#unseen!verse

[the-scribe-and-her-scribbles]

⭐️

Let’s talk about the Wandering Woods.

It’s alive, almost sentient, like those giant forests that is actually one specimens, grows across the grown with thousands of different heads.

Like the Fae that live in it, it’s mischievous, sometimes malicious. It hears and it sees, it makes travelers get lost, rearranges itself at random when it feels. And Gilbert is it’s chosen one. That doesn’t mean it’s always good to him, His woods like to see him suffer.

And because you are Gilbert’s mate, it loves you. It's really is unlucky that at the point where chapter 14 leaves off, you're stumbling through the Woods, lost and alone!

It’s chosen one’s little mouse, so sweet and curious, so clever! It's quite fond of Gilbert so it won't let you stray too far or get hurt, but it also isn't going to send you back to him until he calms down. It's going to taunt him a little, drive him a little crazy while Gilbert tries to find you.

[thelordismylightandmysalvation]

Verse of the Day - 2 Corinthians 4:18

[huntershowl]

@sinshosted said:

“   everyone leaves unfinished business. that’s what dying is.   ” //from ava :3c

a prompt i lost.

❝ SURE. MAYBE. ❞ AN UNBOTHERED SHRUG accompanies their harsh monotone, their dark and irritated gaze. ❝ most people have too much to do before they go. by the time i'm put down, there is only one thing i have to get done. ❞ a pause, and hellhound taps the ash from their cigarette. ❝ but — yeah. whatever. better start on your list now if you want to catch up, pipsqueak. ❞

[secret-engima]

So I Did A Thing

And that thing was go a wee bit insane for the new year and update 4 fics and post 3 more! So rather than spam everyone with individual posts for each update, here's a list of em!!

A Heart Once Hardened (Hopes, One Day)

BNHA multichap set in the Feather-Light and Ember-Bright verse. Get your newest free dose of Enji and Dabi angst here >:3.

Good Luck Bead

Non-canon CfR oneshot where Nyx faceplants into the past and succeeds in not running into any Plot Important Characters for- less than five minutes.

A Fairytale (That's Full of Charm)

If anyone remembers me threatening to make a ground-up rewrite of RWBY the show- this is the first chapter of that. I have my au hammers and Plenty Of Ideas planned. :3

Made This Promise (Always I Dreamed About You)

Chapter 3 of Made This Promise/OC-insert Raven is UP! We get Qrow pov this time. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about- it's oc-insert as Raven in RWBY but with a bunch of other tropes and angsty things thrown in.

Broken (But Never to Pieces)

Latest entry in Blood of My Blood verse!! Cor-centric, Drautos-centric look at what happened with them to change things so much in this au. Finally. Second chapter is UP.

Worlds Unseen (Calling You and Me)

Horizon Zero Dawn/FFXV crossover where each chapter alternates in setting. Chapter 11 is finally up!! We're covering the Proving let's gooo.

Nothing But A Voice Within (Calls Me Home)

Chapter 4 of my Demon Slayer fixit fic! OC-centric, mind the tags, also the rating went from T to M for reasons that you can surmise from the tags probably. The chapter that bumps it to M has not yet been posted so you are in the clear for now if that is a concern.

And there we go! All my updates for this year so far. Make sure you're signed in on ao3 to view them, as all my fics are locked (thank you AI scraping and corpos)

[unproduciblesmackdown]

also if only the physical copy of how to disappear completely & never be found i first encountered & read a few years ago (sort of [roughly avg age ten] reader book, not any similarly titled How To) hadn't disappeared completely & not been found since, probably b/c i put it somewhere i intended to be For Safekeeping, which is also how my binder vanished....b/c it's one of those like. those book for late elementary/middle school readers when they just weave in this unrealism which makes for a delightful range & unpredicability? and with a cynical protagonist girl like off to the races like wow her mom is depressed asf & smoking? and it's about A Family History Secrets Mystery so blatantly a haunting that the inciting incident is basically introducing a haunted [family history secrets mystery] house. and spoilers don't matter like it's stemming from there being this missing uncle who grew up so in contrast to the Winsome Winning Sibling Who Does It All Right while seeing his own affiliation with rats that he tried to disappear completely & never be found which led to this Tragedy which led to this more unintended disappearance of his & he haunts this house & wants to be left alone & only goes out at night with this [ambiguous Is That A Giant Rat Or Weird Small Dog (protagonist affected by these family situations who expresses her preoccupation with an awareness of how fate can Strike and Get you with this interest with roving packs of killer chihuahuas. people think she's weird though she spontaneously befriends this other girl struck with this bolt from the blue & a bit weird / outcast & then Insightful who i wish was in it more)] & plays into the hauntedness danger like playing into the [something's Wrong with you then] until having to take yet more action where the urge to express the truth comes out more both b/c living that hidden is more threatened but also b/c now the niece children are more threatened as well. ft. a sort of preternatural blurring of time b/c of only being communicated with through this uncle via his comic pages (that he paints?) of dubiously accurate translations of irl events that are created so quickly it seems to verge on foresight, imagine like "hmm what's this painting. it's me standing in this room looking at this painting??? as someone ominous lurks in the shadows right behind me?" in both [now how could you know this & paint it really fast ahead of time] and [horror]

[izzysarchivedblogs]

AFFILIATE VERSE / Into the Mel-verse if you are feeling groovy

set in a heavily canon divergent 616 timeline w/ spiderverse movies worked in / some of this like the leonard stuff is canon across all verses @thefleetsfinest / @crisispider / @hopeburns

anyways, here's a bunch of headcanons and notes that i have for what i have developed with MEL MY BELOVED BESTIE; and if it's chill, i will probably default to this verse being my main / primary. so if you're groovy, i'd like to write in this verse.

