#and why would they fight back against something that they rightfully earned?

[felix-lupin]

also sometimes hms doesn’t like the crossing of boundaries but sometimes, in a sick twisted way, they really do and they want more and they would like the other to invade their boundaries more until their ribs are being pried open, sometimes they want to be Filled with the other, they want to entwine. sometimes the fact that the other discards all their protests is utterly beautiful. do yiu undersyand

YES i understand so so much

theres a few things that could play into that. like the 'violence being seen as love' thing, or, well, the closest that they think they can get. and how there are times where they can't acknowledge the times when things were better, but they still want that closeness. so this is all they can get. this violation of boundaries. this forced entwinement. this twisted, funhouse mirrors version of closeness and intimacy.

and sometimes they don't like the crossing of boundaries, but sometimes. sometimes. the fact that the other wants this, wants them, enough to ignore all of their protests or wants about it is something beautiful to them. maybe even relieving.

mind pries heart open and heart hates it sometimes but isnt this what he wanted? isnt this what heart asked for? mind is showing emotions and desires, experiencing and showing them strong enough that he's willing to completely ignore heart's own in the process. didnt heart ask for this, really? isnt this what heart has been trying to drag out of him for so long?

and for mind its like. he cant really admit to himself to having any wants or desires. so while he usually hates it, he does, maybe sometimes theres some part of him thats a little relieved, or thankful. that heart is willing to ignore his protests enough to commit this act of violation in name of the closeness that they both long for. that all he has to do is put up his protests and struggles, but he can rest assured that heart won't actually listen, that he can have this closeness.

[sunnynwanda]

Hi! Your writing is just amazing 🤘🏾 may I request a spicy hero x villain , with an EXTREMELY flirty villain. Perhaps giving off a "one night stand" sorta vibe? Idk whatever you're comfortable with. Thank you in advance!

Temptation

Part 2

Hero was livid. Rightfully so. Not only did the asshole of a villain they had the misery of working against attack on Christmas Eve, but they also had to do that on the only chance Hero had of company. They were Christmas carolling near the central square, for God's sake. There was nothing to gain from attacking them there. Or attacking at all.

And it's not like Villain even pursued anything - they were just determined to piss Hero off and ruin their holiday spirit to compensate for their own foul mood. Solely out of spite. So yes, Hero was seething. And Villain was going to regret provoking them.

They grab a garland light off the toppled tree and wrap it around Villain's wrists. They attempt to jerk away and free themselves, when Hero restricts their movements by twisting their arms behind their back and securing them before wrapping the rest of the garland down to their feet to completely immobilise them.

"Stay fucking still!" They growl through gritted teeth, tugging at the improvised chain a little too harshly.

"I like it a bit more gentle, baby," Villain murmurs under their breath, but when Hero smacks them, they start thrashing around like a fish out of water.

Hero picks Villain up, fighting the temptation to knock them out, and throws them over their shoulder. They wish the citizens happy holidays and depart with a heavy heart. Once they've dealt with Villain, there'll be nothing but an empty apartment and frozen pizza waiting for them. All because of the dumbass that keeps banging their tied fists at Hero's back, demanding attention.

"Stop." They order, only to be ignored. "I told you to stop, you absolute prick!"

Villain seizes their blows for a short moment before resuming again with a cheeky laugh. And Hero has had enough. They throw Villain off their shoulder, watching them land on the concrete floor of their apartment balcony. Normally, they would avoid bringing Villain to their own place. But, the agency was closed because every normal human being was supposed to be at home, celebrating with their families.

They land, turning Villain over face up and grasping their collar to pull them to a standing position. A strained breath escapes them from the force with which Hero slams their back against the wall. They hiss when their head makes contact with the rough surface.

"Now listen here, you miserable bastard," they start, anger sweeping over them.

Against their better judgement, Villain coughs out a laugh, only getting Hero more riled up.

"You sure I'm the miserable one here?"

This earns them a blow to the gut, but they can't even bend over properly because of their confines.

"Shut your mouth and listen to me," Hero snarls, no longer able to contain their aggravation. They don't even know why they are so mad at Villain specifically - poor-timed attack aside. It is perhaps their frustration getting the best of them, Villain just happened to cross their path at the wrong moment. "We have two options here."

Villain swallows, their throat tight, then nods. Something is off, and they can sense that. Usually, Hero was up for a little brawl. It was entertaining and never meant to inflict any significant harm. Same for today, Villain was sure the toppled tree was back in position with only one garland and a couple of ornaments missing. Worst case scenario, ten. Hero's rage was far from being equivalent to the damage done.

"You give us both a holiday break, or I leave you here tied up with this garland for the entire weekend," Hero's warning drags them out of their thoughts. But they wouldn't be who they are if they abandoned their plan that easily. Villain pulls their lower lip between their teeth and drags a finger over Hero's toned stomach, eyes lided.

"There's another option, too," they muse in a low voice. They know they are probably laying it on too thick, but they need to get the message across. And if this doesn't get Hero to relax, they don't know what will. With a crooked smile now adorning their face, Villain continues. "If you'd care to twitch your plan a bit, that is."

Hero stares at them with the most deadpan look they can muster. They despise the way their voice sounds hoarse when they finally speak. "How so?"

The sexual tension between them was insane - to a painful extent. It was evident from the very start, but they never succumbed to it and never showed any inclination to cave in. Or so they thought.

"Well, it'd go pretty much the same - you tie me up with the garland," Villain explains, squirming to illustrate their point. And free their arms. "Except, you stay, too, and get to do whatever you'd like to me."

"What?" Hero chokes out, incredulous at the shiver Villain's words send down their back. They are flabbergasted at how quickly they were ready to nod in agreement.

"Preferably for the entire weekend," Villain can't help the teasing tone and seeing Hero's reaction only prompts them to keep going. They gulp, voice heavy with arousal. "If you can handle me for that long."

"I..." Hero gapes at them, utterly at a loss for words. Their skin prickles with agitation when Villain offers them a suggestive wink.

"I'm damn sure that'll be your best Christmas yet."

Hero bites their lip to suppress a throaty groan, and Villain smirks, knowing full well they got them. They can feel the heat rising in their stomach when Hero looks up at them with darkened eyes. Their dilated irises lock onto Villain's when the question drops from their lips. Villain barely registers it, too occupied with the thoughts of that mouth on their skin.

"And what happens next?" Hero asks, barely restraining themselves from throwing every inhibition aside and ravaging them on the cold balcony of their apartment.

"Nothing," Villain squeezes out, their tongue sweeps out to wet their parted lips. Being bound up and at Hero's hands always did things to them they were not prepared to unravel, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity to go there. "We let the tension out of our systems and return to our usual fighting routine."

A part of Hero fears the weekend won't be enough to satiate their hunger, but it's worth a shot. At least they can get a taste of something they have craved for longer than they dare admit.

"You know you want me, darling." Villain chimes in, worming out of their chains and wrapping their arms around Hero's neck. "You can't hide it."

Without further thoughts, Hero crashes their lips in a searing kiss, picking them up with one arm while the other pushes the door open. Villain moans into their mouth, wrapping their legs around Hero's waist as they are carried into the apartment.

They don't know whether this is an incredible idea or a horrible mistake. It's up for debate whether this will end up as a one night stand with their nemesis or a beginning of something much more than that. They don't even know if it's anger or attraction that's fueling Hero's desire for them. If there is one thing Villain does know, it's that they won't be spending Christmas enveloped by the emptiness of their existence.

Part 2

Masterlist

Hi, darling!

Thank you so much for the request and kind words, I appreaciate that! I hope I managed to capture your idea in this snippet and that you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

It's not as spicy, but there could always be a part 2, right? :D

xo Sunny

Taglist: @marvellousdaisy @alltimelowing @lateuplight @surplus-of-sarcasm @betwist @excusemeasibangmyheadonawall @enemies-to-idiots-to-lovers @miaowmelodie @thatonerandomauthor @hhabaddon @burningoutlikeicarus @daemonvatis @weepingcowboywolfbat @thelazywitchphotographer @kaiwewi @soul-of-a-local-bard @pigeonwhumps @aflyingsheepnamedrose  @thatneptune @ohwellthatslifesstuff @worldsfromhoney

[childrenofthesun77]

Assuming that the whole 'mahiru is the vessel needed to bring back the count and the 9th servamp will be the servamp of vainglory' theory will be correct, it's interesting how both mahiru and touma can be accused of this sin even if the way it applies to them is opposed.

What touma wants is to be acknowledged and to that end he was willing to become the villain who destroyed the world before mahiru and tsurugi managed to change his mind:

Mahiru's way of being vainglorious seems a lot more positive at first because he wants to be a hero who saves others, but it's self-destructive and encourages laziness in others:

But thankfully we see mahiru starting to let go of the need to make other people proud of him and to prioritize making himself proud in his conversation with tsurugi:

and later when mahiru has a meltdown because he fears his uncle might be dead and suggests sacrificing his life to save the world kuro rightfully yells at mahiru for acting hypocritical and not listening to his own advice:

(I want to mention here that I really love how horrified kuro looks as he realizes that mahiru's reckless hero behaviour comes from a very self-destructing place:

because not a lot of manga I know really acknowledge that maybe the way a lot of their protagonists try to be heroic is actually pretty unhealthy and shouldn't be encouraged? Like Sigurd pointed out at the C3 meeting, it's kind of shameful that the children have to save the day)

Which is why I love that mahiru decided to trust kuro to handle tsubaki without him going with him:

He decides to stay back with everyone else, showing that he has learned that he doesn't need to be the one to do everything and can stay back with the others to buy kuro time.

Interestingly we see touma doing something similar. Opposed to his old need to have the whole world acknowledge him he now wishes for everyone to believe he's dead and he's helping to protect the city by creating a huge barrier without making it known that's he the one doing this:

He's helping the protagonists seemingly with no intention of earning acknowledgement for it.

I think in a way it could be cool of servamp to subvert the shouned trope that for the finale battle the only one able to defeat the big bad is the protagonist while everyone else just watches on from the sidelines, not allowed to do anything because this is the protagonist's moment of glory.

What if lily's plan when he put kuro in mahiru's path was that if kuro tried to stop tsubaki at the gate surely his eve would need to be there with him, right? Because of course he needs his eve to fight and then there's also the distance limit. So why not make the vessel you need at that gate for the ritual to work kuro's eve? Then the vessel would be at the place where you need them without you even needing to do something because naturally they would be thinking they are doing the right thing by going with kuro to fight tsubaki together. And surely someone as vainglorious as mahiru would never pass up the opportunity to be the hero who stops tsubaki. It's foolproof!

Unless of course before the ritual the vessel learned to let go of their vainglorious nature, accepted that it's okay to take a step into the background and trust in others. And additionally also found a way to break through the whole forced proximity thing that the servamp and eves had going on.

I don't know, I feel like it would be a neat bow on mahiru's character arc and a unique way to thawrt the antagonists' plans if the creation of the servamp of vainglory failed because the 'it has to be me' guy they wanted to use as the vessel decided against glory and stayed back to let his partner handle things with tsubaki alone because he trusts him. Kuro on the other hand wants to make up for his past regrets and resolve the conflict through communication this time. Learning to trust in himself again by managing to talk tsubaki out of going through with the ritual on his own would be a logical conclusion to kuro's arc.

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Thranduil and Josie Pt. 174- Shattered Dreams

Summary: The Manhattan trio head back to the world of dark fairytales. Clover accepts responsibility for her actions. A rescue ensues. Revelations and blood rage come forth. A dream is crushed by a ton of bricks. A journey continues. Something lost is still lost. Thranduil connects. A sweet moment turns to heartbreak for Lola. Legolas leaves the Elvenking reeling....and plotting.

*Chapter Warnings* language, angst

Notes: I have now changed to third person writing. The "you" thing just doesn't fit for the readers with Josie being an original character.

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist

Clover, Jace and Matthew were tossed into a large clearing on the Northern side of middle earth's hidden perimeters. It was too risky to just appear inside of them, for Jace's magic stele that he used to transport them had the habitual pattern of just spitting it's passengers out in a nearby vicinity of the desired location and that would be far too dangerous for them if they were spotted, especially the marked and hunted dhampir with her bewitching fiery strands. Even where the former Raven now stood, out in the open breeze, imperiled her as her cinnamon scent could easily be picked up by Viktor's nefarious death dealers or even by the vicious vampire ruler of infamous superhuman strength himself as Viktor was one of Jareth's resurrected pawns.

"Why does the sky look as if it were dusk? It's only noon. Could it be....Jar...h..him?" Clover asked, guarding herself not to mention the Goblin King's name as her eyes squinted at the familiar eerie hue of glowing amber.

As Matthew's vampire eyes reddened with caution, his sensitive nose subtly inhaled the air. "It is not he himself, but one who is now of him. The same immortal responsible for the great quake of middle earth."

Jace stepped next to his beloved dhampir and clutched her hand as they both whispered the believed identity. "The Elvenking."

Clover's mind briefly drifted. She would never forget what Thranduil had become while she had been a prisoner of his halls and what he had taken from her, but could she truly hold him accountable? Jareth had set it all into motion by torturing the King of Mirkwood and poisoning him with his warlock blood, not to mention, Thranduil now wore Jareth's citrine ring, the glue that sealed his fate. She still struggled with her loss and who was truly to blame, but after all she had taken from Thranduil, she knew damn well that she, along with her sinister mother, were the ones solely responsible for unleashing the wrath of the Elvenking. If she had merely walked away after Caroline's death instead of being the misguided monster she had always been, Thranduil would still be Thranduil, even if that in itself wasn't always a good thing and he would be with his family, living happily within his halls....but now, his heart was at war with his mind against the world and even his own Queen and another war was on the horizon. A war that Clover knew was also her fault. Everything that had happened since Chateau de Lioncourt was her fault.

Jace's squeeze to her hand released her of her torturous thoughts. "Hey...Clover, you're safe with me. I'll never let him or anyone hurt you. I promise."

She smiled sweetly at the golden haired warlock. "I know your heart is in the right place and I love you for it, but you know as well as I do that you cannot promise such a thing with all the enemies I have rightfully earned. I'm wanted Jace...and certainly not alive."

He pulled her against his brawny body and kissed her softly. "Well, they will have one hell of a fight upon their hands. I won't hesitate to kill to keep you safe."

Her loving gaze at him strayed in sadness. "What about my sister? She will never understand."

"I'll do everything in my power to make her see you the way I do."

"Respectfully Jace, your words will mean nothing to her. She will try to kill me and you know it. You shouldn't have to be in such a conflicting position because of me. I know how much you love her and she you."

"And it is that love that will defeat her hatred."

Clover playfully smirked but with a sigh. "You're too good for me and quite frankly, your optimism still makes me nauseous."

The blonde warlock shook his head and smiled. "Just shut up and kiss me."

As the new lovebirds tenderly locked lips, the tall, dark and blue eyed Brit Matthew momentarily watched them with an envious grief, for it would be years before he would unite with his destined soulmate Leeanduil and for a vampire, years felt like an eternity when one walked alone. The recluse vampire Lestat knew that all too well. The loneliness Matthew currently agonized over would only intensify, but for the Princess of Mirkwood...he would endure the internal burning flame that ignited one night with a single shooting star and remain devoutly faithful, for his futuristic visions of their love gave him the strength.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as he whipped his head in the opposite direction with widened eyes of wariness. In his 1500 years as a blood rage vampire, Matthew had become a very highly skilled tracker, for his nose was extremely sensitive to others of his kind, especially those who carried the gene of temporary insanity and that was when the brisk breeze alerted him to a familiar presence. He could also smell turmoil, for a distressed vampire released a particular chemical. An abhorrent aroma of burning flesh.

Clover took notice of the repulsive stink as well, but unlike Matthew, she wasn't used to it beings she was still in her newborn phase and it turned her stomach. "WHAT is that??" she cringed, swiftly bringing her hand to cover her crinkled up nose. "It smells like...like...."

She paused, finally taking in a whiff of the underlying scent that was also familiar to her. "P...pancakes. Oh my god....G!!!"

Before Matthew or Jace could even blink, Clover was gone. Disappearing into the forest, leaving a whirlwind trail of dead leaves swirling about like a cyclone. Although she knew that Garrett, who had cared for and bonded with her in her childhood, had now come to despise her, especially after their last encounter where she had wickedly tricked him into believing she was his beloved Josephine all to successfully bed him, she still cared for him.

Once the pair caught up, they found Clover at a desolate cabin, gazing in the slightly frosted window with eyes matching the blazing sky.

"Step back girl." Matthew commanded with a snarl as he glowered down at her. "Have you learned nothing of entrapment??"

Jace angrily pulled her aside. "Matthew is right. What were you thinking?? Even if Garrett is in there, others may be also or may be close."

Scoffing, she pursed her rosy lips and reluctantly submitted. "Fine...but do not man handle me warlock. I can give as good as I get."

Jace grinned and winked. "You don't have to remind me of that my firecracker."

