#it ends happy

[tansyuduri]

Chapter One of "To Break A King" is up!

“ARTHUR, STAY AWAKE!”

But Arthur sagged in Merlin’s arms, his head falling forward against Merlin’s shoulder. Heart pounding as he held his king, Merlin checked his breathing and pulse. Both were fine. It seemed like he had, indeed, just been drugged. Which meant something bad was coming. Likely for Arthur. You didn't drug people for no reason. And no one else who had eaten the apples had a history of people trying to kill them on a regular basis.

Merlin turned toward the door after gently laying Arthur on the bed. He reached a hand out, ready to call on his magic.

Footsteps approached and then the door opened. The old woman from before appeared, but she was no longer old. Her outfit was fitted around a much younger woman. A woman Merlin knew all too well. “What do you want, Morgana?”

“Merlin.” Morgana grinned at him. “Here with my brother, as I expected.” 

Two performers from the troupe approached behind her.

“I’ve had a bit of help…” Morgana gestured to the performers. “It's amazing what you can get people to do when you threaten their families. So accommodating to me and my supporters.”

“I won’t let you hurt him,” Merlin snapped, calling on his magic to blast Morgana out of the room.

Nothing happened.

Morgana smirked. “Oh Merlin, I’m afraid I put a poppet under your bed. Your magic should be gone for a day or two. Sorry about that. My other ways of subduing you will be even less enjoyable.”

Magic or not, Merlin would protect Arthur. He grabbed Arthur's sword, which had been discarded in front of the bed.

“It changes nothing, I won't let you hurt him!” Merlin told Morgana, holding the blade out.

“He’s not the main target.” Morgana smiled at Merlin cruelly. “Well, he is in a way. But he’s not the one I’m hoping to physically hurt. You are!” 

Morgana’s hand reached out, and then moved in a jerking motion. Merlin barely heard her incantation before he was thrown into the wall. He slammed into the stone and fell to the ground, the air knocked out of his body. 

Slightly disoriented, Merlin managed to stand and take a staggering step in what he thought was Arthur’s direction. He did not notice the dark shape approaching him. A bag was thrown over his head, and Merlin knew nothing more but the explosion of pain from his first inhale and sudden darkness.

[ishouldgay]

My ‘ this will be a short one shot’ shadowheart/Isobel/Aylin soulmate au fic is now done after 6 chapters and 40k words, with the last chapter coming to a end at almost 18k words alone.

I’ve never cried while writing a fic before but I very much did this one.

[azvhaalk]

our dream

[ideologyofone]

I’m sorry but I will truly never get over Ekko who lost his mentor and all his friends at a young age, then spent the rest of his childhood building a beautiful and strong community that helped get shimmer addicts off the streets and give them a new life that thrived off of trust, respect, and loyalty while slowly watching the girl he loves lose herself to her psyche and become an unhinged suicidal terrorist who he is unable to save despite repeated attempts at it. And THEN gets booted into an alternate reality where he learns he could have had EVERYTHING, the beautiful and thriving community, the education, his family, and the girl he loves and he heartbreakingly leaves it all behind because he knows he doesn’t belong there and he has to go back to save his people which he DOES multiple times at great risk despite knowing what overextending his z-drive could do only to end up completely alone in the end. The most selfless character in the entire series. That’s my boy savior.

[thought-begone]

I guess the real glorious evolution was the homoerotic yearning we made along the way

[archi-pelago]

maybe never forgive. but things are different now. so we'll use maybe.

[arcanegifs]

ARCANE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: 2x06 - “The Message Hidden Within the Pattern”

[tojbnuy]

boyfriend!toji who doesn’t know why but he feels this weird jealousy everytime he sees you meet your friends and greet them all with a big hug. you never did that with him. you relationship was still fairly new to the both of you, but you kissed you fucked you even held hands sometimes when walking around. but, what toji was now realizing, was that he wanted a hug. well, he wanted a hug from You. not a casual little hug, a hug. holding each other. he didn’t know how to broach the subject without sounding needy and like the complete opposite of how he usually acts. he had never cared about this kinda stuff with other people, he’d never experienced it growing up and he thought he could live without it. until you. until you showed him that wanting to be held was normal. he’d been thinking about it for a while until one night, as the two of you got ready for bed it simply slipped out.

‘how come you don’t hug me?’

immediately you stopped plaiting your hair and turned to him with a shocked look.

‘what?’

‘how come you don’t hug me? like when you see your friends or you say bye you hug them. you don’t hug me.’

as soon as he said it he felt stupid. a grown man like him, older than you and he was sat here asking for a fucking hug. what if you turned the question around and said ‘well you don’t hug me’ what would he say? that i’ve never done that before sorry i don’t know how? his thoughts came to a stop when he felt a small hand grab his own larger one.

‘i- toji im so sorry. i’m sorry i didn’t think that was something you wanted.’

fuck now he’s made you feel bad.

