill but he didn't believe them but then reader said "you can't possibly got in his head with that metal plate of his" (they say something like that) bill wasn't angry but more like entertaint and make a deal with them, reader just wants no harm comes to the kids and town people's after they give him the equation and when asked abt the stan twins they just don't care

You didn’t care what happened to yourself, you really didn’t but what you weren’t about to do was let Mabel answer dipper become distractions.

You refused. So while Stan and Ford were bickering, again, you whistled sharply, which got the two older men to stop their argument to look over at you.

‘How about instead of using your own flesh and blood and possibly getting them killed due to your negligence and let me to make the deal with bill instead, you’re not the only one who knows the equation Ford so you can drop the hero complex.’ You snapped and it silenced the entire Pines Family when they realised you were right.

‘Are you sure about-‘

‘I am very certain Stanford.’ You cut Ford off and his face was full of hurt but begrudging acceptance, he knew that once your mind was made up nothing else mattered.

‘Hey let’s at least-‘

‘I don’t care about what the next words to leave your mouth are Stanley!’ You hissed, making him take a step back. ‘What I’m not about to do is put those two kids in danger like you two, it’s almost like you forget they are kids at the end of the day with parents waiting for them back home.’ You reminded the pair as they looked at Dipper and Mabel who were gripping onto you tightly, pleading with you to not make the deal with Bill.

Ford sighed. ‘Fine, if this is what you want to do.’ He trails off.

‘It is.’ You said with a newfound strength. ‘Since It seems like I’m the only one who gives a fuck about Gravity Falls and the people in it.’ You added but left Ford and Stan with the twins before they had the urge to further push you on that statement.

When you finally confront Bill, who was obviously waiting for Stanford, you could see him visibly deflate and couldn’t help but scoff. ‘Oh come on Bill I’m not that bad.’

Bill chuckles. ‘Sure you might not be but no offence, I was expecting fordsy, not his assistant- or should I say former assistant.’ Your jaw clenched, bill sure knew how to put salt in the wound but still you pressed on, for dipper and Mabel and the weird but lovable townsfolk of Gravity Falls; your true family.

‘Sorry to disappoint but with that metal plate in his head, there’s no chance you would’ve made it even close to the equation.’ You fake winced as you saw the annoyance flicker in Bill’s one eye. ‘Sorry but I’m the closest to the next best thing for you.’ You add with a shrug, fully accepting what was going to happen to you as you didn’t have any one of worth to mourn you nor your memories.

‘Ugh if I have to since option one was unavailable,’ Bill drawled as he held out his hand, not bothering to look at you, ‘is there any boring thing you want to say now in your final act of heroism fleshbag?’ He asks.

‘For you to leave dipper, Mabel and the citizens of Gravity Falls alone, they’ve been through enough as it is.’ You tell him, watching as the blue flames flicker and lick at his hand. Bill blinked at you, having where this stereotypical speech one too many times in his long, long, long life, ‘anything else, or rather anyone else?’

You knew who he was suggesting but all you said in regards to Stan and Ford was; ‘kill them, torture them, make them into your personally puppets whatever, I honestly don’t care.’

Bill’s eye widened. ‘Oh now this is interesting! You’re becoming interesting to me now fleshbag! I haven’t heard such venom towards another fellow fleshbag in so long! Deal!’ He exclaims as he grabs your hand, cementing the finality of your deal, how naive the dream demon was to not see the trap he had walked into by doing so.

[demodraws0606]

Hot take but I kinda wish people would stop taking q!BBH's words in the most charitable way possible and realise that he has said outright that he thinks very carefully about what he says to people for his own benefit.

q!BBH has said outright that he wants to appear harmless to other people.

I mostly see this happen when he talks with q!Tina and q!Bagi.

Things like him saying saying things like :

"I've been torturing myself to get my kids back"

"I thought kidnapping would solve all my problems but it didn't"

Sure you can think he is being honest here but there is more than enough proof to show that he is kinda twisting the truth here.

The ladder one definitely isn't fully true as when he was interrogated by Fred about the kidnapping, he said that it was all "part of the plan". Clearly him kidnapping Ron or even getting potentially attached to him wasn't an issue. In fact when he states hitches in his plan he only cites the Egg and Forever's disappearance.

The torture thing as well, while most likely 60 pourcent true is again q!BBH kind of twisting the truth to his own benefit.

Again it makes it sound like q!BBH's goal is only to bring back the eggs and that he has no exterior motives which we know isn't true. It also makes the Soul Vultures look like it was simply self harm/accident which we know he clearly needed them for something.

Both of these things have something in common...they both serve to make q!BBH more sympathetic/harmless. That most of his actions are emotional or purely caused by grief which...it probably isn't. There is definitely some premeditated action here especially when he said he had this plan even Before the Eggs disappeared.

Yet again I would like to note that q!BBH has never mentioned torturing a worker even Once. At best he slightly hinted towards it with q!Cellbit.

We saw him use that technic before towards Fred and Tubbo, he is just a grieving parent and he was just being aggressive.

I just feel like all of this is underestimating what q!BBH said to us. Everything is connected and while we don't know how far the puppet strings go they definitely go farther than we think.

I'm not discouraging people from loving q!BBH's friendship with q!Tina and q!Bagi but I'm just saying that people need to be a bit more careful with what q!BBH says.

[adonisbeloveds]

Part 2 of Yandere Wally, where the reader discovers that he was the one who brought them to Welcome Home and somehow managed to escape. But the question is: will the other neighbors help the reader?

Yandere Wally Darling with a male reader pt2

-Reader: He/him + Masc implied -He/him for Wally -He/it for Barnaby -She/they/he/it for Julie -They/them for Frank

Requested: No/Yes

Warnings: General yandere stuff, death, blood, angst, knifes. Disclamer: Characters personality, looks, ect may be different from canon due to either hc or author has just forgotten.

A/N: This was really long and I kinda didn't know what was happening at the end but I hope you liked it anyway! I know I had a lot of fun writing it

^ Made by me

-🍎🔪 You didn't know how long you have been trapped in Home for, and at this point you didn't really care all you really cared about was getting out and back to your world. -🍎🔪 Wally always came to check that you were still there and always came to feed you, he would usally stay for 5-6 hours just talking to you about everything that happened in the neighbourhood and how much he loved you, he even told you that he brought you here from your world just so you can be with him forever. Now if you didn't hate him already you most certainly hate him now. -🍎🔪 You tried to get Wally to free you at any cost but he always denied, telling you it was the safest option to keep you here were he can feed and take care of you. You tried getting Home to free you but they always seemed to tighten its hold on you. "I'll be back soon okay darling? see you soon!" Wally waved goodbye to you as he left and went to wherever he was going, you couldn't care less about what happened to him, you even hoped something bad happened to the puppet that use to be your favourite. You thought about how to leave this forsaken place and your only thought was to some home get Home to let you free, you sighed "Home? please....let me leave...let me leave him, this place, everything! I just want to go back home" you said the last part in a quiet whisper when you suddenly fell face first into the ground.

You quickly stood up after realising what happened and started chanting small 'thank you's' as you opened the door and ran to Julies house, you didn't know why but all you knew is that you needed to leave the area of Home. Once you got to Julies house you startly pounding on the door, Julie opened it with a concerned look on its face "neighbour where have you been? are you okay? quick quick come inside and sit down! i'll get you some water and please tell me what happened" she rushed you in and closed the door, you have never been more thankfull for Julie being here in your whole life. After sometime has passed you finished telling them everything that happened and what Wally did, to say she was surprised was a understatement, he was terrified and quickly called Frank and Barnaby and told them everything. When the two showed up the ran to make sure you were okay, after you calmed them down and saying you were okay they started making a plan to get you out of this neighbourhood at all cost.

Meanwhile Wally just got home and was happy to see his darling, but when he saw you weren't there it was like his whole world just stopped...he went into a fit of anger and panic, did something happen to you? did someone take you? what if you were hurt? did....did Home let you free? he slowly looked up at Home and asked "Home? did you let my darling free?" Home didn't make a creak, a thump, nothing, just silence. That was all Wally needed to know and with that Wally grabbed the first knife he saw and left to find his darling, but before that he turned to Home and stared at it "we will be having a big talk after this"

While you guys were making the plan it was like something happened, something you dreaded, why did he find out so soon? you started panicking, would he hurt the others? would he hurt you? no. no he would never hurt you but that most certainly wasn't the same case for the others, when you stopped panicking with the help of the others you all heard a knock on the door.

Julie rushed you outside the back door and told you to stay and if you hear anything to run to Howdy, you stood still hearing small snip its of Wallys voice asking where you were, telling the others he knew they were lying, and than you heard it....Julies screaming, thumps, Wallys laughter, him calling for you to come out, and thats when you knew you had to run.