The three then circled the small wooden structure until Matthew deemed it and the surrounding area clear of any threats and then they cautiously entered through the back door. All was quiet except for the creaking of the floorboards beneath their feet and the repetitive sound of dripping water also coming from below, ringing like bells in the two vampires' keen ears.

Clover deeply inhaled the potent aroma of molasses as her golden eyes darted about, suddenly fixating on the empty whiskey bottles upon the counter. "He's been here recently or is still here."

"So have others. Merely days ago." Matthew added as he continued into the living room. "Vampires. Two of them. One male, one female. Twice dead for their scent becomes twice as strong."

Clover gasped at an object propped against the couch with no concern over Matthew's validation. "G's guitar!! Garrett???!!" she shouted with excitement and bolted down the hall to the bedrooms only to find them both empty.

"I...I don't understand! He's here. I feel him." she reeled, bursting apart the women's modern day clothing hanging in the closet which offered her another surprising scent. "Oh...my...god. These clothes..." She ripped a dusty shirt from the hanger and shoved it under her nose. "Cherries...it's...it's...these are my sister's! This must be the cabin Josie had been held captive in last year. No wonder G was...or IS here....but where????"

As they all looked at each other with confusion and silence, the dripping from below solved the mystery. "The basement!" Clover shrieked and zipped off once again and this time, Jace was beginning to turn a little green.

There the King of Devil's Island laid, motionless, flat on his back and chained in iron shackles upon a musty old mattress, appearing deader than vampire dead.

With eyes molten as the lava, Clover unleashed her power, freeing his searing wrists from the toxic metal and then climbed onto him, slapping him on the cheek and then shaking him.

"G! Open your eyes."

Moaning, he rubbed his cheek and mumbled. "Why did you do that?"

"I'm going to do it again, much harder, if you don't wake up."

His eyes, black with thirst, complied and moved about the ceiling. "Where am I?"

Clover pulled his weak body up into a sitting position and when he saw her, he groaned as if he were in pain. "Uuuuugh. Well I just answered my own question. I've died and went straight to hell."

Scoffing, she sent him hurling back onto the bed, grunting as he hit the mattress. "Same old G with your bullshit humor. Obviously, you're going to be just fine. You're welcome!"

"Your voice. Make it stop." Garrett grumbled, palms pressed to his forehead. "Punch iron stakes in my ears or kill me. Either will do."

Matthew intervened as he stepped forward, awkwardly gazing at Garrett's chest. "You've been marked with protection."

Garrett snickered and pushed himself back up. "A lot of good that did. Well, except when I tried to end it all. Fucking faeries. Wicked little beasts underneath all that beauty. Especially Amara. Crazy bitch with a thousand razors for teeth. Makes me feel sorry for apples. She did this to me, the mark that is. All because she likes my music talent. and has nominated me for her leisurely concerts."

Jace's brows furrowed. "The seelie Queen? There must be something more she wants."

Garrett lifted his heavy eyes up at the warlock he now recognized. "Speaking of. I remember you. The day Josephine and I left Amara's court and were on our way back to the Dorwinion castle. You came out of nowhere and helped us after her mind warped father attacked us. You're her brother....Jace? That's why you had tracked her down."

His eyes glanced at Clover, then back at Garrett, reluctant to reveal it had all been a lie. "Yeah..so...who did this to you? Amara?"

"No, but she had been here prior to my being ambushed, basically to rub it in my face that I could not kill myself because of this mark she let her Chippendale satanic servant brutally burn into my chest. She had better things to go follow up on such as having Legolas for herself and keeping him away from Josephine. That was her whole end game. Games are her fetish. Wicked sadistic ones at that with her creepy crawling cray cray vines of truth. I probably shouldn't say any more. Her little minion spies are everywhere."

"G! Focus. WHO did this to you??" barked an anxiously frustrated Clover.

"Oh...that would be Craven, your bat shit crazy father, pun intended, and my newly re-headed reeking ex, Kate. Well actually, she put me down here for revenge. Craven later taunted me and left me so I couldn't try to stop him from reclaiming Devil's Island and his title as King. Fucking traitor created me and then left me to die."

Clover turned whiter than a ghost. "M...my...father is... oh my god....Jace...I...I never knew him. Haldir killed him shortly after I was born. What do I do?? I..I mean, I know he was evil but..."

Jace pulled her close and stroked her cheek. "He was still your father. I get it. But just remember who he was Clover and since Jareth brought him back, that means he will be even more deadly."

"Clover??" a confused Garrett asked. "What happened to Raven? Too dark and fitting for you?"

"If you must know..." she sarcastically replied. "I'm not that person anymore. People can change. You did because if I recall, you were no better than me once upon a time Mr. fucking hypocrite."

Garrett weakly wobbled to his feet, standing the tallest of the four and glared down at her. "Yeah well if you also recall, I wasn't born evil. You were. Just what the hell are you doing here anyways??? Especially with your sister's brother whom you seem to be all cozy with. How'd you pull that one off? Did you use your magic to get him into bed like you did to me??"

Clover felt her stomach do a flip as she fearfully glanced up at Jace, for even though he knew most of her sordid past, he didn't know about that.

In his instinct to protect her, the lovesick warlock quickly came to her defense. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

The vexed vampire raised a befuddled brow. "Whatever. It's your funeral, especially when your sister finds out."

Matthew, in his rapidly growing frustration, chimed in. "Enough of this. Maybe you should be a little more grateful that we came to your aid."

Garrett's eyes bolted to Matthew. "Well I'll thank YOU... and even YOU," he exclaimed as he happily gave a single nod to Jace, but his attention swiftly redirected back to Matthew in the midst of a memory flashback. "I've seen you before....at...Lestat's masquerade ball. Drinking alone in the shadows."

Clover's eyes widened. "You were there????"

Matthew had known it could surface about his attendance at some point and he had a prepared answer to avoid revealing his real purpose for being there.

"As were many vampires on the invitation list, who like I, enjoy drinks and entertainment every so often and observing all of the creative costumes. Lestat's balls never disappoint."

"Yeah except THAT particular one did because of the death dealer attack. You knew...didn't you??? You and your visions!! And you did nothing to warn or help???"

"Hold your tongue half breed!" he growled and began to creep towards her, his eyes reddening. "You know nothing of what you spew little girl. After what you and your mother had done that night, you have the audacity to make such accusations against me?? It was you and she that everyone needed warned about but I knew nothing of your plans until long after the fact of that fateful night and to be crystal fucking clear, I had departed before Richard's ambush. Even if I had known about it, one would be a fool to interfere in Viktor's affairs as you and Caroline learned."

Clover's eyes slitted with skepticism as her intuition began to read him. "How...convenient. The timing of your departure. Surely you would have stayed for the concert which was the entertainment you speak of and of course, that's when they attacked. No, I think you were there for something...or someone else. I feel it. Someone very important to you. Someone I know. Someone we all know."

Matthew abruptly halted, perplexed by her accuracy. Simultaneously, she paused, her troubled eyes drifting away, trying to unscramble the pixeled image that taunted her mind...and then, it pieced itself together like a puzzle. "Oh my god...now I know why you told me at the old church that you had business with the elves, but you wouldn't reveal what it was! It's....it's my sister. I see Josie! You were there for her! What on earth do you want with her??? Are you...in love with her too like this fool over here is???"

As her eyes darted to Garrett concerning her last statement, the corner of his lip curled into a smug grin. "Seems you're the only fool right now."

A low emitted growl rolled up Matthew's throat as his threatening steps resumed. "Fool indeed. I do not take kindly to your intrusive perceptions of me."

Jace's eyes cautioned of yellow as he fearlessly stepped into the path of imminent destruction. "Matthew, back off. Now. I do not want to fight you, but I will to protect what I love, just as you would do to protect what you love."

As Garrett mumbled "I think I am going to ralph," Matthew submitted to the warning as he considered Jace's words, knowing that even he too was susceptible to making mistakes during a bout of blood rage and he could not risk his life over something so trivial when all he lived for was Leeanduil and someday...she would desperately need him much more than she did now.

With lightning speed, the humbled vampire zipped up the stairs, leaving an aromatic trail of lavender and vanilla in his wake. Jace spun around to Clover with an exasperated frown. "You and I will talk later."

The waspish warlock picked up a dusty bottle of cheap wine from a cobweb infested shelf and then jogged up the stairs, leaving Clover's eyes stinging of tears, for she knew the talk would be about her defiling of Garrett and not about her idiotic instigation of Matthew's rage.

"You never learn do you...Raven." Garrett reeled.

"And YOU never keep your mouth shut." she snapped and sucker punched his chest so hard, he catapulted through the air and landed in the corner, grimacing and groaning as he helplessly sat at the mercy of her fire happy hands.

The disgruntled dhampir preyed forward with angry amber hues. "I should set your ass on fire and put you out of your misery, you fucking ingrate."

Still wincing from the blow to his iron enfeebled body, Garrett managed to grunt out succumbing words that Clover related to and empathized with. "Go ahead. I've already tried, believe me. I have nothing to live for."

Her fiery orbs dissipated back to their ultramarine state as her mind witnessed another image of Josie forming from Garrett's emotions.

"God you're so pathetic." she softly murmured. "Yes you do. Get up. You need to hunt or you'll never regain your strength and power and you'll need that if you ever want to see her again."

His weepy yellowed eyes lifted up to hers as the thought of Josephine incited his will to go on and he reluctantly reached his hand out to Clover for assistance. Scoffing, she slapped his hand down and then made her way up the stairs, leaving Garrett to crawl his way up.

Matthew and Jace, who shared years of friendship, had already made their peace by the time she entered the living room where they were both sipping on the mundane vin with abhorrent frowns, for it was an abomination compared to the wickedly wonderful wine of Dorwinion.

"Atrocious." Matthew verbally verified, coughing to clear his tainted throat after swallowing much more than he had cared to of the execrable liquid. He then locked eyes of humility with Clover upon her entrance and sat his full glass down, also swallowing his pride as he shamefully turned to gaze out the window. "I offer my sincere apologies. The blood rage, as you personally know, can be quite difficult to control but even so, being a vampire with 1500 years of learning to manage such a curse, I carelessly let it get the better of me."

Clover empathized once more and felt extreme remorse for antagonizing him. "I do understand. It's a living hell all on it's own. I...I'm the one who is sorry. I provoked you and I wrongfully accused you and I...I was intrusive just as you said. Your actions were justified. Although you owe me no apology, you are forgiven."

Her reply was not what he had expected and he turned back to face her.

"You have come a long way in such a short time Clover. It is time that I am completely honest with both of you, for you were correct on why I had attended the All Hallows' Eve celebration. To observe a very pregnant Josephine, but not for the reason you mentioned. It is not her that I love, not in the way that King Thranduil does anyways and he and the other elves are the reason I departed so quickly. I had a vision of her there but they were not in it. I certainly would have never expected elves to attend a vampire gathering, especially ones of such stature and with the uncanny power of knowledge the Elvenking carries, I did not want to risk being detected, for he would not understand. Josephine did not at first either, nor did her side kick Haldir to say the least."

"Wait...I'm so lost. You...have already spoken with her? And I ask again, respectfully, why would you have visions of her?"

"I'd like to know the answer to that myself." Garrett demanded as he scuffled in, using the wall as a crutch.

"At first, I did not know the reason for the relentless visions, some of solely her and some including her King and even his son, that is why I chose to accept Lestat's invitation to try and understand what was happening, but my answers did not come that night. They came two weeks later, the night of November 2nd. I stood on a bridge in Oxford after learning of the destruction at Chateau de Lioncourt and Thranduil's sudden demise, wondering if I should attempt another visit to his Queen and in that moment, a shooting star offered me the answer with a life altering vision. Josephine and her child, who was born that same night, would need my added protection with the King gone and the war coming and in the ever so distant future as well, for Leeanduil will....become my bride. She is my star. My destiny. My one true love that I have impatiently waited agonizing, lonely centuries for."

All three mouths gaped between Clover, Jace and Garrett and then Garrett spoke, mostly to himself in confusion. "Why would Josephine not have told me about this?"

"Possibly because you were...here?" Matthew guessed. "It was only recently that I tracked Josephine down in Dorwinion city and informed her of all this. Garrett...there is something else you should know. In that particular vision, I saw myself with a fully grown Leanduil and...I saw Thranduil too. That was when I realized he had not perished like all had assumed and it was then confirmed to be true when Jace told me of all the events that partook in the dark realm of the Goblin King right after the elf lord's so called death, for Jace had been held prisoner there just as Thranduil had. The rest of the story is not my responsibility to tell."

Clover lightly gulped as Matthew glanced at her, for she had not been prepared for this. As she let her worried eyes slowly glide over to a flabbergasted Garrett, she was all too glad he was in a debilitated condition because when he learned she was the reason for Josie's unwarranted suffering, she was certain all hell would break loose, but for the time being, he was consumed with trying to wrap his head around the fact that his dreams of a future with his "little one" would now and forever be just that....a dream. In that moment, Clover witnessed the little light he had left in his eyes burn out as he staggered his way out the back door.

"Garrett!" she called out as she ran after him. "You need to know more!"

He abruptly turned around and the way he looked at her terrified her. It was complete emptiness, as if his entire soul that had kept the human side of him still alive, had been ripped out. This time, he truly DID want to die. At least before, he had a glimmer of hope that kept him alive, even through his suicidal tendencies and now... he had none.

His commanding words were flat and lifeless. "I know enough. Let me hunt in peace."

The sun was at it's highest as Thranduil and his company had stopped to briefly rest and refuel their bodies for the first time since their departure from his halls. They were now at the Eastern end of the Old Forest Road where it joined the Celduin. Soon the Elven army would continue their lengthy and tedious journey along the River Running's winding banks where it would eventually mate with the Carnen. There, they would then follow the meandering miles of the Redwater that flowed into the Sea of Rhun, but it would be many days yet before they would cross the Dorwinion borders.

Thranduil dismounted his great elk, who still remained ever so loyal to the clone of his master, and slitted his moonstone eyes at the irradiant sun trespassing through the gaps of the large and densely packed beeches. With Jareth's blood now burning through his veins, he loathed the light now just as the Goblin King did. Even the air of his own realm turned his stomach, but with his newly acquired darkness, he had poisonous plans to spread the sickness of Mirkwood throughout it's entirety. The moonlight he desperately craved. It would aid him in his malevolent quest, for like the werewolves, it transformed his physical and mental state to that of peccable wickedness.

As he now stood alone in the clad of tall trees, the Elvenking sternly snapped, startling the birds out of their nests. "Legolas!"

Deep within the depths of the Dorwinion castle, Legolas, Lola and Josselyn had just exited the password protected room where, according to Josselyn, Ashmole had last been secretly stored by Julian....but the necromantic book was no longer there and they knew this because Lola, being of warlock blood, failed to visually locate it like only witches can do.

The blue eyed beauty with long licorice locks, sighed in frustration. "I am so sorry. Maybe...maybe I cannot see it because I am not a full blooded witch like my fath...Lord Narcisse??"

Her reluctance to admit her parentage did not go unnoticed by Legolas He took her petite hand of delicate youth into his and smiled as he harbored his new feelings of desire that magically strengthened simply by her touch. "I do not know my lady, but know this. It is not your fault. Please do not apologize. Also know that you are nothing like your father."

Her dazed kitten-like eyes flitted at his words as she too was overcome with a magical sensation that she had harbored much longer for the flawless Prince.

The silent moment of connection between the two was then rudely interrupted by Thranduil's thunderous voice inside of Legolas' head. "Legolas!"

Abruptly releasing her hand, Legolas mildly gulped as he realized he had allowed his distractions to permit his father entry into his mind.

Legolas refused to speak and tightly closed his eyes, forcing his father out and resealing the doorway to his thoughts.

"Legolas?" Lola asked, lightly touching his cheek. "Are you alright?"

This time he was displeased by her touch and angry with himself, for she weakened him, something only Josie had been able to do and he couldn't allow his heart and mind to be mangled again. He still was not over the fiery Queen of hearts and was unsure if he ever would be. "Do not touch me. We need to go. I must find Josie."

Lola's eyes welled with pain as she watched her dream lover trail off without a single glance back at her and in that moment, she threw herself into her mother's awaiting arms and sobbed like she had as a child.

It was instant, Thranduil's burning rage at his son's betrayal, but one thing pleased him, for he was now aware of Legolas' newfound feelings for the one named Lola and it was even more pleasing to learn that she was the daughter of his nemesis Narcisse.

His thick brows planted firm over his glaring, hungry eyes, for both revelations had now handed him the golden opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

@redeemer46

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Athena, Ra, and Demeter

Got bich slap by god killer in their human form and give them order of an almost impossible task for something they did that didn't go unpunished from their cowerdness

-During your many months in Valhalla, you haven’t had many issues with the various gods and humans you’ve come to meet, and you’ve realized the tenacity of the humans, something they’ve learned themselves, fighting against the gods.

