Golden Visions

#𝔬𝔠𝔠𝔲𝔩𝔱𝔞𝔦𝔯𝔴𝔞𝔳𝔢𝔰 — independent sable ward from dead by daylight; as portrayed by clarissa. 18+ only.

Send an emoji for my muse to talk about that topic in their sleep!

(Add "+ 🔄" or "+ reverse" to reverse the scenario, where your muse is talking in their sleep. Remember to specify character and/or verse if relevant)

💤 The other muse

💔 A former lover

🤫 A secret

😔 Something they feel guilty about

😱 A fear or worry

Send 🔪 to hand them a knife

Send 🍰 to hand them a treat

Send 🌹to hand them a flower

Send 🍷 to hand them a glass of wine

{ Continued from here with @goldenvisions and @roseredknuckles

The trees gave way quickly to a culvert that had been cut out of the rocks over so many years until it formed a sheltered cave. Though with a second glance, it was hard to tell if nature or man had shaped this one exactly like others of its kind. Kaylen stumbled at the edge, her heeled boots not well suited to the marshy terrain leading up to the hidden entrance or the mossy rock that floored the cave.

The puddles and high tide that flooded the cave pressed Kaylen to unloop her bag to drop at the entrance before she continued. But as she did so, a god awful shrieking sound caused a cacophony in the enclosed space. Kaylen dropped to a crouch, palms pinned over her ears as the sound continued to echo and resonate in her skull.

She became aware of the rhythmic sound of retreating steps a moment before she looked up to see the fisherman bolting out between some dangling roots and branches. No Felix. Was he still in there?

Panic mounted, Kaylen barely able to focus as she tore her boots from her feet. Her concern drove her into dimly lit space, squinting to find where Felix might have hidden, hoping he hadn't been impacted by the sound - whatever that had been. Her eyes adjusted slowly and she was only able to make out the swaying form of the man as he stumbled towards the water.

And fell in with a splash that echoed behind him.

Kaylen bolted, peeling off her jumper in the hopes it would give her an actual chance to drag the man back to the surface - if she could even stop his sinking in time. A second splash dropped her into the water, where the sunlight filtered in an angled shaft from the open ocean beyond the cave wall. The water was shockingly cold and she struggled to orient herself as she hunted for Felix's shape in the blurred scape around her.

Far from a simple phantom feeling, his legs had vanished in exchange for an extravagant ribbon of citrine and amethyst in the shape of an elongated, betta-fish tail. Its smooth scales shine under of the incoming fragments of light like coins in a treasure chest, one that could very well lead opportunistic sailors straight into his claws. Wavy fins blossom from his forearms, gradually fading between the colors of the scales spread into patches along Felix’s body.

He quickly discards his jacket along with the shirt beneath it, allowing his gills to flow more freely. He disliked the feeling of being topless despite how natural it was in this state, but he wasn’t going to suffocate himself over it.

Felix slowly opens his eyes with a groggy purr, still a bit dazed from the whole ordeal. He cricks his neck to the side like he’d just awoken from a long and uncomfortable nap, twisting his body around to speed up the fading of soreness in his joins.

His anxious mind is easily soothed by the low humming of distant currents rushing through his finned-ears. He was safe in here. He felt her influence on his mental state, as weird as that was to think about. It was something he felt whenever he chose to hide beneath the waves, and often he found himself fighting it rather than choosing to indulge in the bliss it offered him. It felt like pity… but for what? It was the mystery he’d been dwelling on for a long while now, an oyster he couldn’t decide if he wanted to crack open or not. If he ever chose to, he wouldn’t ever be able to put it back together.

He forces his eyes open again with a sharp blink to escape the allure of sinking with his thoughts.

Not the time. He still needed to go get David, and make a plan for what to do next. He could salvage this, as long as nothing else went wrong. This was his favorite of the places he’d stopped in — and the public library was a nice bonus — he didn’t want to throw it away just yet.

