#but he had a good start I think! finding out your sister was sacrificed and developing this hatred for the creatures you think killed her- | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dorabledewdroop · 7 months

Text

The White Healer Chapter 6

Warnings: physical abuse, angst, little spicy content, jealousy.

author's notes: Two chapters in one day lets fucking gooooo

Series Masterlist

X--X--X--X--X

“How about this, I’ll share the memory with Nat and Piet” Wanda said. “We can tell you what we saw”

Everyone nodded in agreement. The people who opted not to see the memory directly watched as Wanda’s eyes glowed red, followed by Natasha, Pietro, and Y/n.

You closed your eyes and stayed like that for a few minutes. Everyone else held their breath as they watched the interaction. Suddenly Pietro, Wanda, and Natasha stood up. Steve shot up, about to walk to them when Pietro hurried to the nearest trash can and hurled. Wanda crumpled to the ground and started sobbing. Natasha stood up, breathing heavy and rushed out of the room. Clint immediately went after Natasha, Steve knelt beside Pietro and rubbed his back while Sam made his way to Wanda. Tony sat there in shock, as did Bruce. You hadn’t moved from your spot. You sat there, staring off into the distance as a single tear rolled down your cheek.

As Steve knelt beside Pietro, he noticed that Pietro, too, was crying. He decided he’d ask everyone later as now was not the time. Pietro kept crying and muttering something to himself, soon he zoomed out of the room.

Sam was getting worried, the sobs wracking Wanda’s body only seemed to get worse. Deciding nothing good would come of keeping her here he helped her up, expecting resistance but to his surprise Wanda stood up and ran out of the room herself.

That left you, Tony, Steve, Sam, Bruce, and Thor.

Unable to stay silent any longer, Tony stood up and pointed at you.

“You” he barked out. “Just what have you done to them?”

You paid no attention to what he said, you were completely lost in thought. Tony did not appreciate being ignored. He stomped to you, grabbing your collar.

“What did you do to them?” He shouted at you as he shook you.

“Tony that’s enough” Steve exclaimed.

“No, Steve. All we know is that they looked into her mind and completely lost their shit.”

Steve began to say something but stopped himself. He, too, was concerned at the display. Just what had those three seen? What had you done to warrant such a reaction? Was it really so heinous? Before he could think any further he heard Tony yell.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you” Tony snarled.

Unable to tolerate your impassive expression he slapped you. Hard.

That seemed to bring you back, you stared at Tony. Tears freely falling from your eyes now.

Thor decided he had enough, he grabbed Tony and shoved him against the wall.

“You do not lay hands on her, Stark” Thor roared his eyes glowing a dangerous blue.

“Let him go Thor” Steve said firmly. He moved his gaze to Tony. “That was completely unacceptable. We don’t even know if it was her fault”

As Thor let go of Tony, Tony scoffed. “Great work both of you. She’s missing now. Congratulations”

Steve looked around to find out that you had, indeed, fled the room.

Clint followed Natasha rush to one of the many balconies. He watched her finally crumple against the wall now that no-one was there. She let out a sob as the tears started to flow. Sighing, Clint sat beside her as she turned to him and started sobbing harder. He gently stroked her back.

“What happened? I’ve never seen you react like this” Clint asked gently.

She continued to cry for a while. Her cry turned into sniffles, and when it finally stopped did she start talking.

“The stone.. it manipulated her.. she sacrificed herself to save her sister’s life but the stone chose her instead. Deciding to take her sister, without her consent.” She whispered, a few fresh tears made their way down her face.

Clint frowned, from what Tony had told him, the mind stone had some level of intelligence. But this.. this was pure cruelty.

“She was in pain, Clint” Nat whimpered. Gripping his t-shirt tightly. “She was in so much pain. I could feel it.”

The two stayed there for a little while until Natasha said she’d go freshen up and meet everyone back in the meeting room.

Clint made his way back to the meeting room and faltered as he entered. There was a weird tension in the room. Thor was standing in the corner, glaring at Tony. Tony was facing a screen, looking at.. something. Steve was having a quiet discussion with Sam.

“Where is everyone else?” Clint asked the group.

Steve turned to look at Clint and answered. “Bruce went back to his lab for some research, Wanda and Pietro needed some time to themselves. Where’s Nat?”

“She needed some time to herself too” Clint replied. “Where’s y/n?”

“She ran away” Tony commented, continuing to stare at the screen.

Clint frowned “What do you mean she ran”

Tony huffed “She bolted, Legolas. It’s a pretty simple statement.”

“Did Nat tell you what happened?” Steve asked, desperate to change the topic.

Clint nodded “I’ll just wait for her to tell everyone directly.”

They waited for another ten minutes before Pietro, Wanda, and Natasha came in together.

At once Wanda asked “Where’s y/n?”

Steve, already dreading the conversation, said “She- um- left..”

Thor was tolerating none of this and merely scoffed.

“Do not lie Steve. She ran away after Stark hit her.” Thor rumbled, his glare focused on Tony.

Pin. Drop. Silence.

“… He did what” Wanda said, her eyes glowing as she took a step towards Tony.

She’d never liked him but this. She was going to tear this man apart. Before she could think about what to do with him Pietro appeared in front of her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t focus on that idiot, sestra. Take Natasha and go find your girl.” He told her softly.

She snapped her head to her brother, eyes widening.

“You.. know?” She whispered, completely forgetting her anger towards Tony.

Pietro merely smirked.

“I’m well aware of your feelings towards y/n.” He said

“But I’m actually with-“

“Natasha. I know. You two aren’t as subtle as you think” He said smugly.

Wanda blushed a little. Her eyes shining. Her brother… accepted her..

She was about to hug him when she remembered where she was. Giving a grateful smile to her brother, she turned around and gently took Natasha’s hand, intertwining their fingers. Everyone’s eyes went to their hands. No-one dared to say anything. Clint merely smiled, glad his best friend finally found someone.

Natasha was having none of it. She hadn’t even noticed Wanda and Pietro’s interaction. No. She was glaring at Tony. How dare he raise a hand against you. She was going to kill him. She was going to make sure he lives the rest of his miserable life in regret-

A gentle squeeze brought her attention to Wanda. Right. Their priority was finding you. Everything else came second.

“Let’s go find her, malysh” Wanda whispered.

Nodding, the both of them hurried to the main gate.

The moment they stepped out, Wanda’s eyes glowed red as she searched for your thoughts in the vicinity. It took a minute or so but she could faintly feel you.

“Found her. Nat do you trust me?” Wanda asked.

Natasha quickly nodded “Of course, detka”

Without prompt Wanda used her magic to lift the both of them off the ground, heading straight towards you.

They landed softly a few meters behind you. You were siting at the edge of a lake, staring off into the water. They slowly approached you, unsure of whether you’d heard them arrive.

“She used to love lakes..” You said softly.

Taking this as an invitation, they sat down on either side of you. Their hearts broke as they saw your tear-struck face.

“Any large body of water was her favourite” you continued. “The orphanage obviously didn’t have the funds to afford sending us to nice places. Public pools didn’t allow us in because we didn’t have guardians to accompany us. I’d take her to a lake or beach every single week during the summer.. she’d swim for hours even if she was all pruned up. I would have to drag her out of the water because she refused to leave despite violently sneezing.”

Wanda took your hand in hers, as did Natasha.

“She sounds amazing” Wanda said softly.

“She was.” You agreed. “She was the best”

After a brief pause you spoke again.

“I didn’t want this you know.. I didn’t want these powers.. or anything. I just- I just wanted my sister..”

Nat pulled you into her arms as you begin to cry softly.

“I know, malyshka. I’m so so sorry” she said into your hair.

Wanda hugged you from behind, effectively sandwiching you between the two of them. You felt yourself relax, something you always found yourself doing in their presence.

“Come back with us detka, please?” Wanda begged.

You pulled apart, frowning.

“Am I- am I allowed to? Tony was pretty upset-“

“That man” Nat seethes “can go eat a bag of dicks”

Your eyes widened, unable to help yourself you chuckled.

Wanda smiled a bit, remembering what Thor said her eyes flashed red in anger.

“I will kill him for hurting you” she swore.

You shook your head.

“It’s okay” you said, “he was just upset because I hurt you guys”

Wanda shook her head vehemently.

“You did not hurt us at all, devochka. It just broke our hearts to see the pain you went through” she said, caressing your knuckles.

“Besides, he did what he did because his egotistical asshole who throws temper tantrums because he thinks the world revolves around him” Natasha finished.

You giggled, causing them both to giggle with you.

“So..” Nat asked

“Will you come back with us?”

You tapped your chin with your finger, pretending to think. Natasha rolled her eyes, grabbed your hands and stood up. Laughing you stood up as well. The two looked at you in confusion as you began walking.

“Where are you going?” Wanda asked

Frowning, you just said “to the compound?”

Smirking Wanda grabbed you by the hips. Not missing the way your breath hitched. Natasha grinned as she looped her arm around Wanda’s hips.

“Ready?” Wanda asked

“For wha- OH MY GOD” You squealed as you were lifted off the ground by Wanda’s magic. The two women giggled as you clung tightly to Wanda, yelling how cool you found this.

When the three of you landed at the entrance of the compound, you were breathing heavily.

Making your way up to the kitchen you paused upon seeing Pietro standing looking worried, Steve and Tony were in a heated discussion. Upon your arrival, they all looked at you. Pietro was suddenly picking you up. You yelped.

“How can you, your sister, and Nat pick me up so easily? I’m heavy” You complained.

Pietro put you down and raised an eyebrow.

“They picked you up, huh?” He teased

Your ears burned as you realised what you had said. Sure they were your best friends but you had a feeling Pietro was well aware of your feelings for the two of them.

“Y/n” Steve called out as he stood up. “May I speak with you for a moment?”

Confused, you nodded and walked towards the kitchen island with him. He noticed Pietro standing nonchalantly within earshot. It warmed Steve’s heart to see how much those three seemed to care about you.

“What’s up” you said, still smiling at your previous interaction with Pietro.

“Pietro told us what happened. How you got your powers.” Steve said.

Your smile slowly faded. Unsure of where this conversation was going. Was he going to tell you that you weren’t allowed to be a part of the team anymore? You stopped yourself going down a spiral and paid attention to what he was saying.

“I’m so sorry for what happened to your sister. I can’t imagine the pain you must have gone through. I’d also like to formally apologise for how all of us reacted. We didn’t know what had transpired and it was wrong of us to jump to conclusions. I’d also like to apologise on behalf of Tony. What he did was completely out of line and I can assure you it won’t happen again.”

You sighed in relief as he finished. Quickly telling him how it’s completely understandable and you’d already forgiven them. You also told him you hadn’t run because of what Tony did but because you were overwhelmed with the memories that had surfaced. He nodded and once again apologised, hugging you briefly after the conversation ended.

Meanwhile, Tony decided to leave as he didn’t wasn’t in the mood to deal with you at the moment. He found himself completely frozen, unable to move. Looking down he saw slight red wisps covering his body. His eyes darted to Steve who was unfortunately completely absorbed with his conversation with you. Tony made eye contact with Pietro who just raised his eyebrow and proceeded to stare at Tony with a slight smirk. Gritting his teeth, Tony gave up trying to break free. Wanda and Natasha entered the room at that moment, heading straight for him. Tony’s eye’s glanced at the knife that was in Natasha’s hands as the two women stood in front of him. Trying to maintain his cool he glared at Wanda who just smirked at him, enjoying just how much he was freaking out. Natasha leaned towards him, knife resting against his thigh.

“The next time you even think about laying a finger on y/n. I will cut you open and feed you to some street cats.” Natasha said lowly. Every word dripping with carefully controlled rage.

“The sad part is” Wanda said softly. “Y/n would do anything and everything in her power to heal you from whatever we do. Because that’s the kind of person she is”

There was a hint of adoration in her voice that Tony obviously didn’t pick up on, but Natasha did. Her heart swelled with love as she hummed in agreement and stood up. The two of them walking away, extremely satisfied with the interaction.

The moment they left the kitchen, Tony found himself able to move again. Not waiting for a single moment he walked to his lab, thinking of ways to counter Wanda’s magic.

The next morning, some of the team were sitting at the dining table eating breakfast.

Thor had claimed he needed to consult his father about the appearance of 3 infinity stones, he promptly left after giving y/n a box of pop tarts.

Mid conversation, FRIDAY informed the team that Maria Hill will be arriving with mission briefing. To say you were beyond excited would be an understatement. It was your first mission ever. You were nervous about how you’d perform but everyone had repeatedly assured you that you weren’t required to take part in combat and were just there incase someone sustained an injury.

You were certainly caught off guard when Maria Hill entered the dining room. If you didn’t have feelings for your best friends, you absolutely would have attempted to woo this woman. Maria on the other hand had no such qualms.

“Well hello there beautiful” Maria flirted, staring you up and down.

You grinned “Hi there”

You didn’t notice the way Natasha’s jaw clenched at the interaction. Or how Wanda had stiffened, a burning sensation spreading through their chest.

“Mission debrief is in 15 minutes but if you’re free right now I can tell you about is seeing as it’s your first mission.” Maria said shamelessly.

You were about to reply when Natasha shot up. Pietro failing to hide his absolute shit eating grin.

“Actually, there’s something Wanda and I need to talk to y/n about.” Natasha said coldly.

Ignoring the urge to throw Maria out the window, Wanda got up in agreement and walked towards the door with Natasha. Wanda could hear only one loud thought going on in Natasha’s head. Mine. On repeat. Smirking, Wanda said nothing but stood there.

“Y/n” Natasha barked.

Raising your eyebrows you excused yourself and followed the two of them outside.

As soon as the three of you were out of ear shot, Natasha shoved you against the wall. Hard.

“Nat-“ Wanda began.

“No Wands. If Y/n wants to act like a whore then I will treat her like one.” Natasha seethed.

All rational thought had left her mind.

Before Wanda could interject, in a swift movement you had moved and pinned Natasha against the wall, with your hand gripping her throat. Natasha let out a squeak in surprise. Never had anyone managed to do this to her.

Both Wanda and Natasha were caught completely off guard. They knew you could be confident and would tease them time and again. But this was different… this was.. hot.

“Just who do you think you are talking to?” You snarled right next to Natasha’s ear.

A shiver ran down Natasha’s spine. Her knees felt incredibly weak. Within a second, all the control she thought she had was gone out of the window.

Wanda’s eyes widened as she saw her girlfriend, the black widow, because a submissive heap within a second. She felt heat pool deep in her belly at the act.

Nat’s eyes fluttered shut and she let out a whimper the moment you nipped her ear.

You leaned back, letting go of her neck and watched her stumble for a second as she tried to regain her balance. Eyes wide, looking at you with a mix of shock and arousal.

“Bedroom” you commanded. “Now.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Nat started making her way to your bedroom. You and Wanda followed suit.

“Are you okay with this?” You whispered in Wanda’s ear.

She vehemently nodded.

“I.. really liked that. I know Nat did too.” Wanda whispered back.

She decided to take a peak at what was going through your head and immediately turned completely red.

Natasha was absolutely fucked.

X--X--X--X--X

taglist: @marvelwomen-simp @nothanksbye07 @jono723 @luadyjcmd @alexawynters

#wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #marvel #wanda maximoff smut #natasha romanoff #wandanat x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #wanda x reader #natasha romanoff smut #wandanat smut #the white healer

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gingiesworld · 1 year

Text

Old Flames

Part three

Wanda Maximoff x GN! Reader

Warnings: Death. Angst. Fluff. Happy ending

Requested by @ginnsbaker

18+ MINORS DNI

Five years felt like a lifetime to Y/N who remained in their home they shared with Wanda. Looking at all of her trinkets. Her multiple rings that would be on her fingers, her shampoo they had started to use just so they could have some sense of comfort. They had also buried Vision on the grounds, given him a headstone knowing Wanda would want to visit him when she returns. Y/N also found themselves sat out there, talking with him about everything.

"Do you think they felt pain when they turned to dust?" They would question multiple times.

"I like to think not." Nat spoke from behind them. Making them turn and face her.

"How did you find me?" They asked her as they stood up.

"Wanda used to speak about you." Nat told them, ignoring there own question. "She would make it seem like a fairytale. The princess and the pauper style."

"She was my queen." They told her.

"We have a way of bringing them back. Bringing everyone back." She told them.

"She was pregnant." They informed her. "During the fight, before the snap. We were going to start a family her and I. Do you think that when she returns, it will be as it was?"

"I can't answer that." Nat told them honestly. "But we have a chance to try. Hope that we may succeed."

"I just want her back." They told her honestly.

"Then help us. Help her." She told them as they nodded.

"Ok." With that the two had flew back to the compound where Tony and Rocket were working on the time machine. Working out the kinks and making sure it run smoothly.

Once it was all up and running, Y/N had accompanied Nat to Vormir in search of the Soul stone. Nat sat on a rock as Y/N observed the cliff.

"Thanos came here with his daughter and left without her." Nat told them as they shook their head.

"This is rediculous." They chuckled as Nat smiled slightly.

"I have to do it." She stated as she stood up and approached Y/N.

"No. You don't." Y/N told her.

"Yes I do." She told them.

"Yelena would want you to be alive when she returns." They told her.

"And what about Wanda?" Nat countered.

"She's already survived years without me and if she is pregnant still, she will have you and the rest of your make shift power rangers." They told her as the two chuckled lightly. "I have been a bad person Natasha. If this is the one good thing in my life that I can do, let me do it."

"You need to see your kid grow up Y/N." Nat countered as they shook their head.

"No. They will already have a kick ass family. They don't really need me." They told her as she shook her head.

"You know I never saw the appeal about you as Wanda spoke about you. Your childhood, your past at Hydra." Nat told them honestly. "But you are actually quite tolerable."

"I can say the same for you Natasha." They smirked before tackling her to the ground. "Tell Wanda I love her."