You ran, you ran as fast as you could, you ran until you heard him calling you "NEIGHBOUR!! come back darling! you know you can't out hide me! and if you try going to someone else you know what will happen, just come back home with me and Home! nothing bad will happen to you because it wasn't your fault neighbour" you slowly turned around to see Wally slowly walking towards you with blood on his clothing, a knife in his hand, and what seemed to be hearts in his eyes. You hated this, you hated all of this, and you mostly hated him! you tried walking back when you tripped on some chalk that was left out, you looked up to see Wally right above you and you screamed in a fit of panic "LEAVE MY ALONE!"

Everything went silent, confused you open your eyes to see your room, the room you slept in, loved, had all your Welcome Home merch, the same room you were in before you went to that hell. The same room you were watching Welcome Home on the tv, you quickly stood up and turned the tv off, unplugged the tv, threw all your merch out while whispering sorrys to Julie, Barnaby and Frank, all you knew was you were never watching another episode of Welcome Home.

[pigeonwhumps]

The box

A Death in the Family masterlist

Taglist: @painful-pooch @i-eat-worlds @a-funeral-romance @rainydaywhump @whumpsday

@oddsconvert @starfields08000 @whump-tr0pes @anonfromcanada @augusnippets

Augusnippets day 28: mind control | body control | betrayal

Barnabas prepares Sunday for use as a midnight snack.

553 words

CWs: claustrophobia, mind control, persuasion, mental restraints, threatened broken bones, vampire whumper, emeto

"Follow me, human."

Sunday fights to hold on, but his foot lifts on its own, puppeted by the vampire striding ahead of him. He can feel his mind slipping from him in these moments, and it scares him – he already drifts, how long until he has no mind left at all?

He wants to protest, but he can't, not since Lord Sharpe ordered him not to speak, because food doesn't need to. He's still allowed to scream though.

When was that, again?

"Stop."

He freezes, and realises he's lost time again. He's in Lord Sharpe's bedroom now, medieval decor being dusted by Eldrida. She presses back against the wall as they enter, trying to make herself invisible even as she curtseys low. Lord Sharpe scowls.

"I didn't ask to see you, girl. Get downstairs. I'll deal with you later."

Eldrida curtseys again, shoots a terrified look at Sunday, and flees. He feels a pang of sympathy. He's seen her injuries, sometimes, when she's in charge of feeding him.

Why's she even working for Lord Sharpe? Can't she leave?

"In there, human."

Sunday isn't entirely sure where he's meant to be going but apparently his body is, as it walks him stiffly across the room and climbs into what appears to be a wooden box with a side door and an old, bare mattress.

No. No no no. He lets out a strangled yell, a plea twisted by his mind and his body until there's no words any longer, just anguished, unintelligible sound.

Please. Please, he can't stay in here, please no, don't make him. There's barely room for him to curl up.

Lord Sharpe grins.

"What's that? You're going to be a good midnight snack for me? Exactly as I thought. You should feel lucky I'm just ordering you to stay put, because breaking your ankle would also provide incentive. But I don't want that level of adrenaline in your blood tonight. You'll stay completely still and silent until I call for you. Because that's what good food does."

He shuts the door.

Sunday is left in the tiny, pitch-dark space. He tries to stretch his toes but finds, to his despair, that he can't. His body is more willing to obey his captor's commands than his own.

He's stuck, in the dark, in a vampire's house, where every creak and the space in between could be his captor coming to drink him, torture him, humiliate him. This space is so small. Is he ever going to leave it? It feels like a coffin.

Can he throw up?

Oh.

He can.

That doesn't count as noise then. Good. At least he's not in a position where he'll choke on it.

He's not sleeping tonight. He counts his breaths. There's nothing in here with him, right?

Oh god.

He can feel the pinch in his vocal chords when he tries to scream. All he can do is cry, body resisting the instinctual shaking of his body to the point that it hurts, tears streaming down his face to join the pool of foul-smelling vomit beneath him.

Hopefully that will please his captor, at least. Maybe there'll be less pain that way.

He can always hope. But he thinks it might be hope to the point of delusion, at this point. There's never less pain.

[kingmagnificoofrosas]

HATE when people explain the fear in Magnifico’s face as the wishes leave him and are set free. It’s not ‘oh no my powers lost 🥺’ it’s an ‘oh god what am I doing? Fuck I’m hurting people, I didn’t mean to, make it stop.’ It’s not a villain being defeated it’s closer to a moment of clarity, similar to one someone suffering from addiction may have. When you’re doing it you can’t think of the consequences, all you know is this feels good and you don’t want that to stop. But then the effects wear off and you realise people are upset and hurting and it’s your fault and you want either to stop or to get back on it so you forget what you’re doing, that’s why he reaches for the wishes, not to grab them and control them but because when he doesn’t have them he’s faced with something he’s forced to deal with alone that he can’t handle.

Sorry for the rant but I really find the comparison between addiction and what Magnifico goes through interesting, and it riles me up because he’s treated like a villain when all he needs is help and the stigma facing addiction means those suffering from it can’t get help and fall further into their problem. Magnifico defender for life 💙🩵🤍

YES! I mean, the fact that you can see the exact moment the hold of the possession is broken ... like ... do you see the green claws holding the wishes but they leave anyway? And the second the "demon" is kicked out of Mags, his face immediately shifts to pure panic and confusion?

Look at this poor baby!! Those haters claiming what you mentioned above is insane!!! What are they so mad at him for??

I have seen and heard multiple times now, that people compare Magnifico's sitution to an addiction. While I do agree on some points, I got to say, that Magnifico wasn't addicted. In his case, he was heavily traumatized from his childhood and the fear that came from it forced him to the book, because he panicked. He didn't even want to use the book! And then, he got possessed by that evil entity and controlled like a puppet. No way did that feel good. That demon in him was throwing a party because he was like "Yes! Finally a vessel I can control to kill, steal and destroy! I won!" No sir! I can't imagine how Magnifico must have suffered in his own body, suppressed by that entity! Not to scare anyone but I've seen demons manifest in people and that shit ain't a drug high, that is torture!

Makes it a 100 times worse that the people of Rosas including Amaya, Asha etc. Turned on him with the snap of a finger. He was only a source for a favor for them all. And the fact no one had an idea that he was possessed isn't an excuse for them either. They didn't care for him. And even those who might have realized something is wrong, stayed silent!!! And watched. Their king, who constantly gave and gave and gave, went out of his ways to help his people the best way possible, made a life of luxury possible for them, needed their help desperately and they turned away!

Also, what do these haters think paying no rent or taxes means?? 99% of the time, money was the one thing that brought a person status and power. Other kings sat on their gold like greedy dragons, while Magnifico doesn't give a flying fart for money. If he did, he would have taken taxes like any other king and let the people pay rent! The people of Rosas had to pay for nothing!!

He was simply too good for them all! That ungrateful, greedy, ignorant, compassionless, egoistical, entiteled, selfish bunch of hypocrites!

And yes, you are not alone with your anger! We defenders are all in this together! 💙✨️

[xiaos-wedded-partner]

Proposing to Wanderer♡

|WANDERER × GN!READER|

Contents: Fluff, and a very flustered lil puppet boy.

TW: none.

100% proofread♡

Hai:) I have no idea how to work tumblr, or what the customs and things are(I'm from wattpad. Disappointing, I know🫠.) But, I do hope you like this:)

(I definitely used a Character.ai bot I made to help with this because writers block grabs me in a f*cking CHOKEHOLD—)

Warning, maybe a little ooc<3

Wanderer was minding his business up until a few hours ago. Oh, how he longed for that silence now...

While he definitely likes having you around, heck, maybe he even loves it. – Though he'd rather swallow a cryo slime whole than tell you. – He felt he needed some space today. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

"H-hey!! What are you doing?!" He barked. Confused and honestly, slightly annoyed. Feeling the cold metal against his ring finger as you slid a ring with a light blue jewel onto his finger.

He looked from the ring, back to you. Unsure what to say in a situation like this, no one had ever even kissed him. Let alone proposed! How was he supposed to deal with this? To deal with you? With how his stomach felt so tingly and warm?? Ugh! he felt weak in the legs. Like he was about to kneel infront of you like some sort of fool.

"You- dare! I-" He raised a hand with his pointer finger up, as if to scold you. Like a mother about to discipline a child, before he stopped. Realising he stumbled over his words already. The sheer embarrassment from doing so left his face red, feeling his cheeks burn up as he held the rim of his hat and looked away. Hiding his face from you and mumbling a faint something.

It really didn't help with how you were looking at him, with that dumb little grin of yours. You looked so proud of yourself, too. Why? You had achieved nothing from this so far. Unless you actually wanted to see him — a usually calm, reserved and collected person. — A blushing and stuttering mess. He didn't see how you'd get any sort of happiness from that, but he didn't understand humans in general.

"What exactly were you trying to do?" His right eye twitched a bit, still ever so slightly annoyed as he slowly looked back at you. You looked as happy as a 7 year old who had plotted how to steal cookies.

...And succeeded.

"Well, what do you think I'm doing? What do people usually ask when they give another person a ring?" His eyes focused on your lips as you spoke. His ears ringing with the soft melody of your voice. Your words could be as dumb and headache inducing as ever, and he'd still grit his teeth and bear through it to simply hear that soft voice of yours.

