#i'm a natural disaster || meredith

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

Closed Starter: Going to Be Okay (James/Ciri/Bonuses)

He's through the woods as fast as his legs can carrying him, clearing obstacles including a small flame, coughing but not stopping, never stopping.

He has to find her.

There is no other option.

James coughs as he bursts through the treeline, seeing her, not even seeing the others, running straight up--

Hitting a barrier and backing off slightly, his hand coming to his head, shaking himself off quickly and recovering. "CIRI!"

Cora looks up, alarmed. What the--? She looks to her brothers. Cal looks surprised and a bit confused.

Meredith has her head down, arms curled over her head. She'd stopped crying a long while ago. She didn't have any tears left. She doesn't look up at the cry. She didn't have any hope left, either.

Brandon Breyer glances to his sister and her counterpart, raising an eyebrow. Was that... his uncle, at a younger age?

Maruca's eyes widen and she looks to Atlas. They'd finally made it out here, for all the good it had been. Wylie looks up, lighting up with hope. It had to be, didn't it?

@storystartsanew

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

storystartsanew​:

It’s less of a thought and more of an instinct as she puts up a barrier around the clearing to stop Meredith from running. She can’t leave until it’s finished, not until she’s torn it all down to find him.

Turning back to the man in front of her, she nods slightly and offers him a somber smile. “Yeah, that sounds like you.”

Another James appears, and she turns to look at him, a small seed of hope worming its way onto her face. This one is… closer. “You died. I couldn’t save you.”

Meredith backs up more until she hits it, freezing and tearing up more, sinking to the ground against it and curling up with a sob. She just wants this to stop, needs it to stop, needs it to be over, please--

The redneck looks to the man who looks exactly like him with some hope. He seems a lot less rattled by this than he himself is, maybe, just maybe this could fix it.

James smiles softly, shaking his head. “Hey, no, no, we both know that’d never happen. Not with the backup I have. I’m right here, see? I’m fine.” He reaches out gently. “Come on, come here, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

Cora sniffs and follows Ciri's scent into the woods once she actually gets to them, tracking the other down, worried. Finding her, she whines very softly and goes over to her. "You okay?"

Ciri sits up when she feels Cora coming. She smiles softly and nods at the question, holding her arms out to pull Cora into a hug. "Yeah, I'm okay. My magic's just been... unpredictable lately, with everything going on. I thought it'd be good to get away from all of the magic in town and just sort of reset."

[fxirytxlcfxtc]

Tag Dump - Muses, 6/?

[kirkwallguy]

Meredith was impactful to me as a villain because she's just a. Human. A person. Who went through a trauma of her sister killing people because she was afraid of the templars, and she corrupted herself into hatred of magic and mages, which can draw a very discomforting parallel between Hawke and Bethany.

When it's a big powerful blighted "god" who wants worship and acts and speaks like a disney villain (in datv most of antagonists do that 😭) it's just nothing to deliver. Elgar'nan (what I've seen so far) is extremely dull and bland and doesn't inspire any curiousity and I'm a bit bored if I'm being honest. It would be more interesting if there was an intricate story behind or a GOOD characterisation (Flemeth) when I look at Elgar'nan I want to see some solemnity not a disney delivery

YEPPPP, meredith is my favourite villain because she feels so realistic. maybe we don't have mages and templars in real life but someone powerful letting their trauma shape them into a bigot who uses their influence to harm a marginalised group is super common. maybe it's just because i live in a country where there's a crazy rich and powerful blonde woman making my life worse due to her personal issues but it hits! it feels relevant!

i haven't actually seen much of the gods so far but it just feels like the stakes are too high for them to be compelling? you need to be more than a little traumatised for a "destroying the world" plot to have any nuance. i know making morally grey villains became a little overdone in recent years but past a certain point you need to ask yourself whether your villain can be replaced by a natural disaster and have the exact same impact. in origins, the blight and the archdemon are natural disaster villains BUT they have loghain to balance it out, he feels like the 'real' villain until he stops being a threat and you can start focusing on defeating the actual world-ending threat. dav really needed an extra 'political' villain with the same general concept that you overcome towards the end of act 2 tbh. maybe they do and i just haven't met them yet but i doubt it lol

[robotslenderman]

For the ask character meme: either Jan Pieterzoon or Theo Bell.

I'll do Jan!

First impression

Boring Ventrue stereotype.

Impression now

Adorable autistic tryhard, especially because of this moment:

Favorite moment

Idea for a story

I've been toying with the idea of adopting Meredith, my thinblood, for a while. I just love the idea that his enthusiasm mixed with how obviously bad he is at trying to lead (at least, in BJD) would make him accidentally come across as this creepy puppet master when really he's a totally inept cinnamon roll who's got no idea what he's doing (beyond the fact that, IIRC, he's actually good at reading people and telling what they're going to do, he's just not so good at acting on it in a way that's natural) and mix that with Meredith's prickliness and paranoia and hilarity would be sure to ensue.