------

After the fight, three lives were sacrificed to save the universe. Vision, Tony and Natasha. Tony had a funeral which Wanda had attended as Y/N remained at a distance. Watching as she mourned the loss of three important people to her.

Once the two returned home, she cried in their arms for hours. Losing a friend, a sister and the man who took her in after she lost her brother, took it's toll on her as she fell asleep. After a few hours, she awoke to an empty bed, empty living room and kitchen until she looked into the yard. Seeing them sat beside a stone.

"What's this?" She asked them as they stood up. She read the writing on the stone

Here lies Vision,

Hero, friend and brother.

'What is grief if not love persevering.'

"I brought him here." They told her. "I saw how you looked at him. It was the same way you look at me."

"Y/N." She whispered as she rested her hands over her stomach.

"You loved him the same way you love me and I couldn't leave him there." Y/N told her honestly. "He needed a proper resting place and I knew you would want a place to talk to him. Lay flowers and remember him. Besides, he is a great listener and the only friend I have really had over the past five years."

"Thank you." She whispered as she kissed them softly. "You didn't have to."

"I did." They told her. "If I didn't, science poachers would have took him and broke him down for spare parts and I couldn't allow that to happen."

"I love you so much." She kissed them once more before she pulled them to take a seat. She listened to them as they told her what she had missed over the last five years. Happy to have her back in their arms where she belongs.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff #marvel #elizabeth olsen #elizabeth olsen x reader #wanda x you #wanda x y/n #wanda x reader #wanda maximoff x you #natasha romanoff

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riordanness · 7 months

Text

he was sunshine - [w.solace]

wordcount: 1.1K

warnings: death mentions (sort of)

requested: no

My senses weren’t working properly. My eyes were open, but I couldn’t see anything but darkness.

My touch senses were working fine, though. I could tell that I was lying on a bed, a blanket draped over me. The blanket felt kind of rough, but warm.

It was quiet. I couldn’t make out any distinct sounds. Either I was losing my ears, or I was all alone… wherever I was.

I blinked, and I could see again. Thank the gods. I glanced around, realising I was in the infirmary. Oh…

I hit my head. That was the last thing I could remember before my vision went dark. But, what was happening? Did Gaia actually rise? Was she defeated? Were my friends alive?

I had to find out. Ignoring the pain, I pushed myself up onto my elbows, sat upright, and threw the covers off. I was dressed in jean shorts and my camp T-shirt, what I always wore.

My sneakers were lying on the floor beside the bed, so I pulled them on. Spotting my weapons on the bedside cabinet, I grabbed them and slung them over my shoulders. Being a daughter of Demeter, I wasn’t usually picked out of a crowd to be a fighter, but I was wicked good with the bow. Good as some of the Apollo kids, even.

I ran a hand through my short, dark curls, trying to fix my bed hair. I got bad bed hair most nights, but other than that, my hair was pretty manageable. I didn’t usually have tie it back, given that it was only cut to just below my ears.

I left the cabin, and saw… no one. Usually, there would be tons of kids all around the cabins, playing basketball and chasing each other, heading to activities and playing pranks on other cabins. I couldn’t hear a thing. It was like the whole camp had vanished.

I searched the cabins, the Big House, the armoury, the dining pavilion, the strawberry fields, and the forges. The only place I could think of left was the amphitheater. Even before I reached it, though, I noticed a trial of smoke rising up from the middle of the amphitheater. That worried me. I hurried faster.

Just as I’d feared, it was a fire. The camp was burning somebody’s shroud. Or multiple somebody’s. As I entered the amphitheater, a couple of my cabin mates and friends waved at me. Anita, my half-sister, rushed over.

“You’re okay!” she whispered. “Oh, I’m so glad. You hit your head really hard. Will said you might not be up for a few days. Do you feel okay?”

Come to think of it, I felt awful, but I brushed it off as hunger or fatigue or something. I was totally fine!

I tried to smile. “Oh, yeah. I’m okay. Thanks. What happened? Was Gaia defeated?”

Anita’s face fell. “Uh, well… yes. But we lost some good friends.”

I bit my lip. “Who?”

“Samuel, Tracey, Olive, Nate, and… Leo Valdez.”

“Leo?” I gasped. “Oh no…”

Anita quickly told me the story: Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, had bravely sacrificed his life to kill Gaia. He had died in a fiery explosion in the sky above camp.

I couldn’t speak. I’d gotten to know Leo pretty well over the months he’d spent working on the Argo II. He’d spent so many long hours and days busy working in Bunker 9, I’d made it my personal job to bring him food and water every day, and make sure he ate. During these little visits, we talked a lot. We’d become pretty good friends.

And now?

He was gone. I felt tears coming, but I tried to fight them down. “They were all too young,” I whispered. “This is all so unfair. I hate this dying business! Why can’t the gods just stop it and stop having poor kids who are targets for monsters?”

Anita looked at me sympathetically. “I know. It’s okay.” She took my hand. “Come on. You should sit down. Will Solace said you needed your rest.”

It was probably true. Will was the best medic I’d ever met. He knew what he was talking about. Besides, my head was starting to throb again, and I was feeling dizzy.

“Uh, yeah. Good idea,” I managed.

I sat with the rest of the Demeter cabin for the remainder of the funerals. The shrouds were burned, the proper things were said, but I was in a bit of a daze. I barely heard anything that was said.

It was so strange. It’d been the middle of the battle, Gaia had just risen up out of the earth and was trying to kill us all, Camp Half-Blood was surrounded by Romans and monsters, and everything had suddenly gone black on me.

I don’t know how I’d survived. I asked Anita, and she confirmed that Will Solace had found me unconscious and carried me off to the infirmary. For some reason, that made me blush.

I hadn’t thought much about the son of Apollo in my years at Camp. He’d always been around, even before I’d gotten here. He was always sunny and happy, always helping everyone, and always healing all of us silly demigods who got ourselves hurt.

My mind drifted. Back to my first year. My first time playing Capture-The-Flag. I’d been brutally beaten up by the Hunters of Artemis. My arm was cut up, my ankle was broken, and I’d gotten a concussion.

Will had refused to leave my side the entire time, even though he was only ten at the time, same age as me. He’d insisted on staying in the infirmary with me until I was well. I think I was the first person he’d ever healed properly, and on his own.

I was brought back to one particular occasion… I’d woken from a deep sleep, my ankle healing (which was slow even with the help of nectar and ambrosia), and found Will sleeping beside me. He was sitting on a chair, slumped forward with his head on his arms, his arms on the edge of my bed.

It took a bit of shuffling and fiddling, and a bit of pain, and a lot of grunts and hard work, but I finally managed to pull him up onto the bed with me. It was a pretty big one, a double bed size. I slid over to one side, spread half the blanket over Will, and snuggled down beside him.

I fell back asleep instantly, not even thinking about how weird this position would look in the morning when someone else came in to check on us. (Other campers, Chiron, and me and Will’s siblings checked on us regularly). I was just trying to do something nice for a friend, someone who was doing something nice for me.

I drifted off to sleep with Will’s breath on my hair.

#percy jackson #pjo #fanfiction #will solace #pjo x reader #will solace x reader #solangelo

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melishade · 6 days

Text

Attack on Prime New Age Anthology: Game Plan

Main Story

Catching Up Part 2

Released from Quarantine

Reunions

The humans start discussing a game plan on how to tackle a world without titans.

"I do apologize for everything that has been happening in the past month," Bryce explained as he sat down at his desk. He gestured to the two chairs in front of him, and Kenshin and Willy sat down in each of them, "But we do thank you for being cooperative."

"What is this about?" Willy asked.

"Your world is in chaos," Bryce stated bluntly, "You faced a cataclysmic event of untold proportions, one that hasn't been thought about here on Earth. Your ecosystem has been ravaged, we are still counting the death toll, and there is a possibility that damage has been done to the ozone layer. If we sent the people we have here back home, there is a chance they would not survive due to the drop in oxygen levels."

Bryce picked up one of the papers on his desk. "However, the biggest concern we have been hearing from many of the denizens is whether or not the power of the titans have been destroyed. The Autobots have conducted enough tests to absolutely confirm that, but it's uncertain if the people on your world would trust titans from beyond the stars."

"...you want us to be your mediators," Kenshin concluded.

"More ambassadors," Bryce corrected.

"General, our world is in chaos like you said, and many countries have either been destroyed or destabilized. Not to mention, I lost some of my political influence prior to the Rumbling," Willy explained.

"Your sister was on the front lines, and she sacrificed herself to save thousands of people," Bryce retorted, "I think that has helped redeemed your name."

Willy's eyes lowered to his hands, doing his best not to cry.

"I doubt I'd be much help," Kenshin proclaimed, "Willy's not a ruler of a country. I am, and I'm certain that many of Hizuru's top officials have been killed during the Rumbling, along with a good portion of the land. I have no idea how many of my people are alive."

Bryce pulled out his phone and showed them a picture of their world's map. "The Autobots also calculated how far the Colossal Titans have gotten before Optimus destroyed it. Marley has been wiped off the map for the most part, along with a good portion of the Middle Eastern Region. Hizuru has been ravaged, but the entire country hasn't been destroyed. There have been a few continents left unscathed or barely touched. The region we would call North America had only just been hit by the Rumbling when the event stopped. This continent that we would call Australia, along with a few other islands haven't been touched mainly due to the distance from ground zero."

Bryce put the phone down. "If you have allies, political influence anywhere, then it would help to use that in order to mitigate the chaos and prevent infighting over basic necessities. We can help you provide food and water to the people that have been disparaged, along with medical assistance."

"What do you want from us in return?" Kenshin demanded, "No one asks of something without something in return."

"I doubt that we would be able to provide you anything," Willy retorted, "Your world is much more advanced than our own, and we need all the help we can get. What would you need from us?"

"Earth has been trying to find life on other planets that would be hospitable to humans from Earth," Bryce explained, "Even though we've come into contact with Cybertron, the planet's not hospitable to humans, and titans like them are considered fictional to the wider populous. You've already had the concept of titans for thousands of years and your world has been similar to that of ours. We could start interplanetary relationships. And your world is prime ground to run some tests of our own."

"Such as?" Kenshin narrowed his eyes.

"Repairing the ozone layer, food growth and restoration, so far many scientists have been wanting to test environmental impacts and repairs," Bryce answered, "Our world is slowly going through a climate crisis, and to test out how to repair that crisis on a world that has had their climate completely altered would be revolutionary in terms of progress. You will be receiving a tremendous benefit by having your world repaired at a quicker pace, but we will also be benefitting from this as well by preventing our own demise."

"We could use this help." Willy turned to Kenshin.

"I know for a fact that you have much more to gain that you're not telling us," Kenshin accused.

"You're right," Bryce confessed, "And this information is something I'm not allowed to disclose to you, especially since this a developing situation. But I assure you that this will be beneficial to you if you cooperate with us willingly."

Kenshin grimaced at that before glancing over at Willy.

"We have nothing to lose from this, and we can't repair the world on our own," Willy reminded, "And I think many of the people from our world would like some sense of normality."

Kenshin sighed in defeat at that. There were many already dead, injured, or displaced, and that number was going to continue climbing. He just knew it. "Fine. We'll do your alliance."

===

"Alright, I got the huge bags of chips I saved in storage!" Miko declared as she walked up the steps to the common area of Unit E with four giant bags of different flavored chips along with a bag of Styrofoam bowls. The 104th and Onyankopon were either sitting down on the couch or the floor, with the exception of Jean who was in his wheelchair. They were watching Jack write a list on a white board with a red marker.

"Potatoes." Sasha's mouth watered at the familiar picture of potatoes on the bag.

"Don't be greedy," Miko warned her as she sat on the floor opened the bags, "We have Lays, Doritos, Cheetos, and Tortilla Chips."

"I thought you had spicy chips," Rafael remarked as he continued typing away on his laptop.

"They're not going to be able to handle Hot Cheetos." Miko ripped open the bag containing the Styrofoam bowls, "Alright, dig in."

Sasha jumped at the potato bag, but Miko quickly grabbed her and pinned her to the ground.

"Wow." Jean was impressed as Sasha squirmed in Miko's grip.

"Mikooooo!" Sasha whined.

"Be patient!" Miko scolded her.

"Thanks Miko," Armin said as he got himself a bowl of Doritos, "It's usually pretty hard to stop Sasha when it comes to food."

"Yeah, I can imagine," Miko commented.

"Okay." Jack turned to the audience as he pointed at the list on the whiteboard. "So these are the things that we have to take care of. One." Jack pointed at the top of the list. "Providing aid and relief to the people affected by the Rumbling. This going to be a consistent, top, priority since the death toll is still climbing. Two."

Jack pointed to the next item. "We need to check up on Paradis. Historia, you mentioned you're the queen and the military has effectively been dismantled."

"I don't know who would be trying to take control right now," Historia explained from her seat on the couch, "It could fall under a dictatorship fearful of receiving retaliation for the Rumbling."

"So we need to find out what's going on there and prevent a dictatorship," Jack declared, "Three: hold a funeral procession for Connie."

"Why can't we just do that right away?" Sasha demanded as Miko got off of her.

"Paradis needs to be stable first before we can do the funeral," Jack answered, "Someone could interrupt funeral proceedings, try to kill you, desecrate Connie's grave. Paradis needs to be stable first. Four, we find Mikasa."

"But Mikasa's been missing for over a month!" Armin exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's the problem," Jack sighed in defeat, "She's been missing for over a month, we have no leads on her location and finding her without the technology we have on your world is going to take longer. Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"

Armin thought it over. "She might have gone back home?"

"To reverse Madagascar?!" Rafael exclaimed, "I thought you guys were a hermit country everyone hated! Who the hell would be willing to take her there if there are any available mods of transportation?!"

"I don't know!" Armin exclaimed, "Maybe she went to civilization?!"

"Hey, wouldn't it be funny if she actually swam back to the island?" Miko quipped.

"Knowing her strength, she probably did," Jean proclaimed seriously.

"There's no way!" Miko snapped her head at Jean.

"Maybe we can ask the locals and see if they spotted her?" Onyankopon suggested.

"Maybe, but it still might not be as effective," Jack admitted, "We do have pictures of her, thankfully, but still, it's finding a needle in the haystack. Also, do we really know if she made it to Paradis in the past month?"

"I know that she would have gone back home," Armin declared with confidence, "It's the only place she has a real attachment to. No where else."

"Well..." Jack trailed off, "We'll check the sight of the final battle first, go to the closest refugee camp to ask there, and if we can't find her there, then we can scope out Paradis once we can stabilize the government. That's the bed plan I can come up with given the lack of information we have on her."

"...okay," Armin relented.

"Additional items include Jean staying behind on Earth to learn how to walk again," Jack continued.

"Make sure to bring me back home when you have Connie's funeral," Jean declared.

"Will do." Jack nodded, "We'll also need to have a video prepped to send over to Optimus once he wakes up."

"What?! Optimus is feeling better?!" Onyankopon exclaimed.

"Yeah, we received some texts from Ratchet saying that Optimus' recovery has been stable. He doesn't need life support anymore and hopefully he'll wake up sooner rather than later."

"That's great!" Sasha exclaimed with delight, "We need to tell the others!"

"Pretty sure shark lady's already in the loop if she's with Ratchet," Miko commented.

"Can you stop calling my wife that?" Historia demanded.

"She used to turn into a shark! What can I say?!" Miko exclaimed.

"Once we finalize all of this then we'll let Erwin and Hanji know," Jack declared, "Levi's still unconscious according to Jean."

"Yeah, his injuries were pretty bad," Jean declared.

"And I'm certain Bryce is talking to Kenshin and Willy," Jack surmised.

"Ugh, the golden spoon." Miko rolled her eyes.

"Why would they need to talk to Bryce?" Onyankopon asked.

"Politics," Jack replied, "Want to create alliances."

"And steal resources," Rafael mumbled to himself.

====

Hanji removed their glasses and rubbed their eye before eating the granola bar that was placed on their table. "They're going to execute Megatron."

Erwin didn't reply to that. He was merely flexing the fingers on his cybernetic arm when he heard them speak. "...you want to save him."

"That's the plan," Hanji grumbled, "Or a plan. I know I'm completely outclassed here, and I bought myself extra time in quarantine because of my stunt from earlier. The humans here are advanced, Cybertron is way above anything Earth is, and so many people want Megatron dead, both human and Cybertronian, and who knows how long Optimus will be out of commission before they decide to reach a verdict."

"Something tells me that he doesn't want you interfering in his situation, if he cares about you," Erwin assumed.

"Is it fucked up that I give a shit about him now?" Hanji asked him, "I mean, originally I just wanted to study him, but damn it, he was actually putting in the effort to be a better person to the point I was willing to put my trust in him. But I've heard his war crimes. I doubt Cybertron is going to see it that way, considering how much harm he's done to other people."

"I doubt you're going to get far," Erwin proclaimed.

"Well according to Jack, they looked into his head and saw his memories and now don't know what to feel. Not to mention Buckethead saved some people that he had screwed over in the past, specifically the Bot that killed him before his body got hijacked by Unicron," Hanji explained, "Our interactions with Megatron are making them second guess."

Hanji looked back at Erwin. "C'mon there has to be something between you and Megatron that would get them to second guess themselves."

Erwin sighed in defeat. "Hanji, he came to me as an insurance plan, and it felt like manipulation when we were talking. He ended up forcing Nile to stay after he found out about us, and Kenny-!"

"Hey, Kenny was on you. You broke him out of prison," Hanji cut him off, "But Floch and Louise got involved. With the way that they were acting in regard to Eren, how did Megatron convince them to stay and not blab about his team?"

"He didn't," Erwin declared, "He gave us a choice."

Hanji stared in surprise. "What?"

"Megatron said that he was going to stop both Zeke and Eren regardless of whether or not he stood alone," Erwin explained, "He gave all five of us a week to come to that decision: to join him or leave the cause. No repercussions. No threats of death. He knew that Floch and Louise were a risk,...but he still let them go."