Music to his mechanical ears.

He took a moment to process your words, letting them sink in as he tried to comprehend what you were asking. He looked down at the ring on his finger, feeling its snug fit. How suddenly soothing the cold metal was to him now. He turned his head to look back at you, his eyes observing every detail, pore and hair on your face.

He felt his cheeks heat up again. He watched as yours did too. And he finally decides to respond to you. Taking a step forward, one of his hands holding your wrist, he brought your hand up to feel his thumping chest. Murmuring four soft words in response.

"Will you marry me..?"

—☆—

Hope you liked it. Just double checking. GN means gender neutral, right?♡

I got inspired from this image off Pinterest<3

—☆—

[not-poignant]

Birthday Spotlight - Crielle ferch Fnwy

[18 April - Aries]

Crielle ferch Fnwy is the matriarch of the An Fnwy estate, a beautiful, evil Machiavellian supervillain who has been manipulating the Seelie Court and her family for tens of thousands of years, while giving the appearance of being a perfectly loving Seelie fae who only cares about truth and justice.

Mother of Gwyn ap Nudd, and aunt of Efnisien ap Wledig, Crielle is actually only rarely seen in stories, but has an explosive impact regardless, due to the trauma she inflicts or causes others to inflict on our main characters.

‘You’re not mine. You may have stolen from our family legacy, you may have parasitised our reputation, you may have even exploited and ruined the things about our appearance that make us – not you – beautiful. But you are not, you have never been mine. If you felt a short, sharp shock when you came into the world, my darling, it was my hands around your throat while your father tried to pull me off you. ‘Imagine, if you will, my dear, reprehensible thing. Imagine the first time you came back to me after we sent you away to play with Efnisien. Oh you were only twelve or thirteen? What a lovely idea that was. And Efnisien had you for hours. I told him to use knives. He liked them so, and he didn’t think he’d be allowed. So precious. And I heard the distant echo of your screams like a faint, familiar melody all throughout my day. A time when they stopped because he gagged you perhaps? Or your voice gave out? Tsk. He is – was – so crude. But still...effective. And do you remember? Oh, my creature, imagine it... ‘You came home hours later, hours after Efnisien. You were broken and cut and bleeding and so, so ruined. And you stumbled into the house, and there I was waiting for you. Breathless, actually. And you stared at me as though I would – what? – tell you that Efnisien had crossed a line, gone too far? Do you remember what I did?’ ‘You smiled at me,’ Gwyn said, his voice rough and rusty.

Game Theory

Game Theory: Introduced as the manipulative, evil, and cruel mother of the King, Crielle starts off with Cinderella stepmother vibes, until you realise that Gwyn's her only son and she can't stand him, favouring his cousin Efnisien instead. A torturer, abuser, schemer, and conniving Machiavellian figure, she ultimately has been puppeting the Seelie Court for thousands of years, and is the cause of Gwyn attaining, and then losing, his Kingship.

It's safe to say that Crielle has never been the Most Valued Player of any story.

The Court of Five Thrones: While Crielle only has a very brief appearance in this story, her presence is felt throughout. We find out more about her feelings towards Gwyn, through journals he discovers in her house after her murder at Augus' hands.

The Drawn Bead: In a story that explores Gwyn's first love, Crielle is there as a forbidding, tormenting figure, ruling Gwyn's life with an invisible, oppressive kind of terror.

The Curse: The only story which features Crielle's perspective, we see her as a child, a teenager, an adult, and learn about her dangerous proclivities, how her family did and didn't deal with them, and the depth of her love for a select few people, a love that she gave to Gwyn right up until the moment he was born.

Fae Tales – Alternative Perspectives: Crielle is only here briefly, but we see more of her dialogue with Gwyn, and more of Augus' perspective about her.

Underline the Black: Crielle here emerges as a cruel villain to Efnisien, in a flipped/reversed narrative where Gwyn is her beloved child, and Efnisien is nothing more than a neglected science experiment. Efnisien's life is at the mercy of Crielle's whims, and she puts him first in Hillview (an institution) to put him out of sight and out of mind, but as soon as he causes too much trouble for her, she won't hesitate to strike him down.

The Spoils of the Spoiled: In which Crielle even in the human world as a human herself proves that she can be just as evil as ever. Ruler of the household, torturer of Gwyn (and later, we learn, Efnisien), and clearly involved in corruption and organised crime, Crielle lives her best life in this story until Gwyn tries to legally emancipate himself from the family.

Falling Falling Stars: In the follow up to The Spoils of the Spoiled, Efnisien - previously thought of as the beloved and protected 'adopted' child of Crielle's - reveals over time the verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse he suffered at her hands through therapy sessions with Dr Gary. Over time, we realise that no one is safe from her influence.

Crielle is very 'classically' beautiful, with blonde hair that has a slight wave in it, that generally falls down to her shoulders. She has azure eyes, a shade of blue almost never found among humans (even when she's human). She wears only enough make-up to accentuate her eyes and perfect lips, and maintains a very 'natural' effect to her beauty. It looks effortless and perfect enough that many who are experienced with beauty routines know she puts a lot of time into her appearance.

Crielle is asexual, sex repulsed, and aromantic.

Crielle is common fae, and while she's affected by the curse that Olphix cast upon the family, I like to think she'd still be pretty awful.

Born into a family in which some members are predisposed to sociopathic behaviour, Crielle was one of the worst and was not encouraged by her parents to be the way she is. Many people assume that she was abused into her evilness, but she wasn't.

To me, the concept or alienness of someone who is as evil as Crielle simply because she was 'born that way' is very fascinating to me.

Incredibly intelligent and perceptive, her few weaknesses are around the (few) people she loves and the way she will indulge them, as well as anything that threatens her reputation.

In Game Theory, when we finally realise that she is at the centre of Gwyn's devotion, standing there watching his humiliation, reacting in disgust to being called 'Mama' in a moment of vulnerability from her own son.

In Falling Falling Stars, Efnisien calls Crielle, and it becomes quickly clear that she holds no love in her heart for Efnisien when she calls him a 'ghost' and reminds him that ghosts are very easy to kill, making it clear she still wants him dead, and only inertia/disinterest is keeping her from following through because she'd already killed him once.

Always really fucking evil and irredeemable.

Frankly dies a lot.

Always a bit of a mad chemist. In Fae Tales she is a literal chemist and inventor of many different poisons. This has carried over even in to her human incarnations where in the Spoils universe she uses her knowledge of science to cultivate, create, or acquire poisons and viruses and bacteria to insert into Gwyn's food. And carries even more strongly into the Underline universe, where she runs one of the most successful synthetic hormone companies in Australia.

Visibly stunning.

Cares a great deal about reputation.

Usually loves Efnisien. Underline is the first series that has flipped the narrative so that Gwyn is beloved and Efnisien is loathed.

Kind of disdains her husband, who has no power over her.

Crielle is a real figure in Welsh mythology, though she was never meant to be an evil figure. Nor is she Gwyn's mother in the mythology. A sign of just how intensely I've bastardised everything for my own purposes.

She is good friends with the Ratcatcher of Hameln.

I wanted Crielle to be an example of how you can't expect that someone perfectly beautiful is a good person. I also really wanted to write a woman villain. I felt like a lot of woman villains at the time that I was seeing or reading were often written as petty or just in ways that made them somehow 'weak.' The appeal of Crielle is that she's an extremely effective villain and the only thing that stops her is her death (with the exception of Falling Falling Stars).

Despite how awful she is, I really love her! I'd write her more, but she's too strong and powerful lmao and she ruins my character's lives too much.

Crielle's colours for me have always been cream, yellow, white and blue. It's hard to imagine her wearing anything else.

‘How perfectly disgusting,’ Crielle purred. ‘A little worm has learned how to use the phone. I thought I had a caterpillar once, that would turn into the most beautiful butterfly, but it turns out the only thing my sister’s loins are good for, are despicable little worms.’ ‘D-Do you hate me now?’ Efnisien whispered. Crielle laughed lightly. ‘Oh, oh, my darling, I don’t hate you.’ A moment of hope, strong and bright, a sudden dawn inside of him. ‘I feel nothing for you. As far as I recall, I killed my nephew, and you are nothing more than a ghost.’

Falling Falling Stars

[creepylittlelady]

Proxies Headcanons! [Puppet Strings Lore Dump]

Hey! I have an unfortunate confession to make; I used to really like Fanon Masky when I was like 9 years old. Thankfully I finally watched Marble Hornets and realised what the fuck I'd been missing out. I used to love Fanon Toby too but maybe about two years ago I completely rewrote him after a sudden change of heart.

Did Hoody even have a fanon? I don't think he had a personality beyond being Masky's best friend. That's unfortunate seeing as how he's my favourite one out of the pair.

Anyways, the Proxies have always been such an interesting concept to me. I know that they don't exist in canon, but seriously it's an entertaining thing to imagine a sitcom between the Proxies and Slenderman.

So, without further ado, let's get into it!

