#maybe it would work better if he used magic to repair it

[violettoaster]

Bonus cameo shot of Cole, the Magical Repair Dude.

[pinkanonwrites]

"Oh! That's What That Does?!"

All art by @archie-sunshine

G1 Rumble/ Mechanic Reader - 2400+ Words NSFW, Valveplug, Plug 'N Play, Mild Sparkplay, Accidental Stimulation, Edging, Human Reader, GN Pronouns

Ahh, the inherent eroticism of repairing your machine.~ I've had this one cooking for a while, so I hope you all enjoy! I've also gotten pretty attached to this mechanic Reader, so they'll likely pop up again with other cassettes (and maybe even some other Decepticons!)

NSFW WRITING AND IMAGERY BELOW THE CUT!

“Ey… EY! Careful wit’ dat! It’s touchy!”

“Rumble,” You groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose. “You're making this way more difficult than it needs to be.”

“I wouldn't be complainin’ if you'd stop touchin’ all up on bits that don't gotta be touched! Rootin’ around in there like I'm one’a your crappy organic machines!”

Removing your hands from Rumble’s open chest, you tossed them roughly into the air. “Y'know what? Fine. Do it yourself. Better yet, get Frenzy to pull the shrapnel out of your chest. That'll go great.”

You would have slid off of Rumble’s lap and stormed off, if not for his massive servos closing around your wrists with an unexpected delicacy. Your efforts to remove your hands only reinforced his grip, using just enough force to keep you from leaving without crushing your wrists entirely.

“H-Hey, no need ta be so hasty! Look, I’m just steamed cause'a the battle, dat’s all. Frenz’ can't do dis, it's gotta be someone more… dainty. Y’know. Little human hands and all dat.” The harsh glow of his visor had dulled slightly as his gaze cast down to your hands. You rolled your eyes, wrists finally slipping from his grip as you settled back in. 

Dangling wires and sparking shrapnel dotted his open chest cavity, illuminated by the light of his spark chamber. Rumble had staggered off-balance into your workshop whining about the prodding pieces of broken metal keeping him from transforming properly, yet you’d barely managed to get two wires back in place before he started squirming and whingeing and slinging verbal abuse at you.

 Not that you weren't used to it, any interactions with Rumble and Frenzy usually involved some level of bullying. Fortunately, the two cassettes are also incredibly predictable. As soon as you would threaten to take away or withhold what they're asking for, they’d start falling all over themselves with apologies and placations. After all, you may not have been the only mechanic in the area, but you were certainly their favorite.

“Are you going to actually let me work? Or are you going to start yelling at me again?”

“Yellin’? Who's yellin’? Yer the mechanic here, my spark is in your squishy little hands. Do your magic, doc.” He sat back again, servos clutching the edges of your workbench in a show of effort, a genuine attempt to keep them still (or however genuine any show of rule-following from Rumble could be.)

“That's what I thought. Now let me actually fix a few things before you start whining again.” Your gloved hands dipped back into his chest cavity, skirting the edges of his spark chamber to pick away at the bits of loose shrapnel stuck in some of the wires. His frame shuddered, a hiss of steam escaping through his dentae as your knuckles brushed the underside of the spark casing.

“C-Careful,” He said again, with significantly less bite to his tone.

“Does it hurt?”

“Somethin’ like dat.”

“I'll be careful, so let me know if it gets to be too much.” You smoothed a palm down the armor covering his stomach, flinching back when you heard another sharp hiss of steam.

“I’m fine! It's fine! Just… do ya gotta be all on top’a me like dis?”

“I can't reach properly if you're laying down. If you're standing you might keel over on me, and I really don't feel like being squished to death today.” He let out a low grumble as you jacked another cable back into its proper port. “I'll try to be quick, that way you won't have to worry about my ‘human germs’ and you can get outta here. Deal?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just-”

“Be careful. I know.”

And with that you went to work, separating and organizing cables, taping off leaky tubing and removing pieces of scrap metal as gently as you could. Every once in a while Rumble would jerk or twitch beneath your touch, letting out a muffled curse or huff but sparing you from his usual complaints. It was… uncharacteristically quiet, for sure. This was the most extensive repair you'd ever done on him, though, so maybe he was just having surgery jitters.

“Okay, I've gotten most of the shrapnel out. But there's a piece right behind your spark casing.”

“Well? Get it outta there!”

“I'm going to, but I need to get my whole hand in there. I'm warning you now because it's going to be bumping up against your spark casing a lot. I'm going to do my best but you have to tell me if it hurts too much.”

Rumble let out a long, pathetic groan. “Actually doc, maybe you can just leave dat one in there? F-For funsies?”

“Eh?! Rumble, I’m not gonna just ‘leave it in there’! It's gotta come out.”

“Something's gonna come out if you keep proddin’ around in there like dat…”

“What was that?”

“Gh! Nothin’! Don't worry ‘bout it!”

“...Okay. I’m gonna start now. Are you ready?” Rumble only responded with gritted dentae and a tense nod. Working your gloved hand under his spark chamber, you could feel the ambient energy making the hairs on your arm stand on end as you felt for the jagged edge of broken metal. Your glove blocked your view entirely, so you were left blindly groping your way up the metal surface, feeling for anything bent or out of place. When your fingers could no longer reach any further while still avoiding the casing, you slid forward and ducked slightly into Rumble’s open chest, the back of your hand pressing up against the underside of his spark chamber.

CLANG!

You jumped, and if it weren't for Rumble’s arm wrapping around you and almost crushing you into his open chest you may have jostled the sensitive chamber even further. You slid your hand back again, easing off of the reinforced glass, and his grip receded.

“What the hell was that? And what was that clang?”

“I said don't worry ‘bout it!” He hissed, voice glitchy with static. “Everythin’s totally normal, I dunno why you're getting all jumpy ‘bout- MMNGH?!” You moved your hand up again into the same position, and Rumble let out an embarrassingly high whimper. You glanced up at his face, a flush of pink behind the usual grey and beading with coolant… and something clicked.

“Oh my God are you getting off on this?”

“N-No!”

Behind you you heard a sharp snikt, and the sound of pressurizing hydraulics.

“...Maybe?”

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

“H-Hey, don't go gettin’ a big head or nothin’! A bot’s spark chamber is sensitive! Don't go thinkin’ this is cause of your squishy frame or your soft little digits or nothin’!” He seemed to almost shrink in on himself, face plate practically glowing as his shoulders pulled up around his helm. You'd never say it to his face, but he looked surprisingly… small, at this moment. You heaved an exhausted sigh.

“Okay. Okay. I'm going to get this last piece out, alright? It's the last one. And whatever happens while I'm doing that..? It just happens. We won't bring it up again, no need to be embarrassed. Deal?”

“‘Deal?!?’” He squawked, positively scandalized. “How do I know yer not gonna gossip with Frenz’ the next time he's in for a tune-up?”

“Well Frenzy usually never lets me get a word in edgewise, first of all.” You huffed. This was way more than you'd signed up for. “I'm not going to make fun of you, Rumble. Let’s just get you patched up, then you can head home. Okay?”

His mouth was pulled into a tight, wobbly frown as he glanced down at you, choking out a single word. “...Promise?”

“I promise.”

“...Slag. alright, let's get dis over with.” He lolled his head back against the table with a clank, resigning himself to his fate. This time, when your knuckles brushed his spark casing, he couldn’t stifle his soft moan. Your fingers felt further and further up, until almost your entire hand was behind the glass bubble containing his pulsing spark. Finally, you could feel the jagged piece of metal. You wrapped your fingers around it and gave it an experimental tug. It stuck fast, and your hand bumping against Rumble's spark only pulled another surprised moan from him.

“W-Watch it!” He yelped, sounding too fucked-out to come across as actually threatening.

“It's really stuck in there. I'm going to start working it out, so let me know if you need me to stop.”

“Wh… workin’ it out? Whadda ya- ohhh…~” 

With your thumb and forefinger gripping the edge of the broken metal, you began to wiggle it gently back and forth to ease it from the plating and wires around it. Each time you moved the back of your hand rubbed up against the far side of his spark chamber, warmth radiating through your glove as Rumble started to vent more harshly.

“Slag… slag! Don't think it's ever been touched back there before. Feels… feels crazy.” He moaned. The metal of your work table shrieked and crumpled like cardboard under his iron grip, desperate to keep his servos off of himself or, Primus forbid, you. The piece stuck firm, and as you braced your other hand against the outside paneling of his chest to readjust your balance he let out a sharp, staticky yelp. “S-STOP!”

You froze immediately. “Are you okay? What's wrong?”

A few shuddering vents were your only response for a moment, Rumble’s visor lights flickering frantically as he tried to steady himself. “Whooo… Almost blew my top for a second there.”

“Seriously?”

“Hey! Yer the one that told me to tell ya if I need ya to stop! I'll be slagged to the Pit before I let some ‘squishy’ run my charge like dat.”

“...Can I start again? I’m making some progress here.”

“...Y-Yeah. Yeah. Yer good.”

You let out another soft sigh, trying to focus on the rhythmic sktch sktch sktch of metal on metal rather than Rumble’s shivering whines. His vocalizer pitched and warbled with static, attempts to stifle his own words slowly giving way to a deluge of fucked-out babbles.

“Ah! Gh! Ohh, mmnh, stupid little hands feelin’ all- nnh!~ Jus’ get it outta there! Please?”

I’m working on it. You’re doing good, just hang in there.” Your placations only resulted in another desperate moan. After what couldn’t have been more than another thirty seconds or so, he blurted out again.

“Ah! Stop!”

You retracted your hand for a moment, letting Rumble gasp for breath above you in a futile attempt to cool his core. You rubbed at his chest paneling as he shivered beneath you hard enough that you thought bolts were going to start coming undone. Even the paneling you were seated upon was burning up, heat seeping through the fabric of your coveralls. His glowing face plate was slick with coolant. Without thinking, you reached up and swept away a bead of it with your thumb, making him jump.

“H-Hey, quit dat…” He groaned, all bite lost from his tone.

“Rumble… The more you keep stopping me the longer this is going to take.”

“You think I don’t know dat?!” One of his arms draped dramatically over his face. “I’m tryin’! But you just keep pokin’ around in there and it’s all touchy and it’s makin’ me feel like my spike’s gonna burst and I can’t take it anymore!” He sniffled. Could Cybertronians even sniffle? You weren’t sure, but he sounded close to tears.

“Rumble… Have you ever actually edged yourself before?”

“Whu- Whuh? How’s dat any of yer business?”

“I’m just thinking…” You ran a placating hand down his shivering plating. “If you haven’t it can be really overwhelming, and-”

“I can handle it! I-I can!”

“Let me finish. It can be really overwhelming, and I don’t want you to hurt yourself further. Just… take a deep breath for me, okay?” You took a slow, steadying breath, and after a second he mimicked it. “Good. Just think about letting go, okay? I’m not going to judge you. Just think about it.”

He let out a low, pitying grumble, peeking at you from behind his arm plating. “...You can start again.”

Once again, your hands dipped into his chest cavity. Only this time you slid both hands up behind his spark casing, gripping as much of the broken metal as you could reach. As you rocked it back and forth Rumble’s moans returned with a fervor, one servo finally flying to cup your lower back.

“Ah! Ah! Slag, oh slag please! Please don’t stop I’m so fraggin’ close.” He fisted the back of your uniform, crumpling the cheap fabric between his digits. “C’mon, c’mon c’mon c’mon I need it!”

“Shh, I’ve got you baby. Just let it happen.”

With a metallic shriek and a gush of brackish oil the shrapnel popped free, the force enough to send you sprawling if not for Rumble’s servo in the small of your back. Of course, said unexpected force also slammed the backs of both your hands right into the underside of his spark chamber, and Rumble’s voice box screeched into a wail of radio static. Something hot and sticky splattered up the back of your coveralls; said something you decidedly were not going to look at until later. His frame rattled and shivered beneath you, steam venting and joints glitching and spark pulsating a near-blinding glow.  Finally, after a burst of noise and sparks and twitching, he went slack beneath you, helm clanking against the workbench as his optics flickered.

As delicately as you could, you removed the oil-slick shrapnel and let it clatter onto the floor before shedding your gloves and dabbing at his face plate with the cuff of your sleeve. With the whir of an old monitor blipping back to life, his visor blinked back up to its standard brightness.

“Whuh… Wheh?” He garbled.

“How you feeling, hun?”

“Like I got struck by lightnin’... but in like a nasty way.”

You choked back a snort. “Well, I’ve got all the worst of it over with. Feel free to rest for a while if you need it. I’m gonna go change my jumpsuit.” 

He let you slide off his lap without a fight, not even commenting until you’d turned around to make your way over to your office. Only then did he let out a low, salacious whistle when he’d finally caught sight of the back of your uniform.

“Comm me next time yer free, doc. Then I can repay da favor.”

[stormysprite]

My first fanfic! I wanted to start out with a fluffy (and maybe a little crack-y?) oneshot featuring the lu boys. Link to the AO3 coming once my account gets approved later this week!

✨Magical Placeholder for Title Until I Figure It Out✨

Warriors stared down the strategy map, rubbing the pebble that represented him between his fingers. He’d battled unlikely odds before, but this was a whole new level of hopeless.

He had to try. For the sake of his brothers, he had to try.

“Captain?” Sky asked, fiddling with his sailcloth. “Are you sure we shouldn’t get the old man?”

“He’s compromised. Always has been for missions like this, he’s just better at hiding it now. We’re certain Hyrule can’t swim?”

“He shrieked when Wild went waist deep into the lake a few months ago,” Four said from Warriors’s other side. “I don’t think anyone in Hyrule’s world knows how to swim.”

That complicated things. Hyrule would be one of the most resistant to their plan, and they couldn’t just throw him in. Warriors considered using Legend to coax Hyrule into the water, but the veteran seemed to have a thing against water. Probably another secret. Legend seemed to have a lot of those.

Warriors rubbed between his brows. He sighed and looked up at the pine trees surrounding their campsite. He’d convinced everyone except Sky and Four—the only Heroes who would accept his desperate plan—to forage or collect firewood elsewhere. That had been an hour ago. They were out of time for finding other solutions.

“All right,” he said. “We’ll have to keep Hyrule in the shallows, then. Four?”

Four grinned, teeth glinting in the sunlight.

“Way ahead of you, Captain.”

Warriors nodded and turned to Sky. The Chosen Hero had already grabbed his gust bellows and gave him a grim nod.

“Good,” Warriors said. “There’s just one other part of our problem to solve.”

He placed his own pebble next to the river on the map and picked up the miniature wolf Sky had carved the other day.