💜💙 freefall happens a little differently, in that linda and clint never dated, but they are friends mostly because linda is dating @thefleetsfinest and leonard adopted a stray alcoholic (clint) that is how that is going

💜💙 linda and clint still attend the gala together, or more linda runs into clint at the f.e.a.s.t. charity thing (leonard is probably in attendance too / linda still calls tony small dick energy and then kisses her doctor boyfriend) and both are squinty eyes at him the entire time

💜💙 Clint is actually injured going to Linda's clinic when Spiderman and Captain America confront him, and Linda still goes to defend him; partly because she will not have that happening right outside of her clinic. it definitely one of the leading causes where she wants some space from clint

💜💙 Clint still brings Bryce to Linda's apartment, and Bryce dies, and that's why Clint gets banned from her apartment. Linda calls Leonard to help with clean up, and Leonard helps Clint in the direct aftermath

💜 He goes to Leonard all injured after The Hood, and than he decides to go sober with the help of Leonard

💜💙 clint is still currently banned from linda's apartment, but she has mostly forgiven him for covering his ass and the whole dying kid in her house; it's fine he is leonard's friend, she can forgive him over time

💜 leonard mccoy is clint's aa sponsor, across all open verses, when post freefall happens; clint's living on leonard's couch as he gets sober and starts to put his life back together, there may have been some snuggling involved, because when you are sad and pitiful, sometimes being held is nice and lenny is a good friend.

💙 Clint and Leonard tend to go to aa meetings in Brooklyn, but if ever needed they have popped into the usual place that Tony and Carol end up. The first time that happened was so awkward for Clint.

💜 The first four people, on Clint's long list of amends and apologies, is to Kate, Bucky, Natasha, and Peter Parker.

💜 Now let's get on to talking Peter Parker ( @crisispider ). After apologizing to Peter, the two had always been friends over the years, but they become closer friend again. Clint is surprisingly there as Peter is going through the details of a divorce, or co-parenting, and being a single dad.

💜 Clint is roughly one year sober, and only doing small investigative, vigilante/hero work, not always directly in NYC (legal troubles), and that is when Luke has become Mayor (tbh i do not know the timeline between 2020 to 2022/23 comics well) when he gets the offer about the Thunderbolts, he is not at all sure about it and still has major issues with this

💜 Clint and Peter have been becoming closer friends, since Clint apologized, and it's once Clint has joined the Thunderbolts, that is when Clint and Peter start to flirt a little more, and one thing leads to another, that leads to feelings and a relationship. Clint's been a Thunderbolt for the city for some time now, in a relationship with Peter for some time. About a year probably.

💜 Peter and part-time Mayday move in with Clint at some point down the line, making the Spiderman and little Bug mainstays in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn. The neighbors at Bed-Stuy absolutely love Peter B. Parker, and he's a big help at fixing things and making thee apartment labeling make sense

💜 Clint and MJ are buds, pals, friends; he loves her. The Barton-Parker-Watson family is so good and wholesome. Kate Bishop is also a part of that, DUH, Peter gets Kate in Clint's will. Kate and Peter have such a funny friendship.

💜 Eventually, Clint does get back in good graces with the Avengers, and even returns to the Avengers in the time of emergencies. He can be both a TB and an Avenger sometimes as a treat.

💜 Clint's even visited Spider-society once, because Peter vouched really had for a bring-your-boyfriend to work day.

💜 Clint's best friend, outside of his other best friends. His non-superhero friend if he has to be specific is Leonard, he loves harassing his doctor, needs him as his sponsor. has become more of brother to him than barney is, and is his best friend. they just get each other. and he swears if leonard gets hurt.

💜 Leonard makes Clint cry more than he'd care to admit to, like when Leonard and the Mccoy family adopt Clint as their own, and treat him like family. It makes him cry and stop he knows it's okay to cry Peter, he's till crying though and its ugly. He also just loves Leonard a lot.

💙 Linda and Leonard start dating before Freefall takes place exact timeline uncertain. this happens after Leonard wises up. She cares a lot about him, and was just giving him space to adjust to moving to New York and involving himself in superhero lives. They are so close with each other, and really it was a matter of time.

💙 The Night Nurse Network is a thing, with Linda's clinic being a whole location, and she's got her rolodex of associates. She's got help now, she's not the only doctor/physician acting as more than half of NYC's hero population's pcp and emergency doctor. She has @thefleetsfinest and @hopeburns (when she's not in space) who both can be ran into and seen around the clinic, as well most importantly, everyone's favorite waiting room buddy, Leonard's corgi Luna. there's three doctors/nurses are the night nurse clinic now.

💙 As Clint would put it, the crush era between Linda and Leonard was unbearable (and since clint was drinking at the time / he drank to that) as Leonard would deny any time he got jealous that Linda was trying to date and get out there. Linda absolutely hated that time, as most dates were just not interesting or went poorly, and she did not really want to be "getting out there", plus Leonard was right there and really they were both unbearable and oblivious to each other's interest in the other!

💙 Linda always ends up back at the clinic after her dates (the one time with the lizard girl), and most of that she ends up hanging out with Leonard after all her dates, cause he's more interesting (and the ideal guy)

💙 Linda's friends include Jessica Drew (and Carol by extension), Stephen Strange (they get coffee, he's a pest once he knows about leonard too absolutely awful), Laelynn (by extension her girlfriend Luce), and Leonard (by extension clint and peter are around a too), and than there is Danny and Luke as well.

💙 Speaking of Jessica Drew, Linda absolutely adores babysitting Gerry when given the chance. To add to that, she starts watching Mayday Parker as well which she really doesn't mind, because of Leonard doing a favor for @crisispider and Clint.

💜🧡 Clint and Peter watch Greer's kid William sometimes, which naturally Clint is like "Oh my pal leonard can watch him too" which sorry Leonard you didn't like those curtains did you anyways. So Greer has Clint or lets Clint's friend Leonard watch William.