-Everyone was respectful of you, as, rightfully earned, many were afraid of you when you first arrived back, you could end all of them on whim with just a snap of your fingers, but they did a good job keeping you placated.

-Those few idiotic fools who tried to challenge you learned very quickly that you were legit, but to be fair, Zeus and Odin did warn all of them, humans and gods alike, so it was their own fault.

-You were walking around in your human form, wearing the chiton Leonidas had given to you, since you couldn’t walk around naked in your human form, unlike your cat-like form where you could be free as you normally were, enjoying the pleasant weather in the Greek pantheon, which is where you normally hung out.

-Your journey was paused when you heard crying, the crying of a child and you immediately went to investigate and what you found made your void writhe with fury.

-There was a group of children, four to be exact, whom you enjoyed spending time with, mainly because they were innocent and would often make you flower crowns, either for your human form or cat form.

-There were new flower crowns, now destroyed, around them, all of them crying over their hard work being lost, but the culprits of who dared to do something so cruel, were three gods, two from the Greek pantheon, Athena and Demeter, and one from the Egyptian, Ra.

-From what you gathered, the children had been running, seeking you out to give you their new gifts, and unfortunately ran, literally, into these three gods, who punished these children for their ��disrespect’.

-You approached, your hair swirling around you as your power seemed to make the earth tremble around you, “Why are these children crying?” the kids gasped, hearing your voice and immediately ran for you, crying, hugging you around your knees, holding the end of your chiton.

-Athena glared down at you, “Who do you think you are speaking to us like that?” your eyelid twitched lightly as they didn’t seem to realize who you were as Demeter folded her arms across her chest, “You’re but a child yourself- don’t argue with us!”

-Your power flared more, the world shaking as your hair seemed to rise around you, creating a halo of darkness and you heard Zeus in the distance, “Oh no!!”

-You immediately darted forward and sent all three of these gods spinning with a bitch slap each, the sound was heard even in the farthest pantheons in Valhalla, knocking them to the ground.

-Ra was immediately standing, holding his cheek, “HOW DARE YOU?!”

-The three gods were fuming and instantly standing, screaming at you before Zeus, in his bulky form, leapt in front of you, defending you, which shocked the three gods, Demeter demanding to know the meaning of him protecting you.

-Zeus immediately shrunk down and turned, sweating heavily as he bowed his head to you, “Please forgive them Y/N!” they all turned white, instantly paling, as they didn’t recognize you because they never seen you out of your cat form before.

-They were quickly groveling to you, begging for your forgiveness, but your rage was not so easily calmed as you motioned to the children, “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to- they ran into you, on accident, and you attacked them- destroying the thing that brings them joy!”

-Zeus swallowed, standing next to the side with the children, watching in awe as he had never seen you so angry before as they quickly swallowed their pride and apologized to the children, begging for their forgiveness.

-The children forgave them, but you gave them an intimidating warning, “Mind yourselves, you never know who will be watching.” Now that they knew you could change your form at will, they had to be careful.

-You turned to Zeus who nodded, ushering the children over to you, “I’ll be sure to educate them on how to be a proper god.” You gave him a small nod and they couldn’t argue with Zeus, as he had been telling all gods for months now to be true gods, not abusing their position and power, and they all knew you wouldn’t give them another chance.

-The children took your hands, pulling you back to the flower fields to make new flower crowns, even better ones this time!!

[pinklikeroses]

Lo ep 231// spoilers

Sighs buckle up buttercup bc this is gonna be looong

I knew about the proposal well before this episode, gonna say a week or two in advance.

Now I knew this chapter would be bad, nay— terrible

But I didn’t think it’d be as terrible if not worse than I thought it was. This is far far worse than the previous ep retconning Demeter’s character as a whole. While writing in going back and forth through the ep to break it all down , so I can gather my thoughts properly, stay on topic and not derail from the subject matter

Okay

Here we go:

The chapter starts off with an ominous logo change (eye roll) indicating it’s gonna “ different from past chapters. Spoiler alert it’s not. just a repeat of what our two protagonists have been doing from the get go

-Persephone laments about how she thought she was special bc of how overprotective her mother was of her, that she did her best ruling the mortal realm, making her own choices and that she’ll never be able to fulfill the expectations or live the life her mother wanted for her.

(Something we didn’t see her show any concern for while on Olympus)

She goes on to say she knows how her mother is treating her isn’t right, yet all she wanted to do is please her, to have that constant praise, and that had this been anyone else she would’ve put them in their place.

-I don’t like the chains used in this panel as symbolism bc it’s far from what we’ve seen of Demeter in previous eps. It’s stated from the beginning Demeter is overprotective, her controlling paranoid behavior clearly stems from generational trauma, seeing her mother eaten, her sister cut in half. Her explaining her theory of fertility goddesses, which was later proved CORRECT! Btw! Her putting Persephone into the TGoEM to keep her safe from gods that could use her for their own personal gain. This holds no weight, only to persuade the audience how bad mother Demeter is from Persephone’s perspective it doesn’t hold up

Second, Persephone had no problem turning minthe into plant for rightfully ratting her out about mass genocide. She had no problem bullying an ex classmate from college, who had no choice but be nice to her bc of his job as a customer service representative.

The only ppl Persephone “puts in their place” are ones that can’t fight back, no Kronos doesn’t count.

-Now I just wanna say standing up to an overprotective, controlling parent isn’t easy. I have two myself it’s hard setting boundaries I’m not dismissing that. It’s a struggle. Especially when it’s someone who raised and cared for you, yet constantly told you they know what’s best for you instead of you yourself.

But Persephone is a 30 yr old woman, who’s had next to no character development. So why should we expect that? Before and After the trial arc she’s done nothing but act like a spoiled brat. Helplessly running to hades to solve her problems and shield her from the consequences of her own actions.

Not once thinking of her mother, forgetting her completely after the big fight with Kronos and not bothering to ask about her further when Zeus tells her she’s fine.

Persephone is nothing more than a selfish brat who cares only for herself, bullying others and seeking entitlement she hasn’t earned.

-she goes on to say how could someone she holds in such high reguard hold contempt for her choices.

In context, mind you, Demeter is against her relationship with Hades. A man she knew only for four fucking weeks, didn’t see for 10yrs who she’s living with! Four weeks! She’s known this guy! They had one date. Only one! Not even rebuilding their friendship or catching up they just jump into being a couple.

It’s valid that her mother wouldn’t approve this! And just makes Persephone look like a delusional idiot. Honey you don’t know this guy. He tricked and manipulated you into a relationship. You were the other woman. You were the home wrecker. You knew he was in a relationship and pursued him anyway. And he pursued you! You’re mother is concerned for your well being.

-We’re supposed to see Demeter as this controlling evil parent when in reality she’s a concerned mother. Those of us who are critical with this comic see right through the shallow narrative and attempt to get the audience to side with our protagonist and see Demeter as a manipulative hag who only wants full and total control of her daughter. But this is flawed this is a retcon. This backfired.

The only reason we see the emotional manipulation is bc it was thrown in as a plot device and excuse for rs to use for her poor writing and mislead us into thinking this is how Demeter’s always been. When it came out Of nowhere. We’ve never seen her this way up until now. This trauma is used as a connivence. Like the SA was used to make hades look better, the emotional manipulation was used to make Demeter look bad.

And as someone who’s experienced this with their own parents I am disgusted with the way it was used in this story. I hate it. When the fast pass first came out there was no trigger warning at the beginning of the previous episode! That was only added AFTER it became public bc so many readers told Rachel under instagram post. This is something she shouldn’t need to be told! And the fact that it triggered so many ppl is infuriating! I myself had a hard time reading it, and had to control my breathing bc I was getting g so worked up and that was AFTER the public post of the comic!

RS only uses trauma as plot devices with no resolution. Only to demonize and up lift characters.Point blank period.

Demeter says ruling the underworld would be too much for Persephone and points out the tree she grew there, the same tree that awakened frigging Kronos.

She’s right. Ruling the mortal realm was too much for her. So much so Persephone was struggling, draining herself with her powers just to keep up with her moms work. But she did work and work hard. Not as hard as she thought she was as confirmed in previous episodes with Zeus failing her and the previous one her mother pointing out all the unfinished work and damage.

Hades called that tree a gift, but it was that very tree that led to his and many other gods laying dormant for 10yrs!! Peres wasn’t responsible with her powers on Olympus and in the underworld coddled by hades. Since her return, he doesn’t want her to work! It seems as well intentioned bc she “worked SO hard in the mortal realm” but it’s not. This is a man who wants to keep a woman under his thumb. She was supposed to work! That was the point of her punishment and she couldn’t even do that right.

She isn’t fit to rule a kingdom, shes bullying lower class citizens and is okay staying at home without questioning her partner!

Okay I don’t wanna derail too much so now I’ll talk about the proposal. My god the proposal!!!

This was god awful! So awful.

Nothing about this was empowering, uplifting or romantic. It was manipulative, shallow, self indulgent, conceited and self absorbed. It’s safe to say Hades has become one of my least favorite characters. And it’s not hard to see why.

He goes on to say being from the beginning of time and space deem Persephone worthy of ruling the underworld, a clear jab at Demeter (what a prick that Hades).

-he goes on this long annoying self absorbed tangent. Putting Persephone on this ridiculously high pedestal while lamenting about himself. Me me me! You did this for ME. You made ME feel this way, IM so lucky to have you. It’s all about him. Persephone isn’t her own person in his eyes. It’s all about how she is WITH HIM!. She’s HIS savior, shes nothing more than HIS queen, not a queen HIS queen.

It’s so possessive and demeaning and gross.

This is right after/during her emotional roller coster with her mom!!! Who just emotionally manipulated her not one episode ago! And he’s doing it with this proposal! In front of dozens of ppl and her mother!

But bc he’s her partner and he “loves” her it’s okay. It’s framed as sentimental when it’s no different from the emotional manipulation we just saw! He’s scumbag, talking advantage of an emotionally vulnerable person abs it’s framed as good! Its terrible.

And finally we see her hands turn pink again from the wedding ring. Another jab at Demeter. I guess to symbolize her freedom?? But to me ? It undoes all the hard work that came with them. Persephone’s green hands I guess were meant to symbolize her trying to be like her mother, but to me it showed the one good thing about her character. It showed she had to WORK for her powers. She had to work hard to maintain them. She had to get off her butt and figure out her way of doing things.

Her hands turning pink isn’t a flex it’s a representation that she’d rather be pampered and coddled by a partner. Reaping the benefits of slave labor and live a life of luxury instead of nature.

It’s not romantic running from an overprotective parent only thrust yourself into a marriage To a person you’ve barely known. This wasn’t sweet or sentimental. This was rushed, sloppy, shallow and manipulative.

What I wanted out of this chapter?

Persephone to stand up to her mother even if they didn’t meet a middle ground, for her to voice her opinion, put her foot down and say her choices were her own.

Instead? We once again get white knight Hades making this whole thing about himself. And Persephone letting him. Demeter is jabbed at, demonized and made a villain. Hades is praised despite doing the same emotionally abusive tactic.

This was absolute garbage. And we’re well past disappointment. No depth. No substance just trash.

[tartt9]

"Tania," Jamie repeats, watching her curl her fingers in against her palms, watching the powders crumble off. He reaches to touch his back, wondering if they would crumble from there, as well, or if this was some sort of magic he doesn't understand. He feels so much like a child, unsure of the world he lives in. It would be considerably easier if the only thing he had to worry about was playing politics. But with the addition of magic, immortality, things so far outside of humanity... it sends his head reeling. How do you kill something unkillable? How do you win a war against an enemy unknown?

He has no clue what the words she says means - Goibhniu, Balar - it's all nonsense to him. Like she's speaking a tongue he's never been taught, and he's being told to keep up or die. The way the breeze changes when she speaks of north, south, east, and west - he knows he's faced with something more than human now, even if he had been denying it up until this point. Fuck, he has to talk to Paddy and Pep. And then the wind dies, and it feels like the air has been sucked from Jamie's lungs - the war would come from within Castremam?

Trust no one, she says, in her roundabout, prophesying way. See, this is an issue, because Jamie would consider most, if not all, who have earned the title of Sir in Castremam a friend. He's trained with them, battled against them in tourneys, he's looked into their eyes and listened to them and sang with them in pubs. If there is any sort of rebellion brewing, he likes to think that he would've known about it months ago. But no one has acted any differently. There was no uproar when Jamie was named Prince - he'd earned that title rightfully, you can't deny his sheer number of wins in tourneys. So why would there be rebellion? Fucking hell. Jamie feels like a child, trying to swim in a river moving too fast for him, kicking hard to avoid being sucked under the current. "Is my mother safe?" he asks. He can fight for himself. He has Pep and Paddy and Roy behind him [ old as Pep may be, injured as Roy may be ]. But Georgie isn't Castremamian by way of fighting, she is by way of healing [ every kingdom of great fighters needs its great healers, after all ]. And Simon...? Well, Simon isn't Castremamian in any way that would keep Georgie safe. He needs to know if they're in any danger because of him.

peace was a funny thing ; people looked at it as though it were an unbreakable, unshakable thing. they lived in it for so long that it was hard to differentiate it from the air they breathed -- she had been the same for a long time until she'd seen unfathomable atrocities happen to such innocent folk in the depths of the woodlands, " tania. " she responds, giving him her nickname as opposed to the power of her full name. her fingers curl in and rub against her palms, the colourful powders now dried and crumbling in the slight breeze.

" no. pádraig may be a friend of goibhniu, but it is your name balar is screaming. " tania scowls a little, tilting her head as she takes a small breath, " your storm is not coming from the north, nor the south. " the breeze changes directions appropriately with her words, " it isn't brewing in the east or west, either. castremam is the eye of the storm. " suddenly there's no breeze, the air hangs dead around them and she blinks a few times, quickly, shaking her head and stepping away from the sword - wielding man. she hadn't wanted to give away any information really, it would be joyous to her, she thought, seeing all the kingdoms set each other alight, hear their innocents scream and cry and beg just like hers had done.

" some people may look like the flower, but are surely the serpent under't. and oh, there are some hands in this realm that you will, someday, regret shaking. "

[nobodyfamousposts]

Chloe's Lament

Why no! I'm still not over Miracle Queen, why do you ask?

_______________________

They were impossible odds to begin with.

That was why they had failed.

Miracle Queen smirked as Ladybug was stung by her wasps and put under her control. Seeing the once great hero brought low really filled her with vindictive satisfaction.

“See?” She sneered. “I didn’t need you. You needed me!”

If anyone had the right to destroy Ladybug, it was her. After all, hadn’t she deserved this? What right did Ladybug have to refuse her her Miraculous anyway?

Well, it didn’t matter anymore. Because now all of the Miraculous were hers. Including Ladybug’s and Chat’s.

“My lady!” Chat shouted, though he was helpless to stop it. Helpless to even escape the grasp of her guards.

And speaking of which…

Her guards didn’t move, simply standing in place while they waited for orders. She was mildly annoyed that they couldn’t think for themselves and simply take the Miraculous already to present to her in offering, but…

…actually, no. It was better if she did it. This was her victory, after all.

She considered starting with the sidekick. He had always been an eyesore, anyway.

But Chloe was never one for patience.

At her command, Ladybug approached, apparently unaware of the world around him. Before Miracle Queen, she placed both hands over her ears.

She...seemed to hesitate for a moment.

Miracle Queen arched a brow at that. Was there some part of her trying to resist?

“Give me the Earrings.”

Whatever hesitancy she had vanished and within a second, she had the Earrings off, causing the transformation to fade and revealing—

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng?!”

She barely heard that alley cat’s gasp. She took little notice of Hawk Moth or Mayura’s own responses. She outright ignored the little pink bug thing that appeared and blanched at her presence. She didn’t even register anything any of them said afterwards, her mind whirling from the implications.

She had always thought Ladybug this distant figure. Untouchable. Unreachable.

But for it to be her of all people?!

She wasted no effort on kindness, simply ripping the earrings out of the former Ladybug’s hands with a sneer.

Her own goody-goody classmate just stood there staring ahead blankly. Chloe almost regretted not leaving her unstung, if only so she could see her reaction as she lost everything.

Chloe bit back a snarl at the girl.

She had always been a pest. Always getting in Chloe’s way. Always acting as if she was actually worth anything compared to her. Always denying her—demeaning her—opposing her—stealing from her!

Her Adrien! Her Mom’s attention! And now her Miraculous!

Chloe grit her teeth.

Of course. OF FUCKING COURSE!

“Chloe! Please listen to me!” The Cat was pleading to her.

Chloe felt numb. Her mind still registering the truth.

Because how dare she? How dare she?!

How dare SHE of all people fool her like this!

Words seemed to warble through the static surrounding her.

“You don’t have to do this!”

Have to? Of course she didn’t.

Want to? Oh, she certainly did.

“If Hawk Moth gets both Miraculous, he’ll make the Wish and it could be catastrophic!”

Chloe rolled her eyes.

Like that pathetic stray knew anything.