He quickly fishes floating items that had fallen out of his bag back into their places, zipping the waterproof carrier shut before his ears are caught by a muffled-

SPLASH!

Felix’s head zips toward the point of origin. There’s no way the fisherman had come back. Who…

His unfinished question is answered by the twisting outline of a woman pushing herself through the depths. Kaylen. She’d been watching.

Felix — tired of the world trying to see how far it could make his heart could sink into his chest — darts over to her with a single flick of his tail. There was no more salvaging this. He was positive that she saw him.

Defeated, he wraps an arm around her torso and bolts his way to the surface, gently placing her on the rocks in one swift, precise movement. A giant crescent-like wave follows his tail as he whips back into the water at a very powerful speed.

Up close, even blurred by the ocean water, she could tell it was Felix. He looked different, but the face was unmistakable. The feel of fine, velvety scales on the arm that she tried to push back baffled her mind. The speed with which he moved was impossible for legs to achieve. He had changed entirely, something her mind would not grasp as she was ejected - not forcefully so - back onto the rocks.

Gasping in air, she scrabbled back towards the water as he turned and vanished. "Felix!"

The only thing she could see was the ripple of motion where he had been. Salt water and tears stung in her eyes. A deep dread pooled in her chest, the idea that she might never see him again. And that it had been her fault for driving him away, for chasing someone who wanted to be left alone.

A shiver pulled her attention from the water and she dragged herself up to collect her things.

If only she hadn't split off when he urged her to go. If only that fisherman hadn't chased them. If only they hadn't caught whatever Felix had been trying to free in that net...

The net. Surely Felix would go back to retrieve whatever had been in there.

Kaylen snatched up her bag at the entrance, veering right to take a shortcut to the beach. The ground was not so harsh on shoeless feet through this path, though she still stumbled and wasted time getting to the sand. The docks felt like they were miles away by the time she got to the waterfront. They were also swarmed with people and the single police car in the town waited at the end, lights circling red and blue.

There was no hope of catching up to Felix in the water and no way she would go unnoticed if she approached the docks. With a defeated huff, she dropped to the ground. "That's that, then, I guess," she muttered.

The golden serpent slithers along the ocean floor at breakneck speeds, flashing past various boats departing for the long day ahead of them. Many simply confuse his spotty-figure for a simple ray of sunrise, lost to the depths of the sea below.

Felix remains keenly aware of how close the surface was getting, kicking up sand and silt alike as he enters the docks from below. A man that the water’s surface disguise as a glint in quickly catches his attention. He furiously waves his arms towards the back of a vessel, seemingly shouting at the poor woman in uniform who had bothered to hear his story.

Felix winces at the sight of the damage he’d created, with guilt flooding his chest. He swims low, bolting from his current hiding place to the shadow of the deck that the two humans were standing on.

His eyes settle onto a half-awake green figure curled up at the bottom of the harbor, acting as if the net encasing him was some sort of blanket. Felix huffs a quiet sigh of relief, but the calmness it gives him lasts for little more than a sandcastle at high tide.

He debates pulling the remains of the rope tied around his friend’s tail, but decides against it for the sake of avoiding any more cruelty. He couldn’t help but wonder how the fisherman he’d stunned was doing…

“David,” he calls out.

The restless figure only turns over onto his face with a grumble, kicking up minimal sand with a small flick of his gigantic tail.

“David…” Felix says once more, this time accompanied by placing his hand along the other merman’s scarred shoulder. It just barely failed to cover the full thing.

Each grain of sand felt like a flash of lightning to his eyes, sending thunderous claps of pain into his head that ricocheted off of his skull. Up was down, down was up, and everything in his body told him he should be falling right now. But, he wasn’t. His weight unconsciously shifts to the side where Felix had rested his hand, forcing him back onto the sand while his migraine roared on.