“Not it,” Four and Sky said at the same time.

“I didn’t even—” Warriors turned from the map. Both his brothers had their fingers on their noses. The captain huffed. 

“Fine. I’ll wrestle the wolf. But you both are on laundry duty for this.”

“Small price to pay,” Four said.

“Yeah, I like my fingers right where they are.” Sky drummed his digits on the bellows with an apologetic smile. Warriors shook his head.

“Just get into position. Remember, quick and precise. We can’t afford mistakes.”

Four nodded. Coming from anyone else, Sky’s salute would have been sarcastic, but Warriors knew his fellow knight meant it. They both left, and the operation was on. Warriors took a deep breath, rolled up the map, and got his supplies from his pack.

He crept to the stream near their campsite, past the spot where Four had laid out everyone’s armor under the guise of repairing it later tonight. Good. Nothing would rust this way.

He crouched behind a bush near the shore and laid out his supplies. Three brushes for different hair textures, a pile of rags, a larger pile of fluffy towels, and the largest bottle of soap he’d ever seen. They hadn’t stayed in his world long enough to drag everyone to a bathhouse last week, but at least he’d had time to stock up. He lined up a smaller bottle of conditioner next to the brushes. Far as he knew, he’d be the only one interested in it.

A shout echoed across the forest. Phase One had begun.

Warriors grabbed the soap and squeezed a thick thread into the almost-still water. He wished he had one of Wild’s Korok leaves to stir, but a large stick he found near shore would have to do. He frothed the soap until a thick layer of foam sat on the water. Good thing Sky had offered to build a dam downstream so the soap wouldn’t wash away.

The lavender and eucalyptus soap floated into Warriors’s nose, making him relax. Another shout—no, that was a howl—jerked him into action. Four’s part of the plan must have worked. How the smithy knew what would provoke Twilight into transforming, Warriors had no idea. He didn’t want to know. Plausible deniability in case Twilight got mad. Warriors shuddered and returned to the bush.

Another howl. Footsteps racing.

Closer.

Closer.

Wheezing, Sky tore into the clearing. He spotted Warriors, nodded, and lined up with his back to a tree. Sky pointed his gust bellows at the water. No one approaching the stream would see him.

“Cheatin’ bilge rat!” Wind sprinted into the clearing after Sky, Legend and Hyrule just behind. “You’re shark bai—”

Sky turned on his gust bellows.

Wind screeched and flailed headfirst into the stream. Hyrule tumbled after him. Legend figured out what was going on and activated his pegasus boots, running against the gust. Sky’s bellows blew stronger. Legend lost his footing and splashed into the stream.

Warriors covered his mouth to hold back a snicker.

Three heads popped up from the water. Hyrule looked panicked. Legend looked torn between holding up Hyrule and dragging Sky in with them. Wind looked murderous.

The sailor lunged up to grab Sky’s ankle, but Sky gusted until Wind fell back into the stream.

“You yellow-bellied, lily-livered, octo-brained seagull splat!” Wind yelled, but Warriors could hear him covering up a laugh.

“I have no idea what any of those words mean,” Sky said with a grin and an extra puff of air in Wind’s face.

Wind sucked in a breath, probably to ‘educate’ Sky. Another howl and a high-pitched, unheroic scream cut him off.

“Sky!”

Four tore into view and tossed Wild’s Sheikah Slate to Sky before jumping into the water. Wild burst from the bushes and dove after Four with a splash. Wolfie raced after them, skidding to a stop before the shore. He took a step back and looked around.

Come on, Twilight. Just a little closer.

Four burst above the surface, only for Wild to tackle him deeper into the stream. Warriors had only seen that look on Wild’s face once—right before disintegrating the iron knuckle that had downed Twilight.

Maybe Warriors had miscalculated his plan.

“Wild! Wild, stop—” Four spluttered, treading water while stopping Wild from dragging him to the bottom. “The Slate’s fine. Sky has it, look.”

Sky flinched as Wild turned his glare onto him, but the Chosen Hero waved the Sheikah Slate to prove Four’s point. Grumbling, Wild swam back to the edge and made grabby hands for his prized item.

“Give it.”

Sky held the Slate out of reach, putting it at the base of a tree.

“You can have it back after your bath. The Captain can’t stand our smell anymore.”

Caught in the moment, Warriors stood up from his hiding place to argue how that wasn’t what he’d said—he’d thought it, but hadn’t said it—before realizing he’d blown his cover. Warriors caught Wolfie’s eye. Wolfie bolted.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Warriors lunged for Wolfie and shoved his shapeshifting brother toward the water. Wolfie stumbled, but didn’t fall in.

How was Twilight heavier in this form?

A burst of wind from Sky pounded against Warriors’s back, pushing the wrestling captain and wolf closer to the stream. Wolfie dug in his claws and growled. Warriors pushed against the wretched-smelling mound of dog with all his strength, but Wolfie didn’t budge.

A splash was all the warning he got before five sets of hands shot out of the water, grabbed Wolfie, and pulled him in. Warriors sailed through the air and hit the stream, water and bubbles shooting up his nose. He broke the surface, coughing and spluttering. Eucalyptus burnedthrough his sinuses.

When he could finally see and breathe again, he cackled at the sight in front of him.

Wolfie squirmed as Wild and Legend kept him from swimming to shore. A cloud of mud surrounded the rest of the Heroes, mostly coming from the wolf. Wind scrubbed soap into the fur. Four rubbed Wolfie’s paws, freeing wads of muck jammed between the pads. Hyrule clung to Wolfie’s back and made bubble hats for the wolf. 

Warriors had never seen the mighty beast so undignified.

Wolfie whimpered. A chime sounded and black flecks started to swarm around him.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Legend bopped Wolfie on the nose. The black flecks disappeared, and Wolfie growled. Hyrule added a pompom to Wolfie’s bubble hat. “Your smell’s going to attract monsters if you don’t clean up this version of yourself. Honestly, your fur crackles.”

“And it reduces the risk of us getting sick,” Warriors said as he waded toward the group. He shot a dirty look at Sky, dry and giggling on the shore. “Which is the real reason I organized this.”

“Did you have to throw us in?” Wild asked.

Warriors shrugged and rubbed soap into Wild’s hair. If his brothers were going to focus solely on scrubbing Twilight, Warriors could make sure everyone else got clean, too. Wild melted under the touch and almost lost hold of Wolfie.

“We needed to do laundry, too. This hits two ChuChus with one arrow. Besides, would you have taken a bath if I’d asked nicely?”

Wild shook his head, but caught sight of something on shore and grinned. Warriors followed his gaze and felt his eyes grow wide.

Time loomed behind Sky, who hadn’t noticed him yet. Sky squeaked as Time picked him up and hurled him at the other Heroes. All eight of them plunged under, legs, arms, and one tail tangling together. They finally surfaced, Hyrule still using Wolfie as a raft. Everyone piled on Sky to make sure he got as drenched as the rest of them.

“Stop,” Sky said between giggling and failing to push them away. “That—that tickles!”

Which was the worst thing to tell a group of Links, Warriors thought. Chaos and mayhem were vital parts of the Hero’s Spirit. Even Warriors splashed suds on Sky after that comment. After all, Sky had a great laugh.

A shadow blocked out the sun, too sudden and dark to be a cloud. Warriors looked up.

Oh.

Oh, no.

He’d definitely miscalculated.

Time cannonballed straight for them.

Later that night, while they dried off and teased each other over dinner, Warriors admitted he screamed like a little girl. If only because his seven other brothers did the exact same thing. 

[ancha-aus]

RealAgeAU - Reclaiming

This is a little something I have had in mind for a while :3

TImeline wise? We are muuuuuch further. Like. late spring early summer (So the gang has been in farmtale for over half a year now!)

First Drabble Prev Drabble Next Drabble

We are back with Baby Pov :3 @spotaus you ready friend?

No Beta'ing or Edits. We just go with whatever i wrote >:D

*-----------------*

Nightmare sits on his little chair on the bright yellow porch of the Danielle Farm.

Ngihtmare watches as His four speak with the two nice ladies.

Ellie just sits wiht her head in her hands, she had been crying before. Dani isn't much better as she looks over their dying tree farm.

Killer frowns "I don't get it! You guys won the lawsuit right?! There was proof of sabotage! I thought you got money and everything?"

Dani chuckles as she rubs her cheek, removing some tears "It matters little... The trees are almost all dead... Even with the money... There is enough for us to live comfortable yeah.. but it isn't enough to restore the damage..." she looks back at their farm.

Horror frowns as he looks back "Any that survived?"

Dani sighs "Technically they are still alive... but they are dying... we checked all of them and well..." she sighs "only a few of our oldest cherry trees are still okay... and those aren't baring fruit anymore, probably part of why they weren't too affected." she sighs "i don't know the science behind it..."

Nightmare frowns and looks at Dust. Dust notices him and shakes his skull.

It had been going on since a month or so... The girls were beyond alarmed and panicked when they found one of their trees just dying for no reason. It got worse when it became clear that it had spread.

They thought wood rot at first and removed the sick trees but later realised their very land had been sabotaged and poisoned.

Killer frowns "And can it be healed?"

Dani shakes her head as she looks back at the trees that are still not showing any new leaves. "Maybe... but getting things for that? It is too expensive... and even than it would only save the cherry trees... and well... those aren't the real money makers and the thing we have our living with..." she rubs the perfect yellow wood.

Nightmare knows what she is talking about. THe two had combined their magic and made a new tree. somekind of mushroom tree combination.

Nightmare tugs on Cross's sleeve and he looks down "yeah nightmare?"

Ngihtmare looks at Dani "Can you make a new one? Like you made the first one?" That is how their farm started after all.

Dani smiles before sighing and shaking her head again "Our land used to be a forest... What we did was make one tree and let it... well.. infect and change the other trees around it. We eventually made sure it couldn't spread further and out of the area we wanted with magical barriers in the ground... but without new trees we can't go it again."

Ngihtmare frowns "and trees take time..." even their mushroom trees take a few years to fully grow.

Dani nods and smiles sadly at the others "We are... going to share the news with everyone later... Look for a new place and new jobs..." she rubs her eyes "new start... again."

Ellie sobs miserably "I don't wanne move..."

Dani looks back sadly at her other half.

Nightmare watches as his four think but clearly can't think of much. They had grown closer with the other two monsters. The two had often come by with extra wood for their home repairs and later with old mechinery and other things for them to repair and use as they saw fit.

The two had to drive a lot and deliver their wares a lot and got too many places. They made sure to keep an eye open for anything that others in their community wanted.

So when they heard something was up with their farm? They got to work. Horror had recognised the poison together with Crop and Dust had isolated and indentified it.

Killer had been very helpful with helpign the girls get their win in the lawsuit. Killer still has his silver tongue after all.

Nightmare hops off of the chair and wanders a bit further into the tree farm. He had been show their center tree before. THe biggest tree of their whole farm and the strongest of them all.

Nightmare stands before it and stares. It is sick. It looks a sick grey and no longer the beautiful strong branches that had made it strong. Nightmare inches closer as he stands before it.

When he first got shown this place he had been afraid he would get reminded of his mother. but it was different. These trees? They are really trees. just nature. His mother had always been strange compared to the natural trees. ironically, Nim had been something unnatural.

a whisper.

Nightmar eblinks and tilts his skull "hello?"

another whisper. it aren't words. it is more of a whisper like the wind going through leaves and leaving with a whistle. Yet....

yet...

Nightmare blinks as he inches closer "I am sorry it hurts..."

more whispers. but it isn't what he would expect... it isn't...

Nightmare tilts his skull "I don't think it can hurt me... like it is hurting you..." Nightmare finally truly gets it now. It is all connected. It are trees which grow like mushrooms. the roots are all connected and they all talk and communicate and share the magic and resources between them...

It si why they are all sick.

Nightmare frowns as he hugs himself close "I am sorry i can't help..."

another whistle. a whisper. it is a reassurance. but also an apology. The trees love the two who take care of them. Who helped them flourish. They don't want to leave the two.

Nightmare frowns before a a thought about himself returns. Something he hadn't acknowledged or even thought about in a long time. Not since he got his job as god...

He was a nature spirit. He may now be a skeleton but his core? His soul? Was still the same as when he was a ball of energy, a tiny nature spirit.

Maybe...

He slowly raises his hands near the tree "I can try to help..."

A slightly louder whistle and whisper. To be careful. To not hurt himself.

Ngihtmare touches the tree and feels the connection all over the farm. This farm is so much larger than his home. So much larger than Crop's farm!

Still. he feels along it. It is strange. He can't really interact with any of it. He just feels along it. It is strange and he is seeing double. But then he spots it. Something that is wrong. A greyness that is eating away the energy and colour of this feeling. He gets there and... and what now? He foudn it... he thinks... it is like a smudge. a smudge that eats and makes what was there before disappear...

He can't heal... but... maybe he can just... remove it?

He tugs and tugs on the thing. it doens't want to let go but eventually it stands no chance.

Nightmare feels it and it feels wrong. But it needs to disconnect from the trees! But how? He is right now kinda there with the trees connection and he has the thing and...

Ngihtamre concentrates and imagines holding it prisoner. Holding it close but seperate from his own.

It is now like a thin fill over him, still in his minds eye. His normal eyes don't see anything wrong or different of before.

Okay... what now? What is he doing anyway? How does this work?

"Nightmare!!"

Cross?

Ngihtamre tries to turn towards the voice and sees a bright light purple energy come towards him. a blink later and it is Cross normally. He looks worried.

And then he doesnt see the bright yellow of the energy of the tree anymore but just the normal trees.

He feels sick.

Cross gets to him and picks him up "Ngihty! We told you not to use your magic. It is still fragile..."

FRagile? oh.

Nightmare notices the now obvious part cyan and part purple light shinign unto the white of Cross's outfit... Woops... overdid it again...

A loud gasp "Oh no! Is he okay? I am so sorry. I didn't think... It never hurt any of us?" Dani is by Cross and looks horrified. Right... most of them haven't seen his scars.

Dust is by them in a moment and checks him over as Cross speaks "No this... this is a thing that happens if he overuses his fragile magic..."

Nightmare isn't relaly paying attention as he tugs on Dust's scarf and mutters "Dusty.... I feel sick..."

Dust frowns as he checks his temporature and skull over.

Nightmare feels something slowly crawl up his system and his magic starts to shape to get rit of it... He tugs harder on the scarf and mutters "sick...."

Horror gets it as he searches before holding up a basket by his skull. Ngihtamre doesn't wait and vomits.

Grey sludge that burns on his tongue leaves his body and he shudders. But in one go and it is all out and he feels a million times better.