"Erwin this is fucking big!" Hanji slammed their hands against the glass, "Megatron: the big bad who forced everyone to do his bidding or die, is giving organics a choice to follow him?! Megatron, putting his life on the line for organics! Megatron choosing to save those he had wronged! Megatron choosing to save the one who killed him! Erwin, this is a case; however small, it is still a case! We have to try and find a way to fight for him!"

"Hanji, do you really think that you can somehow get their attention while Optimus is in the hospital?" Erwin asked, "And if you do make your case, you are defending a war criminal. It is like defending Eren's actions to the rest of the world he just slaughtered."

Hanji grimaced as they pushed off of the glass.

"Hanji, I need to know." Erwin pressed his cybernetic hand against the glass, "Are you prepared to do this? If you defend Megatron, you will be aiding and abetting a war criminal who is clearly guilty. They can and will target you. They might kill you for defending someone that has ruined so many lives."

Hanji shut their eye in response.

"Is Megatron really worth your life?" Erwin demanded.

Hanji looked back at Erwin, and could see the concern in his eyes and felt bad. Even though the power of the titans were gone, they were still putting themselves in danger once again. Was Megatron really worth any of this at all?

Hanji took a deep breath. "If it wasn't for a good portion of Megatron's decisions, I'd probably be dead right now. Part of me is still uncertain if Megatron's truly changed for the better. But at the very least, I owe him a debt for keeping me and my comrades alive for so long....You gonna stop me, join me, or remain neutral?"

"...If you said they looked into his memories...I don't know how that would be possible," Erwin commented, "Then I'm certain that they did see me. Like it or not, I have to provide a case for him."

Hanji smirked. "Alright, looks like we're going to try and fail to defend a genocidal maniac! The hypocrites we are!"

"Levi's not going to like this," Erwin declared.

"Oh, Levi's gonna fucking hate us for this," Hanji snickered.

(Alright, I know a lot of the focus is on the humans, but we will go back to the Cybertronians! I promise!)

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inukag-archive · 7 months

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Hi! Could you recommend me something similar to “the kings mistress” by dolphingirl0113 on Ffn? I’ll take any rating, and anything to do with the early to late modern pieces with kings, queens, knights, pirates. Etc. I have an unhealthy obsession to stories in these time periods and I would love to find more InuKag fics like this. Thank you!!

Hi psychoticpeopledisorders, thank you for your patience while we put together a list full of royalty and medieval adventures a la The King's Mistress! (linked below for any who haven't read it)

You can also check out our other royalty, historical, and fairytale themed lists for even more stories you're sure to love:

Arranged Marriage: Part One and Part Two

Beauty and the Beast Inspired

Fairytale Inspired

Feudal Era AUs: Part One and Part Two

Pirate AUs

Royalty/Rich NSFW

Happy reading!

(Gif by fic-finder @lostinfantasyworlds)

The King's Mistress by dolphingirl0113 (T)

Kagome and Kikyou Higurashi, rivals in every way, both find themselves in love with their King. But when a man at court brings Kikyou's scandalous past with him and threatens her life, Kagome must choose between old loyalty and a passionate new love.

Death, Greed, and Love by Jav-chan (T)

A death of a beloved father. Wedded to a husband whose very presence make ones stomach clench. Captured, the morning princess of Veshrane finds love at her prison. Death, Greed, Love.

Behind the Masquerade by Keolla (M)

When Inuyasha and Kikyou were engaged, Kikyou's sister, Kagome, was unexpectedly sent to observe Inuyasha. However, she didn't expect to fall for him.

The Lady and the Rogue by @starlingchildgazingatthestars (E)

Historical AU. Kagome is betrothed to Lord Sesshomaru, as part of a political arrangement between both of their families to continue promoting peace between demons and humans. The problem is that Kagome has her eyes and heart set on Sesshomaru's roguish half-brother, Inuyasha...

The Stable Hand by @petri808 (T)

Princess Kagome was envious of the kind of freedom the commoners had. Everyone assumed that being royalty was pure bliss, but she felt like she was trapped in a cage. One of the things she enjoyed doing to relax was ride her horse and would request the accompaniment of the stable hand to keep her safe. The man was fairly new in their kingdom, but something about him allowed her to feel normal while they were together, and yes, she'd started to fall for the handsome man.

Family of the Dog by WolfRanger2003 (T)

An AU of Inu no Taisho and his family. From his own father and siblings to his sons, how does a powerful daiyokai deal with enemies that threaten his family.

The Princess and the Pauperess by narcoleptic shishkabob (T)

Princess Kikyou and peasant Kagome trade places for a month, thinking each has the better life. What they're about to find out could not be further from the truth.

The Protector of Her Heart by Eowyn Organa (T)

Kagome is the princess of the Human Lands, forced to marry a man she cannot love. Inuyasha is her knight, sworn to protect her. But he cannot protect them both from the most dangerous thing of all: love.

So NOT A Fairytale by @britonell (T)

Kagome had a plan: Inuyasha’s the prince, Kikyo’s the princess, and she’s the matchmaker. Yes, she had it all figured out…except the matchmaker ends up making the prince attracted to HER instead of the princess. Not. Good.

The Demon Prince and the Miko Princess by Guise'n'Disguise (T)

Kagome is a princess on the run and Inuyasha is a prince in hiding. They come from two different rival kingdoms. Will they ever get together?

Crowned Jewel by @heynikkiyousofine (M)

Long ago, the Jewel of Four Soul came into existence and with it, a prophecy was born. “It shall be, when she who protects all the earth’s creatures destroys the darkest of evil, balance will return to the land.” Since then, powerful priestesses have protected the Jewel, only for evil to grasp at its power time and time again. Sacrificing herself, the last one took it with her to the next world until the most powerful of them all would be born, the one the prophecy proclaimed.

The Unfortunate Queen by @elkonigin (T)

Kingdoms rose and fell because of their rulers. Kingdoms could be destroyed and rebuilt based on a single person's choice. Grand Princess Kagome Higurashi has no idea what her father was thinking before he passed away, but clearly he'd made a terrible choice when he handed her the crown and all its mess, its secrets, and its dangers.

Dreaming of You by InuFan4life (M)

InuYasha is a prince, and Kagome is a servant. They are best friends, but cannot see each other in public, then a series of unfortunate events begin tearing them apart. What will happen?

Lover, Be Good to Me by Emmyyasha (E)

Inuyasha longs for Kagome's touch. Not just because he is irrevocably in love with her, but because he is desperate for the relief that her healing magic can provide him after sustaining injuries from a harsh battle. Yet he cannot go to her. He is merely one hanyou soldier in an endless war who doesn't deserve her kindness lest it be mistaken for weakness.

Still, she always comes to him every single night under the cover of darkness, fills his tent with her healing light and soft smiles. Tonight, however, she's late. And though he's selfish for her company, he knows he must suffer alone until his body can recover on its own.

But Kagome was never one to keep him waiting for too long.

Seven Weeks by ScarletRaven1001 (T)

While on a journey to rescue the abducted princess of a foreign land, Inuyasha meets Kagome, a powerful sorceress who may make a powerful ally. There is just one problem: he thinks she is hiding something

Forever Nevermore by Desenchanter (M)

She fell in love with the prince at a young age, but what girl didn't adore him? As a commoner in their chaotic world love meant little if anything and she couldn't hope for it to save her again.

To Live by Love by SailorCreative (T)

Kagome is a beautiful princess and Inuyasha is a greedy halfdemon hoping to snatch the Shikon no Tama. Some brief nudity mentioned in later chapters.

Holding Out for a Hero by @lavendertwilight89 (E)

Inuyasha has always lived alone until the new lord of the Western Lands banished all kinds of beings onto his lands. Now he is tasked with rescuing a princess from a dragon for the lord can marry her. But what happens when they fall in love along with way?

Feel free to add your own recs in the comments or reblogs! Check our Masterlist of previous lists to see which topics we've covered. After reviewing our submission guidelines, send us an ask (here).

#inukag archive #inukag fanfic #inuyasha fanfiction #royalty AUs #similar to the kings mistress

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1cat200 · 3 months

Text

Rottmnt au ideas

I've been thinking about what other rottmnt aus I could do while working on my current rottmnt Tiger Sister au and I have a few ideas.

Growth spurt au: this happens before the events of the rise of the tmnt movie where basically Mikey gets a weird yellow chemical spilled on him while helping Donnie out in his lab. The next day he is almost as tall as Raph and Mikey, Donnie, Raph and Leo think that Mikey is having a really big growth spurt until Mikey grows 50feet tall during the night and is stuck in the lair until Donnie can create a cure to turn Mikey back into his normal size.

Mythical turtles au: this happens after 1 year after the krang invasion when the turtles, April and Casey are chasing after a wanted criminal witch yokai who curses them into mythical creatures. Casey is turned into a vampire, April becomes a Banshee, Leo is a mermaid, Raph is a dragon, Donnie becomes a Harpy and Mikey gets turned into a werewolf. They have to find the witch yokai before the curse becomes permanent by the second red moon.

Ninja kids au: my rottmnt oc Cathy is in this au. And it is also based on one of my potential rottmnt episodes ideas for season 3. Casey, Cassandra, Cathy, April and the turtles get attacked one night by a mysterious man who looks like the Shredder and even calls himself the new Shredder and the crew get accidentally telaported into the new good future by their future kids who explain to them that the man was their timelines villain who is also the leader of the new Foot clan. The turtles and their allies and kids work together to save the world and stop the new Shredder.

Howl au: this is also another au inspired and based on one of my potential rottmnt episodes for season 3. This is when Casey is walking back to the lair after going on patrol by himself at night when he is suddenly attacked by a werewolf and gets bitten in the process. After the incident, Casey starts to have weird visions of himself running in the woods and acts really weird and has cravings for raw meat. He doesn't known what's going on until his first full moon and destroys half the lair and badly injures Leo. The turtles explain and tell him that he is now a werewolf. Casey gets scared and runs away and ends up in the woods and meets another werewolf named Axel who teaches him how to control his wolf side while the turtles look for a cure. This is an au that I will do for Halloween.

Till the end of time au: this is also another au featuring my oc Cathy from my current Tiger Sister au. This is the idea that Cathy had a kid of her own in the bad future where Casey was from. Cathy's son was named Makoto and he was a human and mutant tiger hybrid. He and Casey are cousins and grew up like brothers but unfortunately 2 weeks before Casey was sent back in time, Makoto sacrificed himself to save Casey from a pack of krang hounds and was persuaded dead. Now in the new timeline, Casey feels empty and alone without his best friend. That is until Makoto suddenly shows up,injured and Casey is both shocked and relieved to see Makoto again. Now he helps Makoto to adjust to the new timeline and keeps his promise to always be there for Makoto.

I really hope that you guys like these rottmnt au ideas! Let me know which one is your favourite/s in the comments below. I might get to work on one of these aus after finishing the fourth or third chapter of my rottmnt Tiger Sister au. Stay tuned for now!

(P.S. reblogs are very much appreciated!)

#rottmnt #cathy #save rottmnt #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt leo #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt raph #rottmnt casey jr #rottmnt next gen #rottmnt april #rottmnt cassandra jones #rottmnt casey jones #rise oc #rottmnt au

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starlightandsouls · 2 years

Text

Fallen Hearts

Warnings: accusations of treason, torture, death, suicide, betrayal, blood (this is kind of dark so read with caution)

18+ MINORS DON'T INTERACT

A/N: Well I finally got done with this piece. Honestly it just might be my favorite thing that I have ever written, so here it is: my magnum opus. I truly hope anyone reading it feels at least a part of the emotion I tried pouring into this and if you like it please do let me know what you think! This fic soo much effort and emotion from my end so your comments really make it all worth it)

(Inspired by the song Eleanor Rigby- Cody Fry Although I don't believe I could do justice to the song, this fic is not nearly as emotional or dramatic as I wanted it to be. But then again how do you live up to this masterpiece of a song?)

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Azriel had never been one for afternoon picnics or eating apple pie under its own apple tree or relationships at all, come to think of it. But as it turns out, having a mate does change a person. Your personality, your very soul starts shifting; learning, becoming better acclimated to its lost twin. You begin doing things you would never have imagined just to make them happy. And that is how he ended up here; sprawled across a blanket, his back to the vast apple tree with his mate in his arms, munching on her hand made pies. Then again, Azriel would eat anything his mate blessed him with, just because he knew how happy it made her when he complimented her cooking.

The air was not stifling, despite the fact that they were well into the summer months. Summers here weren’t that long. Mostly because of the towering mountains surrounding the city that blessed them with good weather. But the two months that they did have summer were the worst out of the entire year. Velaris was usually boiling this time of year. However it seemed like the Mother had blessed them with good weather this time.

So they were lounging outside their sea side home, basking in the summer sun before it became insufferable. A few months later Azriel would reminisce this exact moment, try to relish in the meagre happiness its fading memory would provide and beat himself up for taking it for granted. But then again it wasn’t his fault. How could they have known they were happy? That this was all the happiness they would get?

.................................................................................

Azriel and Selene had been mated for well over three centuries, the other two you had been the closest of friends. That simple fact always brought her joy; that in their five centuries of life, she had always had Azriel. It was as if you were twin souls, meant to find and love each other.

The love you two shared was known all across Prythian. Everyone knew of the Shadowsinger and his mate, sister to the Heir of Night, closest to the High Lord Rhysand. Just as this fact was second nature to many, everyone knew not to get between the two of them, knowing they would gladly burn the world down, if just to keep the other warm. So deep and unconditional was their love. A force as constant, as eternal as the sun and the moon. Or at least they had thought it to be.

The war with Hybern had been won over half a decade ago and peace had settled. A hard won peace that had cost everyone a little too much. While all the courts were trying to rebuild, themselves and their diplomatic relationships with each other, they had remained blissfully unaware of a new threat lurking in their shadows, bidding its time to show its hand.

Rhysand, however, had begun to feel uneasy. Maybe it was instinct or just the unfamiliarity with peace after so so many years of pain, that something began unsettling him. He tried to hide it, if only for his family’s sake. They had all sacrificed too much for him to bother them with his unreasonable fears. But soon they began to notice his off putting behaviour. Azriel, of course, was first.

The two were playing chess in his office, as they often did. Cassian had gone to Illyria with Nesta to monitor the training camps, to ensure that no female was being mistreated despite the new laws. They had been vigilantly cracking down om anyone who toed the line. Rhysand had sworn to his mother that he would change the centuries old, misogynistic customs of the Illyrians. And now that he had the power to rule without any threats, he would do anything to ensure it.

But it seemed that his silence didn’t go unnoticed by his brother. Perhaps he was taken aback by Rhysand’s unusually quiet manner, given that that was usually Azriel’s job.

“What’s on your mind brother,” Azriel asked nonchalantly without looking up from the chess board, where he was getting closer and closer to besting Rhysand.

Rhysand didn’t reply, simply because he didn’t notice. His thoughts were too consuming, too rampant.

“Rhysand,” Azriel repeated, “Is everything alright?”

“Yes. Everything’s alright,” Rhysand said. What’s the harm in trying? Azriel quirked an eyebrow, telling that he wasn’t going to fall for this lame response.

Sighing, he replied, knowing he could lie to anyone, put up a facade for anyone. But not Azriel. His brother had always been the one to see through his mask that had fooled countless others so easily.

“Honestly, I don’t know either. And that’s actually exactly the problem. Everything is fine. But for some reason I’ve been feeling so uneasy, like something is going to go wrong.”

Azriel listened carefully without any interruptions. This was one thing he loved about Azriel; he was a great listener. He never judged him or gave him false reassurances, never tried to dismiss his concerns.

“Is something in particular bothering you?” Azriel inquired, seamlessly taking on the role of Spymaster, always ready to fulfil his duty.

“That’s the problem. There is no specific threat or danger that’s worrying me. I just can’t shake this feeling of dread. I swear Azriel this paranoia is going to drive me crazy. Such small things start bothering me these days. Like how Beron was acting in the last meeting. I mean he was an asshole as usual, but nothing other than that,” Rhysand started rambling. All his concerns and worries started bubbling to the surface, knowing Azriel was the one person he could vent to without any repercussions.

“Okay, so Beron’s acting strange. If you want I can go do some recon in Autumn. Figure out if those foxes are upto something,” Azriel offered. Rhysand could see the cogs turning in his head, already planning how he would go about it. Rhysand rushed to refuse before Azriel could formulate a plan.

“No, its fine. There's no point in going to that hellhole and riling up Eris. Plus my sister would skin me alive if I put you in danger without any reason.”

At the mention of Selene, a small smile bloomed on Azriel’s face, and seeing him made Rhysand do so as well. Azriel had gone through so much in his childhood and then when they had grown up as well. No family, no siblings. Sure Rhysand and Cassian were his sworn brothers but it was that feeling of having someone that was yours, truly and only yours, was more blissful than anything. And Azriel had found that in Rhysand’s sister. While it had been a bit off-putting at first, if only because it was his job as a big brother, later he had felt nothing but joy at the thought of the two people he loved most in his life, finding their happiness with each other. And both of them deserved it. After everything, if there was anyone who deserved it, it was Azriel and Selene.

After the game finished, which Azriel so gleefully won, he got up to leave, but not before adding,

“Hey, if you need anything, I’m here. Just say the word.”

Rhysand had only smiled and nodded, knowing his brother would almost put his duty first and foremost, sometimes even before his life. If only he had remembered this simple fact.

.................................................................................

Azriel’s POV...

Leaving Rhysand’s office, Azriel made a beeline towards Selene. His shadows had informed him that she was in the training ring. Of course. Despite there not even being a bare hint of a conflict let alone a war, you and Cassian insisted on training everyone everyday. The two of them claimed that should the need arise, they all needed to be ready. Azriel prayed to the Mother that it never did.