Unpopular opinion

what the fuck did Lucita see in him. like not to say he's a total disaster but I'm really struggling to see what the fuck a smooth master assassin would see in this disaster nerd

Favorite relationship

Haven't seen enough of him to say.

Favorite headcanon

Absolutely faked his death. Personally I'm not convinced he joined the Anarchs, at least not fully, but that he's going around building a base of power before he comes back and kicks the Inner Circle's ass and tries to basically rebuild it from its core to a more progressive Camarilla, alongside Theo Bell. I could see the two of them doing that -- I kind of interpret Jan as an Anarch-leaning Cammy, and interpret Theo as a Camarilla-leaning Anarch, so I think that would work really well.

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

Stiles shows up at Nova's in record time, absolutely worried sick about Meredith. She'd been missing since this all started, and with Nova's message about Ciri, he worries his worst fears about what might've caused this might actually be true. As worried and terrified as he is, he takes a deep breath before he walks in the door. The last thing Meredith needs to see is him all freaked out right now. "I'm here. What happened?"

( @storystartsanew )

Nova looks up, silently glancing to Meredith with the vaguest shake of her head as she remarks, "I'm wondering the same thing. But right now you need to eat. Soup's almost done. You just need to stay awake for it right now."

Meredith waves her off weakly. "I'm fine, mom," with a small teasing tone that doesn't reach her face, curling up slightly into a ball again almost reflexively as her stomach growls rather aggressively.

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

Ciri enchants two small candles, a number two and a number zero, so that when they light, they won't be able to actually burn or harm anything. She places them delicately in the cake she made for the occasion, also charmed to stay in its place on the kitchen counter until she cuts into it. Looking up at Meredith, she smiles. "Happy birthday, Mer." - ( @storystartsanew )

Meredith tears up, looking at the other and biting her lip, smiling. "Ciri... thank you. Really, this is more than special enough to me."

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

Ciri holds up two tickets to Ball with a sheepish grin. "Don't be worried. I totally get it if you're not comfortable going. But I thought it'd be worth getting them so you can at least think about it." - ( @storystartsanew )

Meredith looks up, eyes widening and lighting up. "Oh, my gosh, yes!" She laughs. "Just, recall you're bringing a Murphy to a formal event. You're not allowed to draw off me all night, I've seen what that can do to you. We'll... survive. Murphys always do, and I'll keep you safe."

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

“I exist to be happy, not to impress.”

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

"What... the fuck?"

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

"I don't plan to ruin today by thinking about a bad yesterday."

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

“After all, if you never try you’ll never know!”

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

Atlas draws a symbol in the air, and recites the spell to unlock Meredith's door. Once unlocked, he pushes the door open boldly. He's always one for an entrance. "I have arrived! Please, hold your applause and actually check your phone!" - (@storystartsanew )

Meredith squeaks in surprise, whipping around in alarm, freezing a moment and only vaguely relaxing. Not a villain, but still a random stranger breaking open her apartment door. She looks to Ciri quickly for any clarification.

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

Closed Starter: Save a Dance (Meredith/Ciri)

“It figures on the first and potentially only day in my life my curse has no potential left to do me any harm, meaning I can wear the heels in my closet for once in my life, the villains break out of the rehab so we’re stuck indoors.”

@storystartsanew​

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

“Annnnnnd, the fuck-up fairy strikes again. Are you okay?” Meredith has her hands up in semi-surrender, startled, eyes wide.

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

"eavesdrop" (from Ciri to Meredith @storystartsanew )

"You know, she was honestly super cool. Just, on her own, y'know? I don't even care about the whole magic thing!"

"Meredith, she channeled your magic herself and you were able to do things without the curse and you're telling me you don't care?" Nova looks incredulously at the other. It was true, it was absolutely true, she could see that, but it surprised her. She'd think someone in Meredith's shoes would be over the moon about a shot at normality.

"No! Nova, you don't get it," Meredith laughs, waving her off. "I've been cursed my entire life. I'm in the like, 6th generation of the Murphy family since the curse was cast. There isn't a Murphy alive who hasn't dealt with it all their lives. I grew up being taught not to hate it or hate myself. It's normal for me. What's not normal for me is someone who isn't rude, abrasive, or anything about it! And I know you were too, but like, it's still really rare. She was so nice and super understanding of the entire thing-- really friendly and it's so exciting whenever this happens. I already really like her."