#super soft ending

[jrreigns]

Letters from the Other Side

The sea washes over the sides of the steamship, taking with it the algae stuck to it. You almost hope the waves can take you with it, the nerves getting the better of you as you leant over the rail. Come see me, you read the letter over and over again, your stomach fluttering, I want to see you.

CW: Post-war Levi x fem!reader, civilian!reader

A/N: Some post-war Levi goodness after the angst I’ve posted this past month. ~2.5k words of fluff and romance. If this does well, I’ll probably write the super romantic smut next.

Credit to @cafekitsune for the dividers!

Three years after the Rumbling and things were starting to return to a sense of normalcy in the Stohess district. At least as normal as things can get when the twisted mentality of the Yeagerists and their seizing control of the military dominated the news. Your mother and father tell you not to worry, but you’ve been worried ever since the walls disappeared and the Survey Corps regiment disbanded.

Or rather, you have only really been worried over a single person, the man with the raven locks and the dull gray eyes, dull eyes that glittered when you spoke to him. You were still a woman, and a woman has intuition for those sorts of things like attraction, and Captain Levi couldn’t help how flustered he got whenever he saw you. Your father was the owner of a blacksmith company, and you often bumped into Levi along with Commander Smith several times a month.

Humanity’s strongest, you’d think in awe, where you had imagined a big brute, now you saw the man for what he was.

Why’d he come along was always unknown to you, but as your father and the commander spoke privately in another room, you offered small conversation and tea while he waited. Where small talk began, somehow a deep appreciation for the other bloomed, and the visits began to feel like the visits of the suitors that bombarded your home on occasion. He’d gift you single flowers, it’s all I can afford, he’d say meagerly. You’d thank him with a kiss on the cheek each and every time. And each and every time a ferocious tinge of red would adorn his face.

The timing never seemed to be right with either of you, it always seemed like when one was ready to take the leap, the other had other obligations waiting. Wait for me, were his selfish last words to you and you nodded your head as you gave him a final good-bye.

It had already been three years. You were already on the cusp of giving up.

It had been a nice breezy morning when you received his first letter. The unfamiliar stamps had caught both you and your parents off-guard, but nonetheless they gave you the privacy to open it. There, in the small garden of your home, tears welled up in your eyes as you skimmed through it.

It was a letter from Captain Levi.

Or rather Levi, just Levi, as the letter so said. I have told them to stop calling me captain, but these brats never learn. You giggled inwardly at his words, tears welling up in your eyes. You read it one more time, much slower this time, familiarizing yourself with his handwriting, the slant in his letters, his signature, everything. You familiarized yourself with the names Gabi and Falco, children you did not know but instantly loved with the way they cared for Levi.

At the very bottom, a hopeful wish that you will respond, signed next to his name.

Of course you will.

Your father stood confused as you gathered parchment and a pen to write, finding it odd that his moody daughter was suddenly so lively. Perhaps it’s the engagement, he thought, and let you be.

Your ring twinkled under the summer sun, and yet nothing has caused more glee than the very letter you were responding to. You wrote about the situation in Paradis, you wrote about the kindness of the queen, and you wrote about how business was booming for your father, despite the war having been over. The thought saddened you, but you quickly sign the letter and add a note that you excitedly await his next letter.

It’s not that you fail to mention your engagement, rather some deep part of you didn’t want to mention it. Your betrothed was a good man, hand picked by your father, you had accepted to keep his worries at bay that you wouldn’t end up husbandless and with no children.

How quickly Levi’s letters can have you questioning your familiar duties.

We restored some of the land ruined by the war, Levi writes, many foreigners are starting to settle here again.

You can’t help the sense of admiration that fills you up. It filled you up when he’d visit with the commander, and it still filled you up now. A military man, you wonder if he’s still as strong as when you met him. Humanity’s strongest, you wondered if he still thought about you and the flowers he’d gift you.

I’d like to visit it one day, you write, perhaps a change of scenery would be nice. All this yeagerist talk has me going mad.

I’d like to visit you one day, you will yourself to write, but you don’t. You had been lovestruck years ago, perhaps the captain no longer harbored the same feelings. Perhaps the captain has found someone new, perhaps the captain has married.

Sadness consumes you. After all, you were just friends back then, right?

You trash your letter and write a plainer one instead. It hadn’t even reached half a page when you sealed it, wrote his address on the front of it and set it aside for the postman to pickup tomorrow.

