#magician's bait

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Some memes from Tales from Valaria

(The Hunter, the Myth and the Cure):

(The Watcher and the Thief):

(Magician's Bait):

April Fool's! Instead of sharing an excerpt, share a meme or incorrect quote related to your WIP, OCs, or published work 😘

[thepoisonroom]

what other ship went canon in a bisexual threesome then went canon again in an alternate timeline bottle episode and then went canon a third time in an episode that merged that alternate timeline with the main timeline and explicitly posited gay love as a motivating force in conquering your own demons and gaining the courage to overcome self-loathing and shame

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Octavian: the emotional damage of discovering that your entire species has vanished while you were imprisoned

Draven: shot in the shoulder

Reese: got cut up by broken glass, PTSD of getting kidnapped 3 times

Luc: cursed wound that wouldn't heal by conventional means

Damian: any and all injuries received while held prisoner

What's the worst your character has ever been hurt? 

[partyinthecloudkingdom]

yet again we are hit with a category 5 "hlvrai fans react to a hl2vrai bait and switch with the same emotions as a kid being told santa isnt real" event

[brinnanza]

god I love the magic system in the magicians SO much magic isn't the solution it's usually the problem it comes from misery and it burns you up to cast it delicious perfect the good angst

[evilminji]

You know all those Cults in Gotham?

Bet at least ONE of them could spring for both a Legit Magic User and a Cloning pod.

Because The Wayne's? Hearts of Gold. Long standing pains in the asses. Probably the only thing standing between this gods forsaken wasteland of a city and Their Dark Lord. For GENERATIONS no less!

It's sooooo obnoxious!

So they want to Curse Um dead. Just a good ol fashioned bloodline curse. Destroy um from within, etc. BUT! To do THAT? You kinda need a blood relative to sacrifice!

And Bruce is... well... rather infamously An Orphan With No Biological Kids (at that point).

So? What do you do? Make one, obviously. You send in some of your own on a Holy Mission. Honeypot that playboy! Get us a kid to sacrifice! Our God will reward you etc! But... FFS! What? Are brunettes not your TYPE or something?! Pretty lady! Throwing herself at you!!

TAKE THE BAIT!

But he DOESN'T. Because he's both really used to that behavior, as The Wayne Heir and a False Playboy, AND because? He's fuckin Batman. He can see through your schemes.

Okay.

Okay!

Plan B!

Get us some DNA. We'll CLONE the sucker. That should be doable, right?

........OH COME ON! How?!

Batman: [REDACTED] / Cultists: 0

Fuck it! This is impossible! How are we supposed too... *eyes drift over to the Wayne Family Private Graveyard* .......Idea? Ideeeeaaaa~! Someone get us a shovel!

So they, cultist bastards that they are? Fuckin rob a grave for some DNA.

OBVIOUSLY though, it can't be one of the more RECENT graves! He probably VISITS those! Watches them! No we gotta be SNEAKY! Get one a bit further back! Mwahahahaha! We're so brilliant! Our God is gonna give us SUCH a Good Grade in follower!

A thing that is both REAL and possible to achieve!

So, while a Weirdly FURIOUS Batman? Is just... VIOLENTLY breaking ALL of their bones? Cultist 17 is furiously digging like his life depends on it. Either somebody snitched or Batman was hunting them down! Either way?

Gotta! Get! That! DNA!!! *digs faster*

Ah HA! Got it!

Fucking SCATTER! Run you fools, RUN!!! *everyone bolts*

And AT LAST! They have it! Wayne DNA! Now? Pop that sucker into the machine and make us a baby! Too sacrifice! *relieved noises* Man, that was hard work you guys. But we DID it!

Except??

Theoretical Babies? And "Real, slowly forming in front of me and becoming a human child" type babies? VERY DIFFERENT psychologically. It's ONE thing to sacrifice a HYPOTHETICAL baby... but when you're the guy running and monitoring the Cloning machine? Watching it slowly form and come together into... into a CHILD?

You start asking questions of yourself. Of God.

Of what, EXACTLY, you are willing to do.

What lines you find yourself unwilling to cross.

And yeah, your life was SHIT before the cult. Yeah, you were alone. Adrift. Without purpose. Angry at the world for all of its ugliness and failings. But... sitting, alone, in a dark room? Nothing but the steady hum of machines and the cool light of that pod? You are left with nothing but time... and your thoughts.

And the baby.

The one... the one YOU made.

Almost... he's almost like a son, in a way. Your son. Floating there, innocent and unknowing. Destined to be born, only to die painfully, for a cause he could not even begin to understand. Because he's too young. Too small. Just... just a baby.

The baby YOU made.

Doubt seeps in like mist. Creeping into the cracks forming in your faith. Surely there's another way, right? Why not save up for a better magician? Or... or hire a hitman? Why involve a child? Surely... surely your God would not WANT this, right? Or if He did! Surely, he would want the boy to be able to CHOOSE, right? A noble sacrifice, for the cause?

The pressure builds. Batman is tearing the city APART looking for your fellow Believers. Leadership is pressuring you to get "It" ready all ready.

He's not an "it".

They are dismissing your questions. Threatening and posturing, as you grapple with your faith. Where? Where is the COMMUNITY that you joined? The camaraderie? Every day, Believers are being torn down. The faith has lost so many!

How can this be WORTH it?

Your faith is slowly, cruelly, strangled in your chest. A death, by ten thousand silences, and ten thousand more cruelties.

Your son is ready.

You do not tell them.

The Clone of Bruce Wayne's great-grandfather is small, but healthy, in your arms. A tiny warm body, with a strong beating little heart. You call the police. Leave your phone, call running, on the desk. No one thinks to stop you, as you calmly walk out the back door.

Why would they doubt?

You are Faithful.

You drive. Pray to a God you have lost faith in, beg forgiveness for what you do now. Your beat up old junker of a car makes decent time, as you leave Gotham. Your son, asleep in a carefully made nest of blankets, on the seat next to you. You drive. You keep driving.