However, it appeared she was alone right now. Perhaps getting in some extra work out. Hypocrite. Sel was were always chastising him for working too hard, always forcing him to take one too many breaks. While she herself often toiled away in the training arena for hours and hours on end. Like he had said: hypocrite.

Walking in, he saw her slashing away at the dummy with her sword. Each strike was precise and lethal, the picture of perfection. For a moment, Azriel simply stood their quietly, waiting a second to take in the sight before him. Even covered in sweat and your leathers, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Night embodied in the form of a heavenly angel, a gift from the Mother to show mere mortals what true beauty looked like. Each day Azriel thanked the Gods for blessing him with this brilliant female for a mate but he knew deep down, even if he were to worship Selene for a thousand years more, it would never be enough to show even a trickle of his devotion. She was his muse, his reason for life, the one who held the keys to his soul and heart.

Despite his chosen silence, Azriel knew she had noticed him. If not because of his shadows, maybe because of the love pouring in openly through the bond. Selene always tried to feign annoyance at his ‘cheesiness’ as she called it, but he knew from the blush that adorned her cheeks and the blinding smile that lit up her face, that deep down Selene adored it. So he kept doing it every single day; reminding her how much she meant to him. He only hoped it was enough.

Finally putting down her sword, Selene turned to him with that smile of hers. She walked right over to him and instantly put her arms around him.

“Well hello there, handsome. How did you find your way to our humble abode,” she mocked as Azriel had honestly been scarce in the training arena these days. He had been occupied with either spying or some other task which, for once, left no time for training. A fact that his mate often loved to tease him about; that if he didn’t start training sooner or later, he was going to become an old crone.

“I was told there was a rather pretty female here who was getting quite lonely. I thought maybe I should go offer her some company?” he joked right back. Only with Selene did he ever leave his guard down like this, only with her did he let this side of him show.

“You’re shameless, you know that?” she said, laughing her melodious laugh that would make the sweetest nightingales shy away.

“You love me anyways,” he whispered back.

“That I do. I love you Azriel, more than anything else in the world. You’re my everything.”

Azriel only leaned forward and kissed her forehead and both of her closed eyes. It was the softer moments like this that brought Azriel the most joy. Not that he wasn’t thankful for each second he got to spend with Selene. But something about when it was just the two of them, surrounded by silence, quietly expressing their love for each other that touched his heart the most. Even when she simply held his hand, he felt powerful enough to conquer the world. That loneliness he had felt ever since he was a child disappeared when he had first befriended her and had not reared its ugly head towards him ever since. Such was her power, and he has been in awe of it for just as long.

....................................................................

Three months had passed ever since, when it began. Disappearances, murders. People going missing left and right in all seven courts. And these were no ordinary people; nobles, court officials, warriors. Panic had begun to spread. No one had the slightest idea who was doing it or what their intentions could be. As the summer heat reached its peak, stifling everyone’s breaths, so did the uncertainty, the anxiety of the current events.

All seven courts were scrambling to find the reason behind these disappearances, a culprit, a reason. Something that would at least give them a hint as to what to expect, how to prepare. Azriel, himself, hadn’t slept in almost two weeks or if he had, it had been for an hour only at best. He had gone longer without rest, but the stress of everything was starting to get to him. Well that and the fact that he had come up with no answers. He was supposed to be good at this, it was literally his job. His entire family was looking to him for answers, when he had absolutely none to give. And the feeling of letting them down, risking putting them in danger because of his incompetence scared him more than anything.

Selene had been the only one to notice; how he was so tense all the time, how the bags under his eyes had become deeper everyday, how even his beautifully carved face had become gaunt, pale, because she knew he hadn’t been eating properly. She saw it perhaps because she was the only one he let see through his mask. Everyone needed him right now. He couldn’t afford to break down. But around her... he could take a second to breathe, to not put up a facade. She constantly reassured him that he didn’t have to do this alone, that he didn’t have to bear this burden alone. But what could he do? Centuries of experience had ingrained into his very being this sense of duty that he couldn’t shake off no matter what.

However, at the last meeting where Azriel had all but collapsed as he gave Rhysand his report, Selene had finally put her foot down. Despite everyone’s protest she had dragged him home, saying he needed rest, that everyone else could survive without him for a couple of hours. Now Azriel himself had also opposed this decision, albeit half heartedly. Because no matter how much he wanted to work, Azriel knew he had to be honest with himself. With how exhausted he was right now, if he tried to winnow somewhere Azriel knew it would end in a disaster. Selene had quickly shut up everyone’s arguments with a swift reprimanding and has dragged him home.

Which was how they ended up here; in their room, where Azriel sat in an armchair while Selene prepared the bed. In all honesty, Azriel knew he should help but he realised he would probably faint and increase her work even more. So he stayed still. While Selene fluffed up the pillows, Azriel gazed out the window to their garden. Only some time ago, the two of them had been having a picnic under their apple tree, blissfully unaware of what awaited them. The same, luscious tree that had held ripe apples for them just some time ago was now bare. The leaves were sparse, the branches lightning every day. The leaves were turning a pale yellow, losing that healthy green. Perhaps it was a sign of winter. Although it was still far off, the thought still unsettled him for some reason.

“Azriel.”

Selene’s voice calling out to him broke Azriel out of his reverie. Turning to her, he saw she was holding out a hand to him, signalling him to join. Each step felt like he dragging mountains as he walked across the room to her.

As he lay down with her, Azriel suddenly felt a strange sense of peace, of silence, wash over him. Selene began running her fingers through his hair, which really made him melt. Closing his eyes, he took in her scent. It never failed to soothe him, always grounding him.

“You know you can relax right. Not everything is your responsibility. Let others help you out as well,” she whispered into his hair. He knew she purposely kept her voice low for him, knowing when he was this exhausted, this overwhelmed, loudness always made it worse.

“I know but... I just feel so guilty. I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me. And I am trying, I really am. I just...”

“Shhh. Its okay Azriel. I know how hard you work, how dedicated you are to this court. And so does everyone else. You don’t need to prove it. You’re overworking yourself, my love. And until and unless you get some proper rest, I’m not letting you go out there. Cauldron knows what’s going on. And if you’re putting yourself in harms way, you need to be prepared. I... I can’t lose you, Azriel,” Selene cried out, her fears finally coming out.

“You’re not going to, my love. I promise. I always do don’t I? I’ll always come back to you,” he reassured her.

“You better, you big bat.”

The two of them got around four hours of sleep before someone came knocking on their door. While Selene was grumbling about it not being enough, Azriel knew with the current circumstances even that was a luxury.

It turns out Rhysand needed both of them for different tasks. Azriel was to go to Winter court to check on a lead that Kallias had apparently found. Selene was going to Day, to help out Helion with his forces. Rhysand had commented that he didn’t want to split the two of them up, but right now he needed all the hands he could get.

They had begrudgingly agreed and had left for their respecting missions, not before a hearty goodbye. Not a single soul in Prythian could have predicted what was about to happen as the two lovers went their separate ways. If only they had known this was the last time they would ever see each other again. Maybe they would relished in the moment more, maybe they would have spent more time together. Maybe, maybe, maybe. In the end everyone was left dreaming of how, maybe, they could have stopped what was about to happen.

.................................................................................

Feyre POV...

The last few weeks had been difficult for everyone, but Feyre thought it was even worse for herself and Rhysand. They were supposed to be the leaders of their court, supposed to assure them and provide all the answers, tell them that everything would be okay. But with every disappearance, she felt like she was failing her people. Helpless and aimless, the two of them were struggling to keep the court together, to stop the panic from turning into pure hysteria and chaos.

Right now, she was the only one in Velaris. Everyone else had gone somewhere or the other to try to figure out something about this new threat. Feyre had gone on the last round to Dawn Court whose villages had just been attacked, to see if they could perhaps find some semblance of an idea as to what the hell has been going on. While she had come back empty handed, it was her turn to stay with Nyx as Rhysand left this time.

Feyre was alone in the House of Wind, save for Nyx and Elain. After crying his throat soar, Nyx had finally gone to sleep. Elain had gone to put him to bed while Feyre read some of Azriel’s reports, desperate to find anything they could have missed the first time round.

She had just put the last of the papers down, her eyes heavy from all the reading, when a scream pierced the stagnant silence that had settled over the House. Instantly Feyre was on her feet. Had someone infiltrated the House, despite all the wards around it. She was all alone as well. No matter, Feyre was enough for whatever coward had dared to intrude her home. Nyx... Oh gods Nyx... no no no

Feyre ran through the halls, dread filling her as she prayed to whatever deities that listened, that the intruder was nowhere near her son. If something happened to him, she would raze the whole world down.

She had just turned a corner, when she slammed into Elain, who was clutching a crying Nyx in her arms. Thank the Cauldron. It was only did she realise that Elain was crying too, with a bleeding gash down her face.

“Elain, what happened? Elain, where are they? Elain!” she yelled at him, shaking her shoulders, trying to will her into speaking. But Elain kept on sobbing, shaking her head, she started hyperventilating. Only a second later, Elain’s gaze zeroed in on something behind Feyre’s back, and she screamed.

Pushing Elain and Nyx behind her, she yelled at them to run as she turned to meet the invader head on. Whoever it was, had laid a hand on her sister, and for that they would die a most gruesome death.

A hooded figure stood on the other end of the hallway, knives in both hands. Only, one of them was dripping in blood. Elain’s blood. Blood that could have easily been her son’s. The thought enraged her beyond reason, as she charged at the male.

The male was on her before she could reach him. His knives lashing out, each strike intending to kill. Feyre barely missed some of them. Shit. He was really, really good. All of her hits went amiss. Whether those be from her dagger or her power. The male evaded her in every way.

A kick to the ribs knocked the air from her lungs as Feyre collapsed on the floor. In front of her, the male reached for another weapon. Closing her eyes, she tried reaching Rhysand. She had forgotten where he had gone, but only hoped that he could feel her distress.

Feyre felt her assailant get closer and closer until she opened her eyes. Before she could give in to her fate, the glint of the dagger in his hands caught her eye. It couldn’t be.... Perhaps the blood loss had made her delusional. There was no way what she was seeing could be true. For the dagger in the male's hand, the one against her neck... was Truth Teller.

Summoning what last strength she had left, Feyre pushed herself off the ground and reached up to the man’s head. As she pulled down his hood, a cry of anguish escaped her. At that moment Feyre wished it had been someone else, anyone else. That it was some other pair of eyes sneering back at her, that it wasn’t the friendly hazel one’s she had grown accustomed to. That it wasn’t Azriel glaring down at her.

“Why?” was all she could croak out with his knife pressed against her throat.

Azriel said nothing and only pressed the blade closer, presumably to finish her off. Just as she has resigned her fate, a cry sounded out,

“Feyre!”

Rhysand. He had heard her. He was here. Thank the Cauldron. At the sound of his voice, Azriel got off of her and disappeared into the shadows.

That was how Rhys found her, crumpled on the ground, tears of her own making their way down her face. She understood now why Elain had been crying the way she was. This betrayal was so unfathomable, she couldn’t wrap her head around it despite seeing it with her own two eyes. It just wasn’t possible...

Rhysand skidded to a halt as he crouched down next to her,

“Feyre are you alright? Are you hurt?” and just like Elain, Feyre was now speechless. How could anyone expect her to put to words what she had just witnessed.

“Feyre, what happened? Where’s Nyx?” Rhysand cried out as he shook her again, probably scared out of his mind.

Given the situation, Feyre did what she could do in the moment. She tapped against his mental shields, asking to be let in, then showed Rhysand the memory of just a few moments ago.

The only sign Feyre had to tell her that he had seen it, was Rhysand going wholly still. The colour drained from his face as it became ghost white. He too crumpled on the floor. Eyes empty, staring at the wall before him, not looking at anything in particular. The hurricane of emotions going through him right now was unimaginable to Feyre. Azriel was his brother... to expect this from him....

Rhysand POV..

After the shock had lessened, but still not gone, he had called back everyone in his family. He had then proceeded to show them the same memory Feyre had shown him. Not Selene. His poor, innocent sister. To be subjected to such pain was something he would never wish for his darling sister. He would deal with her later. Right now he needed to deal with a traitor.

The emotions of everyone were varied, as expected. Cassian had protested the most, blowing up within an instant of seeing the memory.

“Rhysand, tell me you’re not falling for this. Tell me you don’t think our brother is a traitor,” Cassian roared at him, questioning him like Rhysand was in the wrong. The audacity of it surprised him.

“Are you suggesting my mate is lying? That your High Lady is lying!” Rhysand yelled right back.

“It could be a mistake. Maybe... she didn’t know what she saw. It...it can be a trap. Maybe someone’s trying to set him up... He would never... Azriel would never do this.”

“For Cauldron’s sake, Cassian! Feyre SAW him! What else do you want? What more proof that you want that that bastard is a traitor! That treacherous son of a bitch laid his filthy hands on my mate. And for that I’ll cut his head off. If any of you try to intervene, you can die right along with him!” Rhysand threatened, ensuring that everyone understood how serious he was being.

He had barely finished his sentence when the door to his office was opened. For the second time that night, Rhysand found himself speechless. For before them, stood none other than Azriel. Relaxed and unabashed. As if he hadn’t committed treason. As if he hadn’t betrayed the only family he had ever known. That pathetic son of a bitch...

Azriel walked in coolly, not showing any signs of the suiting emotions whatsoever. As he felt everyone’s gaze on him, the bastard had the audacity to ask,

“What’s going on here? Is everything alright?”

The one simple statement broke whatever fragment of reverse Rhysand had left. Whatever patience, uncertainty there was left went out the door. Instead it was replaced with white hot rage.

All Rhysand saw was red. His fury gone beyond any bounds, any and all sense of reason gone with it. He wanted Azriel’s blood. And he wanted it now.

Before he even knew what he was doing, he moved across the room and punched Azriel right in the face. And he did it again and again and again until Azriel’s face was nothing but a bloody pulp. Eventually, Azriel pushed him off long enough to ask,

“Rhysand, what... why are you doing this? What are you doing?”

The question was answered only by a kick to the ribs. Azriel groaned and rolled to the side, coughing up blood. The sight brought him more pleasure than it should have. At that moment Rhysand felt like a crazed animal. The sight of spilled blood exciting him to shed even more.

Rhysand hauled up Azriel and slammed him against the wall, he then spat at him,

“You thankless son of a bitch, after everything I’ve done for you! Five hundred years, Azriel! Five centuries together... I thought you were my brother... and you go and stab me in the back?”

Rhysand then showed him Feyre's memory, hoping that maybe it would quell this bastard’s stubbornness. Azriel’s eyes widened as he took it in.

“That’s not me! Rhysand... how can you even think of believing that. I would never... I was in Winter! You sent me to Winter!” Azriel croaked out, still making excuses.

“You lying bastard. But don’t worry. I know just how to make you talk.”

Rhysand then grabbed Azriel by the collar and winnowed to the one place traitors like him deserved to dwell. The Court of Nightmares. It had been Azriel’s area of expertise and now the same place Rhysand would use to break him.

Dragging him to the cells in the bottom most pits of this miserable place, Rhysand threw all concern as to who was watching, or what they might think out the window. The only thing on his mind was vengeance. The pain of this betrayal only fanned the flames even more.

Throwing Azriel in one of the cells, Rhysand himself walked in and locked the door behind him.

“Now, tell me. Who are you working with? And what have you told them?,” Rhysand demanded, perhaps if Azriel was compliant he could be granted an easy death.

“Rhysand, are you out of your fucking mind? Why would I do this? Go ask Kallias if you want. I was with him in Winter,” Azriel exclaimed.

“Who’s to say you didn’t trick him too?”

“Rhysand, please. You have to believe me. I would never do this. Feyre’s my sister. I would never hurt her!”

His mate’s name only enraged Rhysand even more. How dare this son of a bitch do what he had done and then proceed to act innocent? Like he could be forgiven his crime?

Rhysand called on his daemati powers and tore his talons into Azriel’s mind, tearing it apart from within, trying to find some clues as to who he had been conspiring with. Beneath him, Azriel screamed as he felt he his mind being violated, each passing second feeling like knives being repeatedly stabbed in his head. Good. Rhysand wanted him to feel pain, if only an ounce of what his betrayal had made Rhysand go through.

“Rhysand! Please! I didn’t do anything! Please!”

Rhysand withheld his mental attacks, only for a moment. He wanted to give Azriel one last chance to confess, if only for the sake of the five centuries they had spent as brothers. Perhaps it was easy for Azriel to throw them away like they didn’t mean anything, but not for him. He wasn’t shameless enough.

“I’m giving you one more chance Azriel. Tell me who you’re working with. And perhaps I’ll make your passing easier.”

Azriel only sobbed below him, hands in his hair, he only sobbed,

“I didn’t do anything Rhys. Please! Please believe me, you’re all my family... I would never hurt you...”

Rhysand grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head against the wall repeatedly before letting him crumple to the floor once more.

“Do not speak to me of family. You lost the right to do so when you turned your back on us! I gave you a chance to confess. Now don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. You raised a hand against my mate, your High Lady! If I hadn’t gotten there on time, you were going to kill her weren’t you? You were going to rob me of the most precious thing in my life. Now, it’s your turn.”

Realisation dawned on Azriel’s face as a long, dark blade of pure ebony materialised in Rhysand’s hand. He tried to retreat, to cower back but Azriel’s broken body only allowed so much.

“No no no. Rhysand please! I didn’t do anything! Please! Please don’t do this... think of Selene!”

“Don’t you dare take my sister’s name, you bastard. She didn’t deserve a filthy low life like you for a mate! She loved you with everything she had and this is what you gave her in return... But not anymore. I’m not going to let even your shadows get close to her. You’re going to pay Azriel. For hurting my mate, my sister... you’re going to pay for all of it,” Rhysand threw back at him.

And then...Rhysand raised the sword and brought it down on Azriel’s back, cleaving his wings right off his body. Azriel screamed a scream of pure agony. Blood trickled down his back as the membrane of his wings gave way to the blade.