“Honey,” you can hear your mother call, “James is here to see you.” You force your best smile to greet your husband-to-be.

It’s weeks before the next letter arrives. The pretty orange and red tree leaves were beginning to fall, a cozy chill running through the district. Your wedding preparations were already underway when the postman calls out to you, a single letter in his hands, the stamps it bore already familiar to you.

More talk of restoration, recovery, Gabi and Falco’s shenanigans, when finally you reach the last bit of the letter. I don’t mean to bother you, Levi writes, your last letter felt abrasive. I understand if things have changed. Everything has changed.

You wonder what goes through Levi’s mind when he writes to you.

No, things have not changed. Things still felt the same, at least they did to you. Still, you couldn’t ignore your engagement anymore as you saw your mother debate through wedding ribbons in the distance and you finally will yourself to write and tell him the news.

I’m engaged, it feels awful to write it, my engagement is a long one, though, and so I’m sorry if the letter was short. I must’ve been busy.

You write of other things, of the rising tension amongst good folks like your family who didn’t want to fuel another war, and the yeagerists. You write of how the talks of peace by the ambassadors (who you found out were actually part of the same regiment as him) were falling on deaf ears.

I’d like to see you, you finally write, I’d like to see what the other side looks like.

You add the last bit in a final moment of hesitation, sign your name and set it aside, a deep breath falling from your lips.

“You’re changing the wedding date again, and to a later date might I add,” your father bellows out to you.

“Father, please,” you reply, exasperated, trying to escape the dining room and into your own, a new letter in hand, “I will get married in time, what’s the rush?”

“The rush is that you’re not young anymore, I beg you to reconsider.”

You shut the door behind you, shaky fingers coming to pry the letter open. You force yourself to read slowly, absorbing every single inked word coming from Levi’s fingertips.

You skip his polished words of annoying governmental policies being implemented on his side and go straight to the heart of the letter, his real response to you.

Congratulations on your engagement, he begins, I’m surprised you haven’t even married yet.

That? That is what he has to say? You scoff, a slight irritation blooming.

I don’t look like before—I’ve lost an eye and my right hand is destroyed, his letter continues, I look awful.

I’m not humanity’s strongest anymore.

You don’t know why these words strike you deeply. Years and a great distance separate you from what Levi is or was for that matter, yet it isn’t Levi’s exterior that ever affected you in the first place. It was the small talks and the small gifts, it was his tinged cheeks and his intrepid way of speaking around your people who have only seen the refined things in life.

You could never look awful to me, you write in your response, a wave of heat flaring up on your cheeks, you’re just trying to get me not to go.

Levi’s letters continue well into the deeper part of winter, the leaves have long since fallen, snow beginning to gather amongst the branches. The winters where he lived were harsh, and he writes of how they were causing the ache in his knee to worsen. You spend some of your money to send him some ointment you purchased from a local medic.

He writes to you of how the snow reminds him of when the Survey Corps would serve hot chocolate on the off chance. You send him chocolate you bargain off a local vendor.

The signs of Levi’s homesickness don’t escape you, even if he doesn’t admit it.

I could send you Stohess’s entire stock of goods if I can, you respond to his letters of thanks.

What would I do with all that, he responds to yours, breaking you into a fit of silent laughter.

I’ve missed your awful humor, you write casually. You wonder if you should trash this letter and begin a new one, but you don’t. I’ve missed you, you finish writing.

The budding roses in your garden remind you of your predicament.

“As much as I respect you,” James begins, “I won’t accept any other change to the wedding. If you won’t marry me then I’ll find someone who will.”

You comprehend his irritation, even if you don’t fully understand it.

He leaves you on your garden bench, exiting through the gate, just in time for the postman to arrive. Your feelings don’t subside, in fact they linger as you read Levi’s next letter.

Upon opening it, nervousness hits you as you see just how short the letter is. Policy change, annoying policy change.

The ambassadors have told me that postage to Paradis will be barred soon. Your eyes widen. Despite the nice spring breeze, your body suddenly feels so cold.

If I don’t hear from you again, I wanted to wish you a happy marriage. Your eyes well with tears, but it’s his next words that move you.

Unless you change your mind. Come see me. I want to see you. Just as you’re about to trash the envelope, a small flower catches your eye. It was dried up and rather lonely, but you hold it close to you as small tears slip down your cheeks.

The next morning, you try to give the postman your next letter but he just shakes his head in response.