💙💜 So Linda and Leonard babysit, just as Clint and Peter will baby sit all the super kids they know.

💙 Linda was more nervous about Leonard meeting her mother, than about meeting the Mccoys or Leonard meeting the rest of her family. This is mostly because of the fact that her mother was unpredictable in how her opinion could be swayed. It wouldn't change anything, but it'd be preferrable if she was Leonard-favorable.

💛 Wasps and spiders may be natural enemies (which may not be true), but Nadia has said she has arguably warmed up to @crisispider but like Miles is still the cooler Spiderman

❤️ Luce (i know i need to add her) is absolute buds with @crisispider it happens mostly because she quips back to at least half of Spiderman's jokes with quotes in specific voice, and they usually grab a bite after a tough day of heroing. That and they get the whole secret identity.

❤️ Luce is Newark's vigilante, but she'll end up wherever a lead will take her which is more often than not over the water to NYC. She tries to avoid being in Manhattan, minus the Night Nurse clinic which is currently in Manhattan, because every superhero and his mom defends Manhattan. She'll go defend Staten Island if she has to over Manhattan (that's a joke she'll kick names and take ass anywhere, wait a minute)

❤️ LUCE ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT PROVE LEGAL ADVICE ! She knows why are asking @crisispider so go pester a lawyer! She is just a paralegal, and it's in her opinion that like hawkeye should not.

FUTURE PLANS AND EVENTS

💜 THE WURM -> don't worry about :) -> it's not a cosmic threat :) -> all in your minds :) -> it's my blog, so of course, this would happen in a meddium length hawkeye run :)

💜 A few relapses for Clint, superhero shit is tough but he always gets back on and it never lasts long. his sobriety lasts longer.

💜 Oh about that Wurm ;) The avengers are clint's team :) oh and Clint plus the team save the day :) so you think :) and things are fine until the Wurm comes back to eat Clint I mean what :)

💙 Linda has to relocate the clinic, which actually ends up being more upsetting than she'll care to admit. It happen, it's happened before, she's always moved when needed. This time it's more because Danny Rand had bought the last building to remove rent as an issue for her. She knows it was a give back thank you gift, these things happen, it is still absolutely a stressful and massive plan when she moves her clinic out of the Lower East Side. She tries to find a place near the same area and still in Manhattan, but rent is a bitch. She manages to find a place in Turtle Bay, between 2nd and 3rd.

💜 Clint and Peter get married ! There is going to be a wedding. The proposal? Has not been worked out. But there is, of course it's gonna end up a big thing, spiderman and hawkey are big heroes!

💜 Clint's best man is . . . complicated. It ends up being co-best man Kate and Leonard. He had to narrow down groomspeople to a limit number of four. Figuring out who is. . . . still tough.

💙 The meeting of the Carters and Mccoys was something, which to date may be the most stressed that Linda has ever been to date. It goes well, mostly.

💙 Linda and Leonard will get married too, and Linda wants it family and friends, and keep it small and quiet. As much as it can be when there are already a few superheroes who have to be on the list ( stephen plus clint and peter)

💜 Clint is Leonard's best man for his wedding with Linda. IT IS VERY EMOTIONAL. and Clint's speech is great (awful)

💙 linda's dress is a little decade inspired, just below the knee in leg, with some umpf to the skirt, off the shoulders or at least neck bare, good for dancing, very simple. the more exciting part of this is really the lace she is wearing underneath.

💜 Peter is gonna have a second kid with Clint. They are gonna be girl dads time two.

and just. so much more. so much. i love this affiliate verse. so much. also like. peter has the whole of spider society stuff. going on. and clint can't even wrap his head around some of it.

[pellelavellan]

@kaaras-adaar

Pelle didn't know who exactly it was he was expecting to see when he heard about the Inquisition. Someone human probably? That was probably what most people assumed too. After all, it was pretty uncommon as it was to see a qunari just out in the wild let alone not accompanied by any more--or maybe that was an isolated experience.

Whatever the case, the young Keeper was happy to see he was not? Relieved maybe? He didn't want to assume that this herald would be less quick to dismiss him but he thought the chances were just a little bit higher. It wasn't unheard of for elves to join the Qun--actually he didn't want to assume he came from the Qun either. He didn't want to assume anything actually. Assumptions were a pretty fast way to piss people off, and that was the last thing he needed.

What he did need was help. He'd led his clan in the direction of the Hinterlands because he thought it might be less perilous than the orlesian wilderness. False, so fucking false. The Hinterlands was practically a warzone with mages and templars taking shots at one another on sight. The fighting never stopped, and it was becoming more and more difficult to keep his own people out of the crossfire.

He knew the Inquisition couldn't just make them stop fighting. He was young, but he wasn't stupid. If that were the only trouble on the horizon they'd have simply gotten up and wandered elsewhere--even if it seemed there was no elsewhere that was really safe. No, it was a more pressing problem that he needed help with. One he wasn't going to go asking refugees for help with when they were just as fucked as he was.

It was already a bit dangerous of him to go straying from his clan and walking into the refugee camp, but he figured it was a safer bet than walking into the Inquisition's camp with armed soldiers who might not be too keen on random elves strolling in. When he finally worked up the courage to approach the qunari he paused before clearing his throat to draw his attention a bit lower--he was pretty tall after all.

"Hello," he started. "Hi, you um. You wouldn't happen to be with the Inquisition would you?" he asked, feeling a little embarrassed of how very not assertive or confident a Keeper probably should have sounded greeting someone. "I heard they'd come to help with relief efforts and well you sort of fit the description of this herald they're all talking about and I couldn't help wondering if that's because you are?"