Rhysand had exacted his revenge in the most fitting way he could think of. Wings were not only fragile but also extremely important to Illyrians. And now Azriel’s were gone. Despite the fact that he despised his parentage, his wings were what marked him as an Illyrian. Now he was nothing.

Azriel’s cries died down to nothing as his throat became parched because of the screams. Now he lay collapsed in a corner, body still shivering and shaking, perhaps from the pain, perhaps from Azriel’s sobbing.

Despite it all, Rhysand felt no pity, no sympathy. Azriel deserved it. Rhysand would not let some crocodile tears break his resolve. Before he left, he said one more time,

“I hope the next time I come here, you’re a little more compliant. Do think about what has already happened. If you don’t give me answers next time... well you know better than anyone else, there are many fates worse than death.”

Azriel POV...

Even after the High Lord had left, the Shadowsinger kept on crying, shaking. He tried and failed to come up with a reason for what was happening. His brothers couldn’t do this to him. Not Rhysand and Cassian. They weren’t like his step brothers. They weren’t.... This was all a bad dream. Yes, a nightmare. He would wake up and he will be in Selene’s arms, and all will be right.

The pain from Rhysand’s mental attack and the severing of his wings had driven Azriel beyond the point of sanity, his hold on reality slipping with each passing minute. Crazed with pain and fever, he kept on whispering into the dark, just like he had when he had been a child,

“I didn’t do anything. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t do anything. It’s just a bad dream. Its just a bad dream.”

..........................................................................

Rhysand POV...

When he returned to Velaris to the House of Wind, he was met the piercing sound of a female screaming. Instantly his heart stopped. Was there another intruder? Was Feyre alright? It was only when he reached the room the sounds were coming from, did he realise that the screams weren’t Feyre’s. They were Selene’s.

When he reached her room, he found her slumped on the floor, hair strewn everywhere, with her hand clutching her chest, beating at her heart. Feyre and Morrigan were by his side, trying but failing to calm her down.

“Selene, what’s wrong?”

Her gaze fell on him shakily, she stared at him got a moment as if trying to reassure herself that he was really there, before she started sobbing,

“Rhysand. Its Az... something is wrong. He’s hurt. I could feel it. It hurt so bad, Rhys. And now... I can’t feel him! I can’t feel him, Rhysand. You have to find him! You have to... he needs our help.”

“We will, we will. Don’t worry, my raven. But I need you to calm down first okay?” he said calmly. Selene only stared at him incredulously before pulling back from him.

“How can you ask me to calm down? I’m telling you my mate is hurt and you’re telling me to calm down?” his sister spat at him. He didn’t blame her. Not one bit. What she was going through right now was unimaginable. So Rhysand did what he could in the moment. He reached into her mind and put his sister to sleep.

Selene slumped into his arms as he picked her up from the floor. Laying her down, he ushered everyone outside.

Once they were all a safe distance away from her room, Cassian exploded,

“You can’t keep this from her forever Rhysand. You need to tell Selene. She deserves to know!”

The gravity of the situation finally started to weigh on him as his legs gave way from under him. Rhysand collapsed on a sofa and put his head into his hands.

“It’ll kill her. Knowing what that son of a bitch did... she won’t be able to survive it...” Rhysand whispered softly.

Cassian and Rhysand sat there for hours on end, trying to figure out what had led them there, trying to remember if there were any signs of Azriel acting strange in the last few months. But both of them came up empty. In the end they were both left with heavy heads, and even heavier hearts.

.................................................................................

Selene awoke only an hour later, once again in pain. The damned mating bond. It ensured that she felt every ounce of pain he conflicted on Azriel. That was one technicality that Rhysand had not thought of while exacting Azriel’s punishment.

This time it was Cassian who was in the room when Selene awoke, beside herself with pain and desperation. The feeling of the mating bond slowly withering away was enough to drive anyone insane. Rhysand would know; he had felt Feyre die once. He also knew how that it broke a person’s very soul in two.

When Selene awoke, she jumped straight out of bed and made to leave when Cassian stopped her,

“Sel, wait! Wait! Where are you going?”

Rhysand was truly beginning to worry for his sister. Her eyes were half crazed as she tried to fight off Cassian.

“Azriel! I need to find Azriel, he needs me!” Selene cried.

“He’s not here, Sel. We’ll find him. I promise. But you need to stay here, alright? It's not safe out there,” Cassian tried to reason with her, “Why don’t you sit down here? I’ll go get Rhysand. And then we can figure out how to find Azriel together alright?”

That was when Rhysand had walked in, going to his sister’s side the second he walked in. Selene took him by the arm and asked,

“Rhys, where’s Az? Where’s my Azriel? I can’t feel him. Why can’t I feel him?”

“I don’t know...”

“He knows I love him right? He knows I need him?”

“Of course he does,” Rhysand answered.

“THEN WHY ISNT HE COMING BACK? HE KNOWS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT HIM! WHY DID HE LEAVE ME ALONE!” Selene screamed at the top of her lungs.

Rhysand then put her to sleep again with tears in his eyes. Realistically, Rhysand knew they couldn’t do this forever. But seeing his sister in such a state tore his heart apart everything all over again. Glancing at Cassian, he saw in his expression that he felt the same. Their sister had always been shielded, protected. And to see her suffer in such a way, was more than either could bear.

.................................................................................

Two weeks passed like this; Selene waking up in a panic and then Rhysand or Feyre putting her to sleep. Each time they tried telling her, her broken state would deter them. Who would be the one brave enough to share her mate’s fate? Who would be the one to ring the toll bells for their love?

It was only when the second week ended when everything came crashing down. Selene was once again sleeping a restless sleep, Elain with her in her room.

The rest of the Inner Circle were in the Town House when Rhysand felt a disturbance. Someone had broken through the wards of the city. Instantly they were at their feet. Before any of them could react, there was a flurry of swirling darkness and before them stood a man.

The invader was tall, lean. Despite what he was undertaking, the man bore no armour. As if he expected no attack, no resistance. As if he could just walk out of here unscathed after barging in to his home.

“Who the hell are you?” Feyre demanded.

“Ah, Lady Feyre. Always so impatient. Lord Koschei sends you his regards. As for my name, we’ll that’s irrelevant really,” the man sneered.

Rhysand’s heart dropped. Koschei. It was impossible. He wasn’t... he wasn’t alive. How has risen again?

“That’s not...”

“Possible? Well i can assure you it very much is. Who do you think is behind all these people disappearing?” Then after adding a sick smirk the man added, “Behind the fate of your Shadowsinger?”

“Go tell your master, we’ve caught his lap dog. He won’t have any of our secrets anymore,” Rhysand spat at the man, still shocked at his audacity.

“Tsk, tsk. Rhysand. I honestly gave you more credit than you deserve. My master thought you all would never fall for this trap. But then again he did always underestimate my ingenuity. You see, we knew with Azriel by your side, we would never have been able to infiltrate your court. It was too well guarded. So we knew we had to get rid of him somehow, but we couldn’t figure out how. He was too secure here, with all of you. But then I thought: why do we go through all of that trouble when you can just do it for us?”

“What? I... I didn’t do anything. Azriel was working with you people. He got what he deserved,” Rhysand answered.

“Was he? Because I do not recall any such thing. And that is not something you forget. After all having the Shadowsinger by our side would have been such an advantage,” the man explained.

“Do not attempt to lie to me! I saw him.. Feyre saw him. He attacked her...” Rhysand began, perplexed. What game were these people playing now.

“Did he?”

The repeated questions caught him off guard. He glanced at Cassian who had a similar expression.

“Yes, we saw the memory. It was Azriel who attacked Feyre. He...” Cassian began.

“Really? Because I could have sworn Azriel was in Winter Court when I came here,” the man jeered.

“No, Azriel wasn’t....” It was then that the man’s words sunk in, “Wait, what did you just say?”

“Oh yes. It was me who attacked the House of Wind that oh so fateful night.”

“No.. it was Azriel... he..” Cassian started, too confused for words.

The man smirked smugly once again and raised an eyebrow. Then, the man snapped his fingers and in an instant, disappeared. In his place, now sitting before them... was Azriel.

A gasp from everyone sounded through the room. It was Feyre who exclaimed,

“What devilry is this?”

Despite looking like his brother, when he spoke the voice was the man’s own,

“Yes. There it is people. The grand reveal. It was I. Honestly it was so easy to fool you people. When Azriel left for Winter, I made my way here. I did the crime and poor Azriel paid the price. How sad.”

No no no no no no no no no

Before he could process what had just occurred, a soft voice echoed through the room,

“It was you. You took my Azriel from me.”

Selene. No.

“Yup. And he’s been torturing him loads as well,” the man added, mocking all of them.

“You son of a bitch! After everything you still have the audacity to stand before me so shamelessly?” Rhysand roared at him.

“Well if you ask me, I was just getting bored. I was expecting you lot to figure it out sooner but you are all so slow. So I thought why not come reveal myself? There’s no point in committing all these brilliant crimes when no one gives you its credit.”

The man disappeared before Rhysand could reach him to cut his measly head off.

“How could you?” Selene asked again, “How could you?!”

Rhysand tried making his way over to her but she retreated, getting as far away from him as possible.

“All this time... you’ve been lying to me. You lied to my face. How could you Rhysand?”

“Sel... it wasn’t my fault. I had no idea... we all thought it was Azriel... He..” Rhysand scrambled to come up with an answer, something to explain why he had done what he had. But deep down he knew, nothing could ever absolve him of this heinous sin.

“Where is he? WHERE IS HE?” his sister demanded.

“The Court of Nightmares.”

And Selene winnowed away.

...........................................................................

Selene POV..

The hurricane of agony and anguish that was ravaging her very soul right now made her want to curl into a ball and cry. But she didn’t have time. She had to find Azriel. She had to get to him.

Winnowing in to the Court of Nightmares, she willed the faint mating bond she could still feel to find him, to lead her to him. Cauldron knows what that monster had done to her mate. She would never forgive him. All of them would pay.

Pushing her fury aside, Selene skidded to a halt in front of a cell in the bottom most pit of this wretched place. Damn you Rhysand. She unleashed her power and the door before her crumbled to nothing. Walking in, she saw nothing at first. The darkness so absolute, no amount of light could ever lessen it in this place.

After grasping at nothing but the dark, she finally spotted a figure in the far corner of the cell. Azriel.

Running over, Selene felt like throwing up at the sight before her. Her mate's back was covered in blood and blisters. Open wounds, half clotted, half fresh. His majestic, awe inspiring wings were... gone. Rhysand couldn’t have done this. He was cruel but not this... this was unimaginable. He wouldn’t do this to his brother... would he?

Turning him over, she tried to shake him awake. He’s okay. He had to be.

“Azriel. My love. I’m here.” No response.

“Az. Please.”

With a shaky breath, Azriel’s eyes opened, only slightly. And her violent eyes were met with his beautiful hazel ones. Eyes that once held nothing but adoration. Eyes that had always looked at her like she had hung the stars. Eyes... that were now empty and hollow.

Azriel looked at her for a second, and recognition lighted up his eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something but just as quick it closes. His hand slipped from hers and his chest stopped rising.

Selene was frozen in place, refusing to accept what had just transpired. Azriel’s now empty, unblinking eyes stared at her coldly.

“No no no. Azriel. Azriel. Wake up. It’s me. Its your Selene. I’m going to take you home. We’re going to go home,” she whispered, willing him to wake through some miracle.

Her hands felt the wounds on his back as she held him. They had been too deep, too lethal to be left as he had been. And those same wounds had led to his passing. Now that was what Selene would have realised if she had been rational, if she had been sane at the moment. But she was long gone past that point.

“My lion mate. What did they do to you? My brave Azriel... how could they do this to you?”

Running her hands through his hair, she moved it from his eyes. His empty gaze, his still chest mocking her.

“Azriel, my love. How could they do this to you? Azriel. Wake up. Come on, we’re going home. Azriel wake up. Please. For the love of God please wake up,” she cried softly once before panic began to settle in her chest.

Selene felt the mating bond stretch and stretch, until it shattered. The bond cleaving felt like someone had ripped her very soul apart. Her heart felt like it was om fire. The world fell away. The only thing Selene knew was her lost love.

“AZRIEL!” Selene screamed, finally letting out her anguish, “AZRIEL WAKE UP! PLEASE! MY DARLING! PLEASE WAKE UP”

She let out a wail that was heard all across the wretched court. She dragged her nails down her face as she screamed. At one point, she even stopped saying his name and just screamed in pain.

Her ragged screams were what led Rhysand and the others to the cell. Where they found her, holding on to her dead mate, pounding on his chest, begging him to wake up. The screaming did not subside or lessen with their arrival. The entire court of Nightmares stood witness that day as the Daughter of Night cried and pleaded for her mate, witnesses how the two lovers were torn apart.

Cassian fell to his knees at the sight of his dead brother. A wail of affliction tore free from him but Selene paid him no mind, she was too far gone beyond the point of salvation, as she still shook Azriel, as if expecting him to awoke any second.

Rhysand was frozen. Body, mind, both numb. His hands were shaking as he took in the sight before him. No no no. This couldn’t be happening. Azriel couldn’t be... dead. He couldn’t be. Rhysand was going to take him home, was going to apologise. He would have paid with his own life if he had to, to Selene and Azriel. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen...

Selene turned on him, rushing over to where he stood. He realised too late, she was holding Truth Teller. She must have grabbed it before winnowing here. Feyre, however, did and she moved to stop her. But Rhysand held her back. No. He would take whatever punishment his sister would deem him worthy of. His wings. His life. All were offered.

But despite screaming only a few seconds ago, which Rhysand also expected her to do, Selene only cried out softly, as if she was too tired to raise her voice anymore,

"How could you do this to me Rhysand? You put out the light of my heart. You killed the one who held my soul. You know, when you took him from me and then lied to me about it, when you took my love from me, my entire being was plunged into darkness. I was drowning in my soul's agony. The hope that I could find him again, kept me alive. I took refuge in that hope. But you took even that away from me. And who knows... if he had been alive.. maybe I could have forgiven you. Maybe we could have moved past this a century or two later. If he had been alive, there could be hope for another spring. Light could have lit up our lives again, flowers would have blossomed again. Your court would have been covered in the red of roses rather than the tainted blood of my innocent mate! You have forever changed the fate of this court Rhysand. You have summoned such a winter, whose icy winds will never stop.Everything will surrender to it. Everyone will meet their end because of it . My suffering, my pain is over Rhysand. But yours... yours has just begun."

Selene raised Truth Teller. Behind him, Feyre and Mor cried out his name, assuming the knife was meant to him. Beside him Cassian moved as well to get Rhysand out of Selene’s way. But Selene... Selene gave her brother one last whisper of a smile before moving Truth Teller to her own throat. It was then that the Shadowsinger's legendary blade spilt its last drop of blood. It was then that it took one last life, the life of someone who no one could have ever imagined being subjected to the blade.

Rhysand was frozen in place as he watched his sister, his darling baby sister slit her own throat in front of him. As she fell, he did too.

Kneeling, he held her lifeless body as blood flowed freely from her. The same blood that drawing from Azriel had given him so much pleasure only some time back. And now... his sister, his only family was gone. Gone...because of him.

The High Lord’s agonised roar could have been heard all across Velaris as he cried for his sister, for his brother who he had murdered with his own two hands. How... how could he have been so foolish? How had they come to this? How could Rhysand, the High Lord who believed himself smarter, stronger than any, had fallen for this heinous trap?

And his sister... she had died alone, without her love. So did Azriel. How.... How? How could Rhysand have done this? To think Azriel's childhood, his first steps, his first memories had been of the dark, cold cellar his so called father had locked him in. To think he had gone through all of that, had survived, found happiness only to meet his end in the same way...it was too cruel. Almost a slap to the face, like fate was mocking his brother; look, you tried to escape but what happened? Once again you return to this lonely darkness. People like you don't deserve happiness. No. Rhysand couldn't have been this cruel. Why hadn't he waited, why hadn't he questioned his own sinful eyes?

And Azriel... he was gone. His brother, the one person he could always rely on was gone, the one person who had always protected him was gone. To think of the fate he had subjected the two of them to; dying alone, in pain, without their mate by their side. Rhysand couldn't save them...

Cauldron. What had he done?

..................................................................................

The last vestiges of summer left the Night Court. And along with it, it took the last bits of warmth, of plenty... of happiness. The city of starlight now submerged in an unforgiving, relentless winter. As it would be for as long as it shall stand. For the cries of the Daughter of Night had not gone unheard by the Gods.

At the edge of the city, in a small garden by the seaside, the signs of winter first started showing. The home that had always been basked in light and warmth, now stood derelict. Doors have been thrown open, windows too. As the icy wind made its way inside the house, taking over what was once the haven of two lovers, a silence settled. It was the overbearing, suffocating silence. One that made its presence known, that couldn't help but make you think of a lost time, where this silence did not reign. Now... it only mocked the house's desolation. Look, what you used to be? How you have fallen.

Outside, the apple tree in the garden, in whose shade the Shadowsinger and his beloved had once laid, was now barren. As the last leaf of the tree fell, it was joined by the first snow of this eternal winter. Snow that would not stop, that would take all who stood before it.

Oh how they had fallen.... in the end, no one was saved.

#azriel angst #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #azriel imagine #acotar hc #acotar headcanon #azriel headcanon #azriel headcanons #azriel x reader #azriel acomaf #azriel acotar #rhys acotar #cassian acotar #feyre cursebreaker #azriel acosf #azriel fanfic #azriel fic

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annymation · 6 months

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How much have Magnifico and Amaya changed in Swap Au and what are the changes in their backstory (you mentioned that they also switched roles)? Does this mean that in Swap Au, the parallels between the villain and the hero are Amaya-Aster and Magnifico-Asha?

I WAS HOPING SOMEONE ASKED! THANK YOU SO MUCH I GET TO TALK ABOUT THESE FREAKS!!!