Proxies Headcanons

-The 'Proxies' are the employees (only slaves like 50% of the time) of the Slenderman. They do have a greater purpose for being 'hired'; to serve as human energy for the Operator to feed off of. That's why the MOST unstable ones get picked to be proxies, since he feeds off of trauma and emotional energy.

-They do get paid, but only when the Slenderman takes over. Sadly he's aware of why they're here but accepts the fact that there's nothing he can really do about it since the Operator's fed on them so much that they'll basically die if they stop being Proxies (if the Operator doesn't kill them first). It's a lose-lose situation, unfortunately.

-As I said prior; they're the most mentally unstable in the whole Mansion. There are six of them; Rouge, X-Virus/Cody, Kate, Masky/Tim, Hoody/Brian, and Toby. Rouge is the oldest (due to the fact that in her original story she was almost married and almost a mother), and Toby is the youngest.

-Many of the Residents avoid them, especially Masky and Hoody. As they're the most well-known Proxies, they're generally known for being violent and ill-mannered towards others besides each-other and Toby. Although they get closer to everyone eventually, most of the residents heavily disliked them when they first arrived.

-Slender has no idea how they got here, although he has an idea of why they could be here. He's got no idea what happened to Toby, Kate, Rouge, or what the hell a Marble Hornets is. No matter how many times they explain what Slender supposedly did to them, he just doesn't remember as Charles wasn't conscious when it happened.

Although (I believe, its been a while) Marble Hornets take place in 2006, they sort of departed from the Labrinth and returned in 2009 after Masky and Hoody find themselves homeless and basically just drug addicts. They put up with Slender as they have no other place to turn to.

-They mainly go on Political Missions; such as assassinating a target in the Underworld, or they kill actual people in the real world. These usually consist of people who get too close to finding out about the Pastas, cultists, and basically just any random target Slender picks out for them.

-They're sort of their own family, as they share rooms in the same corridor which is quite far away from the other Residents. Rouge actually has her own home, but the other four live in the Mansion.

-They all magically have access to drugs. Nobody knows and nobody asks why, but whenever they need a fix, all they need to do is go to Hoody's room and pay $5.

-Speaking of Hoody, he has selective mutism, and even then he rarely talks. He only verbally communicates with the other Proxies, and doesn't speak to anyone else at all. Sometimes he'll randomly chime in to a conversation Toby and Masky are having and laugh as the two jump.

He's just a bit of a goofy guy, really.

-Wondering why I'm exclusively calling them Masky and Hoody? Well, I know it's sort of implied that Tim and Brian have DID and that Masky and Hoody are simply their alter egos, but in this AU they're more like personas that the Operator made up for them. He didn't like how disobedient Tim and Brian are, so when the Operator takes over he personally remolds their personalities so that they're more subservient. It sounds confusing but I'm trying

-I'm going to make a separate post for Tim and Brian, but a little backstory is that the two of them have known each other since Kindergarten and have grown up together since. They're best friends and their bond is just so strong that nobody can ever really come between them.

Although they're seen hanging out with Toby a lot, Toby is aware of the fact that Tim and Brian are the original duo.

-Masky is the unofficial group leader of the Proxies, and everyone else just kind of accepts that. He's a cool guy and does know how to take charge, however he's always incredibly rebellious to the Slenderman's orders, which leaves Toby to step up every time they fuck up real bad.

-Slenderman sometimes accompanies them. He doesn't help, he just watches from a corner and sometimes jumps out at them to scare them. It's a favourite pass time of his. He will help them out on occasion, as keep in mind he is a low-level God.

-Dr. Smiley and Nurse Ann's makeshift Hospital is basically their second home. Since they get injured so much on all of their missions (totally not due to Masky going against the direct orders), they often all come together to get treated with whatever nasty injury they get from their most recent endeavour.

-Hoody and Slender, both people who don't talk very often, easily understand each other. It's sort of an inside joke that they can telepathically talk to each other. It's basically the only form of a relationship they have considering Hoody's very wary of him.

-Masky hates cheesecake. And crayons. And children. And Slenderman (although when it's Charles they're relationship is a bit better). The Masky in this AU would fucking HATE fanon Masky.

Cheesecake is Masky's least favourite food. He'd rather eat a pile of dog shit. Lazari thought this was funny and made sure to include a panel of him eating Cheesecake in every comic that she makes.

I'll get some more later! Hope you enjoyed ;)

[katyspersonal]

3, 18, 24, 29, 32 for Mico :3

(Asks from this ( x ) meme)

3) What first drew you to this character?

Like I said, my first introduction to Micolash was his theme song, paired with a concept art image of him since it was on Youtube. And I already was instantly captivated! My initial impression was that for some reason he was a helpless puppet, and I wanted to know of what exactly! So I've caught up on his lore.... and was sorely disappointed, because back then Fromsoft barely giving information was a novelty for me XD Still, I appreciated the madness, and the mystery. I was really impressed as he felt like someone on much higher level of knowledge, in NO way I felt like he was "silly" or "a joke" x)

18) Do you prefer to see this character suffer or know peace? Angst or comfort? Both?

Both! Imagining him laugh genuinely, not in madness, is one of my most comforting fantasies... ;-; I love seeing him peaceful, happy and, of course, loved! At the same time, I enjoy depictions of him recollecting his humanity only to collapse in tears and horror. Reflecting on how far everything has gone, on the people he had lost (usually Rom), on having lost himself..

24) Do you ever dream about this character? If so, describe a dream you once had about them.

This is... a heavy question. Micolash used to frequent my dreams. There is a whole saga about it, in a way, ahaha! I think my very first dream about him truly bound us. I dreamed about being Rom (even before I knew or created anything about her), walking on the water surface of the lake but it had water lilies, and seeing Micolash's back turned as he was praying. I tried to reach out to him and call him, but got absolutely ignored, then I looked down in the water and realised that although "I" perceived myself as a girl, I in reality became a spider. Realisation made me wake up, strangely with extreme nausea and thirst, even if I was not sick or poisoned.

But there were many other dreams a while later after that one. In this order: he invaded my average nightmare about my stepdad saying 'she is ours now' to him; him pulling me down into the sea to drown; him deceiving me with "loving me back" whereas he was hypnotising me to follow into apparently a trap (sort of an attic full of dust, books and mirrors) and I woke up when I snapped out of trance; the dream where he kept tormenting me by putting me through death by Frenzy over and over yet I kept respawning and unable to change my situation, and once I found a Sedative that was my only chance to get out of the 'loop' I've given it to a mother whose child kept suffering the same fate. When he saw it, he spared me and teleported me into a bed to have a rest... while he was very, very harshly scolding me for being "too obsessive" and weirding HIM out, that I was too much for HIM, and that he'd never love me and I was nobody for him?

And the last one in this 'line' was when I was little again, in my room, in the time where a very particular trauma happened to me. Except, it was full of the same fog as Nightmare of Mensis, and Micolash was there, offering to undo it...? Unfortunately, it didn't happen, but I appreciated the offer. Ironic that THE nightmare man would offer to stop my nightmares (or rather, take control over them, as "lesser evil"). And, of course, don't forget semi-regular Micolaurence dreams!

29) Do you get defensive about this character? If yes, then why?

I DO! And sometimes not for a good reason. It is like an instinct! xD Like, at times I am unable to take the joke about him being "just silly unwashed unhinged failure wet cat" fsdhfhds I am dead serious, I actually sometimes pout and want to write a long essay on how WELL AKTUALY he is very complicated and deep and messed up character! This is why other simps don't like talking to me anymore fhshdfshfs

The most defensive I've ever gotten about him was when an anon complimented an artist that (deliberately) prettified Micolash because they liked "aesthetic" or whatever. Anon praised the artist for "fixing" the "ugly" character, without exaggeration, and for making him "actually attractive" :/ But you've been there with me, you've gotten mad at that anon with me, you remember. Saying that someone made the non-conventionally attractive character aKtUaLLy lOoK GuD by replacing him with idealised version true to one's own preferences in appearance.. You know how Gehrman haters say that 'Doll is prettyfied idealised version of Maria crafted to his tastes that in no way reflects Maria's actual vibe'? I think as hard as I cringed at that moment, but in the end, I am able to understand how Gehrman haters feel when gamerbros simp for Doll!

So yeah, after realising that I have this problem of getting too defensive over integrity of my favs, including appearance, I have to restrain myself and rationalise. For example, 'maybe he used to look much prettier and healthier in Byrgenwerth times!' is reasonable! I just... won that trait in 'unlikeable' autistic fan traits lottery. You know, that one. That, if left unattended, will surely one day make the fan completely alone. As anyone is scared of telling them anything in fear of being "corrected". With only the characters they so-much-cherished to keep them company now. What a sad fate. I am sure there will be a better use for it one day than acting as though fictional characters have human rights sighhhhh....

32) If you could make this character a meal, what would you make them?

Well, look at this man, he never eats anything anymore because he's too focused on his research, so ANY meal would be good for him x) But greenish skin tone instantly makes me think of iron deficiency, so I would offer him chickpea spinach curry!

Thank you for asking!!