Past towns.

Past cities.

Out of the state.

Stopping only to feed your son and fuel your car. You... you can not bring yourself to care about what will happen to you now. You know they will find you. Know this is the end. But something ancient burns in your chest. A caring you never thought was REAL.

You are afraid.

But you will not let them harm your son.

Finally, a town. Far from Gotham. Quite and cheerful. It calls to you.

Here. It... it has to be here.

You find the hospital. Tears choking you. There is a place to drop of children. You've seen them before. How strange, that now you stand before it and HURT. Your arms not listening to your command. You... you have to do this. You HAVE too.

He is just a baby.

He is your son.

You have to keep him safe. And... and that can not be with you.

You gently put your baby boy into the drop off. Press the buzzer. And then? You make yourself walk away.

Get back in your car, and drive. The gun in your glove box will insure they can never pry from you, what you have done. Where he is. He is safe now. He has to be. You... you did your job. As his father. You made sure he was safe.

You can barely see the road, through your tears.

You take your secrets to the grave.

And Danny? He grows up. Is adopted young and never knows different. Both a Fenton and a Wayne. Knowing only one of these, to be his. But... that Wayne? Was a damn fine man. A pillar of his community and a champion of the people.

Got tossed more then a few blessings, in his life.

They weren't the STRONGEST. But they added up. And more importantly? Were hardly the refined magics of the more powerful. They were cast onto "Him". By blood and bone, more often then not. Which was all well and good!

When there was only ONE of "Him".

Cloning technology did not exsist. So why would you word carefully against it? Danny becomes a VERY lucky boy. Survives many things he should not. In fact, the kindness and hard work of his original? Gifted back in magically powered well wishes? By this, he survives something NO ONE could possibly expect him too.

It saves his life.

His template would be quite pleased, knowing that. That his life of good deeds, saved the life of the child he never got a chance to meet. That it protected his children, from even beyond death.

And in Gotham? At long, long last. The program Bruce made in his helplessness and despair, to search EVERY child until the child made of his bloodline was found? Spits out a match.

A Watchtower engineer.

Daniel J. Fenton.

@hdgnj @hypewinter @lolottes @babbling-babull @nerdpoe @mutable-manifestation

[amarynthian-chronicles]

Soft and domestic DCA x Reader ideas

The scent of baked goods in the early morning, Sun humming to the song on the radio as he brews fresh coffee and pours tea. He knows these treats will lure you out from your comfortable bed, they had become an effective weapon against your "5 more minutes" tricks.

Moon lovingly brushing your hair before sleep, as he tells you a silly story about a beautiful royal that had fallen into the trap of wicked jester magicians that had used sweets as bait to capture them. You simply smile and playfully steal his nightcap, giggling as you run away and he chases after you.

Evening theatre shows organized by Sun, each one more majestic than the one before. The Glamrocks are more than happy to participate in various roles, and Sun would often wear elaborate regal costumes he himself had made. By the end of each play, he is the one who comes off stage to give you roses, thanking you for being the best audience he could ask for.

Nocturnal sonatas, composed and played by Moon on the piano. His crimson gaze falls upon you as he playes, pure adoration in his eyes as he observes his sweet Muse, his treasure. You dare not look away, enthralled by both his love and his melodies.

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Tag Game: Find the Word (Round 4!)

Thanks to @diabolical-blue for the tag!

My words: silver, broken, relate, tender

These all somehow managed to be in Tales from Valaria. Props for consistency, I guess. Couldn't find tender, but gentle seems to be close enough.

Silver

(The Watcher and the Thief, Chapter 1 Scene 2)

Octavian rose to his feet, the ghost of a smile on his face. “My presence is requested. I wish your apprentice a swift recovery.” The elf bowed his head to Hector and departed. Ah. Ag was the alchemical abbreviation for silver. De Silv. It was a clever, if strange, bit of code. Why did de Silv have a signal to himself?

Broken

(The Hunter, the Myth and the Cure)

Octavian glanced down at his hand. The skin on his knuckles had broken, and the cloth wadded tightly around his palm was soaked in the pale red liquid. A nasty gash above his right eye dripped blood down his face like tears. “...yes.”

Relate

(The Hunter, the Myth and the Cure)

Upon first inspection, she only looked to have a partially scabbed-over cut on her left cheek. But the deep red stains on the sleeves of her jacket, too big for her, told a different story. She also didn’t look like she’d had a proper night’s sleep in some time. Draven could relate.

Tender Gentle

(Magician's Bait)

“Oh, princeling…” She murmured in an almost gentle tone. Her grip on his hair loosened slightly, and the chair tilted back another inch. Damian’s heart jumped into his throat. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Gently tagging @annakayy @gummybugg @catwings-writes-things @thethistlegirlwrites @aalinaaaaaa

@stargazer-luna @theeccentricraven @phoenixradiant @late-to-the-fandom and open tag! :D

Your words: fold, fine, free, few

[mollysunder]

Viktor's Sources of "Inspiration"

The hexcore is incomplete. Currently Viktor only has the runes of Precision, Domination, Sorcery, and Resolve. To complete the hexcore and unlock it's true potential he'll need Inspiration, but where will he find it?

Viktor could find Inspiration through Sky. The most noteworthy possible hint was in Sky's last scene. Sky's last words to herself were how Viktor inspired her, and in that moment we get a glimpse of her notebook. Some have speculated that the emblem on the cover of her notebook resembles the Inspiration rune itself.

Sky also left a series of notes from her undisclosed research project. From the quick shots we get of her notes we can assume Sky was researching methods to stimulate plant growth. Her research may be in a similar vein to Viktor's research where he experimented with how the hexcore reacted to organic plant matter and stimulated its growth in turn. Could Sky's research be the key that will help Viktor stabilize the effects of the hexcore on organic matter like plants (and people)?

Even in death Sky's character could serve to reflect the theme of inspiration that Viktor desperately needs...