Of course anyone would say whatever they could to convince Chloe. She barely paid him any mind, still ruminating over the clear deception. How Marinette had gotten one over on her. Again.

All this time, Marinette must have been laughing at her. Trying to use her! Now she lost and Chloe won and people were still acting like she knew better! Like she was still so perfect!

Pathetic.

How could Chloe have ever looked up to her?

“Chloe, please! You can’t let Hawk Moth win!”

“Shut up!”

Hawk Moth wasn’t the winner here, she was!

And she would prove it!

She didn’t even need to waste a wasp on the sidekick. With the guards holding him in place and at her command presenting his hand to her, she was able to get to his Ring easily. His attempts to throw them off or keep his hand closed and protected were useless as she removed the ring, causing his transformation to dissipate.

She gaped.

“Adrien?!”

Him. Adrien Agreste. The boy she loved. The only one who was good enough for her. And he was staring back at her from the same spot where that stupid cat had been.

Adrien…staring at her in a mix of horror and disappointment and rage.

“Chloe…how could you?”

How could she? No! How could he?! He knew who she was this whole time! Why didn’t he tell her? Why didn’t he stand up for her when Ladybug told her she wouldn’t be Queen Bee again? Or hell, give her the Miraculous in the first place? She thought they were friends!

She shoved away from him.

This…

This wasn’t her Adrien!

“Excellent job, Miracle Queen.” Hawk Moth called, pulling her from her thoughts. “Now bring me their Miraculous and the glory shall be yours.”

A pause.

She considered.

Ladybug was defeated. Hawk Moth had won. He had won because of Chloe—the person whom Ladybug—Marinette had looked down on. The city was under her control. Now everyone HAD to listen to and obey her.

Marinette had lost everything and could do nothing about it while Chloe was free to be the Queen she always deserved to be.

Wasn’t this enough?

Wasn’t all of this…finally enough?

Silence.

Hawk Moth was waiting.

Her subjects were waiting.

Everyone was waiting on Chloe.

It was all about Chloe now.

So…wasn’t that enough?

“No.”

This wasn’t enough.

This wasn’t nearly good enough to appease her.

Hawk Moth frowned.

“What?”

“No!” She replied. “I don’t have to. I don’t want to. And now that I have these, I don’t need to.”

She smirked up at him.

“I don’t need you anymore! I don’t need any of you!”

She held up the two Miraculous in victory.

“Now I’M the one in charge!”

“Chloe, don’t do it!” Adrien shouted. “You don’t know what the Wish will do!”

“I’m not listening to you anymore!” She shouted. “When Ladybu—when SHE refused to give me my Miraculous back, where were you?”

“Chloe!”

“NO! What right does she have to say who deserves a Miraculous or not? She should never have been Ladybug!” She shouted, stomping her foot. “She doesn’t deserve it! I do! And I just want what I deserve!”

“Miracle Queen, don’t be foolish!” Hawk Moth ordered. “You are to hand over the Miraculous to me!”

“So you can just take my power away and leave me in the dust? I don’t think so! No!” Chloe shook her head. “This power is mine!”

The power and the Wish—wasn’t that what they had said? Wasn’t that what Hawk Moth had been after all this time?

Well, it was Chloe who won. Not Hawk Moth or any of his other lame akumas! HER! So Chloe earned this!

Which meant that the Wish was rightfully hers!

She turned towards Marinette with a smirk.

And she knew exactly what she wanted with it!

But first, best to get the riff-raff out of her way.

With a flick of her control, the wasps converged on Hawk Moth and Mayura. In a matter of seconds, they were under her control as well. The last thing she needed was either of them getting in her way.

The kwamis gaped at her in surprise, like they didn’t think Chloe could plan for things? Please! These peons were so below her it was embarrassing!

Chloe was smart! She was smarter than anybody! Better than everybody! Certainly better than that wannabe heroine! Even the universe agreed! Why else would she be blessed as she was?

She looked down at the two Miraculous in her hands with a smirk because this? This just proved it!

Of course she was better! And now everyone would know it, too!

Especially…

She turned to face Marinette once more.

Because this time, there would be no interruptions for Chloe’s gloating.

And boy, was she going to gloat.

“So…how does it feel to be the one to lose for once?”

Marinette simply stared blankly, as if she didn’t actually understand what Chloe was talking about.

“All this time,” Chloe continued. “You’ve been playing it up for the masses. Making everyone love you. Pretending like you were actually worth something. And all just to look down on everyone and boost your own ego!”

She laughed.

It sounded hollow to her own ears.

She pushed through.

“Like it wasn’t bad enough even as a civilian! You were always showing off! I bet being a hero was everything you ever dreamed of so you could get twice the attention!”

Marinette didn’t respond.

Adrien, however, did.

“That’s not true!” He shouted, struggling in vain to pull out of the hold as he defended his ‘Lady’. Gag. Miss her with that shit. “She’s never shown off or done any of this for attention! She’s not that selfish!”

Chloe was only more infuriated.

“Of course she is! The glory! The popularity! The power it gives you over other people! Why else would someone like her be a hero?”

Adrien actually seemed to find his spine, because he glared at her.

“That might be what you would do, Chloe. But that’s your choice. That’s how you choose to respond to things. Not everyone is like that!”

“Adrikens!” She gasped, appalled that he would argue against her like this.

“No, Chloe! You’ve done some horrible things, but this is probably the worst! You helped Hawk Moth! You betrayed everyone!”

“Oh please!” She said, brushing him off. “I wasn’t helping him, I was only using him. Now the city is safe and it’s all thanks to me!”

“Then why aren’t you freeing everybody?” Adrien demanded. “Why reveal Marinette? Why take over the other heroes and make them fight us? Why not just use your power to control Hawk Moth and let everyone else go?”

“Why should I?” She asked, flippantly. “They were all useless anyway.”

She had always wanted people to respect and obey her, and now they would! So she would be waited on like the Queen she was, and they would have some actual purpose to their lives.

Really, if anything, she was the gracious one, here.

It wasn’t like any of them were useful otherwise.

But something seemed to upset Adrien, as he winced at her statement and shook his head. She didn’t really know why.

“No one is useless.”

She sighed.

“Oh, Adrikens.” She looked at him in pity. The poor boy just didn’t get how the world worked. “Of course they are. Why else am I here in charge,” she asked, gesturing to herself before turning her hand to gesture to the unmoving ‘Guards’ around them, “and they’re there waiting for orders?”

Whatever response he seemed to be expecting from her, that apparently wasn’t it as he stared at her in shock.

“Chloe, that’s horrible!”

“What? It’s only the truth.”

She won. Lady—Marinette lost. Everyone had to obey her. Why wouldn’t that be the case if she was wrong?

“But it’s okay now!” Chloe said cheerfully as she turned back to him. And—oh, he was drawing back from her. Here poor Adrikens. He always was skittish.

“Now it’s just the two of us. We can do whatever we want, live however we want, and have nothing to worry about. If there’s anything we need done, the peons can take care of it.“

She smiled.

“It’s you and me against the world!”

Just like it always was.

Just like it was supposed to be.

But Adrien…

…he only seemed to look more upset at that. Pale. Almost sick.

“No.”

She blinked, surprised.

“No?”

“No!” He repeated with more emphasis. “I don’t want that! Nobody wants that!”

“I want that!” She replied. Because that was what mattered! As long as she got what she wanted, things were fine! And now they always would be since she would always get what she wanted! What was wrong with that?

“Nobody else wants that!” Adrien bit out.

She rolled her eyes. “Well, they don’t matter.”

Honestly, he must have been stuck under Marinette’s thumb too long to actually take that whole ‘hero’ role seriously. Seriously, people were there to help THEM, not the other way around. It’s a good thing she saved him from that line of thinking.

“They do matter!” Adrien said with a hiss.

He paused, his gaze falling on Marinette.

“She matters.”

And his voice had gone so quiet and soft. She couldn’t recall a time he had ever spoken that way to her.

It only infuriated her.

“Oh please! What has she ever done for me?!”

Adrien actually seemed to look annoyed now. That was actually a new look for him, and she couldn’t recall a time he seemed so angry.

“Do you want a list?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, there isn’t nearly enough to bother counting, much less make a list—”

“She stood up for you time and again. Both as Ladybug AND as Marinette. More than she had to, especially as the person you’ve been bullying all this time!” He stated flatly, giving her a glare. “She helped you with your Mom and supported you. She gave up on a once in a lifetime opportunity just because you were upset she was the one getting the offer to go with your mother instead of you. And that Queen Bee party everyone put on? Her work. She was the one who got everyone to do it.”

“No, she didn’t!” All of that was just because Chloe was that awesome and people had finally realized it.

“She did!” He insisted. “She stood up for you to Alya over your blatantly false account of how Zombizou was defeated and she got everyone to convincing everyone to throw you a party to make up for saying you weren’t a hero! Even though you never apologized! Even after you tried to get her kicked out of her home city!”

Chloe huffed. “Well, she deserved it! And why should I have had to apologize for anything? It was her own fault I had to do any of that to put her in her place! If she had left, everything would have been better off!”

That way, there would have been no one to challenge her. No one to take attention. No one to be compared to. No one to be reminded was ‘better’. No one for people to admire instead of her.

“She was useless anyway.”

And he just…stared at her. Like she was something abhorrent. Someone he couldn’t even recognize.

“What?” She groused.

A pause.

And then a quiet admission. Spoke just above a whisper but still somehow louder than anything Chloe had heard before.

“Marinette was right. I should never have defended you to her.”

Chloe reared back in hurt.

“Adrien—!”

He only glared at her.

“That day you announced you were leaving, everyone was glad. Nobody was sad to see you go, Chloe! Not one person!”

“That’s not true!”

“They were celebrating, Chloe!”

She froze.

“What?”

“Our entire school was literally throwing a party the instant they heard you would be gone!” He explained. “Teachers were hugging and crying in relief! They canceled classes! There was a conga line at the time I showed up! Fireworks, music, confetti—the works!”

She shook her head in disbelief.

“But...no. That was a party for me. To thank me!”

“Not originally.” Adrien corrected her. “They changed the reason for the party after the akuma attack, but reused everything from it. They just added a banner. That party was only started because you were leaving, Chloe. Not so you would stay.”

She gaped.

She had known they hated her...but that much?

“And the real reason—the only reason they did even that much to turn it around for you was because Marinette asked them to. And that was after you threw a tantrum and tried to get her banished from Paris just for saying you weren’t a hero!”

“But I was!” She shouted, stomping her foot. “I was Queen Bee!”

“Not at that time, you weren’t!” Adrien shot back. “You were a thief who used a stolen Miraculous to try to crash a train!”

“It was her fault for losing it—!”

“Marinette was on that train!” The bug kwami exclaimed, suddenly speaking up. “She and her parents could have died because of your stunt! Her saying you weren’t a hero after that was not only justified, but the very least you deserved!”

Adrien hadn’t seemed to know that previously, as he stared at the kwami in horror.

“She and her family—all of those passengers could have pressed charges! They should have! But Marinette believed you could be better!”

It glared up at her.

“Her saying you weren’t a hero at a time when you had done nothing worthy of the title was nothing compared to that!”

“Shut up!” She hissed, making the thing glare at her. “What does a bug know?”

“Enough.” Adrien cut in. “Do you really think anyone would have decided on their own to throw a party to thank you for something you caused in the first place?”

She didn’t believe it. She refused!

It was only because of her that the city was saved! Was a little gratitude so uncalled for? Seriously, after what she did for them, she deserved a parade at least! They’re just lucky she intervened at all!

She huffed. “Well, it was only the least they could have done after I saved the city from my dad!”

“Who only threatened the city because you upset him to begin with by demanding something he couldn’t give without unfairly hurting people!”

“Unfair?! You want to talk unfair? You heard what she said about me! That I wasn’t a hero! How was that fair?!”

“Because it was the truth?” The black cat kwami replied with a smirk.

Adrien shook his head and just…looked at her like he was disappointed. Like she actually did anything wrong! “It says something that you put Marinette in danger and she still tried to get everyone to appreciate you with that Queen Bee party.”

She blew up at that.

“She only did that because of you!” Chloe practically screamed. “Because she’s so in love with you that it’s pathetic!”

Adrien started in surprise.

“She loves me?”

And she couldn’t believe it, but the damned fool was actually starting to smile and his ears were turning pink! Like that was supposed to be something to be glad about!

Marinette had only ever acted for Adrien’s attention. Even that time she comforted Chloe as Ladybug when her dad was akumatized was probably just to look good to him! It didn’t matter that no one else was there to see her breakdown, it had to have been part of her plan!

She just had to explain it to him! Adrien would be on her side! He was her friend, after all!

“She was only acting nice to make herself look good to you!” She insisted.

He blinked and the happy look was gone. Chloe smirked at that, because he should be disgusted!

But Adrien only shook his head at her.

“Regardless of the reason she did that for you, she’s still the only one who did. Nino didn’t stop DJing that party out of friendship for me. The teachers didn’t corral the students or end the party out of duty to their jobs. The students didn’t receive any lecture for an unauthorized party on school grounds, celebrating a peer leaving, or just about having basic kindness and respect for others. The only one—the only one who not only stopped but advocated on your behalf to get everyone else to do the right thing was Marinette.”

He gestured to the city around them.

“And now after this, I have to wonder if it was really the right thing after all...”

She balked.

“What? No! Adrikens—”

“STOP calling me that!” He shouted sharply.

She took in a breath.

He…never…

Even when he was mad at her, he never talked to her like that!

“Adri—”

“I hate it. I hate that name. I hate how you call me that. I hate how you cling to me and hurt people and try to drive people away but also drive them away from me like I’m not allowed to have friends besides you and I hate…”

He took a breath, coming to a decision.

“...I hate you, Chloe.”

She stared at him, waiting for some sign that this was a joke. Because he didn’t mean it. He couldn’t mean it, right?

But Adrien glared back at her unflinchingly.

She felt her heart freeze.

He...

He meant it.

He really and truly meant it.

“You...you can’t be serious! You would turn on me? For her?!”

He didn’t take it back! Why wasn’t he taking it back?!

“You promised! You promised me, Adrien, that you would always be my friend!”

“Chloe, you don’t know what friends are!” Adrien exclaimed. “To you, they’re either supposed to be servants like Sabrina or things to ‘own’ like me! And I didn’t know better before because I only ever had you. But since I’ve started school, I’ve learned what friendship is!”

He looked away, guiltily.

“I wish I had learned it sooner.”

She stared.

This…

This couldn’t be.

There was no way this was real.

Adrien. Her Adrikens!

“Are you really going to abandon me, Adrien?” She asked. “You, of all people? I thought…I thought you understood.”

He winced.

But he didn’t take it back. Not one bit.

She clenched her fists.

“Fine! Then…then if you want to be with them so much, I’ll just make you one of them!” She shouted, ignoring the tears stinging her eyes. “Then you’ll have to stay with me!”

He looked her in the eyes, solemn but stern.

“It won’t be real, Chloe. Whatever we had…whatever you would call it is already gone.”

“But it doesn’t have to be!” She insisted. “I have the Miraculous. I can just…there’s a Wish! If the world won’t let us be together and perfect, then I can just Wish for it!”

It was in equal parts a plea and a warning. For him to give in, just as he always had. For him to stay by her side like he’d promised.

He clenched his fists. But refused to back down.

“Whatever you do. Whatever world you create. My feelings won’t change.”

“We’ll see about that!”

“Don’t do it!” The bug kwami shouted. “Making a Wish should never be done, especially for selfish reasons!”

“I’m not selfish!” Chloe argued. “I’m the most selfless person I know!”

Adrien didn’t look impressed. Neither did the kwamis. If anything, the bug one looked furious.

“You can’t ignore all the horrible things you’ve done and reasons people could have to not like you, then turn around and figure that doing one nice thing after hurting someone means they now owe you somehow!”

“What,” Chloe bit out, “am I supposed to be owing her instead?” She demanded, gesturing to the still frozen Marinette.

“No!” Tikki replied, earnestly. “Because friendships are not about owing each other!”

“Since when were we friends?” Chloe laughed, jerking away from the annoying pink…thing. “Everyone is so below me it’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!”

The thing looked up at her, almost pityingly. “Chloe, you clearly care. That day when you were going to leave Paris, you were crying because you didn’t have any friends.”

Chloe stomped her foot. “That’s not true!”

“But you can have friends!” It insisted. “You just need to be nice—”

“I AM nice!”

“You’ve hurt people, Chloe! Intentionally and maliciously! And right now, you were helping a terrorist just because you didn’t get the Bee Miraculous on demand!”

“It was MINE!” Chloe shouted. “She took it away from me! How was that fair?!”

“It was never YOURS!” The kwami argued. “There is a duty! A responsibility involved! The Miraculous is not a toy! It it not a thing you can just use as you wish! It is a magical artifact that must be used for the greater good! It has a kwami with a name feelings attached to it! Did you ever even talk to Pollen?”

Chloe faltered, but then scoffed. “What would you know?”