[webtoon-devourer]

i don't think it's necessarily the ruling opinion, but there are no doubt some people upset with the end of the Monster Association arc and how everything was "fixed" with time travel. i would like to express the level on which i disagree with this sentiment.

this dislike of the arc's conclusion likely stems from the general dislike of "it's okay, we can just go back in time!" and "it was all a dream :)" style endings, specifically the idea that these endings, under any circumstances, are cop outs. i disagree. if One Punch Man ended there, with saitama travelling back in time to stop everyone's deaths and his fight with garou, i would be immensely dissatisfied with the ending. i think that would be fair. however, vitally, it does not. those events are only the conclusion to a single arc. it brings us to a similar situation as the ending of the lord boros arc, with a city destroyed but none of the important characters dead. therefore, i would argue that such a conclusion to an arc is par for the course for One Punch Man. but there is also the vital matter of "it was all a dream :)" situations and how, in my opinion, while often used as cop outs, they are not inherently so, and dogmatic insistence against them is detrimental to good writing. having every possibility on the table is important in order to develop a plot in the way best suited to it - it's simply lazy writing which misuses these possibilities.

the vital question here is: was the time travel ending of the Monster Association arc a cop out? no, it was not. in my opinion, the events which were reversed could nearly be considered expositional. the cosmic garou vs saitama fight and the events which caused it tell us a heck of a lot about the characters. that garou retains his humanity even after becoming monsterised - when he sees takeo dead, he realises that his actions have not led the world in the direction he hoped, which was always a fairer existence. (he's really not a bad guy at all.) what saitama is capable of - man caused untold destruction during this fight without much of a care, including nearly destroying the earth if not for blast and co; on the technical side, we are shown that his power increases exponentially in response to another being even beginning to approach his level of power, leading him to easily beat a puppet channeling the power of literal GOD. that saitama actually cares a heck of a lot about genos, and clings to him for his sense of humanity, which he is barely hanging onto. it also gives us a taste of god's power, for future reference. the only reason i don't consider it expositional - that is, a "what if" scenario purely for the audience's benefit, which fleshes out the characters under otherwise inaccessible circumstances - is that genos remembers. therefore, these events actually do impact the plot through him. (there's a chance that blast and co also know, which would also affect the plot, but i'm not sure.)

the ever-increasing stakes are vital. we're still within the time frame of shibabawa's great prophecy of a god-level threat. at first, we thought it was lord boros, then garou, and now it's looking like the god-level threat might literally be god. whose power we have gotten a taste of, thanks to the cosmic garou fight. things are very much not hunky dory. there is still plenty of opportunity for things to go terribly wrong, even if it didn't happen this time. especially now that we know that saitama is barely clinging to his humanity. the deaths of everyone he knew affected him for sure, but particular emphasis was placed on the death of genos, because he's saitama's hinge to humanity. (if you deny this, i will be forced to call into question your reading skills.) this ups the stakes in a unique way. before, the concept of genos' death carried far less weight. genos fans would be upset, naturally, and saitama would be pretty sad, because it was clear before this arc that he cared at least somewhat about genos. but now? we know how saitama will react to genos' death. and it's not in a sane manner. genos' death now carries with it the stakes of the earth potentially being destroyed and saitama losing his sanity. at least personally, i will look upon any close calls genos has in future with greater anxiety. this newfound knowledge that we have only gives more ground to the idea that the final enemy might be saitama. either the final enemy of the earth, if he turns into a villain (quite possibly due to losing his mind), or the final enemy of saitama himself, as he battles his depression and struggles to stay in touch with his humanity.

the time travel ending was not a waste, nor a cop out. i encourage you to look at the bigger picture instead of allowing your instinctive reaction of "time travel clutch bad" to inform your opinions. there is still the problem of time travel now being on the table as a solution, but this can be avoided in various ways. for example, the existence of the alternate universe where everyone died and saitama fought cosmic garou as a parallel universe created by time travel, therefore not really fixing the problem, but merely rerouting it. or having time travel somehow taken off the table as a possibility. for example (this is just conjecture and not supported by canon), if god dies, perhaps time can no longer be manipulated, and saitama will have to make a decision between destroying god or saving everyone but letting god live and continue to manipulate events, a decision which he can never bypass because he ends up at the same crossroads no matter which path he takes leading up to that. i understand the concern, and am somewhat concerned myself, but i trust ONE and Murata not to end the series in a dissatisfying way. also, i think it adds another level of interest, even. if saitama's power is so great that he can manipulate time, that he can do basically anything, then hitting a single roadblock which he cannot bypass regardless of his power would undoubtedly have incredibly interesting effects on him psychologically. he could be glad to not be all-powerful, and have to actually fight for something for once, or - much like the events with cosmic garou - he might realise that finding a difficult opponent (in the form of a fighter or an impossible decision) at the expense of the people he cares about doesn't actually make him happy or excited. that perhaps he should have turned his search for feeling and a reason to live elsewhere, beyond fighting, a long time ago. idk 🤷‍♂️

[turnupswritessometimes]

Butterflies - Ch 8 (Finale) - Lies of P/Alice Madness

Relationship: P/Alice Liddell

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53898544/chapters/137944243

Previous | First

Summary: “But why go looking for other realities, when there’s no guarantee you’ll pass through to them?” “Because it’s an experiment, and I jolly well won’t learn anything more about all this unless I try,” Alice replied.

Having figured out how to slip in and out of Wonderland entirely, Alice Liddell sets off on a journey to find more realities around her own. When she follows a blue butterfly to Hotel Krat, she meets P. The more time they spend together, the more they feel as though there’s someone else out there, just like them.

Chapter Eight: In Which Alice Returns to Krat Once More

Alice was alone.

Once more, she stood on an unfamiliar beach; it really was becoming a habit. Only this time, she was returning to the real world. Reality. It was brighter than Krat had been. The sky was a deep blue, and a soft afternoon sun shone down, warming her back.

There were buildings on this island. The island on this side of reality was built into a village, with a great bridge linking it to the mainland. The border between Italy and France, Alice assumed.

The bridge would certainly easier than coming by submarine, a dim part of Alice thought.

Then the truth of the situation hit her, as thoroughly as a thump in the chest. She was no longer in Krat. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to get back to Krat. Back to P.

P was gone. He was a whole world away. She could still feel the press of his hands on her own; the cold metal of his legion hand. Her heart still raced. Still pounded. As she’d felt herself begin to slip away, she had realised it; she wanted to kiss him. Even if it was just the once, before she slipped away.

But they hadn't managed it. She hadn't kissed P, in the end.

Would she ever see him again?

Yes, she thought, balling her hands into fists. Yes, she would. She would find a way back to Krat. They would meet again. Alice would make sure of it. Still, she did not have an immediate plan. She was in a strange place, and the couple who passed her spoke in Italian. Everyone was speaking Italian, she realised. The only Italian she knew was from the opera, and even then, she didn't know what it meant. It would be no help, here.

They were noticing her. Noticing the strange girl, stood alone, who was nearly crying. Alice took a breath, and brushed the hair from her face. There was nothing for it. She started to head back across the bridge, to the mainland. She needed a plan. Getting to the docks was as good as any. Hopefully Captain Nemo's ship would be there.

It was always strange, to go back to reality. There were no puppets. No monsters. No blue butterflies. Alice felt more alone than ever.

She drifted, and worried about P. He had lost his father, now he had lost her. He was facing the head of the alchemists, alone, and who knew what else. He would be searching for Sophia.

Alice couldn't find Sophia here, and she also couldn't get back without her.

She wandered through unfamiliar streets. The shops were beautiful. They stocked an array of bizarre and beautiful items, and the food from the restaurants smelt wonderful. Her stomach growled. But she didn't have any money. A few pennies in her apron pocket, but those were English pennies; no good here.

She attracted stares. She kept her head down, and kept walking. But by the time she reached the docks, in the late afternoon, she had to stop. She was exhausted, hungry and tired. Worst of all, her chest still hurt from being separated from Krat. Not just P, but all of the inhabitants of the hotel.

Alice sat on a crate, and buried her face in her palms. She didn’t even know how she was going to get back to London.

"Alice!"

She looked up so suddenly her neck cricked. And then stared. Pushing his way through the crowd toward her was a familiar face. She knew that curly hair and those bright eyes.

Peter.

Alice blinked.

Peter ran forward, grinning. "Gee, am I glad to see you!"

Alice tried to smile, but it didn't quite work. She stayed sat, as Peter came to a stop just before her.

"The Captain was sure you were dead, but I knew you weren't! I knew you'd slipped off somewhere to have an adventure! And you did, didn't you?" Peter paused. He peered at her, closely. "Alice?"

"I did slip away," Alice said. It hurt to speak. "I went...somewhere else."

"What's wrong?" Peter knelt down, so she had to meet his eyes. The sun caught the freckles across his nose. "Was it awful?"

Alice shook her head. Then she stopped, and shrugged.

"I suppose most people would think it awful," she said. "It was. But it was beautiful too."

"Sounds like your Wonderland."

Alice raised her eyebrow. "And like your Neverland?"