Nightmare blinks at the weird grey blob of mass in the basket. Huh... pretty sure that has more mass than Nightmare has.

Cross just holds him tighter and rubs his back "that... is new..."

Dust looks at the basket and Horror looks around.

Nightmare blinks and looks at Horror "It will cause sickness." he is sure. So sure. but how does he explain. He doesn't have the words ready. He just hopes Horror understands him. His four always understand him.

Horror looks at him before looking at the basket thoguhtfully "Think we can burn it?"

Burn... kill it... Nightmare nods. That sounds good.

Horror looks at the girls "We euh..." he looks at the basket "I am not sure what this is... We need to look into it?"

Dani nods as she rubs her arms "of coruse... of course... I am so sorry something here caused him to get sick or overuse his magic and..." she then looks sadly at her trees.

Ngihtmare blinks as he already feels sleepy but still he says it "don't be sad... they don't want you to be sad."

Dani blinks and turns to Nightmare "waht... what do you mean?"

Ngihtmare hums and just nuzzles closer to Cross. he listens to the soft whistle and whisper. then he mutters sleepily "They already feel a bit better... They like you two... just rest..." and he yawns.

Killer steps over and starts speaking with Dani. Nightmare can't really hear it anymore as he falls asleep. Very tired and Cross is so warm.

---

Killer groans as he hears loud pounding on his door. God can't they just have a lay in today? He groans as he looks to the side adn sees Dust grumble angerly as he rolls further around Nightmare. Nightmare however is still completely out. Not having stirred much since the day before.

Killer checks him over first but still finds him just peacefully asleep. Nothing wrong. Probably just exhausted. Though none of them are even sure what Ngihtmare did to cause him to go so low on magic and energy.

More pounding on the door and Killer groans as he staggers over to the door. STill just in his sweats and sleeping shirt. He opens the door and shoots the other, Ellie, a grumpy look "I know I said We would be willing to help but i think i didn't need to imply to not do this at 6." or whatever time it was.

Ellie just stands there, her truck still running "It is fixed."

Killer blinks ".... what?"

Ellie shakes his shoulders as she speaks "It is FIXED. The trees! There are leaves growing! It is fixed! The whole farm!"

THe information connects. Killer stands up straight as he stares at the bunny monster in shock. He glances over his shoulder before looking abck "what?"

Ellie smiles brightly "I dom't... I don't know how! But... he fixed it Killer!"

Killer blinks before he feels panic as he grabs her shoulder "no one can know."

Ellie blinks "but... he caused a miracle... he-"

Killer nods "exactly. Ellie. What do you think happens when people learn what he did? What he could do? We don't even know he could do this."

Ellie blinks before her eyes widen and her face twists with worry "oh..." she looks thoughtful for a moment before a large grin appears "in that case. Thank you Killer! For bringing up the idea to put barriers around each tree section! We managed to get some seperation in the infection!" she then hugs him before pulling away "Thank you... I will tell Dani too." she grins and makes a zipping her lips motion before throwing away an invisible key.

She then apologises and waves before quickly rushing to her car. Killer cna see her grab a mobile phone as she starts calling. Killer waits a moment to and reads her lips as she greets Dani and tells her that what happened can not get out. That they just found a way to isolate the problem and remove the sick trees.

Something that if you knew how this thing worked probably wouldn't know but it is enough of a story to not arouse suspicion. Ellie waves and then she drives off after finishing her call. No doubt to return to her girlfriend, or are they already wives? Killer isn't sure.

Killer returns to the nest and sits next to the still sleeping Dust and Nightmare. Horror and Cross are no doubt out and doing stuff to prepare them for their first tiny harvest.

His godhood become active again...

Killer is just happy it isn't connected to that stupid balance anymore.

Though he does not look forward to trying to figure out what exactly it is.

*-------------------*

:3 the tiny god may have finally found something he likes and wants to do :3

Just because it isn't too obvious. It is restoration. After all. That is what Nightmare does.

First he restored the balance (or tried to). And then he got his boys, and isn't restoration just a way of saying mending? Which is healing? And what did the four do when they were near Nightmare? :3

I think you can see the pattern.

First Drabble Prev Drabble Next Drabble

[tcustodisart]

What are some cute moments that occur throughout the different acts that aren’t necessarily in the game but live in your head rent free?

Oh, this one is going to be a long answer, because there's a lot of squatters in my head and there's a lot to be unleashed. Let's start with this doodle with the boys playing lanceboard at camp and continue under the cut. Lots of cringe and brainrot incoming, so brace yourself.

Act 1:

Connie is constantly bickering with Astarion over him stealing his journal. Gale suggest to cast arcane lock on it, but Connie knows it won't stop that gremlin from reading it so why bother.

This sad pile of rugs is where I imagine Connie sleeps in Act 1. Additional Astarion line: "Damn darling, you live like this?"

During the first romance scene Connie tells Shart about his family, about how he and his brother know the city inside and out, about his parents and the tavern they run, about the trap incident. It's the most he talked to someone who wasn't his family or his crow in years. He wishes that night would never end.

Connie sends letters to his family via Faust, he stops after entering Underdark.

Act 2:

I mentioned it before that Connie is not taking the Shadow Curse very well. He misses the sun, misses the grass, he's unable to contact his family, Shart has distanced herself from him. Karlach notices it and tries to cheer him up. They end up having long talks almost every night. That's the moment their friendship evolves from just friends to besties.

When Connie finds the second warding bond ring, he wishes he could give the other one to Shadowheart, but finds the moment inappropriate. He ends up giving her the ring at the beginning of Act 3.

Act 3:

I have a lot of stuff for this act.

This is inspired by one of Jaheira's lines: "'The Cub and the Crow'- sounds like a cautionary tale. As it probably should." Connie draws her a mock up cover for a kids book. Jaheira sticks it to the traveling chest (I mostly store food there, so to me traveling chest = fridge).

Connie goes through a serious breakdown at the start of this act (after a companion is abducted), he ends up crying and saying that for the first time he doesn't believe they're going to make it, that he'll never hug his mom, never hear his brother sing again, won't be able to tell his step dad that he saw Darkmaw the Wicked. He's being comforted first by Jaheira and then by the rest of his party.

His favorite armor gets damaged one time, he's very upset about it. But the next morning he finds it magically repaired (Astarion fixed it, from the start of Act 3 they become besties).

This wip that I'm very slowly working on happens during act 3. Connie makes some flower crowns and talks about how his mom taught him to do that. I'm not going to say more, because I really want to finish that comic.

Connie has a deal with Popper that he'll pay him double for every night orchid he finds (I actually did that in game, I bantered him more money for the flower than he asked for, I love that little guy so much).

This one is more funny than cute but when Connecticut Tav was younger and still lived in Baldur's Gate he used to visit Sharess's Caress pretty regularly because it was the best way to practice drawing people. He really enjoyed talking with the workers there, he eventually convinced them that maybe creating an union isn't such a bad idea. He ended up being banned from entering the brothel because of that. So when the party approaches it to meet Voss, he's very nervous that the owner will remember him (she does). There's a dialogue in my head but it would work better with some visuals, so maybe one time I'm going to draw it.

In my head, the cottage they end up living in is Connie's old hunting hut. So after the conversation with Shadowheart about her plans for after defeating the brain, he suggest that it would be the perfect place to go. He then draws the house to show her how it looks like, tells her that it's surrounded by a forest, there's a lake nearby, a small stable that can be turned into a barn if needed, and that he's not sure about the quality of the soil, but he did grow some herbs there, so maybe it's going to be good enough to grow flowers.

At the end of the game Connie decides to stay in Baldur's Gate for a while to help his family fix their tavern (which was heavily damaged). He tells Shart to go the house I mentioned before, because he wants her to start her new life as soon as possible + because it would be better for her parents. He stealthily puts his journal in her stuff with a note attached to it saying that he finished it this morning and she can read it if she wants to. He also gives her Faust so she can write him letters whenever she wants to. After 2 tendays he arrives at the cottage with some gifts (night orchid bulbs and a pamphlet about how to take care of them, there was supposed to be another gift, but he wasn't able to find it just yet, but that's for another story).

Epilogue party (because I'm that insane):

It's been sitting in my wips for more than two months, so I don't know if I'll be able to finish it. But during the party Connie and Shadowheart take 10 minute brake to visit the place from the first romance scene. They have a very similar conversation like before, but their roles are reversed now - It's Connie asking questions about Shart's current life. "Tell me something about yourself, but no tadpoles, weird artifacts, petty goddesses. Something about you."

[fellow-anime-weeb927]

I am back :D (the anon who recently asked you about the idea of reader being mother to the 6 sons in mashle)

I just that the necklaces would probably annulate the magic of the owner too, but reader doesn't really care about it since nobody in her family had magic before (if we don't count the sons). But, since it's a familiar relic (or something like that), naturally her sons also would have their own four necklaces at some point. Neither of them use them, it's not beneficial for them, but they do keep it with them since they see it as being closer to their mother. I also thought about how the smallest area in which the necklaces work would be around the core of the necklaces, to protect it from being destroyed by magic.

I'm sure at least some of them (especially Domina) would be jealous of Mash for being a lackmagic, at some point, since they think about it as the fact that Mash resembles their mother the most (no matter how their mother looks physically). Pops would be so weirded out when four necklaces appeared in Mash's hand in the period of 1 year (I think it would be better if they didn't appeare at the same time?) And Mash would have 0 idea about why or from where (at first he thought that Pops was the responsible for it). I think it would also be convenient that the necklaces wouldn't break forever unless all four are broken in the spam of a certain amount of time. If the time passed, but other necklaces wouldn't be destroyed, the broken would be repaired by itself. I imagine the necklaces being just a square with a beautiful pattern inside and a chain holding it by one of the edges (with a time of hook of the edge?) and since it's a familiar relic, it would probably have more antique style (baroque? Or maybe the renaissance?). The sons would probably treasure it deeply, especially since when their mother fell into a coma. Also, because of the background of the reader (the mother) I believe that the necklaces would only left their owner to lift them. Also, the more damage the owner receives the deeper the necklaces (the core/the square) will go into the owners skin (where the heart is located) as if to protect them better, since if the necklaces break (the four of them in the certain amount of time) the owner either dies or suffers a lot of damage. It doesn't burn or anything, tho.

Since Doom is the nicest of the siblings (not counting Mash and Domina's change in behavior) I would say it's because he's the oldest and has been with their mother the longest. I also believe they (the sons) would visit their mother, no matter if she's already in the coma or not. Epidem would be so obsessed with his pudding because mother "introduced" it to him, idk. Fanim would definitely enjoy the freedom so much because his mother always talked about it and how they always should be free (he got his own version of freedom but nvm). Delisaster likes to party so much because mother said that you never know what will happen next and if there's will be food on the table tomorrow (because of how bad her background is) so they should enjoy their lives at the fullest while they can (she would try to somehow ignore that she married a power hungry man, but it was for her own best). Domina would anticipate the day mother wakes up because all his older brothers told him about how kind and nice and beautiful mother is. Mash wouldn't even know about the existence of his mother (spoilers ahead) since he just randomly disappeared from there. If mother wakes up the day of the eclipse without a clue of what is going on (her husband trying to hunt down their youngest son just to take his heart and be immortal), first of all, all the sons that would be there at that time (depending on when exactly mother wakes up, but we'll take the time after they fought the first four visionaries, but before Dot, Finn and the gang arrived there to fight) would be delightful and shocked (imagine Innocent zero manipulating them to do the horrible things they did because "It will wake up mother") that mother finally woke up. Reader would try to get their head around what is going on and how much time passed while the four of them are sitting or rather standing around her bed where she was laying for all this time. Imagine if when Doom is fighting Mash, Doom says something like "You came in the perfect time, mother just woke up" while Mash doesn't have the slightest idea who this "mother" is. While they're fighting Doom explains a bit more and Mash is just like 🧍‍♀️. If Domina sees her when he there or if he hears Innocent zero talk about her awakening while fighting him he would be so shocked and probably feel slightly betrayed because "what do you mean she wakes up when I'm no longer welcome there?" Mother would definitely not know about how Mash disappeared from the 'house' or how Innocent zero abandoned Domina. I also can guess that she wouldn't be arrested alongside Innocent and the four sons, and rather the Bureau of Magic would let her free like Domina, since she was in a coma for like 15 years and didn't know what was happening exactly (I'm 100% sure Domina would convince them somehow, doesn't matter the fact that she passed out into a coma only after giving birth to 6 sons. He probably asked the boy who used magnetic magic and had a twin for a favor (since his dad is the head of the Bureau of Magic? I think)). And so she would have time to get to know Domina and maybe Mash more?

That's it for now, I will come back >:) Also, can I be '🎨 anon' ?

Woah :O long Mashle rant, I like it picasso✨👍🏻

Very interesting about the necklaces, I can already imagine how pretty they would look👀✨

This does fit the original manga very well hello?? You even managed to make it seem like it actually happened in the past omfg-

Props to you 🎨 anon🛐

(maybe I should make an anon list just in case hehe-)

[twistedwonderlandsimps]

If you're still doing requests can you do a Fnaf Sun & Moon animatronic yuu please?

I'm just here to mix-and-match different kinds of Yuus with different kinds of personalities to see what monstrosity I can make. That being said,,, Sun/Moon!Yuu brainrot!

So Sun and Moon from FNAF, aye?

Yuu would most likely be a humanoid animatronic rather than a regular human. They’d also probably have this jester/clown aesthetic going on.

Maybe they came from a high sci-fi world where sentient artificial intelligence and robots are common because why not.

Yuu is a semi-sentient animatronic but either they're just built different or they have a virus that makes them become whatever they are whenever they go Moon mode.

They're also probably a caretaker/babysitter model which is fair since NRC is gonna need all the help it can get so it doesn't burn down in flames and Yuu's the perfect candidate for that! 

That is, had they not been recalled and was about to be taken apart to be recycled after they miraculously survived a pretty bad fire in the establishment they previously worked in back in their own world.

Anyway, the moment Grim opens the coffin up, Sun!Yuu hops out of it like they hadn't been trapped there for who knows how long, swaying from side to side like they're doing this little rhythmic dance as their eyes land on Grim.

Yuu's system immediately equates Grim to a child so as a caretaker animatronic, they're very indulgent with him.

"A new f-fr-fr-friend!" Sun!Yuu glitches out momentarily as they exclaim out  in pure delight. "Where's yo-your guardian? Your friends? Why are you st-s-staying up late? Are we ha-h-ha-ving sleepover? Oh, we're going to have so much f-f-f-fun! We can fingerprint, tell stories, and stay up all n-n-ni-ni-ght!"