Geez, did Marinette always let this thing talk so much?

It was Adrien who answered. “Of course not. Because you never do, Chloe. You don’t talk to people. You don’t consider people. You don’t look at anyone outside of yourself to even notice the effect you’re having.”

The black thing laughed. “You’ve caused a good half of the akumatizations in the city! In all our time active here so far, it says something that we have spent more akuma fights protecting you than any other person.”

The bug nodded. “And not once—not once have you ever so much as acknowledged doing anything wrong! Much less apologized!”

Oh, now Chloe knew she was full of it. “Because I wasn’t wrong, duh!”

She was. Because why else would Ladybug refuse her when Chloe had already proven herself? And she had! No other hero was nearly as good as her!

“Of course I wasn’t wrong!” She insisted. “Because even the universe knows it! That’s why I won! I’m a better person, a better hero, and a better Guardian than she could ever try to be!”

The bug was having none of it.

“Marinette is a better Ladybug—a better person than you ever will be. And that’s because she chooses to be kind! Regardless of the circumstances!”

It glared at her defiantly.

“Even if your positions were switched, that wouldn’t change.”

Chloe glared. “Why you—!”

How dare she?! Acting like she was better than her?

But Adrien cut her off.

“I kept telling myself that they don’t understand. That I knew who you really were. That other people just didn’t know you.”

Chloe gave a disgusted look at the prospect. She didn’t get why he looked so angry though?

Or why that look was directed at her?

He…wasn’t still serious about hating her, was he?

Adrien shook his head, completely infuriated.

“But I was just making excuses. It wasn’t that they didn’t know you…it’s that I didn’t.”

She balked.

“What? Of course you know me!”

It was why he was so perfect. And the only one worthy of her, after all!

Or…well…had been, she remembered, shooting him a petulant glare.

But Adrien refused to be cowed.

“The Chloe I thought I knew never would have done what you have! You were willing to go this far—help the enemy and take over the city all for the sake of your own self interests! Even if she had given you the Bee this time…what about the next time? Or the time after?”

This was irritating. He was acting like Chloe was the one bringing THEM down.

“At least I would have gotten my Miraculous!” She pointed out. Because that was what mattered here! It was only what she deserved and Marinette was the one in the wrong for not giving it to her! Everything would have been fine if she had!

Adrien glared at her—and she couldn’t recall a time he looked so angry. Not with anyone. And especially not with her.

“I had already enabled you enough, Chloe. And I encouraged others to do the same, thinking it would help you. That if they got to know you—if you had enough support, eventually you would open up and finally be the great person you always seemed to think you were. That they just needed to give you a chance and you would be satisfied and everyone would finally get along. But I was wrong.”

He looked done. No, even worse, he looked done with her!

He hung his head.

And near whispered:

“You’re the sort of person who is never satisfied with anything.”

And with that, Chloe broke.

“SHUT UP!”

With a wave of her hand, the wasps surged forward and Adrien was made into another of her mindless thralls. But she didn’t care. He was as good as lost to her anyway and in her mind, there was only one person to blame.

“Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!”

She spun around on the expressionless Marinette in a rage, zeroing in on the cause of all her problems. Even now, the former hero still somehow looked so goddamn noble!

“You don’t deserve to be Ladybug!” She shouted, eyes wide and spittle flying. “You don’t deserve your Miraculous! You don’t deserve your life! You don’t deserve ANYTHING!”

She clenched her fists tighter.

Her palms hurt, drawing her attention back to her clenched fists and specifically to the two Miraculous she had in each.

She smirked.

“I do. And now I have the power to fix that!”

She turned away, putting the Ring on her finger.

"You becoming Ladybug was a fluke!” She continued, moving on to the earrings. “You just got lucky! It was just a chance! Anyone else could have had it!”

She put in one earring.

“I could have had it! I would have deserved it more!"

She put in the other earring.

“I deserve it more than you!”

“Don’t!” Came a little voice—the pink kwami. Whatever the hell her name was was now floating in front of her waving her arms frantically. “The Wish isn’t without consequences!”

Chloe cut Tikki off.

“Just shut up and grant my Wish!”

The bug gasped right before her mouth disappeared. Nice! Chloe liked this feature.

But there was still the distinct lack of Wish-granting.

“Well?” She demanded.

The black one floated up to her.

“You’re going to have to actually say what your Wish is, first.” He said amicably.

See? This is what she needed. Simple. Sweet. And straight to the point! If only more servants could be like this!

Of course, if Chloe knew Plagg—or if she was just paying attention, she would have noticed the smirk on his face and been wary of it.

Plagg was a chaotic little kwami. As such, he was never this pleasant, especially to those who were going to use him in a way he didn’t like.

Chloe did not know this. And in this moment, she was too driven by rage and spite to consider it.

She was used to Pollen, after all. A quiet, subservient kwami who was perfectly fitted to Chloe—a person who was used to quiet, subservient people in her life.

Plagg was neither quiet nor subservient.

When he was, it was a sign to worry.

Perhaps if Adrien had been in control of himself, he could have warned her.

Perhaps if she had put more thought into Marinette’s attempts to help her previously, she would have reconsidered.

Perhaps if she had just given more consideration to Tikki's own warnings against it, she would have taken her time.

But Chloe Bourgeois had won.

She won. Everyone else lost. And that was all that mattered, so it was all she needed to think about.

And thus, without hesitation. Without thinking twice.

“I Wish—“

Chloe made the Wish to rewrite the world.

And

i t

a l l

w e n t

b l a c k . . .

.

.

.

.

.

.

Reality is not as one would expect. It is both more complicated and yet also more simple than one would think. Thus, there is no scientific way to adequately explain the process through which things are rewritten so that something that once was not now is and always has been. Or vice versa.

That is what metaphor is for.

Imagine, if you will, that the story as we know it is a performance. Particularly a play. One where the people we have met—from Marinette to Adrien to Hawk Moth and everyone inbetween are all actors filling certain “roles”. And imagine further that the Universe itself is equivalent to a Director overseeing these actors and their performance.

It was a passable show. Mixed reviews so far. Decent performance depending on the actor and their scene. But overall, it was entertaining enough and there weren’t any major issues.

Not until one of those actors just up and stopped the entire performance in the middle of the climax to complain about the show, insult the Director’s choices, and demand everything be redone with her in a different role.

Now the Universe is not a person. It does not have a form. It simply is. And despite having a will and a sick sense of humor, it is in no way a human.

…but if it WERE a human, what happened next would be the equivalent of it tilting its head and considering the defiant actor before it and said actor’s ridiculous demand.

For one eternity…

Two…

Before shrugging and simply saying “You know what? Fine.”

There was a sound of a “snap”.

The feeling of a curtain closing.

Darkness.

A shuffle from behind the stage.

A cough from the audience.

Then the curtains lifted.

And Chloe Bourgeois woke up in a room she had never been in before.

[ogravensimp]

She is a Constantine

The one day this shitty hotel decided to have an out of order elevator', Zed cursed as she looked up to only see a beige trenchcoat coat fluttering like a flag as it raced up the far too many flights this overpriced building had installed.

"John! Aren't you just being paranoid?" Zed shouted after the man in front of her as she attempted to keep up with him, as well, also trying to get answers out of him—which is a hard enough task as it is when she actually has his attention.

They were supposed to focus on purging some low-level demons set loose when a couple of civilians somehow managed to dig up the original copy of the highly dangerous, "Grimorium Verum". Well, they managed to get the book, but they also attracted the attention of John's good ol' friend, Papa Midnite; who has been giving them quite a hard time but John managed to knock him out.

Zed believed that they did quite well against him but somehow he said something before he fell that set John running without a word back to the hotel room they rented.

"John!", she called out once again as they finally reached the floor they were staying on, but she only saw the tail of his trenchcoat as he took a sharp turn around the corner, "seriously, you are being very-"

She cut herself off when she also reached the room they were staying in, only to find the door thrown off the hinges,"-...paranoid."

John was already inside, his back to her as he worryingly looked around at the ransacked room that had been perfectly fine when they left. Zed knew it wasn't the mess that had him anxious, it was the lack of a certain half-demon whom they had left watching some pony cartoon on the now overturned couch. The show was even still playing, but not even a tuft of the girl's purplish hair to be found.

"I should have known he'd just trace the magic back here, how could I just live her alone with the one thing Papa Midnite will kill for!" While it seemed John was talking to her, Zed knew he was actually berating himself, "Fuck, if he touched even a hair on her head I swear-"

"John," Zed softly approached him, wanting to calm the magician before he jumps so far to a conclusion that she or common sense won't be able to reach him anymore, "Papa hates your guts, yes but you and I know he'll never kill a child."

"What about his goons? Midnite distracted us and sent them here and I'm sure his goons would do anything not to fail him. ", John retorted as he began to scratch his hair with enough force it's as if he actually wanted to rip it out.

"She might still be here."

John finally turned to face her and Zed could now fully see the panic on his face. To a normal person, John looked irritated at most but Zed has been around him long enough to start to see the cracks in his poker face of sarcasm, "Look around Zed! If she was here, I'd fucking sense her!"

Zed felt a bit offended at his outburst, she didn't even know John had left the grimoire here! She thought the whole reason Papa was hexing them to next week was to get it off John but this seemed to be another of Constantine's genius plans gone wrong.

Putting her hands on her hips, she stood her ground, "And who's fault is that John? How could you just leave one of the most sacred dark-magic books with a child who thinks a show on the magic of friendship is the pique of entertainment?!"

John was never one to admit he was too blame chose to fight back, "I didn't know! I'm not fucking omnipresent! That's why I put up the bloody wards!"

"And look what good those did," Zed huffed as she folded her hands, "now they have the grimoire and have done god knows what with Raven."

"um..."

"Think I don't know that Zed because newsflash, I do!"

"Well, how do you plan to fix it!"

"...actually..."

John moved towards what was left of his books on the table and picked up a piece of chalk, "I don't know, fuck, I can try to trace her magic. She has a naturally high amount of it, it'll be easy to find."

Zed followed after him, her anger now replaced with worry, "Maybe if I'm near something of her's I can get a vision, where's that teddy of her's that she's always with? The one that Nun made?"

A small pair of hands held out the purple bear in question, "here you go Zed."

Zed accepted it gratefully, "Thank you, Raven."

And then there was silence in the room.

Zed looked at the doll in her hand and then at the small face looking up at her and then back at the doll, then back at the face and this charade continued for a while till she shouted, "Raven!", causing the little girl in question to giggle.

This sound alerted John who looked up from the symbols he had already begun drawing on the floor. Before Zed could even move, John had rushed past her in a beige coloured blur and had the half-demon up in his arms in a well-deserved hugged.

"Oh my sweet blackbird, I'm so glad your ok,", John yelled while he spun Raven around and pressed warm kisses to her small cheek causing more giggles to escape Raven's throat.

This was an odd scene for Zed who was quite used to the silent little girl who hexes old ladies that try to pinch her cheek or pat her head.

In fact, the first time Raven allowed physical contact with Zed was when she held her hand in a crowded street one time, and while Zed knew it was only so the tiny demon wouldn't get lost in the much taller crowd, she still felt like some chosen saviour.

So Zed just really couldn't help the tinge of jealousy she felt knowing that John is an exception to this 'no-touch' rule whenever he pleases while she can only relish in the crumbs.

Raven must have sensed her feelings cause she turned to her and smiled— an expression Zed felt fit her angelic features more than the usual deadpan expression.

Giving a soft smile back herself, she placed a hand on the girl's soft face(which fortunately went unhexed), in a tender gesture and asked, "Rae you gave us a heart attack, where were you?"

The dark-haired girl just tilted her in confusion before replying with a simple, "the closet." and pointed in the direction of said object.

Both Zed and John looked at the small cabinet that she was implying and couldn't help but be entertained as it was such a childish yet genius choice of hiding.

But the entertainment didn't last long as they realized something would have had to cause her to go into hiding.

Setting her down on the table, John and Zed immediately began to check her pallid skin for any injuries and to their relief, there was nothing major. The only damage to her delicate skin was a bruise on her knee but that was enough for John to demand a full breakdown of what exactly happened so he can know how many bones of Midnite he needs to break.

After 10 minutes, Zed and John had the full story of what happened while Raven nibbled on a chocolate bar she rightfully earned.

"So let me get this straight, you sensed about four guys approaching here and before they arrive, you grabbed Mr Teddy here, ran into the cabinet and stayed there till you heard us arguing, and you only bruised your knee cause you bumped yourself when crawling in?" John confirmed.

"Yep."

"You should've grabbed a phone and called us or something,", Zed muttered as she rubbed a chocolate stain off the girl's chubby cheek, "what if they saw you? Next time teleport to me and John immediately, got it."

Looking down, Raven softly replied, "Yes Zed."

"Oi, lay off her," John joked as he placed a big hand on her head, lightly messing up her dark-purple locks much to Zed's annoyance cause she is the one that combs her hair out every morning but before she can complain, John sighs, "Shit, Midnite still has the Grimoire, just great."

Zed was going to sigh with him when Raven let out a sheepish, "well...", reaching for the toy that Zed had been holding onto, she wrapped her hands around it and after some muttering, a ray of purple surrounded its form and it transformed into the exact tome that John and Zed had worked so hard to find and keep safe, "...I had been practising glamour spells before the guys arrived and thought this would be a great time to test it and I guess it worked."

Her wide violet eyes looked up at them as if looking for praise and they really did want to give it to her but they were just so shocked by her to speak.

John was the first to react and a wide grin broke out on his face, "You are a Constantine!"

He relaunched his attack of hugs and kisses to Raven's temple, this time Raven acted annoyed and tried to push him away but her blooming blush and the sound of a few lamps exploding betrayed her and showed her real emotions.

Zed still only looked at the book in her hand, remembering how it had felt and weighed the exact same you'd expect a knit teddy bear too. She just couldn't wrap her head around how such a young girl was already so talented with magic that it would put some adults to shame but before she could stay on the topic the sounds of Raven's voice brought her back.

"Ew, let go of me!" She whined as she used her small hand to try and push John's face away but that would not deter him and instead, he laid a lick to her palm which only infuriated her more as the window near them cracked, "GROSS!"

Zed couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. Those two were really something. Dropping the book on the table, she went to go save her little Raven away by pulling her away before she ends up blasting John through a room— so maybe she's actually saving John.

As for her previous question, the answer was simple:

She's a Constantine.

____________________________________

"Now, what's the meaning of this?" Papa Midnite's voice was deep and loud to achieve its purpose in causing shivers to run down his lackey's spine as he held up a purple, knitted bear with different sized buttons for eyes.

One of them managed to gain some confidence and he dropped to the floor at Midnite's feet to plead for himself and his brethren, "Papa, I swear, it was definitely the book you asked for, we don't know what happened!"

Papa growled, "I know that, I'm wondering how all you managed to get tricked. Not even by Constantine himself but by a child!"

"But there was no kid there we checked everywhere, honest Papa!"

Midnite just sighed as he fell back onto his seta, rubbing the bridge between his nose as he contemplated whether to get better men or if he simply was the only one capable of doing things right around here.

As he grumbled, the purple toy in his hands caught his eyes.

He thought it was just the supernatural world being bored when he heard that the John Constantine adopted a little girl but this doll proved the rumours through.

If this child was also as terrifying as the rumours say, it was best Papa met her soon before another card to Constatine's deck is added in which he cannot compete with.

part 2 soon? probably but only cause I wanna right midnite & raven interaction

[bitchassbucky]

Ｂｏｔｈｅｒ

📎Word Count: 2.2k

📎Warning/s: smut! minors DNI. mean!fuckboy!bucky x f!reader. unprotected sex. little to no foreplay, because, well, he just wants to get his dick wet. denied orgasm :( no aftercare too lol he’s an asshole in this one. messy facial! some heckin’ words.

���A/N: jesus fuckiNG CHRIST okay this is one of my longer fics, i’m trying to get back into writing long fics again so, bear with me. fuckboy!bucky playlist to accompany you while reading this <3 

📎reblogs, likes, and comments are all welcomed! shower me with validation pls

📎Masterlist || Ask || AFTERDARK

The bass line and the drumbeat made your heart pump in sync. The room reeked of cheap drinks and expensive perfume—sweaty patrons swirling, mingling around, keeping their drinks cold, their hearts warm.

Chatter peaked when the band finished the song, a round of applause rising the frontman’s ego. The spotlight shone brightly on him, the stage lights hitting his back, lighting up his silhouette with pinks and purples.

He beams with adrenaline. All perfect smiles.

Slinging his stickered guitar to the side, he speaks into the mic, “thank you all for coming. We’ve been The Commandos. Goodnight!” The frontman flashes his million-dollar, megawatt smile and bows, earning another applause from the audience.

The rest of the band slinked out the back, bowing, giving out air-kisses and waves. Another band piles onto the stage, waving hello to the gathering crowd.