Peter nodded. For a moment, he looked different; wild. He said there were wild beasts in Neverland, that fairies were not all as good as the stories, and that pirates were not to be trifled with.

"Sure." Peter stood and held out a hand to Alice. "Come on. Tell me all about it back on the ship."

"You're not setting sail again, are you?"

"Not for another week, no."

So she took Peter's hand, and let herself be led back to the ship. What else could she do?

*

Alice ate a hot meal, at least; a stew aboard the ship. She missed her room at hotel Krat. Missed the warm bath and the big bed and thought it was strange she'd gotten used to it all so quickly.

Strange, perhaps, that she was so attached to P, after only knowing him a couple of days. It felt like much longer.

She told Peter about Krat. He was immensely interested about the puppets. Already, it seemed just as distant as Wonderland. He convinced her to sit on the deck with the crew that evening, and she did. They all thought her a miracle – thought she'd died. But she stayed on the edge of things, and looked over the harbour. There were lights on, in the town. The town full of people. So different from Krat.

P would love this. Would love to see all this life.

She couldn't stop thinking about him.

And she couldn’t stop searching for a blue butterfly in the darkness.

The night passed. So did the day. She didn't find her way back to Krat. Her skin itched with it. Her mind whirled with the effort of trying to slip realities. She only managed to make Wonderland overlap with the little Italian town. It had become full of marble statues and wolf-like creatures. Wonderful.

But not Krat.

She stayed, a while, before falling back into reality.

And then it happened. Alice woke in the middle of the night, and felt a pull, in her stomach, like an anchor being pulled in. She slipped out of her bed, and padded through the ship. It was a familiar pull. The wood felt like it was far away.

Alice reached the deck. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the pull of her anchor. It was easier, in the night. Everything felt more surreal; magical.

Then she opened her eyes. And saw a trail of blue dust, in the air. She stepped forward. Then it appeared, all at once.

A blue butterfly.

Alice rushed forward. She didn't care she was only in her nightgown, or barefoot, she was going to follow that butterfly.

It went down the plank of the ship, down to the cobblestone street.

Alice followed.

The butterfly hovered.

And Alice reached forward to touch it.

In the next instant, she was somewhere else. Somewhere she knew. This was the streets of Krat. Dawn was just starting to break on the horizon. She stood at the docks, staring at the now familiar, empty houses. Puppet parts still littered the streets.

She was back. And the butterfly meant Sophia must be safe.

Alice was more sensible than to start shouting out. That would attract attention, and attention was dangerous.

Especially because she could hear footsteps. Distant footsteps, but footsteps all the same. It could be a puppet, or a monster, or something else entirely. She pressed herself against the closest building, taking a breath. The footsteps came closer. Towards her.

She slipped her vorpal blade from her waistband; it had appeared with her, and gripped it tightly.

"I don't know what you're expecting, pal." A voice came, from down the street. A familiar voice. "There's never any boats at the harbour."

There was a pause. More footsteps. Then, "You don’t know that. You can only remember as much as me."

She knew that voice too. Both of those voices. Alice's heart leapt into her throat. She almost dropped the knife. She fumbled to slide it back into place, as she stepped away from the wall, turning into the street.

There he was. Striding over the cobblestones. But when he took her in, he stopped.

Alice did too. It was P. She recognised his gait; his legion arm; his face, with its constellations of freckles and bright blue eyes. And yet, his hair was different. It shone like starlight – white, and flowing down to his shoulders. It caught in the light wind.

"P." Alice stayed still, for a moment longer, before she started forward. Her shoes slipped on the stones.

He didn't step towards her, but he did open his arms. Did smile that soft smile as she came forward.

She slammed into him, her arms looping around his neck. She held him tightly, and he held her back. His palms pressed into her back. One was very warm, the other cold.

"Alice," he murmured into her hair. He practically lifted her from her ground; she balanced on her tiptoes. "You're back."

"I promised." Her face was pressed against his greatcoat. He still smelt of oil, but mostly of the sea. They stayed close, for another long moment. Alice took a deep breath, and she felt P do the same. Her heart fluttered, like those blue butterflies.

Then she managed to pull away. Just a couple of inches, so she could see P's face, framed with silver hair. She brushed it back, behind his ear.

"What happened?"

P's eyes were soft. He closed his eyes, for a moment, his lashes twitching; they were still dark. "A lot."

"Your hair." Her fingers still lingered at the ends of it.

"It happened when Sophia..." P paused. "When I freed Sophia."

"What do you mean?" Alice asked, feeling a surge of panic.

"And then, I changed again, when my father..." Again, P stopped himself, his breath hitching. "When Geppetto was killed."

"I'm so sorry." Alice smoothed P's greatcoat, still pressed against him. She didn't think she could pull away, not now; she couldn’t bring herself to.

P shook his head, just slightly. "He only wanted my heart. He wanted Carlo. Not me."

So he had been right, then, about his assumptions. That he was only a copy. And whatever had happened, Geppetto had only wanted to take P’s heart to use again. Alice's own heart ached for him. She opened her mouth to say she was sorry, all over again, but P caught her hand. He brought it down, to his chest, pressing her palm there.

There was a beat. Not the beat of his p-organ. This was different. This was the beat of a heart.

P watched her. Waited.

Alice looked up, and examined him more closely. She noticed the changes.

"You've changed," she repeated. She knew what the difference was, but she wanted him to say it.

"I can cry, now. I cried when Geppetto died," P said. " I cried, when I became human."

"You're human." She looked at her hand, over his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. His real heart.

P was a real boy.

Alice couldn't help smiling. Grinning. P was human. She took his face in her hands; his skin was soft, and warm, and undeniably human. He wasn’t the solid, steady puppet that he was.

P nodded. Still the same nod as before. And his eyes were still the same too; gentle and that too-blue of the ocean after a storm. His white hair made them seem even more vivid.

P's hands moved, from her waist, to take her cheeks. His hands were warm, and soft – human.

"May I?" he asked.

His eyes were on her mouth. He was asking to kiss her. And her lips were already parted, her heart racing, at the thought. It wasn’t a thought she’d ever entertained before, but now it seemed – right. She nodded, sliding her hands over his.

And yet, despite that fact that she was smiling up at him, pressing his hands to her face, he still hesitated a moment. He tilted his head forward, and examined her again, before he closed the gap between them. Very slowly.

P kissed Alice.

She had to balance on her tip toes, her eyes fluttering closed. This was a kiss. Her first kiss. It didn't bring any of that grand, swoopy, floating feeling that Lizzie's books described. But it did feel warm, and wonderful. It did make her feel giddy.

P pulled away first. He looked at her, as though he was gauging her reaction. The same way he had when they were fencing, when they were dancing.

She could have laughed at his nervousness; if only because she was more nervous than she ever thought she would be. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him again. She felt, rather than heard, the sound from the back of his throat. His palms pressed against her back, holding her close.

Gemini chirped. She heard it, distantly, but she was too focused on kissing P. Focused on the warmth of his breath; the warmth of him.

It was certainly not the fairy tale romance from her sister's books.

But it felt fitting for Alice Liddell.

*

The streets of Krat were still not entirely safe.

There were still a few lingering puppets, though they did very little without the king of puppets, or Geppetto, to control them. There were more of the monsters from the alchemists experiments with the petrification disease. They were still dangerous.

He took Alice back to the hotel. She walked with her arm linked in his, her skirts fluttering like petals. Her weight was steady against his, and he liked that. It made him feel safe. It sent the butterflies in his chest into a frenzy.

She was greeted warmly. Eugenie pulled her into a tight hug, and Venigni kissed her hand several times. She laughed, and it lit her face. That laughter disappeared when she heard the news about Lady Antonia's death.

P squeezed her hand, tightly, and she squeezed back.

Eventually, he managed to whisk her away to the gold coin fruit tree courtyard, for them to be alone again. Giangio was nowhere to be found, but he felt relieved by that. His curiosity about Alice, his pressing, earnest questions, had unsettled P. He hadn’t told him anything, and he had the even more unsettling feeling that it wasn’t the last he’d seen of the ‘alchemist.’

P wouldn’t think about it. Instead, he sat next to Alice, with the tree’s branches overhead. It's fruit glistened gold in the sunlight. He couldn't bring himself to let go of her hand.

"Tell me everything," Alice said. She brushed a lock of P's silver hair behind his ear, her fingers lingering over the shape of it. He could really feel it, now. Before, it felt as though everything was smothered. Muffled. He hadn’t even known. Now, it was all amplified, sending shivers down his spine. "Everything that happened, whilst I was gone."

He did. He spoke about finding Sophia, and how he’d released her. Spoke about Simon Manus’ plan to become God. He spoke about finding his father, and his father only wanting to use his heart for Carlo, regardless of what happened to P. His father, pierced through the heart, by P's replacement. Of how P held him in his arms, and cried to lose him, despite everything.

It sent another tear sliding down his cheek. Alice brushed it away. Her green eyes were soft as jade in the sunlight.