Except the Inspiration rune does represent the literal definition of the word "inspiration". In Runeterra, the Inspiration rune is meant to symbolize the ability to "Outwit mere mortals". In-game the Inspiration path gives players a set of tools they can use to apply unconventional strategies to outwit their enemies. And the one character that demonstrates those traits the best in Arcane is Jinx.

The first time the Inspiration rune's meaning was applied correctly in a sentence was when Viktor was describing the design of Jinx's chomper grenade. And it's true, thematically Jinx's chomper grenades and they way she uses them align with how "inspired" tools work.

Jinx was able to pull off a 3-in-1 trick with her chomper. The grenade was the bait and the snare against the enforcers, the distraction Jinx used to steal classified technology and info from Piltover, and the means that Jinx would use to frame the Firelights in her crimes. Technically she's gotten away with it all so far. What Jinx with her tools does isn't just outwitting her enemies, she's running laps around them.

Another possible clue that could mean Jinx will help Viktor discover the Inspiration rune is that her champion tag was disguised as a rune within the hexcore in Viktor's Magician tarot card. The same tarot card that gives us a brief shot of the Machine Herald's silhouette.

Maybe this all leads to Viktor working with Jinx next season, even learning from her to the point where he'll even end up taking a page out of Jinx's playbook. Viktor's set to be banished from his research bubble in Zaun, in a time where allies will be hard to come by and enemies will be easy to make.

Sky and Jinx are two very different characters that manage to apply the term inspiration in two very different ways. I want to think that was on purpose by the writers. But who knows for sure though, we can only see how things turn out next season.

tldr: Sky represents the traditional definition of inspiration, while Jinx better embodies the Runeterra's definition of the actual Inspiration rune. Sky's death may also be a weird rune pun.

[vxnuslogy]

— a magician’s choice, one you already know.

pairing: lyney x gn!reader

premise: christmas was a holiday that goes uncelebrated in the hearth. but it didn’t have to be that way this year, not when you’re around.

— warnings: ooc-lyney (?), cheesy romance, tooth rotting fluff.

— author’s note: for the beloved admin of the writing server that gave me nothing but joy, to miss yona (@pneumosia), i hope you enjoy dancing with a charming magician :) 

— tags:@ryescapades @mitsvriii @https-sourlimes @dazaisms ; if you’d like to be tagged, please fill out the form on my pinned or send me an ask off anon!

christmas was a holiday rarely celebrated in the hearth. everyone would either be too busy with tasks or in mourning. the job of being a father’s favorite had its pros and cons, and to lyney, the cons weigh heavier than the pros. but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to try. not when you had gleefully recounted tales from when you were still a child, untainted by the fatui and his father. you detail the lights hanging from every nook and corner of your old home, a massive tree in the center with a bright star, and the warm hot cocoa drank by the warm fireplace. lyney knew he wanted to experience that with you and the rest of his siblings. and thus began his mission of trying to convince the knave.

the first few missions were a  perilous battle between father and son. the knave caught on quickly with the children’s hopeful stares and overheard conversation. she had once caught sight of a defeated lyney with his head on your lap as he tried to strategize to get her to say yes. father took it upon herself to start leaving the hearth at the cracks of dawn and overstay her welcome in the palace. most times, she’s met with a victorious sight of you laying a blanket over lyney’s body by the fireplace.

the magician pondered—all pouty and frustrated—on why you didn’t try to convince the harbinger yourself. you merely replied with a simple shrug of your shoulders, “if she’ll listen to anyone’s wishes, it’ll be yours.” with your words, lyney felt his heart burn with a new fervent hope. and the following day, he woke up earlier than father and waited for her arrival in the dining room with fresh plates of breakfast and hot cocoa from your secret book of recipes as bait to try and lure the predator out of her den.

now, you already wake up earlier than the rest to help freminet cook breakfast. so color yourself surprised when you enter the kitchen and are met with the sight of plates of food already prepared. “by the gods, did a miracle crash upon us?” you ask with an amused lilt to your voice. from the pantry, you see lyney’s head poke out. lilac eyes from spring bloom with a newfound emotion you can’t quite put a finger on as he called your name—victorious and high spirited.

the magician bowed his head, hand to his heart, and reached for your hand to press a soft peck to your knuckles. you ignore the burning in your cheeks and the way a grin threatened to spill from your lips as he pulled you close. one hand in his, the other on his shoulder as he laughed and pulled you to a dance. his overdramatic theatrics stole a breathy laugh from your lungs as he waltzed to the dining room with you and sat you down in the seat usually reserved for him.

“a miracle indeed has graced our humble abode.” he sat in the seat right across from you and started putting food on your plate, all the while he hummed an all too familiar tune under his breath. you furrow your brows in confusion, lyney already acted over the top everyday, but the tune he hummed and his eagerness to welcome the other children for breakfast bugged you.

you stopped mid chew of your breakfast when the realization hit you like a bright star dead in the face, “you convinced father.”

all clattering of utensils ceased as all heads turned to you and the cheshire cat grinning in front of you. you laugh, in disbelief and excitement as the other children flooded his side, all bombarding him with questions if he truly did.

“now, now,” he sat everyone down in their proper seats before leaning over your (his) seat. arms folded over its elegant arch, tone accompanied with a pout as one of his hands slither to settle on your shoulder. “must you spoil my surprise, starshine?”

like a bomb reaching its final countdown, everyone cheered. white napkins with intricate embroidery of their names flew with the wind and everyone once again got up on their seats. poor father who had just entered the dining room was attacked with excited children, all asking her if a christmas party will truly ensue.

“how’d you do it?” you tilt your head back to meet the magician’s eyes. his hand traced from your shoulder to your jaw to gently cup it. fingers tentatively brushing the smudges of food at loitered at the corners of your lips. you feel a shudder go through you when he merely chuckles.

“it’s as you said, father listened.” he said in a hushed tone, as if your conversation was meant for only the two of you. “but if i were to really guess, your christmas spirit might’ve rubbed off on her.”