“Apologies ma’am, the military has ordered a full stop for all international mail.” You thank him anyway, despite how distraught you feel.

Your wedding is within two weeks. The white dress in the corner of your room haunts you. Although lace with spring flowers were added to match the season, it only made it look like the kind of dress you wore on your deathbed.

There was no more rescheduling your wedding date, there were no more letters to look forward to, you could only look over the last letter, his final request.

You longed for Levi. Did he long for you?

Come see me, I want to see you.

Despite the spring air, a heat that resembled summer humidity burned through you.

“It’s a one way trip if you decide to head to the other side,” the hefty man tells you, “military has barred all incoming and outgoing mail, I wouldn’t be surprised if they bar incoming ships soon.”

This was it, the point of no return. You had written your last letter addressed to your parents—an apology for doing what you are doing. No, your heart hasn’t seized its rampant beating since Levi’s last letter. You need to see him.

You board without much of a glance back.

For days, sea sickness threaten to put a damper on your good (albeit nervous) mood, your only fuel the letters stored in your small suitcase, rereading them every night as the darkness of the ocean tormented you.

Finally, the crewmen announce that you will be arriving in the morning. The sun was setting off in the horizon—you clutched his last letter as you take a brief moment to absorb this feeling of resilience that surged through you. You’d get to see Levi soon, you’ve waited enough. Here, near the rails of the ship, you long for him, nerves filling your stomach.

The sea washes over the sides of the steamship, taking with it the algae stuck to it. You almost hope the waves can take you with it, the nerves getting the better of you as leant over the rail. Come see me, you read the letter over and over again, your stomach fluttering. I want to see you.

Past the plethora of persons disembarking, past the many political volunteers ushering about far-off dreams of peace that were unachievable, you navigate through unknown territory in an effort to find him. Fingers pointed, people spoke foreign directions as they glanced at the address on your envelope. It has all brought you here.

Face to face with a young girl, too young to be married.

“Ah—sorry,” you begin, “I was told Levi Ackerman lived here.”

“Yeah he does,” she begins suspiciously, “I’ll get him.” The door closes again and already you feel out of your element. Perhaps this was a mistake, you wish the ground can swallow you whole. Peering eyes look at you through a nearby window, ones that belonged to the young girl who just spoke to you, and another who you haven’t met.

“That’s her? No way,” you can hear them say. Suddenly the door opens, and dull gray eyes that bore a hint of annoyance soften and make way for a familiar glitter that reminded you of simpler times.

“Levi.”

He whispers your name, suddenly hiding his maimed hand, trying to get you to see his good side, the side with his working eye. But you don’t see that. You see the man who gifted you flowers, you see the man whose cheeks you once kissed.

You will yourself to move and you do, grabbing the hand behind him and crashing into him in an embrace. Levi’s face is red, and he glances at the window to see Gabi and Falco gawking at them. He waves them off annoyingly and they give him a thumbs-up as they pull away.

Hands come to wrap around you, lips kissing your forehead.

“You came,” he whispers into your hair.

“Of course.”

[fucciwilliams]

[chiricat]

acheswan 🔥

[omaano]

If you're still taking requests on the polyam drawing thing, D2 with Padme/Rex/Anakin?? (with Rex in the middle getting smoochies 😚🙏💖)

If you're not, then just thank you for sharing I'm enjoying seeing the cute poly/platonic art! 😊

Changed to E3 for a pose, and I’d turned it super self indulgent (pretty purple background for me yay!☺️) I hope you will like it too! Thanks for asking!💕

I really like this look for Padme (mostly because of her beautiful hair), and I also wanted to deck Rex out in something pretty too. It’s a nice pink tinted dream :3

Polyam/platonic poses for these sketches

[little-pup-pip]

Do you think you could do a agree board for a bunny regresser? Either gender leaning is ok and with a decorated pasi

Thank youu :3

For sure!!