"It's strange," P said. Crying still felt strange; made his chest feel tight and his cheeks feel hot. He didn’t like it, it was painful, and that made him like it all the time. "I should hate him. I want to hate him, for what he did."

Alice's knees pressed against his. Her finger fell to the lapel of his coat. She tugged it closed, and placed her palm there.

"Love is complicated," she said.

He put his hand over hers. His flesh hand. Truly flesh now, all the way through. P leant closer, meeting her eyes, and asked, "Do you have any family?"

Alice did not reply immediately. She smoothed P's lapel, again, her hair falling forward. He tucked it back behind her ear, revelling in how it felt like touching silk.

"I did, once." Alice took a deep breath.

P shifted closer. It was instinctual, he felt, to put his arm around her shoulders. Was the right thing to do, because she leant into him, and that silky hair was pressed against his cheek. "There was a fire. I was the only survivor. It was - I thought for ten years it was my fault. But��it wasn't. It was deliberate. A man. A monster."

P's other arm held her, and Alice gripped it like a lifeline. He couldn't understand it; the grief and the pain that she would feel from that. He knew his own was terrible; was all-consuming; it was a wonder that she was still so strong.

"I'm sorry," P murmured.

Alice didn't answer. She stayed pressed against him, a warm weight, and held him back as tightly as he held her. They stayed, twisting into each other like tree branches, for an indeterminable time, to P.

Eventually, though, and slowly, Alice lifted her head. She caught his cheek, and turned his face.

"I've come to terms with it," she said, with the hint of a smile. There was still more to her story, P recognised, but there was also time. They had time, and he could wait to hear more of Alice's story. He would have time to tell her more of his own. He would tell her that he’d managed to channel Sophia’s ergo again, into a puppet.

Still, Alice hesitated, a moment, before she kissed him. He kissed her back.

And despite all of the grief and confusion swirling within him, he felt a surge of warmth in his chest.

Alice had said love was complicated.

But this didn't seem complicated.

It seemed very simple.

*

Alice reunited with Sophia. This new Sophia. She still wasn't sure how she felt about that - about Sophia being a puppet, but her soul remaining inside.

It was certainly a philosophical question.

And yet, this was her Sophia. This Sophia still had the same soft, blue gaze. The same sweet smile. The same way of taking her hands and squeezing them tightly.

"It's so wonderful that you found your way back," she said.

"Thanks to you," Alice replied. "It was your butterfly that led me here."

Sophia tilted her head to one side, examining Alice. There it was - that same glint of mischief that she'd noticed on their first meeting. It really was Sophia, inside that puppet. Though this Sophia's hands were stiffer; this Sophia's hands were cold; this Sophia had clockwork mechanisms inside her. But one day, as she remembered, she might be like P; she may find her way to becoming human, again.

"I wouldn't be so sure."

Which was interesting. Very interesting. It made Alice feel capable. As if the secret to reality-hopping was not too far away from her. She might just be able to figure it out, one day.

"Thank you." She smiled.

The hotel was - quieter, now. Without Geppetto, without the alchemists in the city, there was an emptiness. A hotel with no purpose in an empty city.

She began to spend time in P's room. She didn't stay the night – Alice may not be a proper lady, but she still had an idea of what was proper, and what was not – but she did stay late. She spent evenings reading through the posters and papers P had collected on his travels. It was a glimpse of the Krat that was there before. It filled her with the same deep melancholy, deep calmness, that came from visiting a graveyard.

It wasn't all reading. There was a lot of sitting close to P. Closer than close. Of figuring out how kisses worked; what teenagers did, when they were unchaperoned. It was surprisingly awkward work. She felt ridiculously self-conscious of herself, even though she appeared how she did in Wonderland - the way she wanted to look.

As if it mattered, anyway, when P looked at her like that. Like she was beautiful. When he looked at her like that, she could believe it. He’d seen her kill, and he still thought she was beautiful.

She sat on his bed, half on his chest, their legs tangled together. He was warm, and the sun caught his white hair, so it shone.

"Do you remember anything more?" she asked.

P held her as gently as he always held her. He turned his head to one side, and his lips grazed her forehead.

"Only what I remembered on the beach," he replied. His voice was as soft as piano music. "They don't feel like my memories. I still don't feel like Carlo."

"You're P." Alice looked up at him; at those sapphire blue eyes, that seemed to shine. "And you're – you're mine."

She hesitated to say it, and when she did, she flushed with heat and ducked her head to her chest. But P only pulled her closer. Her hand landed over his heart, and she felt it race under her palm like a butterfly's wings.

"And you're mine."

It felt right. It felt like they fit each other. Two puzzle pieces that fit. Two children who'd been thrown into nightmares and betrayed inside them. Time didn’t matter.

Alice smiled. She let P tilt her chin upwards, and saw he was too. It melted her. He kissed her, deeply.

"Do you plan to stay?" P asked.

"I think so." As much as Alice could, anyway, when she still didn’t know how to slide back or forth. It still didn't feel like she was here to stay. "What are you going to do now?"

"I suppose I want to complete my purpose," P murmured. His thumb rubbed circles into Alice's waist; that movement would make her purr, if she was a cat. "I want to save Krat. I will have to travel outside the city - find people who can help."

"The petrification disease?"

"It stems from Ergo. Now it is not being used, the infection rate should slow." P paused. "I knew a man – an alchemist – who supplied a kind of cure. Perhaps it could be treatable, one day."

Alice shifted, so she was sat in front of him. She took his hands, watching her fingers link with his. They fitted perfectly, even the metal ones.

"That sounds like a lot of work."

"It will be." P squeezed her hand. "I will have help."

Alice kissed the back of his hand. "What else do you have planned?"

"I would like to go to London. With you." P tugged their hands to him, and kissed the back of hers. First one, then the other. Alice let her hair swing forward, her chest swarming with warmth. No matter how many times he did that, it had the same effect on her. It made her feel like she was melting.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you." Then P sat properly too. Pressed a kiss against her temple and cheek. She caught his shoulders, and tried not to giggle like a little girl. "I would like to help the remaining puppets - to remember, or for their ergo to be released." "That's very noble." Alice pressed her own kiss against P's cheek. His warm, human cheek. "You're much more noble than me."

He made Alice seem brutal and vicious. Made her feel ashamed for her actions in Wonderland.

"I think you are more noble than you realise,” P pressed their foreheads together. “And I have done many things that are not noble. I always did what my father asked. Until the end."

He killed whatever Geppetto had asked him to. And that still hurt him. Alice kissed him, as though that could help heal the wound.

She would stay here, she resolved. She would stay, and she would try and do some good in Krat. She would stay with P, and learn more about romance. One day, she would figure out the key to this world-hopping once and for all. She would show P London. She might even show him Wonderland. He would, she thought, understand Wonderland; he'd find it as beautiful as he seemed to find her.

Alice was practically in his lap, and couldn’t be fussed about the impropriety any longer. She looked at P, their hands still linked; her other on his shoulder. She looked at his Ergo-blue eyes. Traced constellations in the freckles across his cheeks – those hadn't changed – looked at his bow-shaped lips.

"You know," Alice said. Her voice was unusually soft, and she hated saying it. Hated being vulnerable like this, but it was hard not to be, around P. "It's the strangest thing, and I never thought it would happen to me, but I believe I—"

Her voice got stuck. The two final words were so small; should be easy to say; she was too out of practice. The words were too important.

P shook his head, and his hair moved with him.

"You do not have to say it," he said. Kissed her, again, and did not pull away. His lips grazed against hers, as he said, "I think I feel the same way." Because neither of them really knew what love was. But one day, they would.

One day, Alice thought, they'd be able to say they loved each other.

[ria-writes-stories]

Title: The present and the past, two faces of the same coin

Ship: Envy

Genre: Romance, Wholesome, Angst

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(No one's pov)

Time. What a cruel and wonderful concept. We are tormented by it, and yet we are blessed, for if time didn't move we wouldn't have anything, but if it wouldn't move, we wouldn't loose anything. So what do you do when you wake up, and you're brought back in time, long ago, when you didn't yet know anything, except that now you do, and you can not forget anything, and you are forced to repeat everything all over again while having to keep calm to not scare another. What do you do...? What could you possibly ever do...?

V's visor woke up, and as she looked around she came to the morbid realisation that she was when it all started. Right there. In that cursed hallway, where it all began, where the forever struggle and torment of her heart took flight. It couldn't be. She couldn't be here. There was no possible way, so why...why? She couldn't think clear as she began to crying, bawling her eyes out uncontrollably shaking as she began to breath as her heart beat so loudly it could attract any predator possible to prey on her vulnerability as she began to look around frantically, afraid of what she will have to relive in this hell of a place. That is when she heard it. Those footsteps, those damned footsteps that belonged to no one else other than him. How could he? How could he torment her so much, now in present, and in past? She looked down to the floor to avoid seeing him, but it was of no use, for his presence was approaching her with great care, like a butterfly's wings, quietly and soft, you can not feel it yet you sense it. "V..." His voce rang out with great concern as she held herself to not fall apart. 'Push him away. Push him away already. You can stop this here and now. You won't have to suffer anymore' a voice rang in her mind, but she couldn't, she just couldn't.