You sigh, the bottom of your shoes sticking to the dirty floor of the bar. The overhead lights of the bar a bright yellow contrast to the stage’s red hue. The beer in your hand condensing, the tips of your fingers damp in the process. The warmth of the place piling on your impatience.

Pushing yourself off the bar, you make your way to the back, one thing echoing in your mind. Familiar faces crowd your vision, sending a polite smile their way.

A door stands in front of you, the wood stained with stickers and posters and autographs. You knock twice before turning the knob.

“Where’s Bucky?” You say, leaning against the door frame. The door slowly swings open.

A blonde man, what’s-his-face, looks at you and puts down a pair of drumsticks, “‘Dunno what to tell ya, but he’s not here.”

Your roll your eyes, sending him a mirthless smile, “yeah, obviously. I was hoping if you could tell him to meet me tonight.”

Steve—you suddenly remembered his name—eyed you head to foot, a smirk plastered on his face, “Sounds important. Why don’t you hang out with us while waiting for him?”

A chuckle escapes your lips, “no, thanks. I’ll meet him outside.”

Steve makes a face, quirking a light brow to the rest of the group. All of them sharing the same look, “alright. Suit yourself.”

The clock ticks just ten minutes after 11, your patience growing thin as a needle. A gaggle of drunk patrons stumbles out the door when you spot him—leather jacket, distressed, ripped pants.

“Where’s my ring?” Without missing a beat.

Bucky’s lips quirk into a smirk, “whoa, baby, we fucked once,” he made you come thrice, “and you’re asking for a ring already?”

A shiver runs up your spine, whether it’s from disgust or something else, it wasn’t clear, “you know what I meant. I left my ring on your nightstand.”

“Deliberately, or…”

Your hands curl up in frustration, your left shin itching, “c’mon. Do you have it or not?” 

His intentionally undone boots scuffed against the floor as he stalks closer to you, his perfume invading your olfactory senses. Oh, he smells good. 

“D’you wanna find out?” His voice dropping a couple of octaves, whispering into the shell of your ear. His thick arms caging you against the bar and the wall. Fuck, he smells really good.

A feeble attempt to make room goes unnoticed, your breath hitching in your throat, “If you don’t have it on you, I’d gladly receive it through the mail.”

Bucky licks his tinged lips, a vein in his temple ticking—the lighting reflecting in his blue eyes, “why would I mail it to you when you can pick it up from my place?”

A rational voice in your head echoes, fighting with your impulse. The closeness of both of your bodies radiating warmth and electricity.

“Fine.” You relented, impulsivity is what got you there in the first place.

The drive to the place shouldn’t take too long, the little shit deliberately took the long way to his place. 

While you sit on the passenger side of his car, he keeps sending you amused glances. As if he couldn’t believe you’d willingly go with him tonight. Well, technically, it really wasn’t part of your plan.

“You wanna get burgers first?” He offers, lowering the music coming from the car’s stereo.

“I wanna get my ring back, Bucky.” You say, reminding him—and yourself—of what your agenda for tonight is.

He dismisses you, as per usual. And pulls over a drive-through of a local burger place, ordering himself a meal.

Instead of getting back out on the highway, he parks the car, rolls down the window, and eats.

“Jesus- fuck, Bucky!” You exclaimed in frustration, “look, if you want to waste my time, then-”

“Then, what?”

“Then go fuck yourself.” You left in a huff, swinging your legs and slamming the car door shut. Hoping that he’d go deaf in one ear.

Making sure that you’re well visible and in a brightly-lit place, you pull out your phone to book an Uber. Only to find Bucky making his way to you for the second time tonight.

“Hey!” Didn’t even used your name to call you, great work!

“I do have it, it’s really back in my place. By the lamp on the bedside table.” The truth lingers out on the night air, waiting for you to acknowledge it.

You meet Bucky’s statement with a wary squint, he meets your rightful doubt with a smile.

“No more stopovers.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Bucky’s place is a liminal space for you. 

The familiar shadows and corners welcome you, the surfaces on where your bare skin sat hissed at you. You stood by the doorway, not wanting to prolong the journey.

“Hey, c’mon, it’s just me. Sit down.” Exactly, it is him.

You shake your head, leaning by the wall like a stranger, “I’m good. You’re not gonna take long anyway.”

But instead of retrieving your jewelry, his form retreats to the kitchen. A few seconds pass and you hear the crack and hiss of a beer bottle being opened.

“Y’know, I think I’ll just get it myself.” You toe off your shoes, placing them by the door. Your jacket still hanging off your shoulders.

You passed by Bucky, walking towards a love seat, two beers on one hand, “hurry up, then. Got a drink for ya.”

Hazy images play by memory the last time you were here, his damn cologne seeping into your nostrils.

Your head hanging by the edge of the bed as he laps your cunt like a man starved.

The headboard supporting your balance as you bounce up and down his thick cock.

Carpeting that gave your knees burn as he fucked you from behind.

Like an etch-a-sketch, you shake your head to get rid of the scenes that made themselves known.

A shining glint from the bedside table catches your eye, you swipe the ring and stashed it down your jacket pocket.

Coming out of the room with your ring, your slight smile falters as you saw Bucky lounging shirtless. As rightfully so, this is his home anyway.

You steeled yourself despite the heat that’s making its way up to your neck, “uh, I already got it. Thanks, Bucky.”

He shoots you a look—a lingering one. Like a predator about to pounce on prey. His stare chasing the goosebumps under your clothes.

“You sure you wanna go? It’s–” he glances at his phone for the time, “–past midnight.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can.” The setup.

“How about I take care of you for a change?” The trap.

And then just as sudden as your arrival, you find yourself pressed up against the wall. The agenda of the night has already been forgotten.

Bucky’s mouth finds its temporary home on your jaw, moving down your neck. His large hands already clawing their way under your shirt, the suddenness of the moment stirring the heat in your belly.

Rushed hands and panted breaths meet feverish lips.

The moment his tongue slipped into your mouth was the moment where you lost all inhibitions. Your hands fly to his nape, tugging his hair, effectively making him moan into your mouth.

“You know me so well.” He purrs against your lips. Hitching your legs up his hips as he presses you harder against the drywall.

“Lots of people know you so well.” You bite back, knowing for a fact that he sees others behind your back.

“True,” he’s murmuring against your pulse point and you sigh, “you’re my favorite though.”

Your jacket clutters against the floor of his bedroom, along with his pants and your shirt. A yellow stream of light emits from the living room.

Bucky tosses you on the bed, sending the pillows crashing on the floor. Though the room is darkened with curtains, your eyes adjust enough to see him as he pulls your ankles towards him.

His abs are chiseled like a Greek god, his skin tanned, decorated with tattoos. His left nipple adorns a stainless steel piercing. Like the last time, he grabs your hand, trailing it along his torso, letting you feel his deep v-lines.

A lewd moan escapes your lips as you cup his hardening cock through his boxers. Thick and heavy, a perfect fit.

“You like it?” Bucky taunts, jutting his hips against your hand. You squeeze him lightly, earning you a deep groan from the man above you.

His hand suddenly tightens around your throat, pulling your head towards him, “I asked you a question.”

Giving him a small nod and a meek yeah seemed to have sufficed until he flips you on your stomach and forces your face down the bed.

Your skirt joins the growing pile of clothes on the floor. Your panties do too.

“You’re so wet for me, aren’t ya?” Bucky taunts, one thick finger swiping the wetness between your folds. Spreading it around as preparation. A muffled confirmation made him chuckle as he pinches your clit with intention.

Taking his leaking cock out of his boxers, he swipes the bead of precum from his angry-red tip. He takes his sweet, sweet time before even thinking about pushing into your pussy.

Bucky drags the head of his cock up and down your fold, earning a needy moan from you—coating his entire length with your wetness.

After seemingly an eternity on your side, the sheets already imprinted their impression on the side of your cheek. Bucky finally, fucking finally, pushes into you. A short, white-hot burn shoots through your nerves, making you whimper.

His hand stays on the back of your neck, pushing you further down the bed as he moves. Your pussy lips gripping his dick like a vice, “so fucking tight. God.”

Bucky’s chest swelled up with pride as he notices your fingers digging into his sheets, “no one can fuck you this good.”

The bed squeaks with both of your weight shifting as he reaches around you, his fingers working around your bud. The pressure of his upper body makes you gasp with every thrust of his hips.

He continues to work you—his fingers circling tightly on your throbbing clit, his cock nudging the soft, spongy spot in you. Your toes curl with red heat as your orgasm begins to burn up your legs.

“I’m gonna-- ‘m so close,” your pleas fell on deaf ears as Bucky chases his own high. His balls slapping against your skin, his hips stuttering as his cock pulsates inside your velvet walls.

He curses, grabbing your shoulder and flipping you upside, kneeling before you. His hand pumping his dick continuously as it twitches—the veins even more prominent.

“Open your mouth, I’m gonna cum in it.” Bucky orders and you obey. Your fingers finding their way to your abandoned bundle of nerves—your climax threatening to fade away.

Thick ropes of cum shoot over your mouth, painting your lips and chin white as he misses.

“God, fuck, look at your mess.” Bucky sighs, he’s already tucked back into his boxers and handing you a shirt—presumably to clean yourself up.

“You got your ring? Anything else?” The annoyance in his tone is evident. The clock ticks half past midnight.

You dangle your purse in front of him as a gesture, the wind picks up and your shoes are loose on your feet.

“Alright, well, you could wait for your ride here, I guess.” Bucky dropped the act the moment he got his dick in you.

“Yeah, he’s just around the corner. Thanks for the, uh, ring.”

He hums, looking at his phone. His thumbs dancing over the keyboard, “Try not to bother my friends again when you wanna reach me.”

You weren’t sure if you wanted to laugh or to smack the phone out of his hands, “yeah. Tried calling you but I’m pretty sure you blocked my number.”

A curt laugh echoes out from him, “‘m sorry. Out of habit. You know how it is.”

“Right.” And an awkward beat falls over the both of you.

A black car pulls up by the street and you silently thank the stars. By the time you turn around to at least do the right thing and bid Bucky goodnight, you find yourself facing a closed door.

[whaleofatjme1920]

On the Front Porch, Watching the Sun Come Up (Jeff the Killer X F!Reader)

On the Front Porch, Watching the Sun Come Up

[Jeff the Killer X F!Reader]

[Warnings: slight language]

“Have you been up all night?”

You quickly turn over your shoulder, the sleep that clouded your eyes dissipating with his gruff voice bringing you back down before you could float away. “Maybe?” You reply as your posture sits up to attention.

The man in white sighs as he quietly closes the door to the house the two of you have been squatting in. “I told you to get some sleep,” he says, his shoes barely making any sound as they walk over the wooden porch. He rolls down his hoodie sleeves before he reaches for the hair tie on his wrist.

“Sorry, Jeff,” you apologize as you fight back a yawn that bubbles deep in your chest. You settle on sighing instead. You watch as he puts his hair back in a bun. “Where’s Smile?”

“Still asleep in the house,” Jeff grunts in response, body falling as he takes a seat beside you on the steps. “Are you feeling okay?” He asks before reclining back on the porch, his elbows on the uppermost step and landing as he outstretches his legs. Beaten converse dimly reflects the remaining light of the night.

You shrug as you relax your own posture once again, head now leaning against the rail. “Guess I’m just worried, is all,” you mumble as your eyes flick upwards to the fluffy clouds that slowly begin to change in hue the closer you get to the sunrise.

“Why?” Jeff asks, his eyes naturally following yours.

“Why not?” You scoff slightly with a laugh. Your hands reach up to cage your chest as they cross.

Why not - what a notion. It’s not entirely stupid, but it’s not exactly warranted either. It wasn’t exactly your fault. You couldn’t have predicted you’d be at the wrong place at the wrong time. What did you do that was so wrong?

Encroach on business that isn’t yours: proxy business.

When you made that decision to give into blood lust and take out what was not rightfully yours to take, you stepped on the landmine that was Slender Man’s anger. Independents, those who are not specifically his children are never to interfere with his will. And you did. Directly.

That target was meant to be a growing proxy’s, not some odd little independent’s. You made that choice, and you regretted it almost instantly.

Jeff knew that - you were his, after all. He’s like your teacher. He found you wandering confused in a safe zone, you pricked his heart somehow, and now he’s scooped you up and taken you in - on all facets. He likes to call you ‘Bird’ because he thinks you’re flighty, and when you sing, it reminds him of the music that drifts through the trees.

He’s not near as worried as you are, and you know that. He’s never been worried about setting off the Slender Man, mostly because he’s tested him so many times that he’s been granted immunity.

You, however? You’re new. Fresh. You haven’t quite been broken down yet, nor have you earned a name big enough to cover for yourself. If the Slender Man, someone who is viewed as a god in your society is displeased with you, he will take you out as easily as you got yourself in. If the Slender Man asks you, someone who is not his direct child to do something for him, you will do so. Otherwise, you sit down, stay silent, and act right or he will enact his own version of reprimanding for getting involved where you shouldn’t have.

It’s why you were up so late, waiting and waiting for a proxy to finish on you what you did to their task.

Jeff supposes he should have known something was up, but he was so exhausted the previous night that he had just passed out on the couch hoping you would go to sleep as well.

“This is as good as it’s gonna get tonight,” Jeff said as his blue eyes looked over the empty, probably foreclosed house in a relatively dodgy area of the city the two of you were passing through. “Do you need anything?” He asked, walking inside the house first to ensure no one unwanted was already squatting in it. Luckily, it was only two floors, ground and basement. His senses didn’t pick up anything either as he scouted the house.

You shook your head, expression still forlorn as you quietly closed the screen door behind you, hands hesitant to leave the front door’s knob. “No, I’m okay,” you said, watching as he popped back up from the basement. “You need to take care of that-,” you gestured to the large gash on his midsection.

Jeff’s eyes followed your nod and he internally winced - a proxy could cut him that bad? He shrugged it off. “Don’t worry. Those mindless drones don’t have anything on me.” The dark haired man walked over to you, his hand gently replacing yours as he shut the front door. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll disinfect it. It doesn’t look gnarly enough for stitches, but if it does,” he tapped your nose, making you smile.

“If you say so,” you yawned, eyebrows still furrowed at the fact you’d gotten him hurt with your carelessness. “Look, I’m sorry for-”

Jeff held his hand up. “Don’t wanna hear it, Bird,” he hushed as he left the short space between the two of you to find the back door. “You acted because you wanted to. That’s nothing to be sorry for.” He paused momentarily as he opened the backdoor, whistling into the late night.

You learned in the doorway as you watched the fog kick up for a moment. You watched as it swirled, then thickened. A small smile came onto your face when you saw the shadow of a familiar four legged, massive creature.

“Come say hi,” Jeff said as he waved you over to the  backdoor’s frame.

You did as he asked before his eyes flicked between him and the dark, shadowy mass. And then, by the light of the moon, it took shape in the form of a large dog, a smile on his face, and a medical kit in his mouth.

“Hi, Smile,” you greeted, hand reaching up to touch the massive husky’s head.

The dog smiled even wider before his head dipped to allow you to touch him while Jeff got the kit from his mouth. “Is this from EJ?” You asked.

The dog’s ears perked up.

You take that as a yes.

“Thanks, buddy,” Jeff said as he scratched behind the dog’s ears. “You’re welcome to stay but if you have business, please, don’t let us keep you waiting.”

Smile seems to take the sentence in for a moment or two before deciding to stay. In the blink of an eye, you watched as the dog shrunk his form to that of an average husky before padding into the house.

Jeff’s hand trailed over the dog’s back before he shut the backdoor, leaving to find the bathroom to take care of his still bleeding midsection.

You, on the other hand, went to the living room and sat on the couch. You took your mask off your belt loop and began to look over the finer details while your fingertips traced the intricate details and nicks it’s gotten over your relatively short time as a killer. You must admit, you’re on pins and needles waiting to see if the Slender Man is going to kill you or not or whether he’ll send any proxies after you. Proxies are strong - they’re the top dogs for a reason.

Lost in thought, you didn’t even realize Smile jumping up onto the couch beside you. It’s his cold nose that derails your train of thought as he nudges your hands off your lap so he may rest his head there.

You pet him, listening to Jeff hum as he takes care of his injury.

When Jeff is done, he makes you and Smile move down the couch a bit before he laid down. “Gonna get a few winks or something,” he mumbled, fading in and out of consciousness.

“Sure,” you hummed, back to petting Smile’s head.

“You too,” Jeff yawned. “Get some sleep. You haven’t slept in a while.”

“Of course,” you said, eyes already trained on the front door.

“You know that you don’t have to worry, right?” Jeff says as he watches the sky change from a dark blue to various shades of pink, purple and red. Sun would be up soon.

You glance at Jeff as you raise a brow. “What?”

“You’re frazzled because you interfered,” He says as he inspects his nails for a moment. “If that pale fucker wants an audience with you, I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

You furrow your brows. “But he could… He could take it all away-”

Jeff’s hand is on your shoulder. “Trust me, he’s not gonna hurt you. Not when you’re backed by me.” Jeff moves across the porch, his arm now around your shoulders. “Does that sound good enough for you?”