“how so?”

he smiled, all doting and tender, “you’re a lot more special than you think, starshine.”

—

christmas was never celebrated in the hearth, and it was never supposed to be. but this year is different, because the next father of the house is soft when it comes to his siblings and younger kids. 

for the past week, lyney has been rounding around the mansion, clad in a red jumpsuit and an itchy pretend beard and obnoxious santa hat. giggles and laughter rang as often as the children sang christmas carols. you had to painstakingly watch your siblings chop down a tree nearby and drag it to the living room. the minutes spent outside the blaring snow was worth it when lyney had handed everyone a cup of hot chocolate.

“no cup for me?” you joked with a tilt of your head. dusting off any remnants of snow on your person as lyney beams at you. you try to take a peek at the item he hid behind his back, but your little santa had side stepped quickly to avoid your hawkish gaze.

he puts up one finger and states a playful condition, “one cup for each of father’s subordinates you can name!”

you laugh, all warm and merry like the burning flames in the fireplace. lyney’s grin stretched further to the stars when you grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. a determined flicker of stardust caught lyney’s eyes as you proudly named every harbinger that arlecchino has worked with.

recounting each mission with fondness, neither you nor lyney noticed how you both sat down by the fire, relishing in stories father herself had once told you. 

how childe had cracked the ice forming over the lake and nearly drowned in ice water. from the corner of lyney’s eyes, he sees lynette sit down in one of the seats. legs tucked to her chest, a cup of coco in her hands as she wrapped the sweater you created tighter around her body.

the three of you laughed when the regrator had to remind father of the expenses she’d been spending on their behalf. freminet quietly sat by your side, pers on his lap as a small fond smile tugged at his lips. he let out a small chuckle when you reminded him how stubborn father was when she needed more funds to buy him new diving gear because the last one broke.

or that one time columbina decided to pay you all a visit and ended in a slight disaster. everyone wanted to hear her sing, so badly to the point you and lyney had to stop them from fighting for the spot right next to her. (also ignoring the fact that you both kicked each other’s legs and warded the other off. even the both of you wanted to hear the fallen angel sing.)

lyney feels his heart expand tenfold when more and more children decided to join you. one lay peacefully in your lap as you brushed her hair, others piped in to tell their own stories. he doesn’t realize that he’s been staring at you the whole night–stories went in one ear and out the other–until you had to tap him out of his daydreams about you.

“so,” your voice was just above whisper. lyney feels electrified when your fingertips brush against his forehead as you push away his bangs. you stare at him with such stars in your eyes it makes him want to melt into a puddle beneath your feet. “do i get a cup of hot chocolate now?”

lyney doesn’t verbally say it at first, but he would give you anything you’d wish for. a rainbow rose from fontaine, a book from sumeru, or even the throne in the hearth, he would gladly give it up for you. he instead, takes your hand in his, as gently as he could—forever afraid he’d stain you with the redness of his hands—and pressed a soft kiss. he doesn’t mention the way your cheeks flush or how he could feel the upbeat of your pulse by his lips, all he did was smile and say:

“all the hot chocolate you want, starshine.”

—

getting your father to participate in your festivities was as hard as trying to bury an ever burning flame beneath layers of snow. the children don’t understand how lyney does it—how he doesn’t get so discouraged and just smiles, waiting for another time to try. because he knows arlecchino doesn’t have enough time for each of her children’s wishes.

“well aren’t you santa’s little helper.”

but the children don’t notice the twitch of lips whenever father closes the office doors nor how he clutches the little red hat tighter towards his chest. it was only and always will be you who notices the cracks of his perfected mask of joy and entertainment. 

he only nods in greeting, smile barely reaching the night sky as he quietly hangs the porcelain ornaments on the christmas tree. lyney feels a presence press up to his side and it doesn’t take long for him to succumb to your embrace. this was the thing lyney never really understood—just who were you to create cracks and dents on his walls with only just a breath? even now, as you murmur soft reassurances in his ears, he finds himself lost in a trance, following the soft glow of the fire’s embers he’s started to associate with you. 

“father will make time,” you whispered, hands caressing his hair as he huffs childishly to your chest. if you closed your eyes and imagined hard enough, you’d see a lyney pouting like a little boy as he kicked his feet. 

“but what if she doesn’t,” he tried so hard to remain indifferent to the situation, but he still failed—purposefully or not, he also doesn’t know. you just laughed, the sound so reminiscent of a childhood love he’s spent all his life pinning over.

“we’ll just have to wait and see.”

lyney wonders if you could predict miracles.

not long after your interaction by the tree, children of different ages raced down the stairs like a fleet of reindeers ready to fly across the sky to assist their beloved santa. lyney laughs as he seats everyone by the dining table while you and his sister hauled out the feast you had prepared earlier. everyone cheered and once they had their portions, gulfed down the food as if they’ve never eaten in years.

you were a great cook. but something about tonight’s dinner made it all the more special than usual. maybe it's the way you glowed with the christmas lights or when you held a finger up to your lip as you slide last minute presents by the tree. lyney loved seeing you like this—so merry and joyous. and he felt his skin tingle when you grab him by the wrist and tug him to the direction of the fireplace. 

you sat him down with the rest of the children and cleared your throat, “technically speaking, it’s not christmas for another six or seven hours. but i just know none of us can wait, so let’s start our secret santa!”

lyney scrambles to catch the gift carelessly thrown to his lap. he glared at lynette who only shrugged her shoulders as she came to receive your gift, she even stuck out her tongue at him. he rolls his eyes and pays attention to the person in front. he doesn’t notice his nervous fidgeting until you take his hand in yours. there was a brief moment of stillness, your palms lying face flat against each other before he pulled you in like a magnet. for the rest of night, your hands stay interlaced with his.

“to lyney,” freminet shyly said. arms outstretched with a gift in hand as lyney gasps dramatically as if he’d never known.