Crowley arrives in the coffin room and sees Grim trying to escape from Sun!Yuu's grasp because they insist on keeping Grim there.

Of course now that they had adult supervision, Sun!Yuu followed after Crowley to the Mirror Chambers, skipping all the way with Grim trapped in their arms who temporarily stopped trying to get away because he got tired.

Of course, seeing all the students gathered in one place, Sun!Yuu thought that management had assigned them to a school, completely oblivious that they had been shut down because they were going to be taken apart rather than reassigned to another location like the higher ups in their company had told them.

The company thought that it was more efficient and less expensive to build a brand new caretaker animatronic using their parts rather than finding out what was wrong with their code and fixing it, as well repairing whatever damage they sustained in the fire at the same time.

It was also to change image because the company seems to like doing that and because the big fire that happened inside the establishment they worked at was a blow to the company’s reputation so they thought it was better to replace any animatronic that somehow survived the wreckage and recycle their parts to create new animatronics.

As a caretaker animatronic, most of the students were still under their care since they fit the requirement of ‘being a child’ since they’re minors (considering that the first years are around the age range of 16 and the second years around 17) but Yuu has no complaints.

Although it’s night time when the entrance ceremony happened, since the Mirror Chamber is surprisingly well-lit, there’s no danger of Moon!Yuu running loose.

Anyway, Grim surprisingly somehow manages to escape from Sun!Yuu’s hold because cats are liquid and tries to show his magic and now everything’s on fire.

Yuu gets war flashbacks and practically blue screens so they’re of no help while the others try to make Grim stop.

After the crisis was abated, Crowley scolds Yuu for letting their ‘familiar’ loose which Sun!Yuu translates as ‘letting the kid that was assigned to them be left unsupervised’ which makes them worried and panic since that went against their program and that they’ll see to it with the maintenance when they have the chance, which then makes Crowley think that Yuu was sick so that’s why they couldn’t discipline Grim which is fair but tells them to keep a closer eye on Grim.

Anyway, since Sun!Yuu and Grim have nowhere to go and the mirror literally said that Yuu was soulless and was homeless, they get sent to Ramshackle as always.

Seeing the state of the building, Sun!Yuu keeps on a positive and optimistic attitude and is already planning on making it the comfiest and prettiest daycare ever!

Crowley was lucky Ramshackle miraculously had electricity and the lights still worked despite all these years because if it didn’t, he’d have met with a very ire and hostile Moon!Yuu.

Ramshackle is basically Yuu's new ‘daycare’ and if the ‘daycare’ they were assigned at looked like it came from a horror movie rather than a proper facility, how would that be good for Grim’s (aka the ‘child’ they were tasked to look after) growth?

Sun!Yuu might be friendly but Moon!Yuu was not.

Speaking of Ramshackle, Yuu absolutely does not turn off the lights in the dorm, at all. 

In fact, Yuu even goes so far as to keep the lights on every time night comes as early as 5 pm and panics every time they see an unlit room because they don’t want to go in the room just to turn on the lights.

It’s not like they’re saying that they can’t but that it would be better if they didn’t.

Grim didn’t understand why Yuu insisted on turning all the lights every time until he had experienced meeting Moon!Yuu for himself.

There had been a sudden blackout one time and he woke up in the middle of the night to see Yuu staring down at him with a weird smile on their face while somehow balancing and crouching at the same time on the headboard of the bed.

Yuu tilted their head slowly, looking completely robotic as they did so, face frozen in an eerie smiling expression that never fluctuated, “S-S-Sle-Sleep.”

Grim immediately closed his eyes and pretended he was asleep. He wasn’t going to deal with whatever was happening with Yuu right now.

Suffice to say, Moon!Yuu roamed the campus the whole night but on the bright side, they did catch a few troublemakers up and about and dragged them to Ramshackle kicking and screaming.

When he found out about this, Crowley seriously contemplated on letting Moon!Yuu out every night because then he wouldn’t need to hire a security guard for the campus and he’d have a security guard for free!

Sun!Yuu was not happy when he suggested this to them.

Firstly, because they weren't a security animatronic, they were a caretaker animatronic meant to take care of children.

Although Moon!Yuu did technically have security features, that was just exclusively to guard and protect children so leaving their wards alone to patrol the whole entire campus defeats that purpose.

Secondly, because they were scared of what Moon!Yuu was going to do if they do take control.

Although Sun!Yuu didn’t show it, they’ve heard of complaints and concerns being sent to their company about Moon!Yuu scaring children and forcing them to sleep instead of helping the children sleep, as was their job.

Sun!Yuu speculated that someone might have tampered with and corrupted their program, with Moon!Yuu taking the brunt of it.

Still, this won’t be a problem for long with Yuu once they pass Chapter 6, thanks to Idia and Ortho.

Maybe even getting their damaged to get fixed.

But before that, Moon!Yuu is completely unstable and is definitely a big issue so Sun!Yuu is perfectly justified when they say they're scared.

Thankfully, Crowley allowed Yuu to have one room only to keep the lights open the whole night.

Probably the lounge since Sun!Yuu doesn't want to keep Grim up by having the lights on in the bedroom.

Since Yuu didn’t really need to sleep, they just clean up and fix whatever they can in Ramshackle.

Anyway, Yuu and Grim probably still get to be students in NRC because Crowley still wants a therapist and babysitter all-in-one for free.

Mostly because Sun!Yuu made a very appealing point about children needing education and guidance to Crowley and Grim was technically a child.

Sun!Yuu and Riddle probably didn't match well with each other at first, mostly because of Riddle's overwhelming rules.

Sun!Yuu can clearly see that Riddle's rules were suffocating and making the students unhappy.

Sun!Yuu helps nurture children and plays with them so they're having fun while also learning but the way Riddle directly opposes their programming.

Leona probably wouldn’t be keen on Sun!Yuu that much since they’re just so positively cheerful and always tries to keep him awake.

He’d probably like Moon!Yuu more once they’re not corrupted with the virus because Moon!Yuu actually helps him go to sleep and sings him lullabies.

But he also likes Sun!Yuu mostly for the fact that he can just throw Cheka at them and Sun!Yuu would immediately take care of him which makes it easier for him to go back to sleep. It’s a win-win for him.

As for overblots, Yuu’s very flexible, strong, and mobile so there’s no problem dealing with it.

Oooo, now that I think about it, what if Yuu had this string/rope things that they use to tie up intruders/children out of curfew? 

Usually Moon!Yuu’s the one who uses this function to do acrobatics and tying up troublemakers but Sun!Yuu can use it too.

Now that I think about it, how would the meeting with Malleus go?

Maybe the only reason Sun!Yuu didn’t turn to Moon!Yuu was because the outside was brightly lit with all the lanterns and lamps and all.

Maybe Crowley specifically made the outside surrounding Ramshackle bright enough that if even if Yuu transformed into Moon!Yuu they still wouldn’t be able to escape Ramshackle’s premises.

Anyway, everyone definitely had met the corrupted Moon!Yuu at one point.

Ace met them much earlier, probably after he ate Riddle’s tart and the whole collaring affair happened.

Sun!Yuu kept repeating not to turn off the lights and Grim telling them that Yuu’s scary without the lights on so out of curiosity, he turned the lights off with Yuu in the same room as him.

He did not expect Yuu to start panicking and become hysterical.

He also didn’t expect Yuu to do this creepy contortionist thing like they came from an exorcist movie while saying in a super glitchy and scratchy voice:

“I-I-It’s past your b-be-bed-time. B-B-Ba-d children must be p-pun-ished.”

Ace immediately flipped the light switch back on and stared at Sun!Yuu who stared back at him.

“Please do-don’t do t-t-th-at!” “Yeah, sorry. Now I know what Grim was talking about.”

Ace totally flips the light switch off the first time Deuce stays the night in Ramshackle just for the hell of it.

Suffice to say, Deuce was ready to fistfight Moon!Yuu at that very moment had Ace not turn the lights back on.

He still got punched on the shoulder, though.

Also, Yuu put him in the time-out corner they made in Ramshackle which is just unused chairs and stuff piled together to form a barrier because they can’t afford a baby barrier.

[tuninghearts]

Alastor goes to the ruins of his broadcasting station to mourn his dead staff. Lucifer trails behind him, and offers him a deal.

Radioapple Week - Day 3

Prompt: Deal/Blood

The shattered ruins of his broadcasting station were a pain to witness.

Glass shards scattered over untouched dirt. The foundations have toppled from touching the bloody sky to now meeting their grave’s hands, clasped in its fists. The fluorescent lights that once flickered with a hint of life have been completely wrecked below the layer of glass, soul torn from its lifeless body. It’s gone, his reputation, and what he had built it upon.

Though, he must thank Charlie for rebuilding it, but they have not gotten rid of the clatter beside it, a painful reminder of his loss against Adam.

The trapdoor was swung open, to crash against the rotten wooden floor. He climbs inside, clothed knees scratching on splinters, and perched on top of the desk was his broken staff. Its shaft was snapped in half, the ends, its point of impact, bent and curled. He hadn’t found a way to repair it, for regular scotch tape wouldn’t work, and it’s certainly not going to be fixed with a hammer, for within it contained magic, and therefore physically putting it back together was of no use in terms of usage.

“Good evening, Alastor,” A voice creeps behind him, low in pitch.

He jolts, and turns around. Lucifer, standing there in that suit he found himself in the bar last night with, only this time it was rid of its stains. Inching closer and closer to him, floorboard creaking every time he does, his hands reach behind him to support his body when Lucifer looms over him.

“If this is your way of telling me you want to be close to me, I’ll let you know it isn’t working,” Alastor tells him, annoyed and petrified.

“Oh, come on, you think I’m that horrible? Wow, I guess nothing has changed since last night,” Lucifer pulls himself away from Alastor, and a part of him wants to reach out to the arm that flows past his face when he turns his back against him. “I want to make a deal with you.”

“You came all this way just to make a deal?”

“What’s going to be a better time to do that? Don’t be so hard-hearted, you slept in my—”

“Okay, okay, goodness, tell me what your terms are and get out of here.” Alastor pushes himself upright. Reminders of last night hurt him. They hurt him with thorns of flowers and wilting petals. They hurt him with flames when he was promised heaven.

“I’ll fix your staff, and you better stop trying to run away from me every time I get close.”

“That last part was awfully vague, can you explain more so that I don’t get myself twisted in something which wasn’t clarified before?”

“I want you and I to become close together. To be friends. It’s not as if it’s going to harm anyone. In fact, I think Charlie would enjoy us finally getting along.”

Oh no.

“Do you think I’m stupid enough to accept that deal? What makes you think that I would ever want to befriend you?”

“Last night—”

“I was drunk, you fool. You’re talking to the sobered up Alastor here.” An insult slipped past him, and it made Lucifer seethe with anger. He didn’t know what came over him, maybe it was because Lucifer is poking himself in places where he shouldn’t be, or matters involving his vulnerability aren’t something to toy with.

“Well, then,” Lucifer paces around. “Would you want to have a broken staff for the rest of your life?”

Fear rattles his core. His staff, which initially helped him in the battle, but he was tainted with a life-threatening scar when it broke. A part of him he didn’t need broken. A part of him that helped to raise him in strength, in power. He couldn’t let that part of him go. They were two intertwined souls.

“Would you want to be helpless for the rest of your life? I’m sure that when you fought Adam, you used your staff for the majority of the fight, correct? That means, you won’t be able to fight if you lose your staff, right?” Lucifer taunts him. The condescending tone hits him in all the right spots, pushing the right buttons.

That’s it.

“So, would you—” Lucifer starts, but Alastor cuts him off.

“Fine, fine. I’ll make the deal,” Alastor sighs, and reaches out his hand.

As their hands locked, light sprung across the room—he was sure it would push through the window in fierce rays, haunting anyone who stumbled upon their wretched mess. His hair pushed backwards, against his forehead. He squints. His teeth graze chapped lips. When they pulled their hands apart, Lucifer had a wide grin that he couldn’t tell if he wanted to stay on his face or slap it away.

“Give me your staff,” Lucifer puts his hand out.

The broken parts of Alastor’s staff were handed to him, and he held them ever so gently in his fist. He turned around, and a green light burned from his hands. It decorated itself on Lucifer’s attire, until he let go and it clattered to the floor as he screamed in pain.

“Gosh, this—” Lucifer grumbles. “Ow…”

“Be careful with that staff.” Alastor rushes to pick up the staff, checking for any dents made. It was fixed, put back together, and seemed as though it was unharmed from the start. “Why did you—” he stops himself when he sees Lucifer.

Golden blood trickled down his palms, cascading down his fingers to puddle and seep through the cracks of the floor. Lucifer was almost teary-eyed when he caught him, murmuring insults to the staff and the overall process of fixing it. “Why is your staff so powerful? It burns,” he sobs, and Alastor feels sympathy bubble within him.

“It’s magical, what do you expect? Is it going to be as stupid as your little cane? Of course not.” He scoffs. “Here, let me help.”

“What—” Lucifer pulls his hands away. “Don’t hurt me.”

“It’s part of our deal, right? To be friends?”

“I…” Lucifer scowls at the thought. “Fine.” His hands were placed in front of Alastor, but he rushed off to the side to grab something from under the desk. “What are you doing?”

“Getting what I need to fix you, obviously.” Alastor comes with a cloth and two strips of bandages. He puts them on the floor while he holds one of Lucifer’s hand, first picking up the cloth and wiping his palm, much more gentle than he’d like to admit. Lucifer’s teeth are overflowing with pain as he grits them, and Alastor does his best to minimise the amount of time the cloth touches him.

“Your cloth is dirty.” He points out, and Alastor chuckles.

“It’s cleaner than the rags that are sold here in half of the shops.” Once he’s done, he puts a small plaster on the area. It was a small cut, not seeming to be deep as the Mariana Trench but with the way it overflowed with blood before, he knew that he couldn’t keep it open for much longer. He needed to close it up before it rained everywhere.

He starts cleaning up the second hand, and Lucifer yelps with pain. “Slow down, oh my gosh.”

“This is as slow as I’m going. Do you want me to press hard?”

Lucifer grimaces, and shakes his head. His hands were an odd warm feeling in Alastor’s hand, and taking care of him in this way gave birth to a bud he never thought he could ever handle. Though, with their new deal, she supposes he could give it some sunlight to bathe in, let it thrive for as long as it can.

He puts the last plaster on his palm, and Lucifer peeks down at it. “Thanks,” he mumbles.

“No problem. So, does this mean we have to be close?”

“Not necessarily. You just don’t get on my nerves every chance you get.”