[alteredsu]

I re-blonded my hair and cut my bangs 💛

[lambilegs]

what about lee coming home from work all tired and mushy, then having reader to take good care of her. making her dinner, brushing her hair, just the gayest stuff ever

tired weary lee harker :( x reader

♡｡ﾟ.(*♡´‿` 人´‿` ♡*)ﾟ♡ °・

anon this is quite literally perfect timing bc I spent all day at school and commuting so I am SLUMPED and in need of some comfort stuff

when lee calls you that day during her lunch break, doing her usual routine checkup of asking if you're okay, if you've eaten and letting her know what time she'll reach, you can hear it. the strain in her voice, the slowness of her words, the distance -- something is clearly gnawing at her, and you know it's the current case she's working on. the violence, the gruesome details, the weight she puts on herself -- none of it is easy. and you can see it when she leaves in the morning, dark under eye circles lining her skin, and you can hear it in her voice. she's getting worn out.

the exhaustion in her voice sparks something in you, a sudden urge to do something for her bursting, and you try to not sound too eager when asking her to confirm her arrival time. when she tells you she'll be home at 8:00PM, tone firm with promise, you nearly hang up on her right then and there.

so, you get to work right away, making her the pasta she likes, driving to the supermarket, and getting snacks, hot cocoa and dessert. you clean up the living room and light candles, trying to make things as cozy as possible. by the time it's 7:53PM, you're practically waddling on your feet, excitement bubbling in you.

as to be expected, she enters the home at 8:03PM, her promise fulfilled. you can see her sigh as she enters, head ducked down, hair falling from her ponytail. your smile falters a bit, aching at the sight of her so tired. when she sees you, she beelines to your figure, immediately laying her head on your shoulder. her breaths are heavy and shaky.

"long day?" you ask. she nods quietly against your chest. "wanna talk about it?" she shakes her head, breathing in your scent. "no, I just wanna do something else."

you nod and press a kiss to her forehead. "go, go shower, baby, then we'll hang out, okay?" she nods again, leaning back to press her forehead against yours, your breaths intermingling softly before she pulls away, walking to the bathroom.

your chest aches for her, and when you hear the shower turn on, you run to the kitchen, making sure the table is set just as you want it, and turning the stove back on to heat up the food. when she comes out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, she's in sweats and a sweatshirt, towel hanging around the back of her neck, her long hair dripping over it. you nearly let out a flustered laugh, something stirring in you from how effortlessly good she looks. when she finally looks up, noticing the food, and glancing towards the table, which is lit with candles and decorated with a bouquet, she pauses, her eyebrows pursed. "I... what is all this?"

you suddenly feel bashful in admitting all you did today, but push yourself to continue. "well, you just had a long day and all, so I got some snacks and made dinner, and after, we can watch whatever you want and cuddle, and, well, yeah..." you look away, nearly cringing at yourself.

but lord, should you have been looking at her, because she's staring at you like you just announced that you hung all the stars in the sky. her eyes are soft, desperately latched onto you, a warm feeling settling on her cheeks as she realizes you've done all this for her. she doesn't even know what to say. she's been so solitary, for so long, only a select few in her life treating her with tenderness -- so, she still sometimes struggles to handle it and voice out just how much it means to her. she just stands there for a few seconds, taking in all you did, the vulnerability of being doted on nearly too much for her, making her feel almost embarrassed and put on the spot. but, she loves it, she truly does -- the affection of your actions has her hands aching to grab and hold you. she's just so not used to being the sole target of someone's acts of service.

she quietly walks to you and without a word, buries her face in your neck, wrapping her arms around your waist and clutching onto you, so hard as though you -- or maybe, she -- might break. "thank you," she softly mumbles, pushing her face in deeper. your heart nearly melts.

the entire thing sends you into an almost intense doting mode. when you two sit at your guys' table (yes, because even if she gets home late, she refuses to eat unless you're there), you're constantly touching her -- stroking her wet hair back, using your thumb to swipe at a bit of sauce on her mouth, and lightly thrumming her wrists. whenever you do it, the corner of her lip twitches, and whether she's mid-bite or in the middle of chewing, she'll always lean into your touch like a needy cat.

afterwards, you get all the snacks and tell her to choose a film. of course, her dork ass chooses a mystery, curling up on the couch excitedly, tucking her feet in. after you take two seconds too long, she calls out to you, a near whine to her, "babe? do you need help?"

you laugh, lightly chastising her for being so impatient, to which she pouts slightly. when you come out with dessert and all her favourite snacks, a rush of contentment washes over her. you lean back on the couch, your arms outstretched. she blinks slowly at you, a soft smile curling at her lips before she settles into you, laying her head on your chest and letting you stroke her hair. you pick at the bag of gummies, feeding her all the red ones, and she curls into you, shy at just how damn needy she feels for you.

before you guys go to sleep, you comb her hair, sitting behind her and humming while you guys play music in the background (yes you guys are listening to Fade Into You). as you comb out the knots, your nails scratch lightly into her scalp, fingertips pressing in and massaging. she sighs at the feeling of it, taken aback when emotion suddenly seizes her throat, her eyes beginning to burn. she hasn't felt so intimately taken care of in so long, and the feeling of you being so unwavering in your efforts makes her realize just how badly she wants to be held by you on all her bad days, and just how long she's been aching to be held at all.

that night, she cries silent tears to you, kissing your neck and whispering, "thank you." just two words, but they're so earnest that your own throat tightens up at it. you don't know how to find the words to tell her that you'd do this for her for an eternity if you could, so you drop some kisses on her head and tell her how much she deserves it. she's unfamiliar with such a sentiment, but coming from you, she can't help but believe it.