“for me?” he asked with a hand to his chest. “thank you, freminet. any gift from you is sure to be precious indeed.”

the younger brother smiled and gave him a short embrace before he cleared his throat. his eyes caught your eyes and he couldn’t help but think you were saying, “she’ll be here, trust me.” so with a deep breath in, lyney smiles and said:

“to father, who made this celebration possible.”

everyone gasped but not even a second later, laughter erupted.

lyney finds himself looking at you again, tired of staring at the cold door that remains unopened. with a firm nod and smile from you, he continues.

“it was rather hard to find a gift for her, i wanted it to be useful but still hold meaning, but also won’t break easily. something to remind you of me but also remind you i’m no longer a child needing your protection,” almost forlornly, lyney gazed at the small box wrapped in red, his signature black cat hangs by the edge of the ribbon with his name written with your favorite pen. he smiles, “but that doesn’t mean i’m ungrateful for the protection you’ve given me thus far. as your next successor—this house’s next king—i vow to protect it as you have all these years.”

lyney raised his head to the door once again when he heard slow clapping. his eyes quickly found yours as you grinned. the tips of your lips reaching the moon as arlecchino slowly made her way towards him. children flocked by her feet like little baby chicks as she patted lyney’s head. he feels his cheek flush by the sudden affection, how long has it been since father had done this?

“thank you, lyney,” she muttered, a hand stopped at his shoulder as she slowly looked at everyone in the room before it settled on you. “unfotunately, i have no grand speech like your older brother, but i do hope you find enjoyment with my gift, [name].”

lavender eyes of spring caught the glint of gold under the christmas lights. as you gracefully stood up to receive her gift, you stare at the old rusting key in curiosity. lyney felt a nudge at his side and when he turned to look, arlecchino had whispered to his ear, “just tonight, i will allow you to enter the gardens past bedtime. just be sure to lock the gates when you’re done.”

he beams, like the fresh morning rays of sunlight. “thank you, father!”

arlecchino gently pushes lyney towards the door of the garden as she ushers you over. she whispers something in your ear as red flushes your cheeks. lyney feels his throat close on itself as you look at him from over father’s shoulders with a bashful smile. you hug her, tight and lovingly, before running up to his side.

like the north and south poles, you find your hands already in his as you both run towards the garden. bubbling laughter echoing into the dark hallways you both once feared as children. 

“are you ready?” he asks, one hand on the handle, the other still in yours as you nod. he guides your hand to place the gold key on the rusting lock. the cold winter air greeted your skin, the harshness of it has you closing your eyes as lyney tugs you in towards the center.

you feel something warm land on your cheeks as an arm wraps around your waist. when you try to open your eyes, a palm shadows over them and you feel lyney’s warm breath by your ear with a small request, “keep your eyes closed for now, my dear. it’s not time yet.”

you chuckle and nod. you lift both your hands up as the other trails up his shoulder and ready yourself for a dance. lyney hums and the first step is taken. he twirls you with care, a secure hand at the small of your back. even under nothing but the light of stray fireflies and the moon’s glow, lyney is breath taken by the sight of your hair catching snow and the way your face flushes under the cold. 

“you look beautiful,” he mutters just a breath away from your lips as he presses your foreheads together. 

“is this your gift? a recreation of our first dance when we used to be kids?”

the hearth loved you, not just because you were strong, but because of your love for small details. you remember everyone’s favorite color, the utensils they always use in the dining room, delicious food that satisfies their cravings, and memories they hold dear. you are simply timeless, and lyney loves you until he takes his final breath.

“must you always spoil my surprises?” you laugh at him like you did when you were kids. once afraid of the dark walls of the house, preferring the hide behind the shadows of your eyes until lyney makes you double over in laughter.

“you’re not very secretive. everyone in the hearth already knows what you got father.”

he sighs because of course you noticed. “well, you simply make it hard to keep things a secret. not when you repay me with that smile of yours.”

“since when did you become this cheesy?” like the morning dew, a smile erupts from your face and lyney feels his heart leap straight into your arms.

“since i started loving you.”

“and how long has that been?”

he takes a minute before confessing, “since forever.”

you open your eyes just in time for lyney to pull you impossibly closer. he takes both your hands in his and presses a soft kiss on your knuckles. you let out a quiet gasp when you notice the item weighing down on your finger.

“father told me once,” lyney tells you with hearts in eyes. “that if i ever wish to leave the hearth to run away with a beloved, she’d allow it. but you wouldn’t.” he tilts his head at your silence but smiles, “you learned how to love every cracking wallpaper and paint in this house to leave. like father, you wouldn’t hesitate to give up anything for the sake of everyone’s protection. so, under the watchful gaze of sneznhaya’s winter, i ask of you,”

lyney slowly drops to one knee, one hand behind his back while the other continues to hold the hand with the glimmering ring on your finger.

“[name], if given the choice to stay with me in these walls for eternity, would you be willing to—”

you don’t let him finish as you dive straight into his arms. lyney lets out a grunt as you both fall on the snow. your head finding solace in the juncture of his neck as you whisper.

“you’ll always be the choice i choose, lyney.”

you feel his arms tighten around you as his head drops to your shoulder. his own shaking as he laughs and ruffles your head.

“by the gods, must you always ruin my surprise?”

© VXNUSLOGY 2024 — do not plagiarize, repost, or translate works without the knowledge or consent of the creator in other platforms or websites.

[harumwahsa]

── .✦ You reveal your talent to the twins and Freminet during your sleepover.

NOTE: This is one of my old (kinda) writings that I'm satisfied and happy with, so I'm going to leave it here. Let's hope I don't make a whole new blog out of dissatisfaction with unneccessary things again.

"I can do magic, too."

Lyney crosses his arms over his chest, an amused smile on his face upon your little announcement. "Is that so?" He chuckles. You need no stage nor spotlight to have his eyes on you－just that playful twinkle in your eyes along with your smile is enough to steal the attention of the magician.

"Enlighten us, my dear."