“Okay,” Alastor sighs. It’s the end of their bitter rivalry, and though it’s something he’ll miss dearly as he had a lot of fun toying with the King of Hell, he is looking forward to what comes next.

~~~

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

[fandomworld9728]

The Life of the Morningstars - Chapter 11:

As the dust settled, Lucifer looking up at the ceiling where the chandelier had fallen from. Was the wood rotting? Or maybe the chain was rusted and weak? Could it have been too heavy? He didn't wanna think about if someone, Alastor, had made sure it fell. If the sinner had been the reason for it to fall, Lucifer is pretty sure that it had been meant to fall close to him and not directly on top of him. Hands above his head to hold lighting fixture, he looks in the shocked and relieved faces of the hotel residents.

"Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine kiddo. You know it takes more than something like this to harm your old man." A wave of his hand had it fixed up. "Any chance I could help with replacing damaged areas of the hotel?"

~

After being shown around the hotel, Lucifer stood out on a balcony with Charlie and her girlfriend. "You got a great place here kiddo. Could use a little love, care, and magic to fix up a few things. I'd be happy to help with that and getting you some material to set up a better structure for your guests."

"Thank you so much dad. That really means a lot. Honestly, I didn't think you'd wanna put so much work into it. Since you don't...."

"I know. I've pretty much given up. But you're a fighter and I want to be in your corner. I love that you want to see the best in people. Even if the sinners here are completely awful for the most part. Not to mention Heaven... they don't listen. Well... most of Heaven doesn't listen." Setting a hand on Charlie's shoulder, he gave her a small smile. "You know I'd fight anyone to protect you and your dream."

"Keeping that in mind... there's something we need to ask you." Vaggie didn't know what she was expecting from what her partner had told her about her dad, but this wasn't it. She knew Charlie didn't want to ask, but this was the best time to do it. So, the former angel took one for the team. "We need a meeting with Heaven-"

"Done."

"Wait. Just like that? Dad a-are you sure?"

"Of course. Adam has to be out of his fucking mind if he thinks he can get away with this shit. I've been trying to find a loophole in the deal for Exterminations. I gotta tell ya... I wasn't in the best frame of mind when I agreed to them. Not to mention, they had me backed into a corner with it. So, now I'm going to fix it however I can. It might take me a day or two to get it set up though." 

Something shook the hotel, interrupting their moment. Looking down at the scene on the ground, the three were shocked. Loan-sharks were attacking the hotel. Running down to the main floor, they took in the chaos inside. 

"All of you, get to a safe distance. I'll take care of this."

"No, my dear. Leave it to me. It's time to remind everyone why I am here. A reminder to all not to mess with the Radio Demon!" 

Lucifer watched in horror and fascination as Alastor grew larger than the building and started to massacre those other demons. Some of which he just swallowed whole. "Charlie... you remember those protection spells I taught you?"

"Yeah! I'm on it!"

"Okay. Now let's make sure this doesn't get too out of hand." Letting his wings out, the small king took to the sky to try and assist the sinner protecting the hotel. Not that there was much he could do. Alastor was handling it all quite nicely. The most Lucifer would have to do is help with repairs.

~

Today, Lucifer had learned something new about himself. He was helplessly and hopelessly drawn to and attracted to the radio demon. Everything about him charmed and pissed the king off at the same time.

It was fantastic! He hadn't felt like this in so long. The only problem is that he was too prideful to admit any of that to anyone. Well except for his daughter. Had to keep her in the know just in case.

Retiring to his room and skipping dinner, Lucifer laid back on his new bed. He couldn't sit through a group dinner tonight. Not with how soaked he felt. That would just be downright embarrassing!

Now... what was he supposed to do with this revelation?

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[sigyn-foxyposts]

(Personal) Ivaldi headcannons:

Ivaldi is like you would expect quite the handyman, who truly has a skill when it comes to being crafty with your hands.

He is a very well known smith in Svartalfheim and gained a lots of riches from his excellent and honest work.

He started off doing flavours for others and repairing things in his early days!

Because unlike most dwarfs, Ivaldi isn't greedy, he was genuinely friendly and even helpful.

Though he does have that infamous temper if something were to go wrong in his workshop!

Most dwarfs repreduce naturally, asexually or through magical means and while Ivaldi has done all of these, he had always wished for a permanent partner to stay by his side.

He would have his two sons through asexual reproduction! Later carrying on their fathers legacy by becoming just as skilled as him in smithing.

Then he'd create Idunn using these magical items: Elven blood, Ashwood and gold. He really wanted a daughter!

You could almost call him a hopeless romantic at times because he has found himself falling for both men and women.

But dating other dwarfs was never easy for him because he'd often get used for his kindness and or wealth.

When he met Freyja though, wandering through his realm one day things finally started looking brighter for him!

They had a shared love for pretty things, taking pride in their magical skills and feeling like they were serving a purpose and it formed into a genuine connection.

Eventually leading to them having three daughters named Sigyn, Sjofn and Lofn.

Ivaldi always admired Freyja for her abilities in caring for their daughters, even Idunn who she had taken under her wing while she stayed underground.

But things took a sudden downfall when Freyja left without a trace, leaving Ivaldi heart broken and a struggling father.

He understood that maybe their love wasn't meant to last, he is respectful for that! But wishes she would have at least said something before she disappeared.

Ever since Ivaldi struggled sleeping peacefully and developed Insomnia.

Ivaldi often found himself asking Idunn to aid him in his fatherly duties.

Which he felt guilty about, knowing Idunn deserved better than to be some caretaker for their family!

A family he was obligated to take care of in the first place.

To him his daughters were just as valuable as the shimmering gold.

Which is why he spent his remaining free time as his daughters grew, sending out messangers who were willing to get back in contact with Freyja.

In every letter he begged her endlessly for her to take Idunn and their daughters into Asgard and give them a better life.

Something he knew he wasn't able to fully provide for them.

Once Freyja actually took action and collected Ivaldi's daughters, he decided to focus his attention on his sons.

Teaching them everything he knew, so they could make a living and possibly continue his legacy through their work.

Which is why his sons took over for him, making him somewhat retired today!

He still keeps in contact with his daughters and will provide anything they need if they so ask!

He is also updated frequently about their lives and every letter he gets from them, he keeps somewhere safe!

Ivaldi unlike Freyja isn't too picky or pushy about who their daughters will marry either.

He is very laid back In that department and only wants them to be happy.

He has often made Freyja change her mind multiple times too, putting their daughters feelings first!

He also really likes his sons in law: Loki and Bragi. Because personally to him they're the most entertaining gods.

Ivaldi also loves to brag about all of his children and their achievements to the other dwarfs in Svartalfheim.

[parkswritessometimes]

Sunday X Marvin

It’s been almost twelve hours without a text from Marvin. Usually, he’d respond within minutes of a message. A little emoji or acknowledgment that he was alive. But nothing. No response from the good morning text he sent when he woke up. Usually, Marvin was the one who woke up early and Sunday would wake up to a cute morning image of Higgins or a bedheaded, shirtless Marvin, but no message today. 

“You good, Kit-Kat?” Sunday types hitting send before his anxieties get the better of him. Marv was probably just too engrossed in a book to even acknowledge their phone. It’s happened before on a handful of occasions, but they always replied within a few hours with an apology or an excuse or something. 

But Sunday can’t stop this gut feeling that something was wrong. That something was wrong. He’s been getting that feeling a lot lately. Especially since the twins rose to power in the magic circle. This twisting feeling in his soul, in his magic. But this was so specific to Marvin like a magnetic force pulling him towards his friend.    

And it’s not like Marvin was going to ask for help if he needed it. Marvin has always been far too prideful for that. Raised by absent parents and a semi-sane mentor who could never be understood by anyone but Marvin, he was always destined to be an aloof person. It probably didn’t help that they were bullied for several years before Sunday came into the picture. 

Sunday was also an outsider always working twice as hard to keep up with the advanced classes he was put in. Magic always seemed to come so easy for everyone else. He’s lucky that he made the cut for the Magic Circle. It would have been so easy to cast him aside and label him a dud, but he was given a single chance. Same with Marvin.

It took a lot of time for Marvin to open up. Lots of shared candy bars, healing magic, repairing uniforms with his more practical sewing skills before Marvin even told Sunday his name. But over time Sunday could feel Marvin slowly opening up. Ivy creeping up his ivory walls until it flooded his heart. 

Now they’re 28 and living life, Marvin had a bookstore that never seemed to be open and Sunday worked for the Magic Circle, always one of the first people to be in the loop. And as much as it annoyed the higher-ups, Marvin was always the first one to know what was going on. It was a good thing the two of them had going on. 

Late-night phone calls that only ended when one of them fell asleep, cute photos, and inside jokes. Nicknames and practice kisses. And yeah their heart always skipped a beat or two or just flat-out stop when Marvin would lay their head in their lap, or hold his hand. But it was fine. Marvin was always skipping from person to person, never sticking with one partner for more than six months. Bar hookups, tinder profile pictures, bumble notifications, that always broke his heart just a little bit. But what was he going to do? Marvin was having fun and Sunday didn’t want to ruin their fun. 

Maybe that’s where Marvin was, on a date or he slept over at a guy’s house and forgot a charger. But still, that didn't feel right.

Sunday looks back down at their phone. No notification. Okay, time for a wellness check. 

“I’m coming over if you don’t text me in the next three seconds.”

“3”

“2”

“1”

“On my way. I’ll bring sushi as a peace offering.” 

Sunday grabs their favorite green cloak throwing it over their shoulder and goes out into London’s warm Summer night. 

—---

Sunday knocks on the door, okay more like pounds, trying to get Marvin’s attention. He wedges his cell phone between his ear and shoulder and listens to the ring over and over again before getting the standard “leave a message”.

“Vin, Kit-Kat, it’s me. Open up. I bring gifts and if you don’t open up I’m gonna portal up to your apartment. So do us both a favor and let me in!” He kicks the door a few more times to send a message before hanging up and shoving his phone into his pocket. Sunday looks up at the flat, the lights are on which is a good sign at the very least. He sighs yanking his bear charm free from his neck letting his mask form on his face. Magic wasn’t exactly allowed in public without a permit but he’s technically on Marvin’s property. He won’t get nicked for that. Hopefully.  The portal revealing Marvin’s room appears and he steps through closing the portal behind him. 

Higgin’s little merp and rub against his thighs settle some of his nerves but the main problem still remains. His mask swirls back into the necklace on his chest and the golden magic fades from his fingertips as his he pets Marvin’s little familiar. 

“Hey, Higgy. Where’s Marvin? You gonna lead me to him?” 

Higgins jumps up on the bed ignoring Sunday’s request. Typical little cat. Sunday pushes the door open wandering out into Marvin’s kitchen and living room. Notes, pictures, and drawings line the walls looking like the workings of a madman. And in the middle of it all Marvin, still in his pajamas, pacing around the room.

“Uh, Marv? You there mate?” Sunday asks, but Marvin keeps pacing and muttering to himself. Sunday sets the dinner down on the countertop and walks over the scattered pages of Marvin’s writing. Slowly, carefully with each step Sunday moves forward trying not to mess up any of Marvin’s work. Their hand finally finds their way to Marvin’s shoulder and in an instant, Marvin’s mask is on and lighting in his hands. 

“Woah! Hey! Hey! Marvin! It’s me! It’s me.” Sunday says throwing their hands up.

“Sunday. Sunday…Sunny.” Marvin says, almost as if he’s in a trance. 

“Yeah, Kit-Kat. It’s me. It’s Sunny.”

“What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

“I used a portal and you weren’t answering your phone. I got worried.”

The fogginess in Marvin’s eyes clear and they flash into so many emotions going from fear to sadness to anger all within seconds. 

"I don't need your help, Sunday." Marvin’s green eyes drill into Sundays. And for anyone else, this would probably strike fear into their souls. But not Sunday. Sunday knows that look. It’s not true anger, if it was he’d be on fire. It’s that pride getting in his way. The fear that if he opens up he’ll be left alone on the porch begging for someone, anyone to stay. He has to push everyone so far away that his heart will never bleed like that again.

"Yeah, I know, kit-kat. You don’t need anyone’s help." Sunday whispers in a soothing tone taking a step forward. Marvin may growl and snarl like a feral cat from time to time but Sunday knows him better than anyone, including Marvin himself. He was just tired and clearly scared of something going on. Whatever he found must have truly shaken him to the core.

“Don’t say it in that fucking tone Sunday. Why the fuck are you even here? Did the twins send you? Because you can tell them-"

 "I came because I was worried. So can you just sit down for five minutes and let me bring you the dinner I bought before Higgins eats it?” Sunday’s golden glow wraps around their fingertips and rests against Marvin’s face. Their thumb go up and down their beard as they try to soothe Marvin. 

“Sunny…”

“It’s sushi, and I know you have some good wine. Let me get us some glasses and you can tell me what's going on.”

“Probably skip the wine.”

“Vinny, did you not eat this morning?”

“I think so? I can’t remember.”

“Okay, let's sit down.” Sunday grabs his friend’s hand and guides him down to the couch. Marvin’s head instantly rests against Sunday’s chest and Sunday finds his hand in his friend's long brown hair. “Do you want to talk first or eat?”

“What did you bring?”

“Sushi.”

“I want to eat first.”

“Okay, kit-kat. Let me grab the food.” Marvin squeezes him closer, refusing to let him get up from his spot. Sunday sighs knowing that he isn’t going anywhere. He opens a small portal allowing the food to fall through and onto the coffee table in front of them. 

“I got California rolls, rainbow rolls, and some salmon nigiri.” 

“You spoil me, Sunny.” 

“I know.” Sunday begins to unpack all the takeout from the plastic bag laying it all out on the table. He hands Marvin a pair of chopsticks and lets him dig in. With Marvin off of him, he gets up and goes back to the kitchen. He grabs a glass from his friend’s cabinet and fills it to the brim with cold water. 

“You want me to grab Higgins?”

“No, that’s okay. He’d just get lost in the papers anyway.”

“Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that.”

“It’s all my notes, I’m trying to decipher some of them.”

“Why? Aren’t they your notes?”

“Yes, but I can’t remember writing some of them.”

“Well, you’ve written so many it doesn’t surprise me you’ve forgotten some of them.” Sunday sets the cold glass in front of Marvin and nudges him towards it. 

“No that’s not the issue, the issue was they were wiped from my memory.” 

Sunday shakes his head and jolts back in surprise. Ras has been wiping Marvin’s memories? Thats-why would he do that? He practically raised Marvin. The Magic Circle has always said that he was dangerous and an outsider. Breaking the rules of magic and not conforming to the laws set in place to keep the world safe, but mental magic? On Marvin? That’s almost too much to bear. No wonder Marvin got so angry. His trust must be shattered on the floor in a million pieces. 