[tears-that-heal]

The Lord reminded me of this verse today and it always resets my sights on our true enemy. Man and Woman make silly and foolish choices and sometime maybe against me, but I choose to set my sights on the bigger picture. The unbound and limitless majesty of Adoni; God of the Universe. ☀️🌎🪐✨

”For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.“

‭‭- Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[the-scribe-and-her-scribbles]

iwcb | chapter 13. how to run from your problems

it will come back | chapter 13. how to run from your problems | fae!prussia x reader

'it will come back' masterlist and summary

chapter summary: oh no...

word count: 3.5k

chapter warnings: poisoning, mental distress, slight!suicidal thoughts (more for spite than anything)

@jtownraindancer, @redrosesociety1, @xxruinaxx

chapter 13. how to run from your problems

There’s a reason 13 is an unlucky number.

You whirl around the corner as your mirror image passes by. The illusion dissipates as you take its place, falling into step as if you had never been gone in the first place. He still leads you along the sides of the halls, and when the two of you turn into a smaller wing of the castle, nearing the kitchen, he stops abruptly as his name is called. 

“Georgi? Who is it you have there?” A voice calls, clouded by a heavy accent. 

He stiffens and turns. “No one, M’lord. Just a traveler asking for a night’s hospitality.”

The hair on the back of your neck stands up as your gaze settles upon the face in front of you. All of the things that Gilbert and others had told you were correct. Vladimir Popescu was a strange man. 

He was a fae of average height, with a thin, wisp-like frame. Vladimir was dressed in a black shirt and pants, with a red coat buttoned all the way up and a bowler hat on his strawberry blond head. His eyes are red, but not like cranberries or wine. His eyes are so red, they’re almost pink, with slits for pupils like a cat. They unnerve you. 

Vladimir tilts his head as he studies your disheveled disguise. 

“But of course,” he says, an impish smile on his lips. “My home is far removed from any city or town, I’m sure she’s had a trying journey.” 

“Oh course, sir. I’m just delivering her to the staff's rooms for some dinner. I didn’t mean to disturb-” Georgi says to his master, but Vladimir cuts him off.

“Nonsense! I’m just about to sit down to my own meal,” he all but purrs. “Why don’t you join me, my lady?” His awful red eyes focus intently on you. 

“Oh!” You clear your throat. “I could never, M’lord. I would hate to inconvenience you.” You turn your gaze to the stone floors in a play at bashfulness or respect. Anxiety pools in your stomach, heavy and persistent. He knows! He knows! 

“Please, my dear. I insist!” With a wave of his gloved hand, you are pulled along behind him, forced to follow as he glides down the large gothic hallway. You’re feet stumble and slide as you try to slow yourself down, without success. 

Double doors push open on their own, and Vladimir enters the grand dining room where he deposits you. You manage to catch yourself as you’re freed, but before you can think about turning around and escaping, the doors shut with an echoing sound behind you. 

Vladimir takes a couple more strides toward the expansive table before turning back to you.

“Why don’t you take a seat?”

The two of you watch each other, tension filling the space between. Both of you wait to see which one will break, who will admit that they are only waiting for the other to reveal what the other knows. Your eyes scan the rest of the room and you take a seat. The middle of the long table is filled with food. A roasted bird sits on a bed of what looks to be carrots and onions. Delicious-looking vegetables sit next to it and a bottle of red wine and two glasses are set out. 

Oh, fuck it. You could use a drink. 

You settle into the ornate wooden chair and look across at Vladimir. Your host doesn’t look at you, choosing to fork food from the centre platters onto his plate.

The wine is bitter-sweet on your tongue. It's smooth, and quite delicious as far as alcohol goes. If you weren’t in such a tense situation you might’ve enjoyed the drink. You glance at Vladimir and try to keep a calm demeanour. This is hard because he’s begun to smile. 

His sharp fangs peek through red-stained lips. The smirk is gleeful, and he’s watching you in a way that makes ice collect in your arteries like he’s expecting something to happen and he can’t wait until it does. 

Something’s not right. 

Vladimir swirls the wine around the sides of his goblet. The gesture is subtle, to anyone it could be inconsequential, but it lights a blazing trail in your mind. You look down at your wine glass. Its colour is a familiar, horrifying red. Your eyes shoot to the table. There, right in front of you is the wine bottle, made of dark green glass with a label tied to its neck like a collar. The wine label shows an illustration of red berries hanging on a bare, thorny bush.

Spirit Berries. The wine was made from Spirit Berries. 

With the realization that’s probably dawning on your face, your host starts laughing. 

“Lukas had told me you were so clever,” he laughs. “but I guess you aren’t clever enough huh?”

You go to speak but can’t. Instead, you crumple over in your chair. Debilitating pain flares through your stomach and something bubbles up into your mouth. It’s the tangy taste of iron, and when you look down onto the cold stone floor below you, you see drops of the dark-red leak from your mouth. You scream out. Your hands go cold and numb, and the pain worsens. 

“I wonder if this will put me in his good graces?” Vladimir wonders aloud. His wood chair slides across the stone. As you crumple onto the floor beside your chair, you watch as he strolls around the large dining table. “Do you think Gilbert would lessen his wrath if I give him back his precious human, wrapped pretty and unable to leave him as she planned? Or maybe I should keep you? I wonder what Gilbert would give me in return for you?”

Pain shoots through you again and you cry out. You lift your head to look at him and take a deep breath. The hilt of Gilbert’s dagger is cool under your fingers. You watch as Vladimir walks closer before your eyes catch a glimpse of something metallic from the centre of the table. One clammy hand grips the edge of your chair and pushes you up. You heave with the effort it takes to keep yourself standing, but the pain is worth it because you see what you’ve come to this god-forsaken castle from. 

Hidden under the lush spread of food, is an ornate great sword, a polished steel blade and a silver cross-guard in the shape of eagle wings. It’s Ausdaurnd. 