"With pleasure." You bow in an elegant manner, as if you truly were putting up a grand magic show. "Freminet." You gesture him to come to you just when he was about to wrap himself under the covers. Oops. You were about to tell him that there is no need to fulfill your request, but Freminet has always been quite a sweetheart.

He is already standing next to you as per requested, awaiting for your next order as he plays the role of your 'lucky audience'. He looks a little lost, but just like Lyney, he is curious of what you are up to. Even Lynette's gaze is on you as she hugs her knees to her chest, her tail high and curled at the tip.

You clear your throat, and fix the non-existent tie at the collar of your pyjamas. The sound of Lyney's snickering make your lips tug upwards. "So,"－you look at Freminet, and swipe your index finger up－"raise your hand."

Freminet raises his hand up high, Pers still held to his chest with his free arm.

The twins lean forward slightly, focused. You feel pride blooming in your chest to have their attention on silly ol' you. You swipe your other index finger up. "Now hold Pers up!" You conduct.

"Oh, uhm..." A blush adorns Freminet's freckled cheeks. Regardless, he does as you said; holding his dear Pers in both hands and raising it timidly.

The siblings wait for your next move. The smile on Lyney's face never falters. Lynette's tail is swaying lightly from side to side. Freminet is still holding Pers up, his face warm. There is a beat of silence in the room. What could possibly be your next move?

"Voilà!"

... alas, there is none. You bow once more. "I controlled his mind." You say, as simple as that.

The silence that fills the room is loud. Lynette's ears twitch, her eyes blinking twice in a split second, and Freminet is holding Pers over his face. He seems to bear the second-hand embarrassment, but you just stand there, grinning, proudly so. It was no magic trick, but hey, at least you stole their attention! Lyney did say that being a performer requires the capability to have the audience's eyes on you... so you did just that.

Lyney's soft laughter of disbelief breaks the silence. Of course you would pull this. Just what was he expecting? But you really cannot blame him for taking your bait, not when you have him wrapped around your finger. He shakes his head, sighing at your antics. You truly are a bundle of surprises.

"Oh, (Y/N)..."

Credit(s): Inspiration || Divider

[taldigi]

on Perfidy

Reader, do you know what "perfidy" means? I have a feeling you do, based on the little scene that has just unfolded here. But you should look up the word in your dictionary, just to be sure.

for as fucked as the whole adachi social link should/could have been... well, as far as the narrative is concerned, the only "bad" thing related to it is is the accomplice ending. hunger route is considered the canon one and the "good one" and the narrative around it enforces that idea.

It's a symptom of golden's kinda.. scuffed writing. it's out of character in the same way the scooter scene is out of character and lopsided- and in the same way Marie's link is forced into the cracks of the narrative and how needs to spend her whole SL revolving around spending time with the IT (in order to justify her dungeon and her place in the final photo) and so the characters morals are tilted in the same way to make the jester link work as well.

Hell, Rise baits Yu into approaching Adachi. weather or not she meant to do it or not. Rise only does so because the narrative needs her to. Yosuke forgives Yu 'cause the narrative needs him to- because him not knowing makes it worse.

in a world where Yosuke gets (justifiably IMO) angry about it and the route has severe consequences, is also a world where an alternative event is an option. The true failing of rank 8 is that it doesn't meet it's full potential as the hard-hitting moment that it could be.

In the end, I ultimately think (and choose to read it in a way) that... well, that Yu is allowed to be wrong. Yu is allowed to make grave errors and falter, even misguided ones like trusting Adachi. Yu's character is allowed to be human and suffer the consequences of being abused and manipulated and stressed and still have a big stupid heart that cares too much for people who don't deserve it.

I also think that the way it's handled can also say a lot about Yosuke and his growth as a person and his relationship and his fundamental understanding of Yu. He is able to extend the grace to forgive him- because of all people, he knows that Yu is suffering the weight on his shoulders. Yu, who (on top of being deeply rattled from Nanako's hospitalization) does his best to fulfill the role of perfect hero, perfect brother, perfect leader and friend and student- is trying so hard to save everyone and in that lies the weakness of failing to realize that he can't save everyone.

So, Is Yu an arrogant saint who fully forgives adachi- because he chooses to treat it as the morally correct decision despite it spitting in his team's faith? Is he a person who's stumbling under months of frantic, life or death rescue missions who's sense of judgment is warped by the loss of his family? Is he a kid who's been nonstop manipulated and groomed by a man for months? and who should yosuke see him as?

It can be an event that brings foreward the idea that Yu isn't perfect and that his fool needs his magician to show him the way now more than ever- a magician who's able to step back and see that in the heat of his own emotions, had almost got a (relatively) innocent man killed?

Yu is forced to come to the realization that he can't save everyone but he can be there to snap adachi's neck the second he even looks the wrong way- and yosuke's going to be the one there to hold him in place while he does it. True friends will help you bury the body, after all.

Overall, I think Jester Rank 8 can be a souyo cracking moment, or it can be a protagonist humanization one that makes it stronger (angst or fluff arcana...)

everything about me fucking wraps around to tale of desperaux. awooo.

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Chapter 68

Over this readthrough, I've refused to call Thistle the Lunatic Magician like everyone else does. I don't remember if it was because I didn't like the title or if it was because I wanted to know more before jumping on the bandwagon.

At this point, it's safe to argue that Thistle is not insane or a lunatic or anything like that. He acts the way he does because he can only see the world the way the Winged Lion wants him to.

This chapter is happening concurrently with the last one.

I like those moments where the villains are shown to not be the all-powerful chess masters they appear to be. We saw back in chapter 55 that Thistle is actually pretty weak if he doesn't have his magic. And we're seeing how horribly anxious he gets when he loses control of the situation. He first appeared as this terrifying, unstoppable force. But now he's kind of pathetic.

And he had the equivalent of a secret Tumblr blog from 2014 where he posted his cringe teen emo angst poetry. I bet those diaries are full of self-shipping fanfics with Delgal. And I bet Marcille read all of them and loved them.