“Fuckin’… hell… ugh…”

The flesh in his mouth stuck to itself like a post-it note, peeling apart whenever he tried to make an expression in a way that only made it more dry. Even tensing his eyebrows made the drums in his head worse.

David’s tail thrashes and curls into various circles like a dying snake, vigorously rubbing against the thick cord that was meant to keep him still after being caught. Despite his admittedly pitiful struggling, all he managed to do was add to the heat and pain that came from what felt like a full-body fever.

“Water,” he groaned, mindlessly reaching out to Felix’s bag to find his antidote.

Alcohol.

Part of him was thankful his friend hadn’t been given a more lethal poison, but these small victories could not withstand the gravity of their situation.

Felix couldn’t help but dwell on the specifics. His adrenaline had faded, and it was no longer just as simple as saying he’d been spotted in the water.

He hoists David’s large arm over his shoulder with a huff, tail stirring in the sand like a winding coil. He bites down hard on his own jaw, inhaling deeply before shooting out of the harbor with all of his might. In an effort to distract himself from his physical, the heavy weight on his body fell second to the weight on his mind. It was all he seemed to be able to think about.

Kaylen. She might have been seen by the fisherman too. Surely, someone would be knocking on her uncle’s door to ask about what happened.

Why did he even bother going up there?

His head dips down. Soon, he makes it to a large bed of sea grass where he rolls David off of his admittedly aching shoulder.

None of this had to happen. If he had stayed down here, none of this would have happened. He steadied himself with a large exhale from his gills, which barely made an impression on the unforgiving waters. This way of thinking wasn’t going to bring him anywhere, he reasoned. The innate pressure the situation had created still weighed on him, meaning he still had work to do.

Kaylen had done a good thing, even if she shouldn’t have been allowed to know what it was. The knocking he’d pushed away earlier circled back into his mind. What could he do to drive the police away?

Humans liked money, he reasoned, even though he did not entirely believe that this simple plan would work. He could give her some gold, and perhaps it would aid her… somehow?

if you are sending to a multi-muse, remember to specify the muse that the questions are being sent for . feel free to edit these as you see fit .

🌟 What’s something small they did as a child that hinted at who they’d become?

❤️ Who is the one person they’d drop everything for, no questions asked?

💔 What’s the one wound (physical / emotional) they’ll never fully recover from?

🗡️ What’s their “I’ve killed for less” trigger?

☀️ What’s their happiest childhood memory?

🌧️ What kind of weather matches their soul?

🍽️ What meal do they cook when they need to feel like themselves again?

🎶 What song instantly makes them emotional & why?

🌙 Do they sleep peacefully / fight nightmares every night?

🔒 What’s a secret they’ll take to their grave?

🪞 What do they secretly hate about their own appearance?

💪 What random skill are they weirdly proud of?

👶 Baby picture of them - what’s the most embarrassing thing about it?

🏠 Describe their home when no one’s watching—messy, spotless, chaotic cozy?

😭 What always makes them cry, even if they hate admitting it?

😂 What’s the dumbest thing they’ve ever laughed at for way too long?

🧸 Do they still have a childhood comfort object? Where is it now?

✏️ What nickname do they secretly love being called?

⚔️ How do they act when they’re furious but have to stay polite?

🩸 What’s the worst injury they’ve ever had & the story behind it?

🕊️ What would instantly calm them down in a panic attack?

🔥 What’s something they’d burn the world down to protect?

🌹 What scent reminds them of the person they loved/love most?

🪥 What’s their most oddly specific daily routine?

💔 What’s the one apology they’re still waiting for that’ll never come?

🃏 Are they the type to forgive / hold a grudge until the end of the universe?

🌌 What’s their biggest “what if” that keeps them up at night?

🦋 What was their “I’m not a kid anymore” moment?

🎭 Do they wear a mask in public? What’s the real them like underneath?

🧳 If they had to leave home forever with only one bag, what do they pack?