You chuckle softly. A breeze comes through the air. Light from the rising sun begins to peek over the horizon, greeting the two of you a good morning. “I guess so.”

“You guess so?” Jeff laughs quietly.

You nod, a small smile on your face, eyelids feeling heavier than normal.

“Get some sleep, Bird. It’s not like we have anywhere to be today,” He finishes quietly so as to not jolt you back into lucidity. He feels your head rest on his shoulder. He hears your breathing slow.

Smile quietly paws the front door open before resting his head on the crook of your neck.

And somewhere deep down inside, Jeff plays around with the idea of going to sleep himself.

[black-is-beautiful18]

A Different World

A/N: Hello everyone! I’m a little late but thankfully spooky season is still here. I’ve actually done a fic with Nadia before but I’m pretty sure tumblr ate it 🙄. So if she sounds familiar that’s why. Please enjoy! ❤️

******************

It started with a bottle tree. In the middle of Central Park. Reds, blues, greens, and even a bit of purple decorate the dead tree. Of course, it’s not too strange considering the parks history. If you don’t know, I’ll try to explain as best I as I can.

Created in 1825, Seneca Village was a thriving Black community. Sadly, things for us never last. We’re always pushed out or run out from what’s rightfully ours. Or in this case, paid to leave. Ugh! Don’t even get me started.

Seneca Village is no longer here, but this bottle tree is. Nana says to stay away from it. That it’s no good. Any time she even sees this thing she says a little prayer. “Why?” You may ask. I got one word: haints. It’s a play on the word haunts, so we’re definitely talking about ghosts and spirits.

These trees can be traced all the way back to the 1700s. Started with African slaves in Charleston and it was believed that if you hung bottles from a tree that evil spirits would be caught in them and we wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore.

That’s why nana warns not to go near it. Why she says a prayer every time it’s even mentioned. That’s why I warned my friends not to do the same. Can’t risk some poor angry soul getting free. Who knows what they’re capable of, especially with a tree this old. It’s huge too. I’ve never seen this many bottles before.

Sitting on a bench across from said tree, I try to fight the unease that fills me. Meanwhile, around me my brother and cousins all seem trapped in some sort of conversation or playful argument. Nico and Hazel sit on either side of me chatting about something going on in the underworld, but I can’t shake this feeling.

Feeling a nudge, I look to Hazel who smiles.” You ok?”

“Uh, yeah! I’m good!” I pipe up trying to get back to my usual bubbly self.

Hazel looks me over for a moment and is about to say something when Leo let’s out a yell capturing our attention.

Whatever he’s done has warranted the wrath of Percy, who chases after him spewing threats. While the others laugh, my heart skips a beat.

They’re near the tree.

“H-hey! Get away from there!”

Too late.

They didn’t hear me.

I don’t know what it was. It’s getting cold so it could be the wind.

Or maybe it’s the way Percy hems Leo up against the tree. Both of their bodies shaking with laughter. The past threats forgotten.

Either way the bottles sway making me jump to my feet in alarm. Some of them clang together sounding like wind chimes. Thank the gods that none of them break.

With baited breathe I watch them slowly stop moving. I let out a sigh only for it to get caught in my throat as a red bottle suddenly crashes to the ground.

“NO!”

My cry startles everyone more than the bottle breaking into a dozen little pieces not even a few feet from the two demigods who were wrestling with each other not too long ago. They should be panicking.

“Nadia?! What’s wrong?”

Nico is by my side in a flash and he’s examining me as if I’m hurt.

Unable to find the words I point to the broken bottle, my heart racing now.

“The bottle? I don’t think anyone’s gonna miss that.” Leo says with a shrug making me groan.

“We need to go.” I quickly grab my bag slinging it over my shoulder haphazardly. It nearly hits Annabeth, but thankfully she moves out of the way.

“What’s going on? It’s just a bottle, Nadia.” She says frowning as she gives me a look.

I send her an apologetic glance before shaking my head.” That’s not just a bottle. We need to get out of here.”

My declaration earns confused and concerned looks from those around me.

We don’t have time for this!

Nana’s gonna kill me. I can hear her voice now.

“Now what did I tell you about goin near that tree?!”

Oh gods…Mom’s gonna be pissed too. I’m gonna get grounded and have to work at the shop!

Ok Nadia. Breathe. Just breathe. They didn’t know so you can’t blame them. If anything they probably just thought it was some abstract art piece.

Has it gotten colder?

Once I’m sure that I won’t go into full panic mode I face my friends.

“I don’t have a lot of time to explain but that,” I point to the tree”, is a bottle tree. Each bottle contains a haint and one of them just broke.”

Silence.

“What’s a haint?” Percy asks in confusion making me pout.

Right. Demigods.

This is kinda harder than I thought it was gonna be.

“A haint, or haunt, is a spirit. Using a dead tree or a rod you hang bottles from them. These bottles catch the evil spirits and keep them contained so that they can no longer cause harm in our world.”

Silence. Again.

Letting out a whine i motion to the park exit.

“Greek myths aren’t the only ones that exist! Please, let’s just go?! Nana and my mom can explain more, but we have to go.”

At my persistent , and desperate, plea everyone begins moving towards the exit. Letting out a sigh of relief I move to follow after them, but stop when I notice a shadow out the corner of my eye.

It sort of looks like a woman but I’m in such a hurry to get out of there that I can’t really tell.

Gods help us.

*******************

@stars8melanin @prettyvintageafternoon

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[fktonofwhatnow]

The Rhys/Tamlin 180 in ACOMAF makes me mad! Like there’s wasted potential there, even if Rhys is endgame. The concept of after the happily ever after is actually pretty cool. There’s real potential in looking at how Tamlin and Feyre deal with the trauma of Amarantha. Having two people realized they’re not right together while still respecting each other is a more adult take than “surprise, Tamlin sux now”, and allows for Feyre to actually make real choices and grow. What's your ACOMAF rewrite?

Damn YALL ARE SPOILING ME WITH THE TAMLIN ASKS ☺️☺️ thank youuu for the ask @havenfable

THIS IS AGREAT POINT TOO WAIT WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT ALLOWING FEYRE TO ACTUALLY MAKE REAL DECISIONS !! YOUR BRAIN !! you guys are spectacular eat a cookie you have earned it 

Ok my thoughts are not quite coherent rn so I’ll try to make sense. I’ve tried writing this like 4 times and every time it just doesn’t work so bear with me here thank you I love you ok here we go. 

Ok I’m gonna start by saying that there is something to be said about Feyre as the narrator and her being an “unreliable” narrator of sorts. The story is about her, told from her perspective. I don’t expect her to have objective views of what happens around her. one thing I found interesting was that she said in conversations with people that she knew Tamlin was struggling, but when we would be listening to her internal monologue, when she thought of him it was mostly to blame him for not knowing she was struggling. (or if he did know, he didn't do anything about it) So like, same thing with the whole thing with Rhysand's mom and sister, we don't know what Tamlin thinks or feels about the situation because he doesn't talk about it and Feyre never asks. (But oh DAMN Sarah should not have given me room to speculate.) Like, UTM broke Feyre right, she tells us that much. Why are we not allowed to believe that it destroyed Tamlin too.

Here we are again, just like with Rhysand's family. I don't blame Feyre for literally needing help, and I do blame Tamlin for not helping her, but to a degree. I hated how the whole situation was handled like Tamlin was shit for not trying to help Feyre (even tho he was, just not in the way she needed), but then Feyre literally not lifting a single finger to try to help Tamlin is ok because he's a man and he can just suck it up and take it. ???? No ? That's not how we handle trauma? Like, my homeboy is fighting a losing battle against this shit and he's the one who's gotta fix everything for Feyre?

But like you said, just a tiny little bit of helpful communication would have done wonders. How about a lil, "hey you ok?" ???? LETS TALK ABOUT IT! Let's talk about how we're falling out of love, let's talk about what Tamlin experienced under the mountain, let's talk about what Feyre experienced under the mountain, let's talk about how maybe we were never good for each other and how we move on with our lives from that! POTENTIAL !! LETS HAVE THEM GROW "Surprise! Tamlin sucks now!" bitch how. Literally how. How did this happen. How did we get here. Tell me. I want to know SJm. Stop being a coward and tell me. You know what, I'll do it for you.

Damn this is about to be super duper long I'm so sorry. 

Alrighty guys once again, I love Tamlin with my whole chest, but I do put a hefty chunk of this on him. From what SJm tells us about Tamlin, he is a fearful individual. His responses to fear are either to freeze or to explode. Both extremes hurt people around him. His actions hurt people, and his lack of action hurts people. Also, for as often as he says the word sorry, he doesn't really show any signs of change or improvement. While I understand that yes , changing your behavior is hard, especially if you're not getting help and don't know how, Tamlin still could have tried a little more, pushed just a little harder, and yes, he could have been better.

But Tamlin is scared. He's scared of things outside of his control, he's scared of change, he's scared of people he loves leaving him or getting hurt. I'm willing to bet he's scared of himself, and rightfully so. He lashes out and it only ever hurts people. I can't believe he's blind to it. When he destroys the study, he's clearly afraid he hurt Feyre.

(i think I’m gonna do my acomaf rewrite headcanons in a different post, every time I try to write them here it doesn’t flow oooof lemme know if thats something you want ahahah I could talk about this shit forever) 

And like, being subject to someone else's fear is stifling. I don't blame Feyre for getting the hell out of there.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I know I've said this before: in my opinion, Tamlin has the best depiction of trauma in the whole fucking series. PTSD is a bitch and Tamlin is losing to it. The thing I loathed about acomaf/the beginning of Acowar is how Tamlin isn't given help and then treated like an absolute asshole for it. SJm could have done so much if she had Tamlin learn to ask for help. We can't all just have a Rhysand who knows every thought we have. Sometimes we have to ask for help, as much as we don't want to. That would have done wonders for Tamlin's character arc. And I think that he should have leaned heavily on Lucien for that.

Now look, Lucien deserves a lifetime of free chiropractor visits to relieve the soreness from carrying the entire series solely by himself on his own back. If I'm the one to pay for that for him, so be it. I would do anything for this man.

Lucien deserved so much better than to be bulldozed by the narrative. I refuse to believe that he would let Tamlin use him as a doormat. Lucien deserved to tell Tamlin off on his behavior ok. Lucien deserved a fucking backbone that he had all of acotar and then SJm decided that he was the character who got to suffer for the decisions of every other characters so they didn't have to. Stupid. (At this point I wouldn't be surprised if Rhysand's cum from having sky sex with Feyre fell directly on Luciens face. That's how much SJm likes pummelling him)

Lucien deserves to be strong and tough and emotionally available, especially for Tamlin. I don't think he deserves to be abused by his best friend. I've read fics that make Tamlin like this jackass who's not sad at all that Amarantha forced him to whip his best friend. Are you fucking kidding me. I feel like if Tamlin was going to cling like hell to someone through all of the shit before, during and after UTM, it should be lucien. But no SJm needs us to know Tamlin is a bad guy now. He hurts everyone with no remorse!!! What a villain!!! That was a sin.

Acomaf deserved to be two people talking about how maybe this relationship wasn't going to work out. This book deserved to be Tamlin getting up the courage to as Lucien for help. This book deserved to be Lucien always telling Tamlin that he would be there for him and us getting to watch the two of them overcoming their hardships together. This book deserved to be Feyre choosing her own path, choosing her own family, choosing to live her life as she wanted.

But nah. Rhysand's got a fat cock and uhhh y'all need to like it more than y'all like Tamlin's dick. Also Rhysand is a feminsisist. So suck it.

(If this book was really about giving Feyre a choice, SJm would let her make actual decisions that actually impacted herself and the story instead of just having Rhysand give her two extremes with one of them being obviously the right choice and then tell her whatever she wanted to do was her choice. Feminism.)

Did any of that make any sense. Any at all. No? Yeah I didn't think so anyways I've spent like a week on this I'm tired and I wanted to get it out there. Acomaf was a mess but at least it wasn't Acowar hahahahaha

[vanillann]

busted lip kisses (steve rogers x reader)

a/n: i love steve rogers with my whole heart, it’s so sad!! also this is kinda a college au! because i’ve been obsessed with them lately

word count: 1.5k

warning: mention of fighting, blood, swearing, implied smut (nothing graphic), and TALK OF A GUY BEING A REAL CREEP

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I knew Steve Rogers never backed down from a fight, it was a simple known fact, but when I swung open my door accepting Wanda and found a bloody Steve I was definitely in a state of shock.

Rightfully so.

“What the hell!” I reached for his arm on the door frame, wrapping it lightly around my shoulder. Steve tried to get my name from his lips but instead came a small drop of blood.

“Holy shit!”

“L-languag-e,” his words were spaced out, the single word sounded like a whole paragraph falling from his lips, yet he still had the tiniest smirk on his lips.

I didn’t say anything about his comment, normally I would be making fun of his outburst as he would say “a sailor couldn’t curse as much as you” but I brushed it off and moved him deeper into the apartment.

Wanda and Shuri were supposed to be here by now, but after bar surfing, you knew better than you assume they would be home before three in the morning.

Steve stumbled deeper into the apartment, making it to one of the stools at the kitchen island. His head rested on the cold surface and I could tell by the way he hid his face from the light he had a headache.

I flipped the overhead light off, using the smile night light Wanda bought and the little lap on the counter for light.

“Did you fight a biker gang?”

I didn’t wait for an answer, running past him and my homework that definitely wouldn’t get done now, into the little bathroom. I heard him yell my name and him begging me to come back but my fingers were reading over the different bottles.

Once I found the last set of badges I closed the cabinet, shocked to find Steve leaning against the door frame with a little pout on his busted lip.

“I don’t need t-that,” he stuttered out, his body suddenly going limp in the doorway, sending him to the floor of the doorway.

“Shit Steve,” I moved to sit on the floor beside him, studying his face as she shook himself from the little trace.

“I drank too much.”

I rolled my eyes, readying to get him comfortable so I could get my phone and call either Bucky or Sam, praying they weren’t the ones who got him in this mess and then left him on the doorstep. While it didn’t sound like them I couldn’t help but question.

“How much did you drink?”

“Actually not a lot, just feels like it. After he smashed my head into the table I started feeling like this,” she spoke absentmindedly as if his words weren’t making me worry more.

My hands shaky grabbed the alcohol wipes, opening a pack and pulling out the whip.

“This might burn,” I didn’t get him time before I wiped the cut on his lip, which earned an overdramatized win and I knew he was either drunker than he says or he did hit his head hard, Steve Roger wasn’t a whiner.

“I’m sorry, you have a test tomorrow,” he was suddenly coming back, placing his hand on the floor as if he was going to leave but I placed my hand over his, stopping him immediately.

“You aren’t leaving.”

He didn’t question me, slowly sitting back to the floor of the bathroom as he watched me clean up the blood in his eyebrow and trying to avoid the black eye.

Shuri was the doctor in training, not me.

“Just tell me what happened?”

Steve stopped looking at me for the first time since he sat down, his eyes trained on the hinges of the bathroom door.

“Steve, please.”

I hated the way my voice was begging, but this was Steve we were talking about. Like I said earlier, Steve didn’t back down from a fight, but he never fought because he got bored.

There was always a reason, a real reason.

“You didn’t hear them,” he spoke under his breath, his voice far away like he wasn’t on the same campus as me.

“Who?”

I gently moved to sit shoulder to shoulder with him, placing his hand in my lap while I cleaned up his bloody knuckles. The bruises were already forming and I wonder how long ago he was beating someone up before he walked into my house and gave me puppy dog eyes.

“Rumlow,” I rolled my eyes at hearing his name. The jerk was a grade A ass who just happened to be captain of the football team.

What a cliche.

“What did Rumlow do this time? Did he say something about Bucky again?” I could only guess what stupid name he had given Bucky or Same this time, as he normally stuck to Bird Brains and Robobitch.

“It wasn’t them, he was talking about you.”

I dropped his hand in my lap, turning to study the side of his face with a frown. He still didn’t look at me but I saw the look in his eyes. He was reliving as we spoke.

“Why?”

“He was talking about having a class with Wanda-” he stopped, taking in a sharp breath and I watched him bawl a bit with my sweatpants in his hand, “talking about how he was going to partner with her to get closer to you.”

I knew that wasn’t it, Rumlow would have to get nastier than that for Steve to snap like this.

“What else Rogers?”

“Said he was going to sneak into your room and take your undergarments.”

I felt the vile build up in my throat, I suddenly felt small and the thought of him being on the same campus as me.

“So you punched him?”

“Not exactly, I smashed a glass over his head.”

I gasped, turning to look at the side of his face better. I was in shock for sure, he wasn’t one to do things like this. No matter what it was always a view, punches, and once he choked a dude for like a single second, but smashing glasses over someone's head?

��What the hell Steve?”