The flashback answers a few minor history questions I had asked before. The Winged Lion was worshiped before the kingdom became a dungeon and the ancient elf/dwarf war happened before the kingdom became a dungeon, not because of it.

The enemies in the flashback are dwarves.

The castle was built on top of a Dwarf-style dungeon that used to be a Dwarf town that was later taken over by the elves. So the current dungeon is actually two different dungeons where the newer Golden Kingdom castle dungeon enveloping the older Dwarf ruins dungeon. Maybe that fancy door on the sixth floor was the original entrance to the inner dungeon.

Considering how the dungeons will shift to fulfill desires, maybe worship of the Winged Lion came first and the demon in the dungeon both took on its appearance to seem more trustworthy and placed that statue in the dungeon as bait.

Thistle's eyes became demon eyes when he summoned the monsters to slaughter the invaders. He's willing to fight and kill to protect those he cares about, but his violent nature is from the demon's influence.

Also, there's a thing with spider legs in the group of monsters so giant spiders might be a thing.

B-baby basilisk. Is so dorable and fluff.

That magic curcle looks a lot like what Marcille drew to resurrect Falin. She said it connected Falin to the dungeon so maybe this is Thistle giving the fifth floor its layout changing effect.

Yaad looks just like Eodio when he was little.

Thistle laid out the royal family's bodies exactly like how they sat at the table. He still has the memory of being close to the royal family and is trying to preserve it, but he doesn't remember why it's precious.

They're eating and talking and sharing a meal together, and that's what made this moment a cherished memory.

I looked back at a few chapters where ghosts appear or are mentioned because I was hoping to find Eodio or his wife somewhere. Instead I discovered that the panels in chapter 46 where Yaad talks about the ghosts losing their bodies and the panel where everyone recalls Laios turning them into sorbet were copy/pasted panels from chapter 30 and 11. Anyway, I didn't find a ghost that I could tell looked like either of them.

Yaad was born in the dungeon so there's (presumably) nothing actually stopping anyone from having children now. Either the kingdom people are so dismotivated that they aren't bothering to raise families, or Thistle later blocked their ability to have kids since Eodio wanted to leave the dungeon to show Yaad the outside world.

Thistle's eyes took on a demonic appearance when he ripped Eodio's soul from his body. If not for the lion's influence on him, Thistle may have agreed to have everyone leave the dungeon. It's in the lion's best interest to keep everyone trapped in the dungeon so it can feed on them though.

Confirmed: Hats don't have souls.

Hold up!! Marcille IS a half-elf? I mean, I already speculated that might be true, but it's told so matter-of-factly that I almost missed that detail. And Thistle could tell she's a half-elf so there must be some physical trait that distinguishes her from full elves. The only thing I can tell right now is Marcille's ears are rounded at the end while every other elf's ears are pointed.

Thistle used to wear his mage garbs when he acted as a dungeon lord, but now he wears the jester clothes instead. He even uses his flute as his magic catalyst. Maybe it's because he's stuck in the past. But it is an apt design; the magician is a fool manipulated by the lion.

But similar to what I said at the start of this post, the lion is shown to not be as capable of manipulating others as it seems. At some point, it horribly miscalculated some things and Thistle is completely out of its control. It has to get Laios to bail it out because it screwed up.

Oh. So it really was Delgal who went to the surface. He just did it in Eodio's body. I just really want Delgal to show up in the story cause he's been such an important figure through all this.

back

[nekropsii]

Hiiiiiiii! Insane your iceberg post and was wondering if possibly i could have the sources for: the one about horrus being a system, the cronus abelism one as Well as the one about kurloz talks cronus out of being the hero if its not too much of a bother! Have a lovely day and Take care!

Oh, sure! I absolutely can do that! Easy-peasy!

------

On Horuss Being a System...

Horuss's Plurality is quite an easy one. He references it multiple times! It verges on interesting, but every time the bait is taken, we get hit with the switch of it being a really cruel punchline against an extremely vulnerable group of people.

Yikes!

------

On Cronus's Disillusionment...

We mostly get this one from Aranea's infodump on Cronus. Here it is, verbatim, with the relevant portion in bold:

The 8ard of Hope may seem a little jaded these days, 8ut once he had a deeply abiding faith in magic, and dedicated himself to 8ecoming a great wizard. He 8ecame convinced he was hatched to defeat an extraordinarily evil magician, one he swore the angels foretold of. Though when pressed for the name of the man, he would not say it, claiming it was too dangerous to even enunciate. Part of his self-aggrandizing mythos was that this magician once somehow from afar tried to strike him down at a young age, so he would never have to face him. But the evil spell was deflected, sealing the magician's spirit away in a series of unassuming vessels until he could find some other cunning way to enter our universe. The attack supposedly left him with his distinctive scar. 8ut at some point he became disillusioned with magic. Any truth to his far fetched vision, the legacy of defeating the evil magician would have to 8e passed on to his descendant, or if his descendant proved to be as much of a failure as he did, then perhaps on some other Hero of Hope. I'm unsure why he suffered this crisis of faith, aside from the obvious reasons having to do with an overall lack of character, or any other redeeming qualities. Perhaps someone talked him out of his 8eliefs. Maybe a friend close to him. Or, if one is to 8elieve his fantasy held any water, perhaps someone who was in league with the evil magician.

Yep! It's just fucking Harry Potter, with a twist! But it's implied that Kurloz did that. He is pretty well known for colluding with the "Evil Wizard" in question, being Lord English, as well as mysteriously being there at every major event, ever... And Cronus is terrified of him, so. I think the only reasonable assumption is that Once Again, Kurloz Did It.

------

On Cronus's Ableism...

And finally... Wait. Wait, hold on a minute...

Did you just ask me for evidence that Cronus is Ableist?