“Ras has been using mental magic on you?! We gotta report this! You can stay at my house until the council has him imprisoned.” 

“What no! Sunday! Ras hasn’t been tampering with my memories. The Circle has been.”

The Circle? No. They were a bit…shifty but what governmental organization isn’t?! Members of parliament and even the prime minister took bribes and did some shady stuff and they were in charge of the country! Don’t even get him started on the mess that was America's government system. But there's no way that The Magic Circle was doing something like that to its members. To Marvin. To Him.   

“Marvin, I think-”

Marvin yanks off his necklace and lets his cat mask form in his hand. The green ethereal glow signaled that some enchantment had been left on it.

“I have it recorded. The twins, they took so much away from us, Sunny. Just look.”

Sunday takes the mask and places it on his face. Green-tinted visions of the past come before his eyes. That’s him in the corner, looking over at Marvin, but he definitely doesn’t remember this. A dead body on a slab with the twins matching fox masks firmly on their faces. Their muffled voices told them to leave the room and like the good peons they were, they left. 

“We’ve reached the limits of what direct observation can show us.”

“Even magical observation is insufficient.”

“Necromancy then.”

The twins cast a spell causing the body to rise up. Sunday’s never seen anything like it. He’s always been told something like this was illegal except in the hands of the authorities. People with permits and power. He couldn’t even pay attention to the answers the body was giving, too shocked by the twin's actions to do anything. 

The body collapses back on the table and Sunday almost does as well. But just when he thought the worst was over.

“We might use Mind’s Eye.” One of them says. Mind’s Eye was one of the most dangerous spells that could be cast on such a body. The Malia it takes could easily drain that of the corpses and the users, leaving everyone involved just dust on the floor. 

“The risk would be enormous.”

“To lesser magicians than we.”

“Very well we do need answers.”

“There remains malia sufficient in the husk to achieve it once.”

The twins touch their fingers to the corpse's skull letting the purple mist swirl around the room chaotically. Sunday can’t make out the images but he knows in his soul it’s bad. The body screams out like it’s dying again before crumbling to ash. 

The twins put their masks back on allowing everyone to rejoin them. Sunday and Marvin are the first to come in but still, Sunday can not remember even being in this room.

Sunday is all but helpless to watch as Marvin picks up his mask as the twins talk.

“We learned much from this vessel, but little of substance.”

“The circumstances of its death were byzantine and inconsequential.”

“A matter of science. Nothing with which to trouble ourselves. Whatever happened to this man does not concern the magic circles. We needn’t investigate further.”

“You needn’t even remember what transpired here.”

The twins chat to cast a spell and just like that the memory is gone. The recording stops and Sunday takes the mask off of his face. 

They took their memories. 

They took his memories.

They took Marvin’s memories. 

Over a man who died to science?! Over something so simple and inconsequential?! What did they erase that was important?! Did they erase a full days months or even years from his head?! How could they do something like that?!

“Marv, what the hell are we going to do? Can we get those memories back?! I can’t- What else did they take from us?!” Could they take larger pieces? Could they take whole people out of the memory? Could they take relationships? When was the limit where they couldn’t touch the memories?! 

“I don’t know. I have regained a few memories they took but that’s only because Ras drilled it in me to record my notes and journal my days. I’m trying to fill the gaps but I think most of them are gone.”

“Shit Marv. What are we going to do?”

“I honestly don’t know. Start recording with our masks? Compare notes?”

“That’s a start I suppose.” 

Marvin takes his spot back in Sunday’s chest and Sunday holds him tight. But it doesn’t stop the intense flood of anxiety coursing through his body. Pumped by the growing beat of his heart. 

Forgetting Marvin would be like forgetting his own name, his own being. They were so intertwined there was no way they could make them forget each other. Right? They surely couldn’t rip each other away. They would have done that years ago with Marvin and Ras. The twins never kept it a secret that they hated the man and constantly pushed Marvin to ditch his mentor. But Marvin was too stubborn, too loyal to even consider that an option.  

He looks back down at his friend only to find him asleep, all curled up in their lap. Sunday smiles and traces over Marvin’s tattoos with their finger. 

“No one will take me from you Marvin. I promise. No matter what.” They plant a little kiss on Marvin’s forehead and shuffle to a more comfortable position on the couch. No use in fighting it, he was gonna spend the night on the couch with Marvin. Not the first time this has happened and certainly not the last. He leans over and grabs a blanket from off the floor and drapes it over the two of them. 

Sunday wasn’t quite ready to fall asleep, still processing the huge mind fuck that the Magic Circle was doing this. And Marvin’s notes and research were within arms reach; he might as well catch up on what Marvin found. His fingertips find a large leather-bound book and pull it closer. Colorful tabs dot the pages probably signifying different spells he needed. 

Sunday opens it up to the first tab to find Marvin’s handwriting. No mention of spells or anything. Sunday immediately closes it and sets it down on Marvin’s back. Not today. There has to be something else he can read to get caught up on all this a spell book or something. But all of the notes around him seem to be in Marvin’s messy cursive writing. 

And then something catches his eye. One of the tabs on Marvin's journal had a little sun and a heart. He rarely lets curiosity get the best of him, that was more Marvin’s department, but he has to know what the little doodle of his nickname was doing there. He opens the book back up and begins to read the tabbed page.

I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna ask Sunny out after this meeting. I know we’re already kinda going out but I’m gonna make it official with him today. I’m in love with him and I’m sure he’s in love with me. Just gotta finish this meeting. I’m pretending to take notes but it's so dreadfully boring. I swear the twins are the stiffest people you’ll ever meet in your lifetime. 

Sunday doesn’t even realize he’s crying until the tear hits the page and smudges the ink. Did they take away that moment? Did they even allow them to have it? It’s not like Sunday could remember it. But he can just imagine it. Marvin just blurts out their feelings and he just goes red with embarrassment as Marvin uses sweet words until they kiss. 

And Magic Circle just took it away like it was nothing. 

Did Marvin know? He had to, he marked it after all. But…fuck. Did they take more moments like that away from them? How many times did they confess only to have the Magic Circle have it erased? 

Sunday wipes the tears away and takes another deep breath. He looks back down at Marvin and traces his finger across his jaw. He looks so peaceful right now. And as much as he wants to wake him up and tell him that he’s right, that he’s in love with him, that he wants to spend the rest of their lives together. It can wait. One big revelation at a time.

Sunday gives him one more kiss on the head and pulls the blanket up to Marvin’s shoulders. Both of them are gonna need sleep if they’re gonna figure out how to save their memories from future tampering. 

“Goodnight Marvin. I love you.”

-----

I don't usually write shippy stuff but here y'all go!

----

Tag List:

@kalcifers-blog

@the3rddenialist

[blinddreams24]

Repaired

A Mermay Prompt

(Note: I changed the nickname at the end to fit Killer better)

Masterlist

Prev / Next

"Hey! Heeyyyyy! Y/n! Pspspsps!"

You sighed. "What do you want, Killer?" The emergency bag of food was set down next to the cliff. Just in case.

You heard him giggle from the water. "I have something for you~!”

Suspicious.

“What is it?” You turned to face him, taking in the sight of his strange red glowy target thing. You’d tried looking up if sirens could get some sort of magic parasite but the only thing that came up was suckerfish.

Killer gave you an innocent grin and held out a closed hand. “Why don’t you come find out?”

You hesitated, obviously. He hadn’t exactly proven himself trustworthy. The scars on your arm testified to that. Your hand subconsciously reached for your shoulder where the scars still marred your skin.

Killer grimaced.

“Look. Y/n. I… I wanted to give you this.” He couldn’t maintain eye contact and was remarkably still. “I just… would you just take it? Please?” He shook his hand a little at you.

Confused by his behavior and a little intrigued, you slowly closed the distance. Yes, he had attacked you, and almost killed you. But, for some odd reason, you wanted to trust him. Maybe because of the way Cross talked about him like an annoying younger sibling. Maybe because you had played frisbee with him the other day. Or maybe because you didn’t want to hate him. Hatred had only ever hurt you in the past and you’d promised yourself never to do that again.

With more confidence than you expected from yourself, you reached out to take whatever Killer had to offer.

What fell into your hand was a small pearl with red twisting through the iridescent white. The colors almost seemed to glow as you twisted it and it glittered up at you. It tingled.

Killer’s empty hand rubbed the back of his skull. “It’s uh, it’s a monster candy.” He mumbled. “With enough intent, it can heal wounds, bruises, cuts… and scars sometimes…”

You raised a brow at him. “Sometimes?”

His face flushed red and he crossed his arms defensively. “Well, it depends on how old the scars are and how much intent was put into it. So don’t expect it to work or anything. My intent hasn’t been used like that before. Probably won’t even work.” He grumbled.

“You made this?”

“…Yeah.”

Oh.

He was apologizing.

You rolled the candy around in your hand. Now that you knew it was there, you could feel the intent inside. Care, concern, appreciation, and guilt. He really did regret attacking you, didn’t he? Deep behind all that, you could feel a very specific want. Probably a wish he had made while making the candy. Wanting to make you to feel better or something, you couldn’t tell, but it was very convincing.

You really couldn’t stay mad at these sirens, could you?

You sighed and closed your hand around the candy. “Thank you, Killer. I really appreciate that.”

His face lit up at the thanks. “Don’t think too much about it.” He dismissed. “I’m not making you another one.”

You could tell he was trying to stay cool about this but really just wanted to scream in victory.

You turned around and walked back to your bags. Pulling out a ziplock bag, you dropped the candy in and set it down so it wouldn’t get dirty. Then, slowly and carefully, you took off your swim shirt. You wore a tank top underneath, so you weren’t going indecent in front of Killer, you just wanted to see the scars before you tried the candy.

Killer’s mouth was hanging open when you turned around. When he caught your eye, he grinned at you and bounced his brows.

You shook your head at him. No shame at all.

The candy was back in your hand by the time you brought yourself to look at your scars. Pink flesh greeted you all across your arm in wicked scratches and cuts, the bite mark being the most obvious problem as it had almost taken part of the bone with it.

You took a shaky breath and, without letting yourself overthink it, you tossed the candy it your mouth.

It evaporated immediately with overpowering the taste of salt. Your face twisted in discomfort at the taste and you stuck your tongue out.

“Heheh.” Killer chuckled. “Maybe I shouldn’t have made it in the water.” He didn’t sound sorry.

Magic flooded your body and you felt it rush to your arm, ready to get to work. It felt so hot. Not scalding hot, but really really warm. As if you’d hugged the outside of a volcano. You weren’t in the fire but you could feel the potential.

You looked down at your arm and gasped. It was healing before your very eyes.

The scars sealed right up without a blemish.

Until the healing reached your bite mark.

The magic slowed considerably when it reached the biggest scar. Slower, slower, and slower until it stopped, leaving the massive bite mark mostly untouched.

You blinked at the scar, wishing it away with each blink.

“Oh.” Killer didn’t sound surprised. “I should have known that would happen.”

You looked up at him. “That what would happen?”

He absently gestured at his teeth. “That bite came with the intent to scar. The uh, the angry intent fought against the healing intent and won.” He gestured shamefully.

“Then why did the others heal?”

“I wasn’t thinking about them.” He shrugged. “My intent at the time was to bite you and leave a scar. The other scars were from me fending off your weak attacks.”

“Hey! I’m not weak!” You scoffed at his teasing.

Big ol’ grin answered you. “Your arms could barely move.”

“That’s because I was in the water!” You snapped. “You come up here and wrestle me and we’ll see who wins!”

He propped up his chin in his hands. “You’re cute, little suckerfish. Thinking you can take on a shark.”

“Suckerfish??”

[duhragonball]

Damia 3: Daima

We made it! We're finally in Demon World! Well one of them, anyway.

This is mainly a worldbuilding episode with some action scenes, so I guess we'll talk about that for a bit. But to be honest, I'm kind of itching to discuss the Demon Realm lore that I thought I knew before Daima, and what Daima appears to be laying down.

To start us off, Glorio pilots his plane to Warp-sama, the giant metal fish we saw in Episode 1. I didn't really mention "Lord Warp" before, partly because I knew we'd see him again here. Also, Warp seems like more of a plot device than a character. The Buu Saga established that the Demon Realm was separate from the "outer universe" (i.e. the galaxies, Otherworld, Hell, Snake Way, etc.). The Supreme Kai had heard of Dabura, but never guessed that he would show up on Earth as one of Babidi's minions. The implication was that Babidi would have to go to Deamon Realm, enslave its mightiest warrior, and then both of them would have to leave the Demon Realm to carry on their Majin Buu scheme. Such a thing was possible, but extremely unlikely, suggesting some kind of barrier between the two worlds.

Later works like Dragon Ball Heroes and the Xenoverse games used this as a motivation for the Demon Realm villains. Mechikabura, founder of the Dark Empire, was banished by the Kais to what eventually became known as the Demon Realm. His big dream was to bust out and conquer the outside universe. From his story, I always got the impression that the population of Demon Realm was descended from wicked Core People, or other evildoers that the Kaioshin couldn't otherwise contain. Towa, Dabura's sister, was conducting experiments in the outer universe with the end goal of breaking down the barrier. I'm pretty sure she was less concerned about conquest, and more interested in the chaos that would ensue with the barrier removed.

Daima actually shows us the barrier, and it's a sort of transit system. To reach Warp, Glorio has to pilot his plane to the planet Batapi, which is the closest Warp to Earth. I guess there's more than one Warp, or it's the same Warp and he has a multitude of bodies across space. Oh, and when Gomah used Warp in Episode 1, he had to specify that he wanted to go to Universe 7. So I'm pretty sure that means you can use the Warp system to travel to any of the 12 universes described in Dragon Ball Super.

The catch is that you have to talk to Warp before he'll let you cross. He's like a guy stationed at a border crossing, and you better not screw with him if you want to finish your trip. Goku calls him a big goldfish and the Supreme Kai's like "Shut up, man, you're gonna blow it!"

Glorio identifies himself and says he's returning home, but Warp wants to make sure Glorio's other passengers are Demons. The Supreme Kai checks out because he has pointy ears, but Goku doesn't, so the Kai has to magically shape-shift Goku's ears to pass. I'm curious how Vegeta and Bulma will pull this off when they go. Maybe Piccolo can make them some fake ears with his Clothes Beam Power.

From there, you just fly into Warp's mouth, which takes you through some kind of interdimensional spin-cycle, and then you emerge out of the butthole of another giant fish, or maybe the same one? I dunno. But first you have to provide a four-digit PIN number. This troubles the Supreme Kai, because he knew about Warp, but the PIN number business is new to him. He had relayed the location of Planet Batapi to Kibito earlier, but he never has a chance to warn him about the PIN number. I'm betting this is why we don't see Kibito in the closing credits. I think the plan is for him to join Bulma's group when she finishes her repair work, but he'll end up having to stay behind in order to ensure Bulma can get across.