Your eyes flick back to Vladimir, who has finally reached you. He leans in close, his slitted eyes glowing magenta. You tighten your hold on the dagger hidden in your robes. His gloved hand catches you by the throat and you choke out a surprised gasp. He pulls you into him, his breath fanning over you and he whispers, “Let's find out, shall we?” before he grunts in sudden pain. He chokes on his breath and looks down to see your hand, plunging your knife into his stomach. 

“Fuck you,” you snarl through your pain. 

As you stumble past where Vladimir kneels, injured on the ground, you grab the sword, clutching the red and black hilt in your hand and making a break for the large doors. Vladimir laughs as you do. The sound is dark and terrible. His cackles shake the very foundations of the castle. 

“Well done!” He calls, as he pushed himself to stand, his hand removing itself from where he was clutching his stab wound, now healed as if it had never happened. “You’re going to make this more fun than I thought!” 

Darlin', don't you, stand there watching, won't you

Come and save me from it.

With the sword clutched in your hands, you stumble through the hallway. The hard soles of Vladimir’s boots tap on the floor, following behind you at a leisurely pace. Even with the pain shooting through you from the spirit berries, a thought crosses your mind that worries you. 

“Where are you?” He calls. You press your hand over your mouth and grip the sword in your other. You hear Vladimir’s footsteps walk past, and dart behind another column. 

“Whatever charm hides you from my magic won’t keep you safe for long. This is my castle, and I will find you eventually.” 

Vladimir doesn’t seem too worried about you having the sword. He’s as calm as he was during dinner, amused even. His laugh bounces off the stone walls. 

“I knew you would come for that sword eventually, no doubt to try and your mate’s powers,” he sings. “Silly thing! Gilbert doesn’t need that toy to restore his powers. He was restored the moment he found you. I mean, don’t be mistaken! It’s a powerful magical weapon, Gilbert was right to go to such lengths to get it back, but putting his soulmate in danger to get it? I mean-”

That word rings out into the air. Soulmate. Soulmate. Your heart stops. ”What the fuck are you talking about?” You gasp. Your voice bounces through the vast hallway before you can think to catch yourself. 

“Oh, that’s right! You think you just fell into Gilbert’s prison on accident.” 

Your mouth feels like there’s cotton in it, and you don’t know if that’s because you’ve been poisoned, or the result of what Vladimir is about to tell you. 

“It’s half true,” Vladimir continues, as you make another dash behind another column. Popescu Castle’s main staircase is just in front of you, along with your exit. “You did fall through the veil, well …” he pauses to tap his fingers on his mouth in fake pensiveness. “Maybe ‘pulled’ is a better choice of word.” 

You think you’re going to be sick. Your head swirls. “You’re-!”

In a puff of black smoke, Vladimir appears behind you. “Remember, pet! My kind can’t speak anything but the truth!” 

You gasp and scramble back as he reaches for you. Without thinking, you swing Ausdaurnd in a wide arc toward him. The sword hums in your hands, but before it can hit its mark, Vladimir vanishes again, and you take your chance to escape. 

You rush down the marble steps of the grand staircase. You try to put together all that Vladimir has told you, your breath quickening as you begin to understand. 

“I mean, come on now! Humans rarely ever stumble into the Veil. Do you know what’s more likely? A Fae stumbling upon their soulmate and deciding to keep them.”

With the taste of spirit berry wine in your mouth and a sinking feeling in your gut, you make it to the large front door, push it open and run out of the castle. Outside, the air is cold, and it bites at your tear-stained cheeks.

Darlin', 

don't you, 

join in, you're supposed to

Drag me away from it

The original plan was to meet Gilbert back where you left him, but with what’s been revealed, you can’t do that. Without knowing how far behind you your pursuers is, and with no real plan of what to do next, you just run. As you do, the three facts that have just been revealed to you repeat in your mind like flashing lights. 

The first fact is that you and Gilbert are soulmates. The second is that Gilbert kidnapped you and trapped you in the Unseen World because of this.

What Vladimir had said played on a loop in your mind, mocking you. “Silly thing! Gilbert doesn’t need that toy to restore his powers. He was restored the moment he found you.” The third fact, which you’ve now managed to piece together, is that Gilbert had always been able to send you back home, but didn’t. 

The truth had been so close. You had asked so many questions, but never the right ones. You asked Gilbert how you were pulled into the Unseen World, but never who did it. 

When you asked about the soulmate spell, you had never put the pieces together. Gilbert was locked away for 75 years and had done his spell a couple of years before that. Of course, it came up blank, you wouldn't have been born yet, and you never thought to ask if that was the last time he’s performed the spell. 

Even in his prison when you first met him, when he kissed you to escape, he’d made a joke about true love’s kiss. In a way it was. It was the magic that the fae was granted from their soulmates. 

You think of what he promised you after the two of you crawled from the frosty lake and found refuge in his abandoned castle. That he wouldn’t hurt you, that he wouldn’t let anyone try. 

He had rushed into the room to save you from Lukas, he had protected you, he held your face in his hands and kissed you like he was starved. He begged you to stay with him, despite being the reason you were trapped in the first place. 

Despite knowing that you wanted to go home, to return to your family and life, Gilbert had endeared himself to you anyway, and that betrayal is what hurts more that the Spirit Berry wine. 

Sobs escape your throat as you continue running. The pain that fills you, from the spirit berries that burn your insides or from the crushing feeling in your chest, is debilitating. You can’t stop the feeling, and you can’t stop the tears that spill down your face in rivets. 

Without the option of returning to the woods, you are left to run down the rocky terrain that surrounds the castle. You need a heading right now. You can’t run without purpose or direction forever and now need to get to safety. 

Behind you, you hear something snap, and see the familiar black smoke of Vladimir’s magic begin you. There is a river, just ahead, that will start to flow down the slopes of the mountains and into the Wandering Woods. You remember the map that hung in Ludwig’s cabin when you first met. (God, had Ludwig known that you were Gilbert’s soulmate all along?). Most of the towns in the Woods were built along the rivers. If you follow the rapids, you’d no doubt find a town to hide in. 