[hypermascbishounen]

There's a deep irony in Berserk being so admired by people who really really hate what Berserk is about on an emotional level, but especially when writers want to take influence from it. Because Berserk is very strong thematically, and someone who can't acknowledge subtext is going to whiff on emulating anything good.

[mydollsaregay]

@americangirlruinedmylife asked me if i had seen AG’s website today and for a minute i was so wrapped up in the revival of Julie’s floral jumpsuit that i straight up didn’t even see the other historical drops 😅

anyway i love this fit SO much. i was devastated when i got back into collecting and saw how expensive it was, so i am very pleased to be able to have a version of it (though they changed the sandal color for some reason?? it’s odd but im fine with it - I have some tan ones I’ll switch them out for).

the other thing I’m definitely going to be getting is Addy’s birthday dress- my Addy only has her pjs so i’m pumped to be able to get another fit for her!!! also I just love her birthday outfit. her snood is super fun, and I LOVE the checkered apron.

(I kinda wish the book was sold separately though, as I believe I already have a copy and. Y’know. Money.)

i actually LOVE the idea of the limited drop IF they end up doing what I think they’re going to do. they dropped just the birthday/spring outfits and books during the season when they take place….

I think they might be doing a seasonal release of each book and accompanying outfit??? 🤔

based on how much got left hanging around on sale for molly and kit, i think they might be trying to broaden the audience while limiting the amount they have to stock by doing these three girls at once - they could be planning to rotate out items as they add each new book and accompanying outfit, which I actually think is an extremely cool idea. there’s no way to know for certain until we hit summer and the next wave would release (if im not totally off base), but we’ll see 👀

[floofeeeeee]

Au where Sophie get fostered by Tiergan instead of Grady and edaline

[multicolour-ink]

Mario x Mermaid AU

Takes a little bit of inspiration from The Little Mermaid. Contains some Mareach and (platonic) brotherly love.

PREMISE

🐚 Mario and Luigi are merman who live in the seas of the Mushroom Kingdom. Their father, Pio, the strongest and most magic equipped of their family, has always forbid the brothers from going to the surface.

🐚 "The beings above have their own concerns. And neither do they care for ours. Our worlds are not meant to co-exist."

🐚 But Mario especially has always had an interest in the surface, and along with his brother Luigi, loves to explore old shipwrecks, collect objects from the surface that they have no idea what they are but they are cool, and playing in the various small coves on the beaches of the Mushroom Kingdom.

🐚 One day while having one of these bonding moments, the brothers notice a ship coming in, and swim up closer to investigate. Luigi is hesitant to go any further, but Mario is curious about the celebration on board. It turns out it's a birthday party for the Mushroom Kingdom's princess, Peach.

🐚 The moment Mario sees her, he's instantly entranced by her. She's the most beautiful being he has ever seen. And her voice is almost like a siren call.

🐚 Mario dares to get closer, and happens to eavesdrop on a conversation between Peach and her supervisor, Toadsworth. Peach is quite worried as a threat from the sea, the sea monster Bowser, is starting to show itself, and Peach is certain this monster wants to claim her kingdom.

🐚 Suddenly the party is interrupted by the arrival of a thunder storm. It proves to be stronger than the surface dwellers realise, and very soon the ship is overpowered and is forced to retreat.

🐚 In the chaos, Peach tries to rescue a toad subject who is about to fall in, but is thrown overboard herself. Without even thinking, Mario dives after her, with Luigi yelling after him. He pulls her unconscious body up to the surface, and swims with all the strength he has to get her to safety.

🐚 Mario manages to get the princess to a nearby beach, and stays with her until the storm subsides. During this time, he notes about how kind she was to put her subjects before herself, reflected so much in her beauty that he can't seem to draw his eyes away from...