🌑 What’s the darkest thought they’ve ever had about themselves?

☕ What’s their comfort drink?

🖤 What’s a “villain” trait they actually possess?

🤝 Who is the one person they never want to disappoint?

🎁 What gift would utterly destroy them (in a good / bad way)?

🩹 How do they react when someone they love is hurt?

🌅 Are they a sunrise / sunset person - what do they think about while looking at their favorite?

🧣 What texture/clothing item makes them feel safe?

🦉 What piece of advice do they give everyone but never follow themselves?

🔪 What’s the most violent thing they’ve ever done for love / survival?

🦋 What seemingly insignificant memory do they cherish the most?

🌹 What is their love language & how badly do they need it right now?

🪨 What’s the hardest choice they’ve ever made?

🧋 What food/drink do they hate that everyone else loves?

🕰️ If they could relive one day of their life, which would it be?

👑 In their own story, are they the hero / villain / someone else entirely?

🌡️ What temperature do they keep their home at & why?

🧸 What would their younger self think of them now?

💌 What’s the letter / text they’ll never send?

He could not hide the grimace as he finally got to assess the damage when he returned to Cheryl's side. Deathslinger was no joke, and his weapon of choice had always seemed more grotesque and savage than other killers. Impaling was a hell of a wound, even on a temporary basis.

Dad?

Felix blinked in surprise at the bleary question, but ultimately pushed it aside in his mind. It occurred to him that he had never properly spoken to Cheryl much, no more than the usual fireside banter. Would she even want to talk about her family under normal circumstances?

"Shh, shhh, don't try to talk too much. Keep your eyes open for me, ok?"

He quickly tore off his own jacket, wadding it up to press against the wound, then gingerly as possible leaned Cheryl forward to remove the vest and check if the twin wound from the harpoon gun was open on her back as well.

Cheryl was struggling to keep her eyes open. It sounded so good to just close them and sleep this off. That she'd wake up and be back home, it would all be a bad dream. That the cult had never found them, that her dad was still alive.

You're doing great...

She hissed when he moved her, and it fortunately looked like the wound did not open up in the back. Maybe this was just bad luck, that she rolled the dice poorly today.

She wanted to close her eyes.

Her vision was blurry. She saw the orange and yellows of the campfire, but it wasn't clear, just an undefined blob of colors. She could sort of see someone moving around. He kind of looked like her dad. Maybe he was.

The one speck of mercy was that the wound on her back was closed...almost healed like the Trial injuries normally did when they returned to the campfire. It meant that he could rest the poor girl on her back to continue his efforts. "I know I'm old, but I'm not quite old enough to be your dad," he said, a half joke to steady his nerves and try to focus Cheryl.

"I apologise...this is going to sting. Squeeze my arm if it helps..."

Removing his jacket from her torso, Felix worked fast. Fresh gauze was soaked with an antiseptic and used to clean the wound as quick as possible, just enough to legally pass for the next step. The wound did appear to be trying to heal, but it seemed to struggle against itself.

The stinging pain snapped her eyes open briefly, and she tried not to yell out. Sure, killers couldn't harm them outside the trial, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be drawn to them. The pain surged through her, lighting her nerves on fire as Felix applied pressure.

Felix...

...Dad...

The tap to her cheek made her eyes snap open, and she fought to keep them awake. This was cruel. This was horrid. She had gone through so much why couldn't this pain just pass? Why didn't she feel better.

She tried to focus on Felix.

"F.. fuck... fucking..."

"I'm so sorry, I wish I could do more. I'm here for you. Don't let go. Don't...don't leave."

Emotions were hastily shoved to the side as Felix wiped his forehead - and perhaps some tears - on the arm he refused to let up on pressure with. He had learned plenty of first aid in the fog. He shouldn't be so affected. He didn't want to let this affect him so much because it made losing people that much harder.