Alright, so in this swap au, it was pretty easy to imagine Star!Asha and Human!Aster, like, it's just them but Asha is more bubbly and optimistic while Aster is a bit more mature and realistic, nothing crazy... BUT THE ROYALS SWAPPING IS SO CURSED THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT!

So let's talk about them one at a time:

Queen Amable the Sorceress

Backstory

Okay so for this to work, we'll change some things slightly. Amaya's backstory in this AU remains pretty much the same as Kow!Magnifico. Bla bla bla she wanted to be queen but didn't want to grant wishes and learning magic was too hard for her cause' her heart wasn't in it, badabim-badaboom her parents make a new heir.

However, this new sibling is not Florian, but oh don't worry, Florian will show up later. Swap Amaya had a sister, a sister named Harmona. You might remember her from the villains backstory I wrote way back. Originally Harmona was a mean girl that stole Amaya's boyfriend, but in this AU, Harmona is a good person, in fact, she's pretty much your typical Disney princess that wanted to study magic and one day become a good queen for Rosas

And a good queen she becomes indeed, leaving Amaya quite displeased for being casted out into the shadow of her little sister.

One day, a young man was found, passed out and floating adrift on a boat near the kingdom's shore.

Harmona ordered that he'd be brought to the castle at once, so she could help him with whatever he could need. Obviously the dude is our good ol' Swap Magnus

So Magnus explains he rather not talk about his past just yet, because it's oooh so traumatic, and all he wishes is to repay the queen's kindness by serving as her royal potion maker

Harmona agrees, seeing how her older sister seemed infatuated with the stranger

(Ya know, when you swap the genders it feels weird that Harmona is hooting for her sister to date this guy they just found at sea with no backstory, maybe I'm just looking too much into it but like, suddenly it's no longer a little sibling being a cool wingman and now it's more like "Wtf are you doing? He might be a sociopath" and indeed, he is)

Amaya fell head-over-heels for Magnus, but the guy just wouldn't reciprocate to her advances no matter what. But she knew the feelings were mutual.

Magnus admitted that indeed, he did love her, but to love means to hurt when that person is eventually gone, and that was a pain he didn't want to go through... Not again. (More on that in a bit)

But Amaya convinces him, saying they'll find a way to live happily EVER after. Saying he'll never lose her (lol and then years later she chases after Star!Asha into a storm and dies for a few minutes and he desperately brings her back to life, sacrificing his own youth lmao)

The two of them start dating, doing all that lovey dovey stuff like kissing, giving each other presents, plotting to kill her sister, baking cookies, all that good stuff.

1 year later and Harmona is dead.

Amaya rises to the throne, now with a magic staff she obtained in a quest. And after some practice with Magnus, she knows how to appear a lot more kind hearted and charismatic in the eyes of the public. Soon the two are nicknamed Queen Amable and King Magnifico (I considered renaming them different things so it's not so confusing but I can't think of anything, sorry)

Personality

The queen is a very passionate about giving her people everything they need, she's dramatic and has a larger than life personality. I know I've always said Kow!Amaya was inspired by Mother Gothel, but swap!Amaya here has that Gothel mannerisms to the MAX, like she's full on breaking into song here and there and cracking jokes that may be a lil bit passive aggressive if you pay close attention to what she's saying.

She has a bit of a temper that she does her best to keep under control when in public, but she's also very calculating, not letting her emotions take too much control over her.

She becomes more and more vicious as the story progresses, being absolutely ruthless in her pursue for Asha's magic and finding great joy in making Aster suffer along the way

I'll just let this image speak for itself

Appearance

Ooooh boy that's the best part! Pinterest here I come!

Alright, so first thing's first, in this Au Amaya is older than her husband, and unlike him, she doesn't like drinking youth potions, they taste horrible and cause a lot of pain before taking effect, so she let's herself age a lil bit, after all she is aging like a fine wine.

In conclusion, her hair is white.

And like Kow! Magnifico, she wears no crown, her hair IS her crown

How is her hair you may ask?... It's shaped like a rose

I can't quite decide if she'd have a rose on top and loose hair that give more of a elf vibe or if she'd have a rose shaped bun that give more of a bride vibe, ya'll decide in the comments

Her dress would be tones of white and gold.

King Magnifico the Warlock

If you play D&D like me you might have gotten all giddy seeing that tittle, thinking Mag made a pact with an evil entity or something, but nah, sorry, I'm just calling him "Warlock" cause' that's the male equivalent of a witch

Backstory

On Kow!Amaya's backstory, I was inspired by the greek myth of Persephone and Aphrodite fighting to win the affection of Adonis, but ultimately Adonis preferred Aphrodite.

But with Swap!Magnifico, I'll be taking inspiration from a certain other myth. The myth of Apollo and his lover Hyacinthus.

In the myth, Hyacinthus was a beautiful spartan prince, so beautiful, that he attracted the attention of not just one but TWO gods: Apollo god of the sun, music and prophecy, and Zephyr, the west-wind. However, Hyacinthus fell in love with Apollo first, which made Zephyr quite jealous. So jealous, that he went the "If I can't have you, no one can" route and straight up murdered Hyacinthus.

So yeah, you might already imagine where I'm going with this. So enough with the greek mythology class and let's go to Magnus version

Magnus was a young man that lived in a simple village in Greece, but he desired more in this life, to make a difference and help others

So, he started studying potion crafting, to heal the ill and rejuvenate the old, offering to help all of those in need. However, Magnus felt like the people didn't actually love him for who he was, they only wanted favors from him. He wondered if he'd ever meet someone that loved him for who he was

That's when our boy Hyacinthus shows up, but I'mma just call him Ryan for short.

So Magnus and Ryan fell deeply in love. But oh no, someone else is also in love with Ryan, can you guess who it is?.......... Yeah it's Florian, told ya we'd see him later

Florian was overtaken by jealousy, and decided that if he couldn't have Ryan no one else would.

One day, Manus and Ryan are partaking in a game of throwing a metal discus the highest they can. Florian takes this opportunity and once the discus falls in a place that they can't see, he steals it, hides behind some bushes while the couple is looking for their discus, and BONCS the metal discus right on Ryan's head, killing him.

Magnus did not see who the heck threw the discus. Consumed by grief, he locked himself away from the world for days, to mourn the death of his lover, but it didn't take long for people to come asking for more potions, more favors.

Magnus knew that whoever killed Ryan was in that village, he had no way of knowing who, but he knew one thing, they were all rotten, ungrateful pests that deserved a fate worse than death. Consumed by his wrath, he began to architect a plan.

So the gay go do crimes.

Magnus poisons their crops, thus cursing all the villagers, including Florian.

He sails off, running away from the few people that didn't get cursed, and later ends up lost at sea, until he's found by some sailors of Rosas. And the rest you already know.

Personality

So Magnifico in this AU functions as a calming and supportive husband for Queen Amable, though, although he's very gentle with her, his way of calming her is very... Unhinged.

Like, let's say Amaya is stressed because they can't find those dang kids, Magnus reaction to this is being like "Aww my darling, don't fret, I promise you as soon as they fall in our grasp I shall use my potions to turn their bones into mush, make their blood boil like hot oil, and we shall rejoice as we listen them pathetically shriek in pure, delicious agony" and he says all that in the sweetest voice you've ever heard.

He's like, an evil henchman, but that is actually competent, even though sometimes he can get a bit silly, which is very dangerous, don't get near him when he's getting the sillies

Honestly I might be more afraid of this version of Magnifico than the normal one, because the normal one at least has a fun showsman personality, this one just stays quiet most of the time in the background smiling menancingly, that is when he's not pretending to be nice to Aster, acting almost like a father figure, or showing his totally unhinged true nature. Terrifying.

Eh here's a meme for him too, it's basically their couple dynamic:

Appearance

Magnifico with a crown is cursed, but oh well, let's see what I can find on Pinterest

Alright, so straight up, he has Chris Pine's hair from the D&D movie. And he wears a relatively simple crown

His clothes are tones of white and blue with hints of yellow, taking some inspiration from greek clothing styles.

He wears the hood of his cloak often.

OKAY this took a while to write, but it was really fun imagining these alternate versions of the characters! Hope you liked them.

#wish rewrite #wish reimagined #kingdom of wishes #ask

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vigilskeep · 2 years

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oh what is your personal characterization of irving? i'm so interested on your take on him

this ask got sent after i answered another one, so i’ll start with what i said there: in many ways, irving and greagoir are the intended ideal of a first enchanter and knight-commander. world of thedas vol2 says: “it is a surprise to many that irving often credits knight-commander greagoir for his success as first enchanter. [...] though their friendship was never entirely without conflict, mutual respect and understanding resulted in a working partnership rarely seen in the circle leadership.” (i consider the first part a veiled joke at greagoir’s expense but that’s my very specific irving characterisation lmao.)

i think irving is clever before he is anything else. one of the things that separates the mage origin out from any other is that irving is making it happen. he is setting you up to be recruited by the grey wardens and succeeds no matter what you do. he talks you up to duncan, he sets you up to talk with duncan yourself, he’s aware of jowan’s secret relationship and his blood magic, and no matter what happens he completely handles the situation so he’s talking like he’s on the templars’ side and only grudgingly letting you go when he in fact planned it from the first. it’s mesmerising. i love it for him. that’s why he’s such a good first enchanter. that’s why he’s the guy who can be so trusted by the templars that on his word alone they will not annul a literally demon infested circle, even when he has been trapped in said demon infested circle. that’s why kinloch hold is the most lenient circle in thedas and you can find enchanters wandering the map by themselves with full circle permission. that’s why anders is alive. because irving is that good at his job. and because greagoir is the right blend of dutiful and not as smart as he is for him to be able to get away with it. this being my reasoning for guessing the above is maybe a veiled joke. irving credits greagoir for his own success because of what he has been able to get away with

that being said, irving is a very flawed man: he is so committed to the game he is playing, to scoring one against the templars and for his own side, that he’s forgotten part of his compassion for the mages under his care. some are protected, like anders and the mage warden, but others, like jowan and any other young mages so desperate and afraid they try blood magic, are sacrificed like pawns, thrown to the wolves for the safety of the whole. (although i do think it is remarkable that in the encounter irving designed, jowan manages to... miraculously disappear from a pre-arranged trap in the middle of the circle tower surrounded by templars. the chantry sister got sent to aeonar and the young mages got out free. like i’m just saying that’s convenient. things turned out pretty well for the mages, there. hmmm.)

so what does all that say for irving’s characterisation. how do i summarise a guy in one ask. uhhh i think he’s bitterly bitterly angry from a life spent under the control of the templars and he wants every win he can scrape away. i think he cares a lot abt the mages under his care but tends to do so specifically rather than for them all, because the sheer number of them (and the sheer number of them who will be lost, who he has seen lost year after year and has had to manage as tranquil or watch the templars kill) is simply exhausting. i think he’s capable of being funny in a sharp dry way with terrible gallows humour among his fellow senior enchanters and perhaps occasionally with his favoured students (possibly an influence on some of anders’ lines). i think he has high expectations of loyalty and ability from his fellow mages because he would expect no less from himself; the guy’s still forcing out the words to tell you to stop uldred after being tortured for who knows how long and then he’s complaining abt having to take the stairs down like a true old man. i think he arranged for the mage warden to become a grey warden partly because of the influence he believed his student might be able to hold if they proved themself on behalf of all mages, and partly because he just wanted them to be free

#irving #there are other things but theyre more specific to how much like him i think my surana is #i have a few posts u can peruse the tag too :)#zevsurana academics

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out-of-users · 8 months

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KNY Hashira God! AU!

Chapter 1: The start

Shit, shit, shit. Those were the thoughts racing through Tanjiro’s head as he carried his sister, Nezuko, on his back through the snow-filled hills.

After the slaughter of his family, and finding Nezuko as the sole survivor, almost fatally wounded and unconscious, Tanjiro’s heart swelled as he felt the younger sibling stir on his back.

“Just stay still, Nezuko.” Big brother’s going to get you to safety.” Tanjiro’s voice whispered to her. “Just stay still.”

Aggressive yelling and growling came from Nezuko as she wrestled off Tanjiro’s back, and pounced onto him.

“NEZUKO! WHAT’S GOTTEN INTO YOU!” Tanjiro yelled as he put a hatchet in her mouth to lodge it and buy him time.

Though it didn’t work, and all the wrestling made them fall off a ledge. When his vision cleared, he could see Nezuko on top of him, tears coming out of her eyes. He also saw a deep pond, one wrong move and they’d fall in and drown. Oh god. This situation couldn’t get worse, could it?

Yes, yes it could, and somehow it did. The lake started shifting abnormally.

The waves got bigger, and bigger, and one of them pulled Nezuko into the water. The younger sibling was trapped in a bubble of air, under the water. Before Tanjiro could say anything, though, something else came out of the water.

The ‘‘something’’ was apparently a someone, and he looked godly. With pale skin, ocean blue eyes, and a half red, half green and yellow checkered kimono, so light and dry it looked like he never came out of the water, Tanjiro’s mind was racing. How? Since when? He’s heard of gods, and paid his respects, but never met them.

“Pathetic. Look at you, trying to save a demon.”, The man spoke. His voice was dull, devoid of emotion.

“Please, you must understand! She’s good inside! I know it! Please, Spare her! I’ll find a cure, and fix her, just spare her, I beg of you!”, Tanjiro exclaimed, on his hands and knees, only talking faster as the air bubble that entrapped his sister got smaller.

“QUIT YOUR PATHETIC GROVELING! DEMONS ARE DEMONS, NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES! EVEN IF YOU BELIEVE SHE’S A GOOD PERSON, HOW IS YOUR DEAD BODY GOING TO FIND ANYTHING!” The once null god’s voice was now full of expression.

“Don’t beg, don’t give in to sorrow. You’re too young, enjoy your years. I know what it’s like. Your soul is far too pure.” Thought the god, as he stared at the speechless and now crying red-haired boy.

The air bubble got smaller, and Tanjiro had to think. Fast.

The axe, still in shape, was lying right beside him. With newfound strength, he pushed himself up, and started throwing rocks at the deity.

“That won’t work. You can’t kill a god. Worst you can do is hurt us, a small amount-” His voice was dead now. Back to what it was before.

But this time, he didn’t get to finish his sentence. An axe came straight for his head. It all became clear now to the shocked god. While he was throwing rocks, he got behind a tree, and secretly threw the axe. If he was a human, that could’ve killed him.

And while he was distracted, that means the demon girl could have-

Too late.

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!” Nezuko broke free from the air bubble, just as the mysterious god knocked Tanjiro unconscious. The now furious girl lunged for Tanjiro, and despite the god’s best attempts, he failed to stop her from getting there.

But instead of killing him, she stood there, and protected him.

Nothing could compare to the shocked look on the god’s face, as he saw the scene unfold.

Maybe, just maybe, these kids could be good.

Maybe they had a shot.

They were different, to say the least.

They were special. They sacrificed themselves for the other person, and had trust in each-other.

Reminded the god of the people he used to know. Remembrance flooded through his veins, but he didn’t have time for that.

“Go see a man named Sakonji Urokodaki when you wake up.” He said, to a dazed and confused Tanjiro, and a very angry and protective nezuko, who was too busy protecting to hear or understand.

“Tell him Tomioka Giyuu, the water god, sent you.”

All he got in response was a growl from Nezuko, and a nod from Tanjiro, but that was enough. He knocked both kids unconscious, and gave them one last glance.

“Rest well.” He said, as he slowly and quietly walked to to the middle of the pond, embracing the water as it swallowed him back up into the depths of the pond, and after he dissapeared, The sibling duo slept peacefully in eachother’s arms, holding eachother for heat, as the bitter winter air and snow surrounded them.

They were both alone, yet not forgotten.

Author’s note: HIIII! TOOK ME AGES TO WRITE THIS, YET IT’S STILL SO SHORT! (-_-) anywho, @zofi-persson You asked to be notified when it came, and here it is! (Again, I’m so sorry if this is bad.) anywho, see y’all later! Plz enjoy!

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thehomeofplatonicfics · 1 year

Text

The Curse Transfer (Part 2)

Reader x the Sallow twins and Ominis Gaunt (platonic!)

Read Part 1 here!

Your body unused to the curse that Anne had carried for so long, it tried to fight this foreign entity in full force, creating more havoc in your body as a consequence. You lay half-asleep and half-awake in Sebastian’s bed, tucked tightly into the covers. Anne diligently sat beside you, her face gaining more colour with each passing hour as yours only grew paler.

To her surprise, Solomon was proving to be fairly helpful in taking good care of you. He was cooking some soup for you to eat once you fully awoke. Only knowing some basic medicinal spells, Anne stuck with the tried and true method of a cool flannel over your forehead in an attempt to tame the raging fever you were suffering. She found this task trickier than she thought though, for in your delirium you kept twitching and tossing your head. The flannel struggled to stay in position.

Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts, Ominis and Sebastian were pacing in the undercroft eagerly awaiting your return. As the hours passed, the more anxious they became. “Y/N should have been back by now. They said they’d be back in a few hours.” Ominis turned in the direction of his friend, uncrossing his arms to let them hang defeatedly by his side. “You should have told me what they were planning to do… we could have stopped them before they did… whatever they’re doing.” Sebastian half-snapped, the venom in his voice missing, replaced with fierce concern for you.

“I think we should go to Feldcroft. Something must have gone wrong.” Ominis sighed, shaking his head. He’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this. “That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said today. Let’s go.” Sebastian replied, already heading out of the undercroft.

Anne dunked the flannel back into a bowl of cool water, replacing it back onto your forehead. This seemed to revive you, as your eyes fluttered open and fixed alertly onto Anne’s face. “Hello Y/N,” she began, a hand gently placed on your shoulder. “How are you feeling?” You opened your mouth to reply, but you couldn’t get any words out. A sharp stabbing pain pierced your stomach and you let out a sharp gasp. The pain started spreading through your stomach and abdomen, like a thousand tiny needles being repeatedly stabbed into you.