Glorio describes and application process that's required to get a PIN number, but so far we've yet to find out who's in charge of all of this. Warp just seems to be following a protocol, and clearly King Gomah doesn't have any say in the matter, since he had to go through this same procedure in Episode 1. Likewise, the Supreme Kai is the highest authority in Universe 7, but he clearly has no idea who crosses over or when. I always assumed the ancient Kaioshin set up the barrier, since in the old lore it seemed to be a prison, but they wouldn't have allowed a transit system like this, especially under someone else's control.

Anyway, the trip through Warp leads to a white void full of portals to all sorts of places across the multiverse, but there's three that lead to the Demon Realm. King Gomah resides in the First Demon Realm, and that's where they need to go to kick his ass and save Dende. But Glorio was sent to Earth by the request of the King of the Third Demon Realm, which means Glorio only has clearance to return to the Third. You go through that, there's another interdimensional spin cycle, and another Warp poops your plane out of his fishy anus.

Okay, so first up on the tour is the Demon Realm Tunnel, which is a giant hole in the ground that apparently leads to the Second Demon Realm, and on to the First. Long ago, it was possible to travel freely between the three worlds, but someone blocked it off with a "shield of light" to cut off the traffic. The Supreme Kai says this happened when he was young, which makes it sound like he might have been there when it happened.

So now, the only way to travel between the three Demon worlds is using Warp, but only First Worlders and select members of the Second are allowed to use Warp. Third Worlders are apparently S.O.L., but the Supreme Kai figures Glorio must be a Third World resident, due to his appearance. So how did he get clearance? Glorio seems perturbed by the question, but he explains that he does "work" in the First World. What kind of work? "This and that."

There's a big statue of Dabura, but it's in poor condition, and who cares anyway? Buu ate that guy like thirty years ago. Goku is more interested in landing so he can take in the fresh Demon Realm air. It smells bad, and it's thicker than Earth air, which slows down his movements. Glorio explains this is due to special gas emitted from floating volcanoes all over the sky. There's a fart joke to be had in this, but I'll let you figure that out for yourselves.

So it's pretty clear that this is a plot device to nerf Goku's powers further. I find that strange, since he already got nerfed when Gomah turned him into a kid. He spent all of Episode 2 just getting adjusted to the balance of his smaller body. Now he's got the Demon Realm air to slow him down a bit more. Fair enough, but how much weaker does he need to be? I guess it makes sense because they couldn't just make all the Demon characters stronger, since Dabura was the strongest of them all, and he was about Perfect Cell-level, which just gets you killed in the Buu Saga.

Also, I'm curious how this is going to impact Bulma when she gets to Demon Realm. If the air is thick enough to hinder Goku's speed, then you'd think Bulma would barely be able to move at all. Maybe she gets a magic doohickey to counteract the problem.

While Goku fools around, Glorio asks the Supreme Kai if he's a "Glind", who used to live in the Second Demon World. The Kai confirms he is a Glind, but he doesn't say if he's actually from the Second Demon World. This show seems rather cagey about this point. We keep getting lore that strongly suggests all of the Kais, King, Grand, and Supremes, are former Demon Realm residents. But the Supreme Kai never comes out and says that's where he's from, even though he has pointy ears and seems to know a lot about the Demon Realm already.

The Kai does say that he's never been to the Third Demon Realm before, which suggests that he's at least visited the First or Second before. Glorio says that a high-falutin' Second Worlder like Shin never would have had any reason to go slumming in the Third, but Shin doesn't take the bait.

At this point, I'm guessing the deal here is that Shin, Degesu, and Arinsu were all from the Second Demon World, and then somehow Shin got called up to become a Kai, while Degesu and Arinsu rose up the ranks to become key officials in the First Demon Realm's palace. The way I remember it, the Kais were originally said to be from a race known as the Core People, and a select few of them were deemed worthy of becoming Kais or Kaioshin. And I'm pretty sure all the Core People grew on trees. So maybe Toriyama jettisoned all that in favor of this Glind business, or the answer is more complex.

There's also a "Sea of Darkness" at the bottom of all the cliffs in the Third Demon World. Fall in and you die. I guess this is different from the usual death you get when you fall down a regular cliff.

Also, there are armed bandits or something in the wilderness. Their arrows and spears are too slow in the air to be much of a threat, so Glorio runs up and shoots at them with his cool laser gun. Come to think of it, a laser gun doesn't sound like it fits the whole Demon Realm aesthetic, but maybe Glorio picked it up in Universe 7 someplace.

The gang resumes their trip, and Glorio's plan is to get a hotel room in the nearest town and then meet with King Kadan, the ruler of the Third Demon Realm. But first Goku's hongry, so they gotta take him to a saloon to get some hamburgers. Goku ate a little dinner before Glorio showed up in Episode 2, so he's not looking for a full meal. He'll just take five hamburgers, please. Goku asks what kind of meat they're made of, and Glorio says "don't ask." My guy, Goku's eaten centipedes before. He's not asking because he's worried, he wants to bring home the recipe to his wife.

Anyway, all the demons in the bar hate Goku because he has round ears, which means he must be from out of town. They start a fight, and Glorio clobbers a few of them, but the others try to attack Goku, and now they're in a whole other town. A town called Goku Town. Population: Whoopass!

I have to say, while this show has a slower, more relaxed pace to it, it definitely has not skimped on the action. Episode 1 had plenty of fight scenes from the Buu Saga flashback, and then Goku and Vegeta do some sparring near the end. Episode 2 didn't have an actual fight, but Goku did horse around a lot with his Nyoibo, and that's pretty rad. This time, Goku does a whole Jackie Chan thing to win a barroom brawl, and he eats all his burgers while he fights. He even says that this is just the sort of exercise he needs to get acclimated to the conditions in this world, so the implication here is that he's already planning to have bigger and better fights later on. Then he orders a sixth hamburger to put the exclamation point on this whole fight scene.

This is a great way to introduce Goku to the audience. I mean, Goku already has a Macy's Parade float, and there's a nice explanation of his backstory in the opening credits of this show, but it's still good to sum the guy up every so often. He acted like a big yokel for most of this episode, saying goofy stuff to Warp, faring in the plane, and so on, but when it's time for eating and fighting he's all business, and he enjoys his work. I think this is something a lot of post-DBZ works have failed to capitalize on. GT Goku didn't fight nearly as much as he probably should have, and Goku spent much of Super whining about the lack of good fights between big showdowns. The Super Dragon Ball Heroes anime had multiple Gokus in it, and sometimes they even fought each other, but I don't think they quite captured the sheer joy of it, what with all the alternate universe stuff going on in every installment.

Anyway, the next morning the gang heads to the parking lot to get in their plane, but it's been stolen. Whoops.

If I remember right, almost the exact same thing happened in Episode 3 of GT, which may have helped fuel speculation that Daima is some kind of GT remake, at least in spirit. And maybe it is, but Episode 3 is about where GT went sideways, so I have a hard time believing we're going to keep seeing parallels for much longer...

[shift-shaping]

a conversational trap

enaste awakens to the pain of the anchor, and seeks out solas only to find him conversing with unexpected company.

rating: t

pairing: solavellan

warnings: vague mentions of homophobia

previous fics | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Most of the time it just felt slightly warm, like she'd been holding something too tightly, and occasionally she didn't notice it at all. But sometimes, especially when she was uniquely stressed or tired, the Anchor felt like a dagger through her flesh.

Enaste cradled her left hand in her right, eyes shut tightly, the magic of the Anchor sending chills up and down her arm. The nerves of her palm burned beneath her skin, crackling fire blazing into her muscles. Once, when she was very young, she'd reached into the hearth to grab a still-hot stone. This felt like that, but she couldn't put it down. It was bad, possibly the worst it had felt since Corpyheus tried to tear it from her in Haven.

She wanted to calm it herself. Her magic was changed now, stronger and brighter, better at being in two places at once --here, and in the Fade. Like the mark, her entire body felt compelled towards both realms. She could disperse the magic, tear away the excess radiating from her palm and pass it harmlessly across the Veil surrounding her. That was what Solas did, so why couldn't she?

She breathed slowly, focusing, feeling the rhythm of the Anchor keep pace with her heartbeat. A halo of magic surrounded it, rotating slowly around a bright green core. She reached further, stumbling past the pain, and sensed the fabric of the Veil around her. When she closed a rift, she focused the power of the Anchor directly at the Veil, pinpointing the hole and willing it repaired. Now she instead attempted to let the power in her hand crackle at the Veil harmlessly, lay across it instead of slipping through.

It didn't work. The mark wouldn't bend to her will, and instead simmered as if in protest. The more she tried, the hotter it burned, sending white sparks across her vision. She gripped her hand and tightly and doubled over in her bed, suppressing a pained whimper.

She'd seen Solas do this so many times. That she still couldn't fix this herself was humiliating. He'd even tried to show her what he did, and she was evidently not yet skilled enough to replicate it.

But it was late, so deep into the night that even the wind was silent. She wasn't sure where he slept if she needed to wake him. Sitting in her bed and whining in pain was not an option though; maybe just stretching her legs would help distract her.

She dressed shakily, one-handed, cursing at the uselessness of her limb. It was hard to tie her shirt, to pull on her trousers, and all at once she lost her balance and her ass hit the cold stone floor. She involuntarily caught herself on her left hand, and the pain that wrenched through her bones made her see stars. Again she sat cradling it, cursing it, willing it to stop overreacting. Still it burned.

Eventually it quieted slightly, or perhaps she got used to it, enough that she could stand and finish dressing. Braving the many stairs from her quarters took longer than it should have, the pain flaring so bright it may as well have blinded her.

As she expected, the castle was silent. Perhaps a few servants were at work in the kitchens, and she knew the healers and surgeons never really slept. But the quiet was eerie, and an odd sense of loneliness permeated the empty hall.

Yet she heard voices in the rotunda. Soft male voices, speaking amicably but quietly. She recognized them immediately, and was so surprised she almost forgot about the pain.

Solas and her uncle were sitting on opposite sides of the former's desk. Her uncle was animated yet quiet, and Solas was as calm as ever, though she could tell he was enjoying the conversation, nodding along as her uncle told some story or other. As soon as Solas saw her he stood, as if he was doing something he shouldn't have been.

Roshan turned and smiled brightly at her. "Good evening, da'len. What has you up so late?"

"I could ask you two the same thing," she said, trying to be friendly through the pain. Creators, her teeth were chattering.

Solas immediately noticed something was wrong and walked around his desk to meet her. "The mark is affecting you." He gently took her hand. His touch, even through the pain, was instantly both calming and nerve-wracking.

Roshan stood as well and went to her side. "I thought it didn't bother you," he said, concerned. He reached out to touch her, then hesitated.

She laughed tightly. "I didn't want you to worry."

Solas placed his other hand over hers, fingers brushing the base of her palm. Waves of cool, healing magic washed over and through her. The relief was instant, and she exhaled shakily. Roshan put his arm around her and she leaned into him for a moment, catching her breath.

"You should have come sooner," Solas admonished, but he wasn't upset. He looked unsettled. "Why did you wait?"

"I thought I could do it on my own this time." Enaste sighed and flexed the fingers of her left hand. It was back to a dull warmth, the burning fully receded. The sudden lack of pain was bizarre, like it wasn't really gone, its echo lingering like a ghost. "I tried, but I think it made it worse."

"What were you doing?" Roshan asked. Both Solas and Enaste started speaking at the same time, but she gestured for him to explain.

"The Anchor appeared on the Inquisitor's hand following the explosion at the Conclave," Solas said. "It allows the Veil to be manipulated in a manner otherwise impossible to perform. It is capable of utilizing and redirecting vast amounts of energy, and can cause pain if that energy is not discharged."

Enaste looked at her palm, where the mark had receded to a strip of pale green sliced through her skin. Roshan squeezed her around the shoulders.

"I tried to discharge it safely myself, but, obviously, it didn't work." She glanced at Solas, disappointed in herself. "I still have much to learn. Having to wake you up for help in the middle of the night is unfair."

Solas shook his head. "Enaste, please. You have nothing to be ashamed of." His voice was soft, sympathetic, like how he talked to Cole sometimes. She didn't know whether it made her feel better or worse.

Roshan frowned. He was also looking at her hand, and she could tell from his expression that he still felt guilty about his role in sending her to the Conclave.

"But it is better now," Enaste said, smiling at her uncle, trying to keep his spirits up. He gave her a toothless little smile, and nodded. Being the object of both Solas and Roshan's concern made her feel antsy. She gave Solas an awkward half-nod, half-bow. "Thank you, Solas."

The odd gesture amused him, and he smiled. "Of course, Inquisitor."

She looked at Solas's desk, and noticed the presence of a half-empty wine bottle accompanied by two glasses. "What were you two talking about, anyway?"

Solas followed her gaze, and she realized both glasses had plenty left in them. They'd hardly been drinking at all. "Roshan was telling me about his relationship with... Souren, correct?" Solas said. Her uncle nodded, and Enaste was immediately mortified. "I was unaware of the intricacies of... Dalish bonding annulments."

She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. "That explains why you're both up so late."

"Solas is an excellent listener!" Roshan smiled, either unaware of or enjoying Enaste's embarrassment. She moved away from him and rubbed the heel of her palm into her eye.

She glanced up at Solas. "How much did he tell you?"

Solas hummed, and his little smirk was both irritating and reassuring. He was definitely enjoying Enaste's reaction, which she supposed was better than him being annoyed with her uncle's tendency to drop his life story on anyone who would listen. "Up to the second annulment, after Souren left your clan the third time."

"And he better not come back!" Roshan said, suddenly louder. Enaste put her finger to her lips and he lowered his voice. "That bastard can take his arrogant ass back to Clan Ralaferin. If I never have to smell his burnt cakes again I'll die happy. I swear, having him around is like-- like--"

"Uncle," Enaste begged. "Please, you don't need to trouble Solas with this."

"Dorian was here earlier," Solas said. He had walked back to his desk, and was organizing some of the papers lying around. "He was unaware that the Dalish had same-sex bonding ceremonies."

"I was the first in the clan!"

"He was the first in Clan Lavellan."

Enaste and Roshan spoke at the same time, their tones wildly different, causing the old elf to laugh heartily.

"I do talk about that often, don't I?"

"Yes, even after I told you it wasn't true."

"Well, Souren and I were the first men to be bonded to one another in our clan's recent memory."

"You were also the fourth," Enaste added. She looked at Solas, who was observing them with polite amusement. "My uncle was bonded, then had the bonding annulled, then had another ceremony with the same man years later."

Solas nodded. "That is the gist of what he told me, yes."