Rapidly, the ground beneath the two of them spread out, dirt and grass turning into rusted chain-link metal with drops of bright red all over it. There was a drop right behind Cheryl's head, welcoming only absolute blackness. The sound coming from that pit was the grinding of metal and steel, like a crank being turned multiple times.

Then it appeared.

A being, with a face that was not a face, with an apron like the Executioner, and dirty gloves, crawled out of the pit, standing over them both. It towered over Felix, reaching one hand out to touch the bandage.

It shooed him back once, and the bandage rotted away. The flesh was exposed, and as his hand passed over it, the flesh and skin knit back together.

Cheryl took a gasping breath, coughing more than once. As she sat up, the thing crawled back into the darkness. The rusted ground faded, as if the Otherworld was being sucked back into Cheryl herself. Soon there was no monster, no rusted metal, just the dirt and crackling of the campfire.

She steadied herself with her hands, shivering.

Still, as the wound healed, Felix kept from observing the creature further. He only spared a passing glance as the void sealed behind the being and the campsite returned to normal. The vacant silence of the void seemed overwhelmingly hollow in the absence of the metal grinding and howl of the other world.

Felix...

He lunged forward, clutching Cheryl in his arms and holding her tightly. The relief of seeing her whole and coherent again buzzed in his skull-right before a pindrop of thought flooded his gut with icy panic. "Cheryl, what have I done? That thing...I doubt it grants mercy for free..."

Just like Dad...

Her mind sorted through what he was saying, what she had felt. Something she'd felt countless times before, when she was trapped in Silent Hill, when she was battered and broken down.

Valtiel.

She took a few breaths to steady herself, but didn't move away. She needed the hug.

"It'll... It'll be okay. That was Valtiel... it... it's job is to make sure that I don't die."

It was going to be a long explanation.

"The cult... the one that killed Dad... they said I would bring about the rebirth of their God, and she would lead them to paradise. Valtiel made sure I never died. Even now that their god is dead, I guess it's... just still doing its job, even here."

His hold wasn't tight any more, easy enough to withdraw from. But there was an unspoken hunger there as well, a whispering plea for her to stay just a moment longer. She was soft and gentle, things that were desperately scarce in the Realm. She stood in stark contrast to things from her realm as well, he thought with a contemplative frown. What had her past written for her to tread such a grim path?

"That seems a very...useful...connection to have."

Useful? The same cult that killed her father? Really...think before you speak, Felix.

"You...must have been close with your father, if he's the one you saw instead of me, just then. Do you know why the cult took him?"

She nodded once.

"We were close. He was all I had. He said my mother died, which... I guess was true."

Maybe this was the time to really talk about it.

"Dad was killed... because he was hiding where I was. He kept me safe for so long, moving around, making sure I always checked in. He was killed to make me come to Silent Hill to perform their stupid ritual."

She really didn't think Felix needed to know that she ate a red mixture and vomited up a fetus.

His eyes dropped from the fire to her once more and he felt a pang of guilt in his gut. It was silly to feel both jealousy and deep sympathy over a father figure he had no right to compare to his own. But what would life have been like if his own father had paid as much attention to his family, instead of chasing after some alternate realm?

And what could this girl's life have been like if some other realm had not been so vindictively set on making her its tool for twisted goals?

She didn't want to move right now. She just wanted to stay there with Felix. Things were nice right now. Things were safe. The fire was warm and she wasn't hurting. The bar was very low.

"I can go out through that realm, but... I don't want to leave anyone behind..."

And right now, she wasn't sure she could be strong enough to walk through the Otherworld. She was tired, she was warm, and she had Felix here to just...

It made the task all that much harder, but it was a necessary truth. He had no business making those kinds of promises, when he knew next to nothing about how to accomplish the endeavour on his own.

"The Entity will make a mistake, sooner or later. We'll be ready for it."

But for now. There was warmth, there was compassion, and there was a small glimmer something worth holding onto in the friendships he had formed in the Realm.