A deep guttural cry escaped you, as you flipped over onto your front curled up into a tight ball, one arm clutching at your stomach, the other desperately grasping at the bed linens and balling them up in your fist. Anne, being in the unique position of knowing exactly what you were feeling, knelt down onto the floor besides your bed and pried open your hand to replace the bed linens with her own thin hand. “It’ll pass soon, I promise.” Anne soothed, frowning in sympathy as you continued to loudly cry and writhe in pain. “Try to focus on breathing, Y/N.” She began, as you tried your best to follow her words.

It was at this worst possible moment that Sebastian and Ominis came bursting through the door. “Y/N?” Ominis called out to you, not knowing what was happening to you. “Anne, what’s wrong with her?” Sebastian asked as he rushed to his sister’s side. Your friends finding you like this distressed you even more, and you squeezed Anne’s hand as tight as you could as you hyperventilated. “Remember to breathe, Y/N. Can you do that for me?” Anne tried to soothe you while holding her free hand out to ward off her brother from getting any closer.

“Your friend took on her curse, Sebastian.” Solomon solemnly stated as he stepped out from the shadow of the kitchen. “What?!” Sebastian stepped back, looking between you and Anne and instantly knowing it to be true. He would have sacrificed anything for Anne to be cured but… not you. Never you.

Ominis stepped forward desperately feeling for your hand, and clasping it in his own so gently once he found it. “Breathe with me, okay? Deep breath in…. Deep breath out…” Anne murmured close to your ear, focused solely on you while Sebastian processed his shock.

You followed her instructions to the best of your ability, a pathetic little cry escaping as you breathed out. “Good! Now again…” The pain began to subside a little, and tears that you didn’t know you’d been holding dripped down your cheeks. “It’s okay. We’re not mad at you, I promise. You did well.” Ominis muttered to you, somehow anticipating what you felt about their arrival.

Sebastian found his voice again, moving towards his sister with teary eyes. “Anne… you really cured!” He pulled his twin towards him into a tight hug, Anne gratefully hugging him back with a squeeze. “How did they-?” Sebastian half-asked as he partially pulled away. “Did they know? Why would-?” He found himself cut off as your exhausted sobs distracted him.

Ominis gently helped you sit up, wrapping his arm around you as you leaned against his chest. All the while, he murmured softly to you every comforting thing he could think of. Solomon came over carrying a bowl of soup, holding it out to you. “You should eat this… help get your strength back.” He spoke to you softly and kinder than you’d ever heard him before.

You took the soup bowl from him, cradling it against your chest. A small tired smile appeared as the warmth of the soup radiated into your hands. “Thank you.” You whispered hoarsely, sniffing as you tried to calm yourself down. With a shaky hand, you took a spoonful of the soup. It instantly soothed your sore throat, and you felt a little more like yourself again. “It’s good… really good. Thank you!” You praised the ex-auror in between spoonfuls of the soup, eager to finish the bowl.

As you ate, your friends distracted you with all that was going on at Hogwarts since you left that day. “Oh, Professor Fig is looking for you.” Ominis added at one point, resulting in an eye roll from you. “Of course he is…” He’d likely found out you’d restored Isidora’s portrait. You’d have to avoid him until you figure out what you could say to him.

Finishing the soup, and with the companionship of your friends, you felt a little stronger. Whether you were strong enough to remove the curse was yet to be seen. Still sat in bed, the container was handed to you, before everyone stood back and out of the way. Everyone watching you perform your ancient magic somehow gave you extra strength. You felt powerful… special, something you’d rarely felt in your life. You came to the conclusion that you liked being able to show off.

Your fingers curled around your wand as you brought the tip to rest against your chest. Taking a deep breath in, you looked up to notice everyone’s expressions; concern from Ominis, gratitude from Anne, fascination from Sebastian. As you breathed out, a sly smile appeared. You twisted your wand, your smirk giving way to a grimace as you cried out in pain, dragging the curse out of you. The swirling black and red magic floated for a moment, before you carefully placed it into the goblin silver container, sealing it forever. It was finally done.

The allure of this power was strong, you could see why Isidora had succumbed to it. The rush of hugs you received from everyone, all expressing their relief, made you firm in your resolution to only use this magic when only absolutely necessary. You had a found family now, one you never wanted to jeopardise.

#hogwarts legacy x reader #hogwarts legacy imagine #hogwarts legacy reader insert #sebastian sallow x reader #anne sallow x reader #ominis gaunt x reader #platonic reader insert

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sapphim · 2 years

Text

So! I've been talking a bit about malcolm and his relationships with his kids, and I received a question about what carver had said about malcolm that I was referring to. Which got some great responses! But as I promised I would, I've collected some direct text from the in game dialogue and codex, and world of thedas about carver that I feel is illuminating in that regard, with some extra concerning leandra/bethany/hawke where I felt like it.

Prologue

Carver's codex entry if he died in the prologue:

Carver grew up surrounded by magic he couldn't truly understand. He cared deeply for his family, but sometimes felt like the stupidest person in the room. Carver foundered in Lothering, caught between the gifts of his apostate sister, Bethany, and the growing skill of his more focused sibling, Hawke. But even as Carver groused about his lot, he remained dedicated to protecting those he loved. He didn't think twice about sacrificing himself to save his mother during the flight from the darkspawn, and although Carver struggled to find his way in life, there is gratification in knowing his death had purpose.

Act 1

Carver's codex entry if he survived the prologue:

Strong and strapping, Carver is a skilled warrior set on proving himself, although it's not always clear who he is trying to impress. The son and sibling of mages, he grew up surrounded by magic he couldn't truly understand—and he feels like something was expected that he could never deliver. He cares deeply for his family, but sometimes feels like the stupidest person in the room. Carver foundered in Lothering. He blamed his lack of direction on not wanting to draw attention to his family of apostates at home. After his father died, he started down a military path; however, the Blight and rout at Ostagar ended this career almost before it could start. While he knows that swift flight was the only reasonable course in the face of the darkspawn advance, he almost would rather have stood and fought. Doomed though the effort was, facing the horde had purpose—something Carver had been searching for.

Birthright

Hawke: [Be happy for Mother.] You could slap on a smile for a few days. For her sake. Carver: She's not interested in what I think. She wants to provide for us, and you're making sure it happens.

Hawke: [No one is holding you back.] The "second child" act is getting pretty stale, Brother. Carver: Try it from this side, always running after you. Or taking care of Mother while you mark your territory. Hawke: That's enough, Carver. Carver: Even back home, what could I be? The lone blade in a house of mages? If I excelled, it brought too much attention.

Hawke: [You're being an ass.] You hating everything I do is really losing its charm. Carver: Sure, make light. Why take anything seriously? You're the eldest, you lead by default. Hawke: I don't see you taking the reins. Carver: When should I do that? When I'm following you around, or when I'm caring for Mother while you tame mighty Kirkwall?

Hawke: Well, good talk. Carver: [Sister./Brother.] Carver: I feel… I don't know. It's like Mother, taking everything out on us. She was just scared. Carver: I don't have a place in the life she is trying to bring back. Carver: I'm here if you need me, but I must find my own way.

Family History

Carver: These are by Father? Are you sure they aren't meant for you? I bet another mage could get more out of them.

Hawke: [Ser Maurevar was a good one.] Father must have felt he was worth honoring. Carver: A man who let him look ahead, and a name that would always mean "skill thoughtfully applied." Hawke: Seems like he thought it held some promise. Carver: Not a link back, but how to go forward. That's what I was to him. Carver: I… don't know what to say. Except… thank you.

Carver: I wonder how it compares to yours. Hawke: I'm sure someone thought far too long about my name. Point is, this was a swordsman. Carver: A man who let him look ahead. It would always mean "skill thoughtfully applied." Carver: Not exactly "master of all blades," but… Father actually thought there was worth to a swordsman. Carver: Thank you, [Sister/Brother]. It's… a connection I didn't think was there.

Legacy - Malcolm's Will

Malcolm: I may have left the Circle, but I took a vow. My magic will serve that which is best in me, not that which is most base. Carver: "That which is best in me." Father used to say that, didn't he? To you and Bethany? Carver: She never felt like she could live up to him.

Carver: Father didn't want a child with magic? He got that one wrong twice over. [Act 2, friendly Carver] Carver: He sure didn't show any regret back home. The attention he gave you and Bethany… Carver: Well, I guess he figured the worst that could happen to me was tripping on my sword. Hawke: [He had confidence in you.] He knew you didn't need protecting. You were the strongest of us. Carver: Sure, it's easy to believe that now. But I think… I just wanted to help. [Act 1] Carver: He can't have meant it. You and Bethany, you were his favorites. Weren't you? A: Hawke: [You know that's not true.] You can't believe that. Carver: Maybe not. But you had your little guild and I didn't really meet the requirements. Hawke: [No we weren't. Grow up.] Only relative to his disappointment for you. Of course we weren't his favorites! Carver: All right, all right, but you did have your little mage guild. Carver: I suppose he knew it would be dangerous for you. That templars were the least of the problems. Carver: Bethany didn't like it. Did you know? She wished she was "normal." Like me. B: Hawke: [We should have been.] The amount of complaining you do, I wouldn't have blamed him. Carver: It wasn't easy being outside your little guild, you know! Carver: And no, inside was probably no better. But even if father didn't want you to have magic, you still had that connection. Carver: I was always outside. Hawke: [You were free.] Right, outside with the dog. But you had no leash. Not like we did.

Hawke: [Why did you join the templars?] Carver, shouldn't all this make you want to, I don't know, offer a reason for joining the order? Carver: I have to defend the one moment I stopped waiting and did something? Hawke: If you wanted to spite me… [friendly] Carver: I'd hoped those wounds were at least scabbed. It wasn't you. It never was. [rival] Carver: No! See, right there is the problem. For the longest time, I thought it was you, but it wasn't. Carver: We spent so long running, and why? Because of magic, the Blight, money, and abuses. Carver: Well I'm no mage, I'm no Warden, and you didn't need me. But maybe… maybe there's one thing I can do. [Family history completed] Carver: Father believed in a templar. Why can't I? [else] Carver: For more than me. And you.

Bethany: Do you remember when Carver ran away and enlisted in King Cailan's army at fifteen? Hawke: He came clanking back in so much armor he could barely lift his legs. Bethany: Father didn't know whether to burst with pride or lock him in the cellar.

Legacy - Post Plot

Hawke: You never liked that he spent so much time with Bethany and I, but it wasn't all bad. Carver: He started training me too, best he could. Then I picked up some things from those soldiers who came through. Carver: Remember when I beat him? Took the blade clean away. Hawke: He was holding back. Carver: On magic? Sure, but not the blade. After that… well, he knew I could handle the house while he was off with you. Templar Carver: Another way you take after him, if I remember correctly.

Hawke: You know, I don't think we had it that bad. For a while. A short while. Carver: I think I blinked and missed it.

Bethany: You know, as much as he had to spend time training me, he was so proud of you and Carver. Bethany: His little soldiers. Bethany: His scoundrel and his soldier.

World of Thedas

I'll end with some excerpts from his WOTv2 entry.

Said he wanted to protect his family. That someone had to, because his father had died and, well, you know how the Champion turned out. Carver took it real serious, and I could tell he was hiding some family shame…. Carver said his father taught what he could, but he'd mostly watched mercs sparring when he was young, then aped it with whatever wooden waster he could get. I knew how it was, I did my time with a stick or two. That's what you do when you're on your own for lack of money or interest. Or whatever concerned a father like his…. We were far back from the named companies, supporting the "glory" of their charge or whatever. So far afield, I barely heard the call to attack. Not Carver, though. He ran as fast as he could, and damned if he didn't cut a wedge in the horde. A few of us kep the 'spawn off his flanks and used him as a spear… I never heard a retreat, but I heard the yelling when the royal colors went down. And then the Wardens, too. And I thought we were done without them. But not the Hawke boy. The more ground we lost, the harder he swung that plank of a sword of his. He was shouting that we had to win, that it was to keep our homes safe. I swear he was crying when we finally tackled him… It took three of us to drag him to cover. I had to slap him back to his senses, to make him see that killing five or ten more 'spawn wouldn't matter. The wall was on us, and dying there wasn't going to help anyone. I said if he wanted to do his family good, he'd get them safe. This wasn't his failure….

#da2 #dragon age 2 #carver hawke #canonical texts #hawkeposting

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valley-of-headcanons · 1 year

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Heyo!! So I was just thinking, I think I've only ever read one fic of a marriage candidate being divorced and then memory wiped. And I'm in a bit of an angsty mood. So! If you want, maybe some headcanons of the bachelorettes' reactions to getting a divorce? Of course you can choose which bachelorettes you want, or just not do this if you don't want to, no pressure! ^^

bachelorettes reacting to divorce || headcanons

are you sure you want to divorce your loving wife? ... okay, i don't know if you'll like the aftermath, though ...

warnings: LONG post, good lord. super angsty, but most of them have mini redemption arcs. hints of depression and self-depricating thoughts, mention of pam's abusive tendancies.

requested by: @ambersky0319 , thank you so much for the request! angsty time, here we come. funsies <3 i managed to keep it together until i got to penny's and i started crying 💀 my babyyyy :(( but yeah, this is really sad, you've been warned.

abigail

• Abigail thought she had done enough for you. She thought she was the perfect little house-wife, even though that's really not who she was at all. She was always looking for adventure, until she sacrificed most of that for the farm life with you. And she loved you. But when you suggested divorce, she was upset. She spiraled through the five stages of grief in an instant, stuttering and trying to say the right thing even though her feelings were so huge.

• She yells at you, she can't believe after everything, you're willing to throw it all away. She threw all of her possibilities away for you. You. But it's okay, it's fine. If that's what you want, that's what you'll get. The loving wife Abigail was is gone, replaced by an uncaring girl who's trying to get back to the things she used to love before you came along.

• She moves into the basement with Sebastian, opting out of moving back into her parent's place. She needs freedom, to do the things she loves. Adventure. Game. Find herself again. She would do it with a friend, someone who appreciates her. Unlike you, apparently.

• Most nights she can't sleep, however. She replays everything in her mind over and over, and most nights she gets up to play games. Sometimes Sebastian notices this and plays with her, and sometimes he lets her do her own thing. He knows when to intervene and when not to, and that definitely helped Abigail. She's healing slowly, but some nights are just really hard without you by her side. As much as she would love to not care, she just ... can't.

• If you try speaking to her, you get met with a glare and a scoff. She tells you to leave her alone and not to bother her anymore. She can't take talking with you again, it would kill her. She's going to be herself again, by herself! And she's going to love every ounce of herself, without you. So, fuck off.

emily

• Emily thought that you two were written in the stars, lovers until the end. Apparently, she had thought wrong. She loves you, she thought that you loved her just the same! But when the divorce papers were handed her way, her stomach just dropped. Everything slowly fades around her as she stares at them, not registering yet. Her mouth is slightly open, before she just walks out of the room. She gathers a few belongings before slowly making her way back to her sister's house.

• She's numb at first, not really knowing how to deal with something like this. She can't speak for hours, and Haley knows something is wrong. Emily mumbles something about the divorce papers her way, and she's instantly on her way out the door. A very angry Haley is at your doorstep, seemingly more upset than Emily, but it hasn't hit her yet. You get cursed out and told to never show your face in town again.

• As she sits in her own room, she turns to tarot cards, crystals, anything. Everything tells her same thing: better luck next time. Her heart is shattered. As she tries for the fourteenth time to pull a card that represented you coming back, and the love rekindling, she gives up. She gives in and puts the cards aside as she cries. She bawls her eyes out for the first time as she realizes that this cannot be undone.

• Slowly but surely, Haley will try to help her feel better. She'll make all the food, suggest things that they can do together, even takes one of her shifts at work for her. But nothing works ... until she sits her down and puts a sewing machine in front of her. She puts on a show, begging her to sew her a dress because her clothes are suddenly out of fashion. And that reignites her passion. She begins to love her work again, and in turn, loving herself.

• Speaking to her is absolutely out of the question. What's done is done, and she won't talk to you afterward. If you try, she'll ask you to leave her alone, and that she's trying to get over you still. If you don't respect her decision, Haley will probably be at your doorstep in an instant. She's getting better, but she needs you out of the picture.

haley

• Haley has a very fire-y spirit, and when she's pissed off, you'll see it from a mile away. However, when you bring up the thought of divorce ... she's shattered for a moment. Her guard has slipped to the point of vulnerability, and now you're slapping her in the face with it. She stares at you for a moment, a sorrowful expression. She can't believe this is happening- the love of her life, the person she married ...

• She puts on a powerful facade, glaring at you before beginning to yell. Words spew from her lips that she's never even said before, which is surprising. She's been hateful, she's been a bitch, but she was softer now. Well, she WAS ... until you stomped her heart into a million pieces.

• She moves back in with Emily, who takes a few days off of work to take care of her sister. Haley doesn't want you to know she's taking this awfully, though, so she puts on makeup everyday and goes to the saloon. She pretends to have fun so that she can claim she won the breakup, before returning home to continue grieving.

• Many late night talks with Emily are sprung about, Haley finally talking through her emotions. She needs to get to a better place mentally, and Emily knows that. So, she'll ask for Shane's therapist, who now has Haley booked for a session. And it helps. So. Much. Haley begins to be a better person not because of love, but because of herself. She's kinder and sweeter, and tries her best to be her best self.

• You run into each other a few years later, and she seems more radiant than ever. She tells you that it's fine, and that she understood why you had to do it. It made herself a better person, and hopefully it did the same to you. She bids you farewell with a soft smile before walking away. She definitely won the breakup, though.

leah

• Leah loves you harder than anything she's ever loved before. The passion that she has for you is beyond the moon and the sun and the stars ... but she's noticed that it's not been reciprocated recently. And she brings it up to you, asking what's up in a soft and caring tone, before she drops the bombshell. She thinks you're joking at first, laughing softly, before her world crumbles before her.