He gently place a hand on her back as all of her defenses fell apart as he held her gently and tenderly to his chest, looking down with eyes widen in shock and fear.

He had no clue how to help her. What could he possibly do, to take away her agonising pain? But while he was thinking of this other things were ringing in her ears 'You're weak. This is why you failed. This is why you keep failing. You know what you have to do. Don't be selfish. Do it.' and as much as these words pained her she couldn't. How could she? To let go of him? No. No she couldn't. She would feel even worse. She would be worse. He'd be alone. She'd be alone. No. No. No. No. Alone without him it's worse than being without him at all, and yet... God forbid the pain that her soul has to feel. 'Would I do it all over again, if I knew it all, would I?' was the question she asked herself before going to bed tonight, and now, she was going to get her answer despite all odds possible. As these thoughts filled her mind, realising she got what she asked for her heart calmed down, not because she was feeling better, but because she was in utter shock. 'What have I done...?' she asked herself as she felt herself being gently picked up from the ground by him. She looked at him with teary eyes, it was as if she forgot everything when the realisation hit her. What now...? It wasn't her choice to be led out into the night, but it was her choice to let him do it... and now as he held her hand tenderly and lovingly, he walked her in this dark hallway as the heavy drops of rain smashed against the windows of the manor. Then, when they got into the ball room a loud thunder struck into the distance and it rang in her ears like the sound of his visor crashing, being absolutely destroyed as his head is removed from his body when she was but a lifeless puppet in the hands of that doomed entity.

She shivered in fear and tugged on his hand, holding him tightly as her eyes trembled in fear and terror as she felt her senses getting weaker and weaker, numbed by her nightmares and by her torture. That is when he did it, the thing that made her once and for all fall into his arms.

Fallen like a doe caught in a trap. He put the music on, and gave out his hand... "May I have this dance?" Her stuttering afterwards, her helpless attempt of pushing him away, her pathetic little attempt to change this around, to avoid the future but things were already set in stone, and he took her into his arms and danced with her into the night, as she looked into his eyes, so calm and nostalgic. This feeling, oh this feeling of dancing with him, that freed her soul from any mortal chains. She felt light as a feather, and she felt like the weakest of wind could take her far away into the dangers of the world, but he was there, right there, holding her in place, holding her close to him, keeping her safe. She looked into his eyes 'Was it worth it?' 'Every bit.' 'Would you do it all over again?' 'For him. I'll do it a million times, each time worse.' Who was she talking to? She didn't know anymore, to herself, to the demons in her head, to her present, to her past, to her future, who cares anymore? She was there with him, and that's all that mattered. She could feel his loving gentle touch keeping her secure and loved into his tender grasp. God what she wouldn't give to be held like that again in the present. Dear stars and greater heavens from above, tormenting with so much cruelty, yet so sweetly. He took away every ounce of pain, therefore, she will be there, forever.

These dreams like clouds of euphoria began to lurk around him again. Appearing like temptation, disappearing like a stolen jewel. These dreams that soothed him so gently, these dreams that held him as close as possible as to what he once was. He opened his eyes, looking around confused. He was in the creepy spooky mansion from his dreams, and as he looked around, he began exploring like a child on a flower field, but that is when he heard it. Crying. A perfect angel soft voice, crying out her precious pure heart in agony. That is when he saw her. It was her no doubt but...she was different.

Her hair was different, her uniform was different and she had...glasses? "V..." He spoke out with worry. He was so confused. He couldn't realise, he couldn't understand what was happening. He was lost, drifting off on an endless ocean of nothing but mystery. Why was she in so much pain? Why was she so different? He never saw her cry, not once. He has never seen her be this...small and lost and...sad...He was lost, lost beyond what he felt when he was awake, his heart felt heavy with guilt. He couldn't just stand there and see her cry. He couldn't... He didn't care that she would ignore him, he didn't care if she will ignore him, he will stay here, for as long as she needs it and she can't stop him.

He brought his hands around her and held her close, letting her cry into his chest as he looked down at her with broken eyes. It pained him so badly. It didn't matter that when he was awake she would ignore him, she would act like she didn't know him, she wouldn't acknowledge him, none materd. He loved her with all of his heart. She was strong, brave, and admirable. Who couldn't love her? Yes, sometimes he felt strange, but it never stopped her from loving her, and it will never stop her from going an extra mile for her. He will keep her safe, no matter what. He will be there. He will be right there.

'What if I told you that you could save her all of this pain if you would just get up and leave?' a voice rang in his head 'Just walk away, and she will never suffer again. She will be cold enough to not cry anymore.' this voice scared him beyond anything else. Was it his own? Who's voice was this? He couldn't leave her. He would never. No. He can't explain what is going on, but he will stay there.

Once she stopped crying he picked her up, he began to walk with her on a hallway. As he looked at his hands he saw himself normally, but when passing by a window he was the one that looked weird and she was the one that looked normal...it was so strange...so bizzare.

He has never saw her so afraid, or scared. Not once, but he was determined to do anything in his power to make her smile again. He kept on a gentle warm face and held her softly as he began to dance with her. He reassured her. He stayed close. He held her close. He made sure to be there. His heart broke in thousands of shatters when looking in her eyes. What hurt her? Who hurt her? He would destroy the cause of her pain, tear it with his bare hands if needed. He'll chase after it, and when he'll get tired he'll fly, and he won't be able to fly he will walk and if he won't be able to walk then he will crawl, as long as he can breath and move he will sacrifice all that he has for her no matter what. He had to keep her. He just had to. He couldn't explain it, but she deserved so much, and he was willing to give all of him even if he knew it would never be enough.

'Pathetic. You wouldn't change anything even if you could spare yourselves this miserable fate. How stupid. How gross' a voice said as suddenly the ball room began to shake and a huge crate formed between them.

V was back in her body, she looked down at her hands, to see her claws were out, she was a disassembly drone after all wasn't she? She quickly realsied that all around her there was nothing but dark emptyness with bits of the ballroom floor and... N, far, far away on one of the bigger floating parts. No. Not again. Not her sweet butler, looking so afraid and confused. "N!" She screamed out as she spread her wings and quickly made her way to him.

N was back in his body, holding his head in pain as he groaned as he opened is eyes looking around, only to see V far, far away from him, scared and alone, everything else around him was meaningless. "V! Stay there! I'm coming to get you!" he said loudly for her to hear as he got into action to get to her. He had to get to her. He had to.

When each of them got closer to the other's past, the more difficult it was to reach them due to obstacles.

N spread his wings and he was ready to hold her in his arms in a protective manner, only for her to vanish into his arms. A hologram... V had the same fate, as when she got close to him and reached out her hand he disapeared. She was speechless. Was it all for nothing...? All of this struggle for nothing? She stared with wide eyes into the place he once was unable to understand.

"V! V! WHERE ARE YOU?! V!!!" It was him. She gazed up from the floor and turned around, looking down into the distance, in this endless emptiness where he was standing all alone looking around frantically for her. "N! OVER HERE!" She screamed out.

'Oh no you don't' the voice said as the bits of floors began to close up, forming more obstacles and walls between one another, only for these things to be crushed to dust by their claws or by their missiles, as the flew between them, moving swiftly and quickly, both equally desperate to get to each other and when to get closer... A claw stopped V from moving, grabbing her by the neck as black thin tentacles grabbed her wings holding her back as she reached out her hand in desperation, seeing that multiple black tentacles warped around him to pull him down. "N!" she screamed out in fear and terror for his fate, more than for her own.

His eyes widen and he quickly moved his tail, stabbing what was holding her with his nanite acid forcing it to let go of V, as she took her claws out and slashed the tentacles holding him down

'Ouch! Solver of the absolute solver, get a grip.' the voice said as the two reached for each other's hands as N quickly pulled her into a hug warping his wings around her, and that's when they woke up.

N woke up panicking, gasping and panting for air as he looked around like a mad dog before spreading his wings and flying out. Did he fail? Did he not reach her in time? Where was V? He had to see V, he had to make sure she was alright and safe.

V woke up with a soft gasp as she looked at the floor emptily.

The rage that built up in her, the pain, the aggression... She took out her claws and hunted every single worker drone she saw before her eyes, killing the last one with a loud scream of anger and agony as she fell on her knees. "I killed them! I did! I keep doing it! Why?! WHY?! LET US GO ALREADY I DID WHAT YOU WANTED ME TO!" She screamed angrily as tears flew down her cheeks furiously.

She eventually sihhed heavily, cleaning her tears as she got up, as her heart slowed down. It wasn't calm, it was tired, and she couldn't scream like that again. She didn't have the energy to cry anymore.

He landed a few meters away from her, a solid distance from her, and looked at her. His heart came at peace at once and he sighed. She heard him... she peeked her head up and looked over her shoulder to look at him. Maybe... just maybe... not all was lost, and just maybe... she'll get to feel his arms warp around her again...and he'll get to feel her warmth into his embrace.

The end