"I'm sorry," Enaste said.

"He said he'd had some negative experiences with our people,” Roshan explained, crossing his arms over his chest. “So I explained that, well, so have I!"

"Oh," Enaste tilted her head, suddenly curious. "You talked about that?" Talking to Solas about the Dalish had so far been an exercise in masochism for Enaste, so she hadn't talked to him about her family in a while. It has bothered her, actually, and made her seriously consider whether he should join her on her return home.

Roshan nodded. "I was telling him and Doran--"

"Dorian."

"Dorian, yes, the Magister, I was telling them that some clans we met with at the Arlathvhen were not terribly accepting of mine and Souren's bonding, and felt it shouldn't have been performed." He shrugged. "But of course, those are some of the more... Dwindling clans. Others have been performing bonding ceremonies between men or between women for as long as they can remember." He nodded sagely. "And we do have a long memory. Why, there was that one very old woman, an elder from Clan Ghilain, I believe, who would tell us all about her own grandmother. She was the one who taught Enaste how to make flies the first time.” He smiled at Solas, suddenly excited again. “Have you seen Enaste's flies?"

"I have not," Solas said, smiling at Enaste. "I was unaware you had the supplies here."

"You don't have fly-making materials?" Roshan asked, and Enaste shook her head. "We'll have to find you some. Though I don't know where you'd fish around here. You're so remote."

Enaste realized then that she'd fallen into her uncle's conversational trap, just as Solas must have earlier. She sighed and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. The touch of the old leather he wore was oddly comforting. "Thank you, uncle, sincerely, for enlightening my allies here. But it is very late, and we need to spend tomorrow preparing for our journey back home." Josephine had convinced Enaste to wait another day to ensure they had a ship waiting for them on the coast. Enaste decided to take that time to figure out how, exactly, she would manage this excursion.

"I know, I know." Roshan smiled. "It was a pleasure though," he said to Solas. "I would very much enjoy more conversation, lethallin."

"And I as well." Solas seemed genuinely amused by Roshan, which was a much better outcome than she'd feared. Still, when Solas looked to her he was visibly tired. It must have been a long night. "Inquisitor, have you decided who will accompany you to Wycome?"

"I... Wasn't really planning on bringing anyone but you, Loranil, and whoever Leliana assigns to us as support. I did ask Varric as well, but he wants to stay with Hawke and make sure Cassandra isn't pestering him."

"I see..." Solas considered this, thinking.

"I --well, actually, I guess I didn't ask you if you wanted to go." She felt nervous suddenly, realizing that she'd just assumed he'd go with her. "You don't have to, of course. I didn't mean to be presumptuous."

Roshan's thick grey brows furrowed. "What will you do if your mark starts hurting again and Solas isn't there to help?"

Her ears felt warm. "I... I hadn't thought about that."

"I think you have to come," Roshan said to Solas, who was in the midst of stifling a yawn. "Someone needs to be able to fix that thing if it misbehaves. Our Keeper could likely reduce the pain, but very few mages have your expertise."

She realized why Solas was getting along with her uncle. Roshan's method of flattery was subtle, and she'd always known him to make fast friends with nearly everyone he met. Of course, nearly everyone she'd seen him interact with was also Dalish, and she'd worried that technique wouldn't work on an outsider.

"You are right," Solas said. "I will go, of course." He sounded stiff, but there was still a hint of warmth in his voice. Solas accompanied her on nearly all of her excursions, so the idea of going without him was odd. Still, whether he would actually get to meet her clan was a different matter entirely. Enaste needed to determine the nature of the plague Keeper Deshanna mentioned before she let anyone else approach their camp.

"What about that Grey Warden?" Roshan asked.

"Blackwall?” Enaste hesitated “I... I don't know, I thought it might be best to only bring elves, and maybe Varric."

"Why?" Roshan cocked his head. "We can behave ourselves, da'len. And Wardens are unique among shemlin." He paused, frowning. "He seems sturdy, and he was very fond of my crab cakes."

"I'll think about it." Roshan was correct --about the Wardens and the crab cakes-- and if she was going to bring any of her human companions it would probably be Blackwall. Knowing how loyal he was to her, he would probably insist on going regardless once he heard her plans.

She shook her head. "In the meantime, we really should try to get some rest." Solas nodded as he re-sealed the wine bottle. "We have a long journey ahead of us, and we need to move fast."

Roshan sighed. "I've only just gotten here, and already Deshanna misses me."

"You could probably stay here, if you wanted to," Enaste said.

"And leave you alone again?" He shook his head vigorously. "That we let you go to the Conclave without family to help you was an error we will not repeat. Besides," he smiled. "I have a grand-niece or -nephew to meet soon."

Enaste smiled at him, but after reading Deshanna's letter she'd felt only fear for Harea. Knowing her brother and his bonded were in danger, be it from bandit attacks or plague, filled her with dread. She needed to be there, to help.

At long last, they said goodnight. Enaste knew she needed to rest, but thinking about what lay ahead made that difficult. For a long time she stood out on her balcony, a wool blanket draped over her shoulders, and tried to remember home. If these mountains were plains, she could see forever to the horizon. Instead, it was like the land itself was wrapped around her, all stone and ice and pitch-black sky that sealed her from the world below.

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[mistresscitrusslice]

"I'm only cryptic and Machiavellian 'cause I care 🩷😘"

Mastermind is THE Meljay song from Mel's perspective. It's about time I did a song breakdown for Meljay bc honestly they deserve it. Truly an underrated overhated couple

"Once upon a time, the planets and the fates and all the stars aligned" Brings up the visual of the astral-looking magic that brought them together in the first place. Maybe fate didn't bind them, but their love feels celestial anyway.

"You and I ended up in the same room at the same time" I don't think Mel intentionally bumped into them in the hallway, but I wouldn't be surprised if she did. If that hadn't happened, I do believe she would have sought him out at a later date, maybe offered him her patronage under the table, but that's getting into fanfiction territory.

"And the touch of a hand lit the fuse" This could not get any more literal

"To assess the equation of you" THE NERDS ARE FLIRTING. wee woo wee woo They're literally so cute I'm fuming. Can we be certain this song isn't actually about them?

"Checkmate, I couldn't lose" I feel like Mel has this attitude about a lot of things. She seems like the kind of person who has at least three contingency plans for every situation and as a result is used to getting her way.

"What if I told you none of it was accidental / And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me?" Mel certainly had her eyes set on Jayce from the moment of his trial. To an extent, even before the trial, from the moment she heard his name from Elora's mouth. Post-time skip, every one of her moves toward him was intentional to attract and mold him. Even before it becomes obvious that she fell harder for him than intended, she clearly harbors feelings and admiration for him as far as pre-time skip.

"What if I told you I'm a mastermind?" BECAUSE SHE ISSSSSS "And now you're mine" BECAUSE HE ISSSSS

"You see, all the wisest women had to do it this way / 'Cause we were born to be the pawn in every lover's game" Something something Mel is a fox. She has to be because she doesn't want to be the pawn to her wolf mother. This is not something she can just turn off when it comes to her love life, but maybe she can learn to (or maybe they can make each other worse)

"I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails / And the liquor in our cocktails" Ship motifs, only loosely tied. (I think that line would work better for Melvik) The second line here works really, really well for Meljay, though. I'm specifically thinking of the opera scene where she hands him the golden flute of golden wine.

"What if I told you none of it was accidental / and the first night that you saw me, I knew I wanted your body?" Oh, she for sure wanted Jayce's body, but more than that, she wanted his mind. She and I can agree that nothing is hotter than reckless intelligence

"No one wanted to play with me as a little kid / So I've been scheming like a criminal ever since" Hmm something tells me Mel didn't interact with a lot of people her age as a child

"To make them love me and make it seem effortless" And she does it well too!

"This is the first time I've felt the need to confess / And I swear / I'm only cryptic and Machiavellian 'cause I care" This song plays it off in a joking way, but this is unironically Mel 😭 She cares about peace, she cares about not going to war, she cares about progress, and she cares about Jayce. The road to Machiavellianism is paved with sweet little arm kisses with your lover's head in your lap and soft finger brushes in the chilly night air.

"I laid the groundwork and then saw a wide smirk / On your face, you knew the entire time / You knew that I'm a mastermind" Jayce absolutely does not know. He knows that Mel is a political mastermind, but he does not know that that is also being directed toward him, the sweet boy. If he found out that Mel approached him partly out of ulterior motives, he would be mad, but it wouldn't last. They've both harbored feelings for too long not to repair their relationship. He can't stay mad at her and she has a way with words. Their character flaws have glued them together.

[wowbright]

The ofmd season 2 finale makes sense to me for Ed's character because his journey is not about transformation, and it's not about leaving behind the parts of yourself that you hate and fill you with shame and scare you. It's not about becoming morally good, or even about becoming morally better, necessarily. It's about integration--integrating the contradictory parts of ourselves into a unified whole.

We all have contradictions in ourselves, and Ed has them galore. He's soft, and he's scary. He's sensitive, and he's heartless. And traditionally he's given the shadow parts of himself the name of Blackbeard. And he's called the soft sensitive parts of himself Ed.

But the thing is, all of those things are Ed. And he has to decide what to do with them. His impulse in 2.7 is to throw away Blackbeard, to throw away his leathers, to throw away the pirating life, to throw away anything that is ugly and imperfect and scary about himself.

He loves the soft, sensitive, aware, appreciative part of himself. He wishes that was *all* he was. But in the finale, he realizes that's not working. Because he's also impatient and distractible and self-centered and used to other people doing the dirty work. Before, they did the dirty work of killing people for him. Now, they do the dirty work of fishing and hauling and cleaning and repairing nets and everything else.

If he's going to stay with the fishermen, he's going to have to do the dirty work of being a fisherman. And sure, when PopPop tells him to go find something he's good at, maybe that's derisive and mean, and maybe it sent Ed into a bit of a tailspin. A lot of people think it did.

But I don't think that's all it did. I think it got Ed thinking. He wasn't willing to do the dirty work of fishing. And he knew how to pirate, but he was ambivalent about doing the dirty work of that--had always been. Was there a way to live a life without dirty work? Because that's what he wanted.

And I like to think that somewhere on his magic rowboat ride, he realized that life *is* dirty work ("life's a dick"). Whether he's a fisherman or a pirate or something else, the job will always require dirty work. He will always have to do dirty work. What he needs to decide is how dirty, and what kind of dirty, and will it be a dirty that he's good at or bad at, that harms him or helps him, that builds community or tears it apart.

Maybe he didn't have that realization. It doesn't matter, because when he gets to the pirate island and he thinks Stede's very possibly hurt or dead, he makes the decision to do the dirty work himself, and for what purpose. And it's probably not a completely conscious decision at first, to kill those two soldiers in the boat. But it's a decision, and it's a decision that signals a change in Ed.

Because previously, when he went ballistic, he went ballistic on his crew, on the people close to him. He hurt the people close to him because that was a way to hurt himself, to remind himself that he was a bad person, to remind himself that he was dangerous to the people close to him, because he had murdered his father, and that made him a bad person, and he wanted to punish himself by constantly reopening the wound he had experienced by killing his father, even though killing his father may have been the most moral option out of the options he had for dealing with that situation. The outside world thought that he was attacking the rich, the merchants, the empire. But Ed was on a suicide mission. He was trying to get the attention of Ned so that Ned would come and kill him and possibly his entire crew, who he saw as parts of himself. (Storywise if not psychologically speaking, he forced his crew to kill people as a way of displacing his trauma onto them, and of making them deserving to die with him.)

Which is to say, previously, when he's gone ballistic, he's gone ballistic on *himself*, and any deaths and injuries and mayhem were just collateral damage in that war. But the soldiers Ed kills when he returns to the island aren't collateral damage on the war he has against himself. He's fighting against them and what they represent--a navy and an empire that has hurt (and he fears may have killed) Stede.

But what's even more important is what he's fighting *for.* Because that's a totally new thing, and fighting *for* something.

He's fighting for Stede and for himself and for the life and love he thought he didn't want when he was stuck in the Gravy Bowl.

In real life, murder and killing are horrible tragedies. In fiction, they are useful narrative devices. In OFMD, killing can be a sign of depravity, and/or it can be hilarious, and/or it can be a means of liberation. If killing can be so many things within the story, I think it can also be many different things for Ed: it doesn't always have to be Ed harming himself; it doesn't always have to be morally gray.

Ed is integrating the sunny and shadow sides of himself into a whole person working toward a united goal. He can be soft and tender and tell Stede, "I love you. I love you." He can be violent and wreak death. But he does it in service of one thing: his love for Stede, and the family he doesn't yet recognize as his own, and the life (as in the fact of living, not any particular lifestyle) he didn't think he wanted. ("Die, motherfuckers." "For love!")

Ed is everything he ever has been. He hasn't changed. He's still imperfect and impulsive and, yes, violent. And yet he has changed so much. He's no longer trying to destroy himself, and he's no longer interested in inflicting violence (directly or vicariously) on others for no good reason except that he's bored and hates himself.

And when he makes a decision to open up a little inn on the edge of the island, it's sort of impulsive, but it also isn't. It's something he's played around with in his head for a long time, as we learned in the Gravy Bowl. And unlike with many of his previous impulsive acts, he's not using it to run away from himself or anyone or anything else. It's an attempt to work on his relationship with Stede, and to find out if he can stomach the daily dirty work of running an inn, and maybe even to learn how to not be a dick to his customers. (And this post is mostly about Ed but don't worry about Stede here and how he's abandoning his lifelong dream of living out on the open seas as a pirate--because was that his dream, or was it a manifestation of his deeper dream, which was to break free of the heteronormative prison he was trapped in? Well, he can do that at the inn, too.)

TL;DR For me, the narrative is cohesive. It makes sense. The story was never about how killing his father turned Ed into a monster. It was never attempting to set up the expectation that if Ed resumed killing people with his own hands, it would be an obstacle to his healing and growth. The story was about how Ed's reaction to killing his father--his interpretation of the events and how they had changed him--his belief that he was a fundamentally bad person and unworthy of love--distanced him from others and turned him into Blackbeard. And this season was about how accepting love made him able to accept that he wasn't fundamentally bad; and being fundamentally good isn't a requirement for healing or being loved.