The other two things are understandable, but... Really? You need a source on Cronus Ampora being Ableist? Are you... New here? Have you ever actually read anything Cronus has ever said? Brother, Cronus being Ableist is just about the most obvious trait he has. This is one of the key takeaways most people get from the Openbounds. His ableism is so fucking bad it's what made most people stop reading the Openbounds. His ableism is so bad it's genuinely triggered people before. It's so bad it's made people physically nauseous.

Well... You asked for it. I appreciate you seeking out knowledge, even if I'm a little confused by it. Here's a compilation of SOME - stressing, SOME, not ALL - of the vile things he's said to Mituna, who's mentally disabled due to a Traumatic Brain Injury.

Presented without further comment. Do I really need to make one?

------

You have a lovely day, too, Anon. Take care. May fortune find you, in mind and in wallet. Lol.

[yeahthatswhatimtolkienabout]

Okay so, I'm getting increasingly confused over the timeline of when Aziraphale and Crowley have met over the ages.

Since I'm writing a S3 fic with lots of flashbacks, I figured that I needed to have a concrete and canon timeline so I don't end up accidentally writing a meeting when there shouldn't be one (ie when Crowley was asleep in the 14th century), and I cannot for the life of me find one that has S2 in it so I present to you:

The Nice and Accurate (hopefully) Timeline of Aziraphale & Crowley and their many meetings throughout the ages.

By Yeahthatswhatimtolkienabout.

Pls let me know if I've missed anything.

Before time was invented - God created the universe.

Before the Beginning - Our dynamic duo meet for the first time, as Crowley creates a Nebula with Aziraphale's help.

After The Beginning (the bible never gave dates for this kinda thing) - Crowley saunters vaguely downwards towards hell with the others who are cast out.

4004 B.C. - Eve is tempted by the Demon Crowley (in snake form) to eat the forbidden fruit. This is the first time we see Crowley in his demon form and the first time he (as a demon) meets Aziraphale, well - that we know of anyway.

3004 B.C, Mesopotamia - OI SHEM! Aziraphale and Crowley meet and watch as Noah gathers the animals two by two onto the ark.

2500 B.C, Uz - Aziraphale and Crowley work together to save Job's children from being killed. Aziraphale lies to heaven and fears he will be taken to hell. Bildad the Shuite is a babe.

33 A.D., Golgotha - Aziraphale and Crowley witness the crucifixion of Jesus. Crowley remarks that he 'showed Jesus the kingdoms of Earth'.

41 A.D., Rome - Aziraphale tempts Crowley to Oysters.

537 A.D., the Kingdom of West Essex - Knight of the table round, Sir Aziraphale encounters Crowley as the Black Knight. This is where the 'deal' is first raised.

1301 A.D - 1400 A.D - Crowley sleeps through the 14th century.

1601 A.D The Globe Theatre, London - Aziraphale and Crowley meet at a production of Hamlet. They have been participating in the 'deal' for some time now.

1650 A.D - Aziraphale does the apology dance for the first time.

1793 A.D, Paris, France - Aziraphale is about to be beheaded, but Crowley intervenes and saves him.

1800 A.D Soho, London - Aziraphale opens his bookshop and Crowley successfully prevents him from returning to heaven at Gabriel's orders, by fooling him with some mannequins.

1827 A.D Edinburgh - Crowley and Aziraphale meet Elspeth, a body snatcher, and are caught up in her endeavours.

Aziraphale then does not see Crowley until...

1862 A.D London's St. James Park - Crowley asks Aziraphale for Holy Water, as a 'just in case'. Appalled, Aziraphale leaves.

1941 A.D London - Aziraphale is caught up in a bait and switch with some Nazis. He is rescued by Crowley. One thing leads to another and Aziraphale is a magician in a show, the Nazi's become Zombies and to cut a long story short, it ends with the pair dining together.

1967 A.D Soho, London - Crowley meets Lance Corporal Shadwell and plans to steal Holy Water from a church. Hearing of this, Aziraphale appears to him in his Bentley and delivers a flask of it to him.

2008 A.D Soho, London - Crowley and Aziraphale meet to discuss the Antichrist and plan to become his godparents to raise him as a 'normal' child, neither influenced by heaven or hell.

2008 A.D - 2019 A.D - Crowley disguises himself as Nanny Ashtoreth and Aziraphale, as the Gardener Brother Francis, and the two try to influence Warlock.

2019 A.D - The events of the first season of Good Omens happens, our pair prevent Armageddon and live happily ever... wait what, a second season?

2020 A.D - 2022 A.D - Lockdown happens. This is where the 'Lockdown' video takes place.

2023 A.D - Pain, otherwise known as Season 2, happens.

I really hope this helps some of you with fic planning and stuff. I was getting really confused over when they met and when certain things started happening, that I needed a record for myself - then thought I should share it!

Edited to add: Thank you for the comments, pointing out some things I've missed! I've added lots of them in now. I've only really included events where the two have met (either in show or in book), and have not added in the bits that Neil Gaiman has added (such as the Wild West scenes etc). If there is a script book for S2 and they are in there - I will come back and add them in.

For a timeline that goes over other significant events in their history, please check out the amended version by @graviitron - they've added some cool bits in there, so thank you! 🥰

[childrenofthesun77]

Spoilers for chapter 147

Okay, mikuni has baited people into doing what he secretly wants by revealing information to them before (like when he told sakuya about the barrier spell) so maybe he wanted mahiru to come to the the realization that he came to, but if not lol.

Basically mikuni says to mahiru that even if he remembers the old world that it's not the world his current self has lived in, that world would be the one he's presently in and that's why he shouldn't fight to return to the old one.

He also tells mahiru why he doesn't have the powers of a magician despite his parents both being magicians. Akira had researched how to revive people for her brother because their parents had died young. She didn't go through with it, but did end up using it when mahiru died in an accident. Mahiru came back at the cost of akira's life and also lost his magical power in the process.

But because in the new world mahiru had been saved by his father he never died. Mahiru realizes that because of that his current self has the power of a magician and starts using it against mikuni