🐚 Soon after Luigi shows up (after an almost panic induced meltdown for his brother!).

🐚 "She's so beautiful, Luigi...", Mario whispers, his eyes not leaving Peach. Luigi looks at his brother. He knows that look his older brother has. And he's both happy, and worried for him.

🐚 Just as Peach begins to wake up, the brothers hear the cries of her subjects looking for her, and quickly dive back into the sea before they are spotted.

🐚 "Princess!", Toadsworth pants, nearly beside himself. "Are you right?!"

🐚 "Oh Toadsworth...", says Peach. "A man...rescued me. He was so kind to me..."

🐚 Toadsworth and her subjects take her away to be tended to, and meanwhile Mario is on cloud nine. He drifts through the sea in a goofy daze, and Luigi smirks as he takes in the look on his brother's face.

🐚 "You're in love with her 😏", he says. Mario blushes and tells him that he's wrong!

🐚 Returning to their home, the brothers arrive to find everyone in a state of panic. The sea monster Bowser has been seen nearby, and appears to be making its way to the surface.

🐚 Mario's heart freezes, for he realises that Bowser is heading to the Mushroom Kingdom - just like Peach said!

🐚 He tells his father that they needs to go up to the surface and save them. Pio refuses, not wanting his family, and especially his sons, to get involved. But then he realises...

🐚 "There is another...", Pio says, voice shaking.

🐚 "You cannot be with them", Pio says firmly before Mario can speak. "There is nothing we can do. And don't you dare bring your brother with you. You've dragged him into this obsession long enough! Don't you dare hurt him any more!"

🐚 Mario is hurt, and flees from the room before anyone can see his tears. Luigi follows, and finds Mario frustrated and broken over what to do. He wants to help so bad, but like his father said, he can't risk putting anyone on danger, especially his brother.

🐚 After everyone is asleep, Mario sneaks out to think things over, and runs into a sea witch called Kammy.

🐚 "You want to save those on the surface, right?", asks Kammy. "I can help you with that."

🐚 Mario is not foolish, but he is desperate to help Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom in any way he can. He follows Kammy to her cave, and she proposes a plan: If Mario can give up a part of himself, then she will turn him into a human so he can walk on the surface and meet Peach.

🐚 Thus, Mario makes a brash decision to try and save the Mushroom Kingdom, and the seas...

[mo-ok]

little guy saga continues this time with the biggest little guys you've ever seen 🤖

[fucciwilliams]

[the-mighty-mittens]

Besties

[malaierba]

One of the servers I'm in low-key gave Toshiro arfid but I don't think they noticed

[anxiously-sidequesting]

So I don't know if it was ever revealed how Duncan felt when we killed Malistaire all three times but I'm wondering if maybe some part of him could hate us for that too. Like you hear that and you go "but why. Malistaire was terrible and even Duncan knew that(?). Why would he hate you for getting rid of him."

But like I think it's so....... interesting in a very, very, very sad way how Duncan so easily latches onto anyone who directly feeds into his delusions of grandeur. And that's no fault of his own that he was manipulated by the nasty Schism but when you think about how desperately clung to the idea that Malistaire, easily one of the greatest necromancers any of us had ever heard of (at that time), somehow actually recognized Duncan's talents (even when canon supports that Duncan wasn't all that talented, at least no more than the next necromancer) and then praised him for it so often that Duncan believed that he would be the next Death Professor is. I mean ☹️

So like with that mindset I unfortunately feel like it would be quite easy to twist even Malistaire's death as something that's horrible and awful and all our fault. ESPECIALLY if the Schism was feeding into Duncan's already broken mind and shattered ego and was constantly telling him that everything bad that ever happened to him ever in his life was Our Fault. That's like a realistic conclusion that someone like Duncan could come to

And like, at this point in time, are Malistaire's crimes even a factor in how he thinks????? Was Duncan ever able to separate Malistaire's talent and skills and prowess from the terrible and awful things he did? If Duncan wasn't able to consciously tell that distinction in the first place I can't imagine it would be any better during the years he was being manipulated and isolated and lied to

Like in Duncan's mind it probably isn't, "maybe I shouldn't idolize a national criminal, or idolize anyone at all for that matter, and aspire to be like someone so harmful when I can recognize my own talent and build from there" it's probably more like, "you (the wizard) permanently got rid of a brilliant mind, an innocent person who just made a few mistakes, and someone who believed in me no matter what just so that you could be the better than me and loved by everyone else" and that's! very sad actually!