You hurry forward, sliding and stumbling down the rocky slope towards the sound of rushing water. Behind you, another familiar voice calls. 

Taste my disaster

It's heavy on my tongue

It’s Gilbert. He yells from behind you, about forty feet back, and when he does, your stomach lurches. “Maus! Stop! What’s-”

A cruel laugh starts in front of you and Vladimir appears out of nowhere. “Oh yes, Maus!” he mocks you. “Where do you think you're going?”

He grabs you by the back of your neck and pulls you into him grinning. His grip is hard and painful, and you squirm and cry out sharply as Gilbert yells, “No!”

His sword, which you had been holding onto tightly since you fled the castle, scatters onto the ground as Vladimir leans in. You can feel his breath against your cheek. 

“Why don’t we tell Gilbert what we just learned?” He sings, before throwing you to the ground away. You scrape against the hard ground and he laughs, Gilbert finally stopping in front. 

Now, the three of you stand in front of each other, at the edge of a cliff that drops rapidly toward the cold, white river below. You can hear the roar of the torrent as it races further down the mountain. 

Your chest heaves and you force yourself to stand, and your eyes find Gilbert almost immediately. Your face heats up and it stings behind your eyes. Gilbert glares at Vlad.

“What did you tell her, huh? Get away from her!” Vladimir only vanishes in a puff of smoke. His chuckle rings through the air, detached from his form. 

“Now, don’t get angry,” he mocks. Gilbert spins around to find where he went. “She was bound to find out eventually, Gil.”

“Maus, listen to me-”

“Is it true?” you bite out. “Were you the one that brought me here?”

He looks at you for a moment. His red eyes aren’t as bright now, more of a wine shade. “Yes, I was.”

“After we escaped the Library, could you have sent me back?” Gilbert goes to open his mouth, but you interrupt. “Did you or did you not have the ability to send me back to the mortal world?” 

“I did,” he admits. 

“Were you ever planning on letting me go?” Your voice is scratchy and high-pitched from distress. You rip the dagger -the one he gifted you- from its sheath at your hip. 

He reaches out to you. Gilbert’s chest aches when he sees you, floundering in front of him. He comes closer to try and soothe you. Something sick and desperate settles in your stomach. “Liebe, please. Give me the-” 

“Don’t step any closer!’ You press the knife to your own throat. You can't kill him, but he needs you. You're his soulmate. 

Gilbert freezes on the spot. “Don’t be stupid, schatz,” he says softly. “Put it down. This isn’t you. I know you.” 

No, you don’t! You want to shriek. But he’s right. He knew you. Before you fell into this wretched world. He found you. He learned about you. He stole you away. And he lied to you, at least you were right about that part. Your hunch was right.

Pity, it didn’t make you feel any better. 

“Please, just give me the knife. You don’t want to die, do you?”

From the moment you met him, he had tricked you. He pulled you down to him, determined to use you for the power being his soulmate would give him. You were a power-up that he needed to keep, your wishes, your safety be damned. 

“You need me, don’t you, Gilbert?” you ask, your voice hoarse and cold. 

Gilbert nods, panicked and desperate as he watches you step further toward the edge. “I do, Maus, I do! More than you could possibly know,” he yells. He has to speak the truth. “I need you! Please don’t do this, please!”

Out of spite, you want to plunge the dagger into your neck. You’ll die, and he will lose the soulmate he tried to trap here. It would be revenge. You’d be able to hurt him the way you hurt right now. But you don’t think you have it in you. 

You look at Gilbert, really look. He’s standing 10 feet from you, crouched and reaching out. Your heart throbs. Did he ever feel guilt knowing he was the one standing in the way for your life and loved ones? Did he think of ways he could coax you to remain by his side? If Vladimir hadn’t already done so, would he have forced those spirit berries down your throat himself? 

Vladimir is still there, watching the scene as a spider watches a fly in their web. He’s even smiling. It’s twisted and gleeful and it makes you sick to your stomach. This is bullshit. You’re not going to be anyone’s plaything. You’re not going to stay here. 

Below you is the sound of the rapids. You know what you need to do. 

(You always hate to say that you’re afraid of heights because it’s not the height that you're afraid of, but the possibility of falling. This isn’t your only fear, you’re afraid of lots of things, but it’s the most pertinent to what you are planning. You feel the earth crumble just behind your heels, fear grips your stomach, and you remember the advice your dad gave you when you were eight years old. 

You were at the playground with him, at the top of the fireman pole, too scared to slide down when your dad told you, “sweetie, here’s what you need to do,”

You looked down to where he was waiting on the mulched ground. 

“Just count to three.”

“What?” 

“If you’re ever scared, and feel like you can’t do something, you count down to three and do it. Then you’ll be able to prepare but not overthink it.”)

Your eyes open and you look down at the sword still gripped in your other hand. The edge of the cliff is just behind your boot. 

“1…” 

You look back at Gilbert, who’s taken another step toward you. You slowly bring the knife down from your throat. Gilbert relaxes, he thinks he’s talked you down, but Vladimir is angry. 

“2...” 

You drop Gilbert's sword on the ground before you. Your knife slides back into its sheath.

“3.” 

And like that day at the park with your father, all those years ago, you close your eyes tight and fall. The wind rushes by your ears, but you can still hear Gilbert yell out to you.

What is stronger than the human heart

which shatters over and over

And still lives

author’s note

Hello!

I am so sorry for how long it took to get this chapter up! Hopefully, the next chapter can come out quicker but I can't promise anything! This final scene is one of the first moments in the story that I thought of, so it's satisfying to finally get to its part in the fic! I hope you all enjoy it, and please leave me some comments/reblogs if you like it! They are so lovely! Wishing you all a happy holiday, and to stay safe! My area is being pounded by some pretty nasty weather!