“I told you (Y/N), you didn’t hear ‘em,” I knew better than to ask who else saw, his eyes were already filled with rage just telling me around Rumlow.

The only thing he hated more than bullies were bystanders.

“I understand that Steve, but smashing a glass over his head!”

“Did you not hear what I just told you?” Steve finally looked at me and it took everything in me not to back away. He looked like he could slap someone in half at this point.

“I get that Steve, it’s fucking gross but I’m not some girl that you need to defend my honor! I’m your friend-” his hand slammed into the tile of the bathroom, his eye looking deep into my own.

“Don’t you see, I don’t wanna be your friend, I wanna kiss your neck!”

Suddenly I was more scared of his words than him because I could have sworn he just said he wanted to kiss my neck.

“You must be concussed,” my words were barely above a whisper as I spoke.

“Trust me, I’m not.”

His harsh jaw was softer now, his lips frowning as he looked at me. That was the scary part, how he looked at me. You don’t expect someone to look at you like a siren until they are.

You don’t expect someone like Steve Rogers swinging at a stupid boy because he apparently wants to kiss your neck.

“I think-”

“Unless you're going to tell me to fuck off or fuck you I don’t wanna hear it.”

I slowly brought my finger up to my lips, trying to think over my words before I spoke. I couldn’t believe how forward he was and I don’t think he sounded either by the way his face fell.

“Shit, sorry (Y/N)-”

“Language.”

He looked back at me, his eye wide as I slowly had a little smirk growing on my lips. I felt myself shift around on the floor, smiling wickedly when he started to stutter over his words.

“You wanna kiss my neck?” I asked, my hand slowly moving up his arm.

“I mean, yeah, but without the busted lip and-”

“You wanna wait till your lip heals?” I titled my head, liking the way he watched my hand and my words were making him fall around like a fish outta water.

“What? No, I uhm-”

My finger finally reached the back of his neck, my body slowly moving closer to his own. Once my forehead was touching his he leaned in, his lips so light against mine it felt he was there. When I went to push slightly hard, still worried for his lip, I felt his hand grab my wrist.

I slightly pulled back, smiling at him with my eyes closed. I just kissed my best friend and liked it, a lot.

“I can’t wait for my lip to heal now.”

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[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

Silva Lining (Saul Silva x Reader) Chapter 13

Warnings: None

Word count: 1.6k

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It was quiet, too quiet. The voices of your friends and peers had almost disappeared, screams and shouting all but a whisper on the breeze through the spindly trees. You were alone now. At the same time, you weren’t. You could hear the crackling of skin, the rattle as they breathed. The screeches they made as they got close and closer to the opening where you were standing. You knew they could see you, it would only be a matter of time before you could see them too. The bright red core glistening and moving like a flame, inside of their charcoal bodies. Their claws slick with venom, their faces contorted and twisted in pain. You felt no fear. You were oddly calm, sensing that somehow, they couldn’t harm you…. wouldn’t harm you. They moved in closer, branches and dry debris cracking beneath their heavy steps. You could see them now. Shadowy figures creeping out of the darkness and stepping into light. They seemed to regard you with a title of their heads, a look of wonder perhaps? The tallest of them all stepped forward, they were different from the rest.

Taller, much taller, broader. The red core more fierce and prominent. The top of its head almost had horns, that curled round into a kind of crown like shape. It was in front of you now. So close you could feel it’s warm breath fan your face. Your heart stuttered as it screeched out a single word.

“Daughter.”

——————————————————————————————————

You woke with a jolt, your heart pounding, eyes blurry, black swirls of magic surrounding the bed you shared with Saul. Your skin was slick with sweat, a scream escaping your chapped lips. Saul was hovering over you, his hands on either side of your arms, trying to shake you awake from the 3rd nightmare that week. You clung to him desperately as he incased you in his arms. It was still dark out. You’d had a nightmare every night this week so far but you did as you did the other two times, fell back to sleep in your mans arms and were going to ignore it when you woke up.

Morning seemed to come around faster than you wanted it to. You were always too cosy sleeping next to Saul. He was awake and up before you, his teacherly duties leading him away from the confines of your luxurious bed before you had the willpower to peak your eyes open just a fraction.

The morning was met with Bloom complaining again about the treatment of Beatrix. The killer fairy was still in her temporary jail cell, power restricting bracelets still very much around her wrists. You and Aisha shared a look, you rolled your eyes earning a snort from the water fairy and in return a glare from Bloom. She didn’t even know the girl! She thought she now had some sort of weird connection just because she might have been from the same place as her? She seemed to forget that Beatrix did in fact kill Callum to shimmy past Farah’s protective barrier. What she was protecting, you didn’t yet know. You had a feeling Bloom did though.

Stella had filled you in about what was going on back in your old Suit. Bloom was more on edge than ever and had been talking about ways to break the captive fairy free. Was she mad? It was lucky that Aisha and Terra had intervened, otherwise she would have been free by now. They didn’t need the added drama.

Your thoughts were pulled in a different direction as you sat with your friends in the outside courtyard. Aisha, Bloom, Terra and Musa were arguing about how Beatrix getting out would be a bad thing. You and Stella, well you were still just gossiping, catching up as always.

The whispers came all at once. You could see Stella’s mouth moving but you couldn’t actually hear her words, instead your ears were overcome by the whispers of the Burned ones that you knew were outside of the force field. Your eyes could see Specialists running back and forward, something was wrong, the school now seemed to be busy, people were worried and panicked. You noticed Saul off to one side with Farah, Ben and Marco, who…. had been attacked by a burned one by the looks of things. You don’t know what made you stand, but you did, it was like your legs were on autopilot, already aware of your destination even if your brain hadn’t decided yet. Stella kept asking where you were going but it was like you were in a trance. You ignored you friends pushing past them, walking at a steady pace across the grass and in the direction of the woods.

——————————————————————————————————

-Stella’s POV-

Stella was happy to be back at Alfea, even more so now that she knew Y/N was in fact her long lost cousin. Since the beginning she knew she had a special connection with the dark powered fairy, she liked to joke that she was her Yin to her Yang, light and dark.

She’d noticed a difference in her cousins behaviour and well being over the last couple of days. Something that hadn’t gone un-noticed by Silva either, who had in private, asked Stella to keep an eye out for her. Obviously he didn’t have to ask her twice, she naturally felt the need to make sure her cousin was okay anyway. Y/N’s eyes looked heavy, like she hadn’t been sleeping well, it was most likely an effect of the nightmares she’d been having which she’d conveniently forgot to tell anyone she’d been having.

Stella and Y/N finally had some alone time while the other fairies bickered. She frowned as she looked at the girl in front of her, she was completely spaced out. Her eyes had gone black, no white showing at all.

“Y/N, are you okay?” Stella’s hand came to rest on her cousins shoulder and gave it a slight shake. Nothing. It was like she was in a trance. She was even more concerned when her pleas went ignored and Y/N stood up, walking through the girls and towards the edge of the woods. She panicked, she couldn’t go outside the barrier again, it was far too dangerous. Marco had just been attacked and who knew how many Burned Ones there actually were by now. Reports had been coming in that they travelled in groups, it was almost like they were searching for something and she wasn’t about to let her friend be the next victim.

Stella did the only thing she could think of and ran in the direction of Silva and Miss Dowling. Musa and the others ran to Y/N, hoping that someway they’d manage to get through to her before she did something reckless.

The teachers were talking quietly to a few senior Specialists. From what Stella could make out, Laura, Marcos partner, was still somewhere in the woods, fighting off Burned Ones with a broken leg. She had managed to seek shelter in an underground bunker, one like they had used in the woodland training, the only difference was this one wasn’t within the safety of the school and if someone didn’t do something quick, Laura would be dead in a matter of minutes.

“I hate to interrupt but something is really wrong with Y/N.” That got their attention. But then so did the screaming and shouting of Stella’s Suit mates. She looked towards where she had last saw you. But you weren’t there anymore, instead, you were on the other side of the glimmering shield that saved you from harm.

-Your POV-

Somewhere in the back of your mind you could hear the screams and pleading voice of your friends and you were kicking yourself for being where you were, but that was way way in the back of your mind. At the moment, you felt like you didn’t have control at all. Your feet were guiding you. The crackled breath of the Burned Ones could be heard all around you. They were right there, but you couldn’t see them… just like your dream.

Maybe it hadn’t been a dream at all, more like a premonition, for the next thing that happened, basically knocked you out of your magical trance. The largest of them all, King of the Burned Ones, stepped forward, horns upon his head twisted into a crown like shape, red fire seemed to burn in his core. You knew it was your father, or at least a version of the man who helped bring you to life. Something told you deep down.. it was him.

“Daughter, at last we meet.” The giant Burned One came to stand in front of you, you were now surrounded by others.

“What do you want, why are you here?” You were cut off by a snarling sound as shouts from Saul and the others could be heard getting closer.

“We are in a deal with a she Devil called Rosalind, after the deal is complete, we will come for you, so you can fulfil your destiny and sit upon the throne which is rightfully yours.”

“What deal? I’m not going anywhere with you! Why do you keep killing people!” The questions were meant with a gruff laugh.

“Why, because they’ve kept you from me long enough child. Mark my words, once the deal is fulfilled, we will come for you.”

The voices of your loved ones were closer and closer, you turned you head back to see if you could see anyone through the foliage.

When you turned back, your father was right in front of you, his hot breath fanning your face, in seconds, the Burned ones jumped you all at once and you screamed as you felt their talons slice against your flesh.

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Hi please don't hate me lol. I've gone back to work so when I get home I'm always tired atm so trying my best to write and all that <3 It's a little shorter than usual but I hope you still enjoy. As always please let me know what you think in the comments and like/re-blog/commet/follow! xx <3

CHAPTER 14 ----- CLICK HERE

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[sepublic]

           I love Eda. I just… LOVE how great of a parent she is, how she always makes it clear to Luz that she doesn’t expect anything of her, like in the Season Finale when she tells Luz that it’s not her fault, that Luz is a kid and she shouldn’t expect herself to rescue Eda; Eda made her own decisions, Luz is a CHILD and she needs to prioritize her own wellbeing! She is perfect and lovable as-is, Luz doesn’t have to do anything to earn Eda’s love…

           And then when Luz chickens out of fighting Grom, Eda doesn’t hold it against her! She tells Luz that it’s okay to make mistakes, that it’s fine for her to get in over her head, Luz isn’t a bad person for not living up to her role as a ‘hero’ to take on Grom… She’s just a kid, she shouldn’t have to handle this- And again, it’s not dismissive of Luz, either! When Eda reiterates to Luz that she’s a child, and that it’s best for the adults to be responsible in providing actual support and care towards Luz (and that she is rightfully entitled to that care), she doesn’t patronize Luz! Eda doesn’t remind Luz is a child to dismiss her, she does it to reassure her…

           And I really love how Eda is making it clear to Luz that this girl deserves so much, that she’s right to ask for things- She’s not being greedy, and she’s not being a burden! Luz deserves the world and the chance to fully indulge herself and who she is… Eda has no expectations for Luz, she just wants to support Luz in whatever she chooses to come, while occasionally providing protection and support- Because she’s an adult. And Eda wants Luz to understand that adults and parents (surrogate or otherwise) are 100% expected to do the best for kids, and that children shouldn’t hold themselves to any standards or expectations put upon them.

           Like the beginning of The First Day! It’s a funny joke, but also so sweet and meaningful, how Eda keeps giving Luz the chance to back out… She’s not actively dissuading Luz from joining Hexside, she’s just making it clear that if Luz ever decides to change her mind, she’s valid! Eda’s not going to hold it over her head, say I Told You So… Eda just wants the best for Luz and she trusts Luz’s judgment on what’s the best for herself. If Luz changes her mind and decides to back out of Hexside, then she’s perfectly valid- Just as she’s valid for going to Hexside in the first place! Luz isn’t a coward, Eda isn’t going to harshly hold her to her word or anything… Luz is allowed to make mistakes, Eda wants Luz to know that she’ll never force her to do something that truly makes her uncomfortable. Eda’s not going to hold it against Luz if she’s ever wrong about anything, all Eda wants is to be a safety net for Luz, so that Luz is free to explore different options as much as she wants without having to worry about being hurt in the process!

           Eda isn’t encouraging Luz to be a Quitter… She’s just letting the girl know that this an option, without trying to undermine Luz’s decision to go to Hexside, if she decides to go through with it in the end. Eda makes it clear to Luz that there’s no shame in prioritizing one’s health and safety over proving a point, she’s here to relieve any burdens from Luz… And Luz, this means SO MUCH to her! I don’t think she’s ever had an adult who’s been so unconditionally accepting and supportive before… The closest was her mother Camila, but as a single mom and a nurse, you KNOW Camila’s job is busy enough to create a distance between her and Luz, amidst Camila admittedly not accepting Luz’s ‘quirks’, and lumping them in as the same as her character flaws at the beginning of the show.

          I doubt Camila ever thought of it that way, nor did she ever implicate it- But when you’re inscure and lonely like Luz, and you rightfully feel bad for your mother who’s incredibly stressed and constantly working to pay bills and accommodate their child… It can make a kid feel like a burden sometimes, no matter how hard Camila may try not to let Luz feel that way. It’s why the Boiling Isles is amazing for Luz- She definitely had love from Camila, but the Boiling Isles, and the Owl House specifically, provides an environment where Luz can actually feel safe and free to explore herself, without any particular system bearing down on her.

          Granted, there IS the Coven System, so Luz didn’t exactly escape that… But for the most part, there’s a certain relief granted to Luz ever since she arrived on the Boiling Isles. And, I think Camila would be incredibly happy to see her daughter so at ease and away from the burdens of their life in the human world, with a surrogate parent who has the time, energy, and wisdom to provide so much for Luz, when Camila otherwise has to focus on putting food on the table.

           I just… LOVE Eda, and I want the best for Camila as well, so having her meet Eda would be great! And I just really appreciate how while Eda knows she’s not perfect and that even she has much to learn from life… She’s still clearly learned a lot. She never dismisses Luz and lets her feelings be valid while taking them into account, like when she responds to Luz’s complaints in Adventures in the Elements… Eda doesn’t want to burden Luz and make the girl feel obligated to be her caretaker as the curse gets worse.

          She prioritizes Luz so much more than just a means to an end, or a student to show off her teaching prowess- Yeah she made that initial mistake in Covention, but clearly Eda has grown since then! You can really tell that Eda learned and encourages others to be themselves, how she’s grappled with a system with such expectations and rejected it, and how it influences the way she interacts with other characters. She experienced first-hand a conformative system, and Eda decided that nobody else should ever have to feel like how she, or any of her peers, ever did! Eda was so badly hurt and traumatized, but she never got bitter. She never got entitled. Eda didn’t use her pain nor her trauma as an excuse to lash out at others, or as a justification for any flaws and mistakes on her own end.

          Eda certainly doesn’t want to project onto people, she wants people to exist completely free of any kind of restraints like that, and she’ll fight even herself to ensure the best for everyone! Because that’s just what Eda wants… the best for everyone, and she’s no doubt SO proud of Luz for managing to make a change that really implements this wish, even if Eda doesn’t hold Luz to keep up with this role. Eda always makes sure to remind Luz, consistently, that she’s free to do pursue whatever path she wants for herself, that Eda isn’t going to be disappointed in her, and that Eda is THERE to provide for Luz and take the burden for her- Because Luz is a kid, so she deserves to just go out, and enjoy herself!

          Eda tells Luz that she has a lot to offer the world herself- That Eda WILL listen to her, that Luz is so smart and clever and wise in her own way. Eda makes Luz feel valid and understood by actively listening to her, Eda reassures Luz that she isn’t just some dumb kid- Luz’s ideas have plenty of worth in their own right, Luz can teach Eda a lot herself as well! And it’s all just so… HONEST, refreshing, and validating to see Eda be so upfront and take so much initiative into providing this kind of reassurance, verbally and out loud without any room for doubt, to Luz! Eda isn’t trying to be coy, she’s honest and communicative, genuine, and upfront about who she is, and what she believes in!

          In a sense, Eda’s kind of illuminating in her own way, like Luz, showing Luz that she’s not a freak nor a loser or idiot, but a wonderful and creative person! Which fits, because Luz and Eda are two sides of the same coin! It really is refreshing and relieving to see such a mature, kindly, and providing mentor/parental figure. Eda will never blame Luz or try to hold her accountable to someone else’s mistakes, least of all of her own… Luz deserves to be completely unvinvolved and free of that kind of mess.

          Eda makes it clear to Luz that it’s not Luz who’s the failure, it’s the adults/system who are at fault for not being good enough… It’s so genuinely selfless, and in a way that still provides plenty of room for Eda to be herself, and to encourage Luz to do the same! Eda really went through a lot of missed-out experiences and decided that everybody else should get them, without forcing these experiences onto people to vicariously live out a missed youth, either! Luz and Eda really feed and play into one another as such a healthy and loving dynamic and relationship… It’s just UTTERLY WHOLESOME, and my heart can’t take it!