‘nah doll you don’t have to say sorry, its nothing let’s just go to bed’

‘no toji please. let’s talk about it.’

you lifted the blanket and made your way over to his side of the bed so you could sit face to face. everything about you was so soft, so kind. such a complete contrast to himself. he was panicking, he didn’t do stuff like this, never talked about stuff like this.

‘honestly toji, i really just thought you weren’t a touchy person. i’m sorry for just assuming especially considering everything you’ve been through,’

‘no please doll. i wasn’t trying to blame you for anything. i just’

his palms were actually sweating, but your face. god your darling sweet face, looking at him like he hung up the stars in sky. like every word out of his mouth meant the world to you. you would wait for him to get the words out no matter how long he took.

‘i don’t know to be honest. you’re right i’m not a touchy person i’ve never really hugged anyone. but i want that. with you. and im sorry, i should be the one to initiate it i just didn’t really know how doll.’ his voice was so quiet, just a rough whisper.

he looked up to stare into your glassy eyes when you leaned in and kissed him. a small whisper of a kiss.

‘can i hug you?’ you said with your lips pressed against his.

he knew you knew he would prefer not to dwell on it.

and then he wrapped his arms around your back so tightly like he was showing the universe just how bad he needed you. he pulled you into his lap and let his cheek fall to your shoulder. he felt your arms wrap around his neck and you fingers stroking the hairs at his nape.

neither of you spoke, you simply sat and held each other and made a silent promise to maintain the closeness from today onwards.

‘thank you for telling me toji. you big baby.’

‘yeah that’s enough. time for bed.’

your giggle was music to his ears.

[malasdose]

more itafushis i drew before ch 267 to cope 'cuz i was genuinely so scared for what was gonna happen next, but i think i'm slowly learning trust again with gege akutami 💗 not really

[butterflyscribbles]

Taking shifts❤️💙🧡

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

I am incredibly serious right now when I beg you all, please, and if you have Twitter or Tiktok or whatever to please spread the word: click on an author's profile on Ao3.

You want to know if an author has written more? Want to know if they're still writing? Want to see more from them? Want to know if they've written a trope or kink or sex scenario you enjoy?

Click on their name. And look at their profile.

I cannot tell you how many times in the last six months someone has read a new or newer fic of mine and said they (a new reader who has read nothing else I've done) "can't wait to see what you do next!" I've written 50+ fics and over a million words already.

"I don't know if you're still writing..." click on my profile. I am. I literally wrote a 128k+ fic for that ship last month.

"Would you ever do X?" "Please do Y!" I already did. Click on my name and look at my works.

Archive of our Own is a library. It's an archive. Not social media. It is your responsibility to fight back against the laziness that corporate algorithms have trained into you.

Click my author name. Just click it. Just click it.

Before you demand more, or ask if a writer will do XYZ, or wonder if the author still writing, or anything - click on their profile. Click on the author's profile.

I'm not trying to be mean or condescending or anything like that. I'm just exhausted. It's disheartening and frustrating to repeat myself ad nauseam, because someone couldn't take thirty seconds to do the tiniest bit of work to see if I've written lately, if I've written more for their ship, or scan my works to see if I've written what they're asking for. Please. Please. I'm begging.

Click the author's name, and explore before you ask.

[ciearcab]

how do you live?

[bbspiinchh]

🌿rusalochky🌿

[chloesimaginationthings]

My FNAF theory is Monty was a mediocre melody

[bixels]

The final TF2 issue really got to me. Spoilers, but it’s the reveal that all of this suffering and murder and war over gravel and shitty land was for nothing but senseless, bottomless hatred. That the administrator can’t even remember where this revenge plot started as she flashes through different false memories of her parents’ deaths. There was never a tragic backstory or justification, only terrible people doing despicable things. And despite how crass and stupid and unserious TF2 is, the story subverts every expectation by showing the survivors and inheritors willingly breaking the cycle. Ms. Pauling lies to the administrator and chooses not to save her, and finally lets her die. (Hurts even more if you read into the subtext that Ms. Pauling is in love with the administrator.) She lets the final cache of Australium go and walks away from the burden and legacy of a century-old bloodfeud. Hale lets Gray’s daughter go and live her life freely. Spy is the first to arrive at Scout’s house and meet his big family, finally takes off his mask, and helps with the kids. Even Merasmus exhaustedly makes peace with himself and Soldier and chooses not to curse him or something. There’s nothing to finish, no promises to keep, and no one to avenge. The only thing to do is break the cycle and walk away.

It feels odd how happy and warm everything is, but it feels so right and earned. These bloodthirsty, awful, violent men were expendable cogs in a machine of endless violence, and they found a way out. It’s a genuinely great message about letting go the past that burdens you and finding the will and a way to hit the bricks, change, and be happy. Maybe they don’t technically deserve happiness, but they’ve got it nonetheless, and they’re not gonna let it go to waste. They’re still all crazy and violent, but on their own terms now and with people who love them! Smiles.