Quotes (in order)

1. Sedated by Hozier

2. Sedated by Hozier

3. Mind Over Matter by The Young Giants

4. a quote by Rupi Kaur

[thelordismylightandmysalvation]

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in heavenly places.

Graphic via Verse of the Day - Ephesians 6:12

[huntershowl]

verse drop: bnha !!

general info.

name: persephone aisa alias (villain): hellhound allegiance: the unseen (organized crime) quirk: voidsmoke. persephone's hair dissolves into plumes of inky black smoke that she can directly manipulate. the smoke darkens any patch of shadow that it enters, allowing her to obscure her body in dim light and darkness. additionally, as their quirk evolves, they become able to manipulate its solidity, size and shape, which allows her to temporarily create small objects from the smoke (bullets, knives) & spread it outwards to fill an entire space with pitch-darkness. all created objects must eventually return to shadow; she can only make/maintain a few at a time before they start disintegrating. additionally, there is an upper limit to how large of a space she can turn pitch-black. (this limit can be trained, though, as can the amount/size/complexity of existing objects!) additionally, it is much more taxing to create darkness in a brightly-lit area than a dimly-lit one. enhancements: advanced prosthetic arms, upper-body skeletal reinforcement preferred gear: sniper rifle, several knives, brass knuckles, climbing shoes, grappling-hook arm attachment, reinforced clothing

two versions of this verse are described under the cut:

main ( villain, age/timeline-agnostic ) — inside your head the sound of glass.

UA ( student, early seasons ) — snake in the garden.

main ( villain, age/timeline-agnostic ) — inside your head the sound of glass.

the villain HELLHOUND has only been terrorizing the world for one year. for the first several months of that year, they only plagued the U.S. with their murders. japan was unfortunate enough to become their next target one month ago, but even in that short time they have already made quite the stir.

the strange thing about her — well. one of many, lol. — is that not only does she go after civilians and heroes, but other villains as well. it seems hellhound is indiscriminate in the moral alignment of those she eviscerates in the streets. additionally, sources are inconsistent and conflicting about what her quirk actually is. most are in agreement that it has to do with their hair, which melts into shadowy smoke at the ends, but those in the U.S. who endured her presence longer insist that it is some kind of lycanthropic transformation quirk. a beast-form, a giant wolf made of shadow and rage. as time goes on, more and more of japan's populace have begun to subscribe to this belief as well.

this verse can take place after the UA student verse or independent of it, depending on how sad we want to be. if it takes place afterwards, seph was pulled out of japan at some point in the timeline and sent to the US by her employer in THE UNSEEN. she completely vanishes, going zero-contact with everyone (including her brother), and comes back two years later as a villain — a monstrous shell of her former self.

UA ( student, early seasons ) — snake in the garden.

in this verse, persephone is sent by the unseen to infiltrate class 1-A and feed back information about the next wave of pro heroes. she has not yet experienced the events that lead to her becoming hellhound, but regrettably, that doesn't make her THAT much less aggressive. sorry to add to the angy energy bakugou brings to the class, but. whooops.

as a student, persephone is a little punk. she struggles to work with others and reacts to even the smallest provocation with anger. she doesn’t go out of her way to bully anyone, unless they do it to her first, but she is known for being prickly and very solitary. they are incredibly easy to rile and often get into fights. the only person they treat with kindness is their twin brother orion, who is in the support class.

that being said, she is still much easier to get along with — and importantly, quite a bit more trusting — than she is in hellhound verses. there are certainly things she likes, for instance (wild i know): being a delinquent, alternative metal music, raspberry sweets, cool knives!

unlike the other alleged UA mole, persephone's operation as a spy does not directly threaten the other students in any way. the unseen is a criminal organization that operates primarily for profit. its leader ( amari fletch, an ex-pro hero ) is perfectly fine letting the world run the way it runs, so long as the global leaders in their pocket continue to turn a blind eye to their highly illegal operations around the world. if someone goes against them, they are violently made an example of.

all of that being said, persephone is still a trained killer. she slips away from school often, as does orion, without any explanation to where she's gone — occasionally for days at a time. she is always diligent with make-up training and assignments, however, and her grades are solid despite the distractions.

when the war starts, the unseen's allegiance is to no one. (though this is subject to change, of course. an attractive enough offer could sway them.) this allows one of two branches to take place:

either the unseen allies with all for one and sends persephone to work with him & the league,

or they remain neutral and allow her to work with her peers against all for one.

[randomnameless]

So much of these woes would've been avoided if the game bothered to show things instead of telling us. Cause I'm so sick of the lizards bad crap from these people who want to cling to preconceived biases, alternate truths and "death of the author".

But that's the main issue!

The game shows you/us/the player things, and yet says the contrary! And no one in the entire cast realises that, no, all those things you're spouting or buying are disapproved with 10 exemples here'n'there.

Imo, Clout in Nopes is hit the hardest with this, but we also have Nopes!Ferdie spouting shit about Kingdom nobles being all descendants of Crest bearers when, lo, it's more accurate in Adrestia than in the Kingdom!

Funny thought, I've seen yesterday on my dash a post reblogged by someone a Anakin and Padmé meme aboutnot liking people saying they hate canon (Anakin) and wondering (Padmé) if they hate them because they usually come up with cliché ideas and uninspired tropes.

And, it was hilarious because iirc the original poster of that, well, post, was someone who advocated for death of the author, how the CoS is totes the catholic church and theocracy etc etc and Supreme Leader opposes them because sapphic lord opposes conservatism/feudalism/religion/whatever etc etc.

Of course I'm not saying a transformative work sucks or doesn't - my motto has always been don't like, don't read - but when "Death of the Author" is used to parrot something as canon, as some people did (still do) I'm more annoyed.

Those games played hard in the "unreliable narrator" shit to make things sell, but I wonder, even without tea bags and dakimakuras, some people - as we've seen them do - would retrofit the game to fit in their narrative - remember the "Magvel dragons bad and the reason why the DK returned?"

[galeforged]

"Forwin?" And then, after a beat, "Forwin!"

She couldn't believe it. After turning her back on Nohr, she never thought she would see Forwin again. Why would she? He was a simple bard. But there he was anyway, here to join the effort to save the world.

Without thinking, she rushed over to him and pulled him in for the tightest hug she could muster in her battle-worn state. "I can't believe it. I-" She laughed in disbelief. "I'm so happy to see you."

(bc we talked about Forwin needing a hug c: )

When word reached his ears of chaos in Cyrkensia, the court musician could not have flown from Castle Krakenburg any faster. It was a show of determination and resolve bordering on unbecoming of the often timid and soft-spoken bard, very unlike his usual self in the eyes of the royal family that took him in for their entertainment. However, these were very unusual times.

Corrin left. Relieved as he was to hear of her survival—and that of the retainers accompanying her—after the stomach-churning stunt Hans pulled by the Bottomless Canyon, there remained no small amount of anxiety for her wellbeing after she turned traitor to Nohr. It turned out that her siblings here weren’t even her real siblings, then she had returned to her birth family in Hoshido, only to leave them behind as well when she was forced to choose between the two?

And now the other princesses had vanished as well, along with their vassals. Little by little did he find little reason to stay within Windmire. Granted, the thought of leaving Leo pained him, as well as most of the other retainers who served their charges, yet... Forwin could not lie to himself, in that he felt actual relief in finally getting away from Garon and his cronies, by way of a stolen horse. No word of forewarning to His Highness, no farewell to His Royal Majesty or his advisors always flanking his sides, having left with naught but his trusty lute, Violin Bow and quiver, vulneraries, and some gold.

And in following the army led by Prince Xander himself from a distance, the turncoat songster would reach the city of artistry and water at nightfall, only to find ruin, corpses, and foundations in flames. Ever since arriving in this realm a couple of years back, Forwin found himself smitten with Nestra’s capital of song and dance over the course of several excursions with Nohr’s royal family... and a part of him came to fawn over the idea of living there per his own terms, at least someday.

Now it was gone. Typical, wasn’t it? Any attachment made to something good found itself forcefully ripped from his grasp before long. It happened with his mother. It then happened with Garreg Mach and his entire life back in Fódlan. It happened again with Corrin. Now, here it happened once more with Cyrkensia. “Determined” and “resolved” might not fit the often timid and soft-spoken bard, at least not in the eyes of those who know him in Nohr.

These feelings, however, now fuelled by no small amounts of frustration and bitterness, were not unfamiliar to him. Cries from frightened survivors and clashing weapons between armies filled his ears, and with that, it took little time for Forwin to fall back into someone he used to be. Though this land may not be Fódlan, putting down villains and saving innocents were part and parcel of the Academy’s curriculum. This would be just another class mission.

Thus did the musician throw himself into the fray. It took little time for not Hoshidans laying waste to the city as he had heard, but almost invisible soldiers, to turn their attention to him. It was almost unbelievable to witness, but the Adrestian had already experienced unbelievable things! He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted, let alone overwhelmed, by something new!

Soon did the dust settle following a number of confrontations with these translucent tyrants. The lutist, at this point, took a moment to catch his breath and apply healing ointment onto some sustained cuts beneath a bloodied sleeve. The stinging from the wound on his nicked arm earned a hiss from between grit teeth, leaving him to wish for some painless treatment from an accomplished healer instead...

...yet a different wish found itself realized with only his name, shouted from afar and coming in fast. His head perked up immediately from the call, heart ajolt with surprise!

“Lady Corrin...?!”

Indeed, solace and joy both overcame him at the sight of Her Highness rushing over to meet him. Forwin knew she lived, sure, but to see with his own eyes the princess hale and hearty after all she endured...! If he still held regrets in leaving Castle Krakenburg, just the sight of her wholly convinced him that he made the right choice. That by itself would have been plenty in bringing comfort to his weary soul!

Then came the unexpected, in the form of Corrin throwing her arms around his being and pulling him in close in her embrace. Forwin froze, eyes wide in alarm and his own arms spread out, while his mind worked to process what was happening.

It was a hug. That much, he understood. He just wasn’t sure in how he should react to it, at first.

But then Corrin adjusted herself, almost melting against him. He could feel her chest shake against his from her laughter, a welcome sound for him to forget the chaos surrounding them to. The soft timbre of her voice as she spoke sounded more comforting than ever, with her being this close, closer than he could ever recall her being. She felt warm, and he could feel that same warmth spreading to him in turn the longer the hug was sustained.

Corrin was here. She was taken away, yes, but she came back to him.

Not another word needed to be shared for Forwin to realize how desperately he needed this for so long, but did not know just how much he needed it until he finally received it. When was the last time he experienced this incomparable bliss, this sense of peace and assurance to one’s spirit that could only come from being held in another’s arms? Part of him did not want to go purposefully seeking the answer, if only because it would add to this years-long unspoken grief he carried, but that did not stop his eyes from growing hot.

Finally, Forwin returned Corrin’s hug with one of his own, taking the opportunity so that he may hide his wobbly smile, blink away oncoming tears... and melt against her in kind.

“Your Highness... I’m so glad y-you’re all right...!”

[izzysarchivedblogs]

@hexsreality rolled a 6 and got Linda on MUSE ROULETTE !

❝ I don't think Stephen quite knows how favors work, but he said that you were needing help ⸺ and referred me, as a favor. I'm not anything special, I'm just a frail pathetic nurse, he definitely oversold, and I've no idea about magic. ❞

[blackw1ng]

tags; mind your business

[spiralinghail]

its time... for a tag dump