• She doesn't leave immediately, she can't let this go. She argues, asking why you would feel this way, and what she can do to fix things. What can she do to be a better spouse? Nothing, apparently. You claim that you're happier by yourself, so ... she leaves. She moves back into her little cabin.

• She uses art to work through her grief, constantly painting out her sadness or carving out her anger. Art has always been how she expresses herself, and that certainly hasn't changed one bit. She's still a strong, independent person, she always has been. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, though. She's trying to get out her feelings in the healthiest way possible.

• She tries not to let the grief of this relationship weigh her down, but sometimes she doesn't leave the house for days. Painting, sleeping, eating, sculpting, eating sleeping. Elliot eventually gets sick of it, dragging her out of the house and to the beach. They sit and talk through it all, although Leah isn't the greatest with her words. Elliot helps her vocalize her grief.

• Seeing her, you notice how she's still glowing. Nothing has changed about her, aside from being a tad bit more confident. She's beautiful, she's stunning, and she knows it. And she knows what you're thinking, so she gives you a soft smile and let's you know that she's happier on her own. Farewell.

maru

• Maru adores you, and she loves talking with you about the things that interest her, and the stuff that interests you! However, you've been talking a lot less ... and it all makes sense when divorce papers are laid on the table. She takes a moment, trying not to lose her composure. She asks a few questions, logical ones. Why? Is there anyone else? No ... you've just lost feelings. That almost hurts worse.

• She packs up her stuff immediately, and temporarily moves in with her parents. She's planning on finding a place in the city, her talents will be much more appreciated there. Not in a place like this, not where you are. She works and works, day and night, so she doesn't have to think about it.

• Eventually, she breaks. She talks to her dad, holding her face in her hands as she stutters and breaks down further and further. But she'll compose herself. Of course she will, this is Maru. She's smart, competent, and strong. Even the strong have to break a bit sometimes, but she'll find ways to learn from this. She won't make the same mistake again.

• She moves out to the city, getting a nice house to work in. Her career takes off without you, just how it should be. She's come to terms with the fact that you aren't in her life anymore, even if she had to move away to deal with it. But she does, and she's working her ass off. And her life is better without you.

• Coming back to town to visit her parents, she runs into you. You try talking with her, wanting to talk about all the memories you had ... but she cuts you off. She tells you that you have nothing to say to each other anymore. There is nothing here for you, nothing her for her. Silence is what you both need, and you part ways.

penny

• Penny finally found a home in you. You were like her knight in shining armor, getting her away from her awful life with her mother. Until you started saying things that began to match up with her mother's words ... and it began to kill her. After you finally dropped the bombshell and showed her the papers, she almost passed out. She begged and pleaded, cried and sobbed at your feet. She couldn't take this, this couldn't be happening ...

• She couldn't go back to her mom, but she couldn't stay here. She bought a very small cabin, which Robin helped her pay off, and spent several days in there. The first few days, it was only a bed and a small kitchen. Her days consisted of crying and watching TV, trying to get the thoughts of you out of her head, but it didn't work. God, nothing would work.

• Slowly, she decided that she had to start doing something. Staying home wasn't good for her, and what about the kids? They were probably worried. As she exited her house, she checked her mailbox and saw several "get well soon" cards from Vincent and Jas, and then everything hit her at once. She needed to get better, not just for herself, but for them as well.

• She found comfort in decorating her new home, even creating a small, mini-library for the kids. Her classes could be held in her home, so she had to make it the prettiest place possible! She remembered how much she loves helping these kids, and it helps her through a lot. She begins to love herself, too.

• However, she still can't speak to you. Even looking at you makes her break, so she tries to avoid you as much as possible. If you try to speak with her, she tells you to leave her alone, beginning to get teary-eyed. She goes home to recover, making herself some food. She's getting better at cooking too. Maybe she's better off without you ...

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theguardiansseries · 6 months

Text

From the Beginning - Chapter 2: Saying I’m Fine Doesn’t Make You Fine (Although That Doesn’t Stop Dani From Trying)

A/N: Let's see if I can't get an upload schedule going! For now, tentatively, we're going to see if I can't get a chapter up every Wednesday and Saturday! Will I stick to it? Let's find out!

Rating: Teen Audiences

Summary:

Dani Fenton (who is sometimes starting to go by Danny Fenton) is a fifteen-year-old almost sophmore who was just going about her normal life when she figured out she sort of liked being seen as a boy. Oh, then he (he had definitely been a he at the time) got shocked by a machine his parents built to view into another world that they believed contained a world of 'ecotplasmic entities.'

Danny really isn't sure how to tell them that they were right and that he was in the machine when it turned on and that maybe he isn't so human anymore. (He might also not be a girl anymore, but that one was a little more difficult to explain than the fact that he ((she?)) might be half-ghost.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54944266/chapters/139461646

Chapters: <<First>> <Prev || Next>

—

Chapter 2: Saying I’m Fine Doesn’t Make You Fine (Although That Doesn’t Stop Dani From Trying)

Sitting patiently, Dani was absolutely certain that she was going to lose her mind if her sister didn’t finish taking her temperature for the thousandth time- “99.9.” Ah, crap. Here it came. “Okay, I see that face you’re making, and I know your first day is coming up, but-”

“Jazz come on, I’m fine,” Dani groaned, trying not to think about how it felt as if she had been ripped out of her body and then stuffed back inside only for the entire fit to feel wrong. “Besides, 99.9 isn’t a fever. It’s me being trapped in bed under half a dozen blankets because our crazy parents seem to think ‘sweating it out’ is the best cure.”

Jazz was quiet for a moment, tapping the thermometer against her palm with the look she often got when they talked about their parents’ attempts at actually parenting them, “Yeah, because sweating it out during summer under an extreme amount of blankets is healthy alright.” Ah, she did so love sarcastic Jazz — even if that came at the expense of parent Jazz. “Dani, you were in a major accident-”

“It’s been almost two weeks.” It had felt more like two years, but Dani liked to think she was handling the time with grace. “C’mon, even the doctors said I was fine after that first night-!”

“They did not say you were fine, they said you were stable,” Jazz stressed, nervously trying to take her temperature again. Dani probably would have fought more if she still didn’t remember just how terrified Jazz had been during that time. Her first memory of seeing Jazz after her Accident had been her looking wrecked. It definitely wasn’t a stretch to say her sister, who was a very firm five years older than her, looked after her more like an actual mom than a sister.

Considering too that Jazz had seen everything every step of the way, she was probably right to call Dani out on her bullshit of being fine. It was after Jazz started glaring at the thermometer again that Dani sighed and conceded, “Alright, maybe I’m not exactly fine, but I’m definitely doing better than I was.”

Jazz gave her a long, hard stare before it softened and she pulled Dani into a warm, familiar hug. She then ruined it by saying, “99.9 is still a fever, like it or not.”

“Ugh!” Breaking the hug and collapsing back on her bed with a groan, Dani gave Jazz her best betrayed look. “Come on, already! Haven’t I suffered enough by missing the rest of my summer vacation? You’re going to make me a social outcast and doom me to a life of failure and flipping burgers by making me miss my first day back in high school?”

The first day back at their age was the same as being given an armistice to scope out enemy lines, map out escape routes as needed, and decide who would be allies and who would be sacrificed for the greater good. It wasn’t something to take lightly-! Hm. That sounded a little too much like Sam, actually.

Still. It wasn’t a day she could dismiss just because she had gone through some stupid ‘major traumatic event’ where she had apparently been actually, honestly dead for a couple minutes after being shocked by millions of volts of electricity- “I just don’t want you to overdo things and hurt yourself, Dani. You and I both know you have a habit of pushing yourself when you shouldn’t.”

Looking up at Jazz, it didn’t take much to see that worried, scared look in her eyes again. If they were being technical, Dani hadn’t been the only one to go through a major traumatic event — she was pretty sure Jazz thinking her baby sister was dead for a few minutes was traumatic all on its own.

“Jazz.” Dani sat up, taking Jazz’s closest hand and giving a small squeeze. “Look, I know you’re probably sick of hearing me say I’m fine and everything, but I’m… I’m getting better, okay? I’m healing. I’m resting like I’m supposed to. I’m taking whatever meds they shoved at me. I’m even eating whatever awful healthy crap you give me! I know you’re worried, but come on. I’m still here — pulse, annoying attitude, and everything else.”

Finally — finally — Jazz gave a startled snort of laughter before squeezing Dani’s hand back with a shake of her head. “Okay, okay, I get it. As long as your fever breaks then fine, you can go to the first day of school.”

“Yes!” Dani threw her arms up, ignoring the aches and pain from where she had been doing nothing but lying in bed for weeks. “It’s legally binding we were holding hands when you said it! And 99.1 doesn’t count as a fever!”

“99.9, however, does.” Jazz snorted and shook her head before standing up and gently pushing Dani back down into the blankets. “So that means rest, fluids, and not overdoing it. I’ll go start on dinner and check on you in a couple hours, okay?”

“Yes, mom,” Dani rolled her eyes, the familiar teasing name making Jazz roll her eyes back just as sarcastically. It was great. “I’ll just sit up here in my room lazing around with nothing to do but play video games and talk to my friends.”

Jazz gave another laugh, not leaving until after a ruffle to Dani’s hair and a warm smile. As soon as the door closed, Dani didn’t waste a second before she pulled out her phone and immediately called up Sam and Tucker for a video call. Her friends, gems that they were, answered immediately.

“Took a while, but Jazz’s paranoia is calming down and it looks like I’ll be good to go when it comes to the first day of school.”

“That’s my boy!” Sam cheered before pausing. “Or shall it be girl, today? Or neither. Neither is also a valid option!”

“It’s just girl today,” Dani said, thinking back to Jazz’s reaction when she had finally asked about the new clothes. Dani was pretty sure she knew it was something a little more than just ‘a new look,’ but she hadn’t pried about it. Her parents, so far as she could tell, hadn’t noticed anything, but that was par for the course, and they were probably more distracted by the whole electrocution thing. “And probably will be for as long as I’m trapped in bed. Not like there’s any reason to go all guy or whatever.”

Ah, and there began Sam’s rant about gender experience and expression and identity and how it all connected and didn’t connect. Tucker, sharking a look with Dani, removed his headphones. Truly, Dani could time it all by clockwork-

Ringing. There was a sharp ringing in her ears loud enough to make her eyes slam shut, breathing hitching as all sound then vanished, an afterimage of bright green light blinding her as words were pressed into her skin, a deep thrumming of too dangerous to let this come to pass!

Swirls of blue replaced the green and there were more words, wrapping around her throat, a shimmering, sickly must stop this at once, Clockwork!

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Purple overwhelmed her and I’m afraid this has long been set in motion. Perhaps if you deign to look beyond the surface you’re so fond of skimming over you could see the change that… Ah. Interesting.

Colors overwhelmed her where there should be nothing but black and the sound of ticking just at the back of her head made her struggle and gasp for breath and-

“Dani!” Immediately wincing at hearing her name screamed by both of her friends, Dani groaned, hating how it sounded more like a whimper. God, it felt like head was about to explode.

“Ugh, guys, take it easy, I’m fragile and almost dead here. What’s with all the shouting-”

“Oh, gee, lemme think.” Oof, that was Sam’s upset, sarcastic tone of voice that meant she was going to yell some more. Dani wondered if her earplugs were nearby. “Maybe the fact you just went silent, stared at nothing-” (stared at nothing? but her eyes had been closed, hadn't they? “-and didn’t so much as twitch for minutes!”

“Less than,” Tucker chimed in, waving a stopwatch in view of his camera. It was hard to read it over a video call on her phone, but she was pretty sure it hadn’t gone that far over a minute. “Timed it, but yeah, no, that was scary as fuck. Are you alright? Did you have a seizure? I don’t know how to help with seizures, Dani!”

“Whoa, whoa, guys, calm down.” Jeez her friends could be overprotective — and that was coming from her, who had a very bad case of using too much energy to help people when she didn’t really need to. “I didn’t have a seizure, I think I just dozed off for a bit. Haven’t been getting much sleep.”

The looks she was given made her feel both offended and like she needed new friends. It was a shame she was stuck with her current ones. (Alright, so she loved them and adored the fact they cared and worried for her, but still.)

Sighing, Dani slumped back against her pillows, adjusting her phone. “Look,” she settled on. “I know it wasn’t some kind of seizure and I had some weird dream thing flash in my head for a few seconds, so I think I’m just very close to REM sleep because my body’s trying to recuperate from what happened.”

“Ooh, science Dani,” Tucker teased, ‘looking’ at Sam. “That’s how you know she’s being serious about it.” Right. Tucker had five more chances before Dani gave up on him and dropped him off at a nice geek orphanage. He’d at least build them a router out of scrap metal just so he could keep having Wi-Fi.

“Fine,” Sam said after a long moment, pouting about the matter. “But if it happens again I’ll tell your parents.” Ha. That wasn’t a threat- “And Jazz.”

Tucker laughed even as Dani whined and that wasn’t fair. “C’mon, Sammy, you know she’d fuss and hover over me for weeks if you do that! You’ve seen how bad she is already!” It had been bad enough when Jazz found them while they were still down there- Not thinking about it. Nope. This was her. Not thinking about it. “And… In case I didn’t already say it, thanks, you guys. For covering for me.”

“Of course,” Tucker snorted. “It’s not like we were going to tell anyone that you went in there on your own — especially Jazz. She would have killed all three of us.”

Sam hummed, stroking her chin in thought, “Do you think we would have gotten a discount if we were buried at the same time? Triple funeral?”

Relaxing as she watched and listened to Sam and Tucker start planning out their funerals, Dani gave a soft sigh, her friend’s antics making weird dream-induced anxiety into nothing more than a whisper.

Reaching for her laptop to properly get some serious gaming done, and switch the call to something without shitty phone speakers, Dani had to pull her hand back with a swear because fucking static shock.

“A miracle! Lightning does indeed strike twice!” Tucker declared, Sam giving a horrified laugh while Dani tried to decide whether to laugh or curse some more. She decided he was down to four chances. “Seriously, how many times have you been shocked since you got home?”

“More than enough,” Dani huffed, poking at her laptop before finally dragging it onto her bed. “Not too worried, though, just some static shock from lying in bed with these stupid blankets all the time. Now, who wants to help me conquer the world?”

While her friends rushed to their own computers, Dani flexed her hand where she had, yet again, been shocked. If there was one thing she was looking forward to most about being able to leave her bed and Jazz-forced quarantine, it was no longer getting shocked by just trying to pick something up. Thankfully, though, that wouldn’t be long.

Her life would be back on track and back to normal and Dani could go about surviving the next year of high school.

⁂

Danny wasn’t sure if he was going to survive long enough to get to high school. Like, yeah, okay, almost shocked to death and now he had some heart problems and a couple of breathing problems and was a lot more clumsy, great, that was fine- Not fine. It wasn’t fine, but it was something he was coping with.

No, that was all liveable, at least. The whole not surviving thing came about because everything electronic around him decided to hate him.

It had started with his phone. Being confined, trapped, and chained to his bed for an eternity had left him with little to do besides dick around on his phone and constantly call and talk to his friends whenever they weren’t able to come over and infect his room. The problem that arose that prevented him from constantly calling and talking with them, however, was that his phone decided to die twenty minutes after a full charge.

The first few times Danny could forgive. There had definitely been times before when he thought he had a full charge and his phone, his stupid, stupid phone, hadn’t given him a low battery warning before it shut itself off. The fifth time of it happening, however, had Danny beginning to craft an argument to use on his parents for why he needed a new phone because his was obviously broken.

And it would have been fine at that — because phones died and phone companies were jerks and new models came out all the time — but it wasn’t just his phone. It was also his laptop. And his lamp. And his bedroom lights. And basically everything electronic with wires that he managed to come into contact with.

“I dunno, Danny, maybe it has something to do with you basically being struck by radioactive lightning in a lab accident- Ooh! What if you got superpowers-”

“Be serious for once in your life, Tuck. An accident like this is more likely to give him radiation sickness than it is to give him powers-”

“Hey, guys, yeah, the whole talking about radioactivity and me dying thing? Really not helping with this experiment.” Danny shot a glare at his phone — which was propped up against his wooden table and windowsill with nothing metal at all anywhere near it and Danny not so much as touching it.

Over the video call Sam rolled her eyes while Tucker snorted. Danny ignored them both and kept a careful eye on the battery power left in his phone. It was, at that exact moment, at forty-seven percent. Slowly, so slowly, Danny reached out and tapped a corner of his phone. It dropped to forty-three. “Are you kidding me?!”

“How much did it drop by?” Tucker asked, already sitting back and pulling a pen and notebook into view.

“Started at forty-seven. I tapped the right bottom corner, since it’s propped up sideways, and it dropped to forty-three.” Danny was satisfied only by the fact that Sam and Tucker gave winces with the proper amount of pain.

“Yeah, that- Yeah, no, that’s just weird,” Tucker shook his head, looking down at his notes and then back at Danny. “Hey, have you considered it’s something to do with that mirror portal thing being on? I mean… how much power does that thing use? It’s probably blowing through the generators and making everything in the house flicker or have power problems.”

Danny paused, leaning back in his chair and that… that would make a lot of sense, now that he thought about it. Especially if what his parents and Tucker said were true about how much power it ate through. “I mean… I haven’t heard Jazz or anyone complain about problems, but that actually makes a lot of sense. Especially considering the lights have been flickering in almost every room I’ve gone in.”

“Sorry, but how does your unplugged and battery-run phone relate to power problems caused by generators?” Sam looked at them both like they were idiots and Danny realized he and Tucker had skipped ahead a couple steps and explanations.

“Sorry, Sammy, jumped ahead there. It’s because if there are power problems then it’s not getting a full charge at night through the cord, or it’s been glitchy enough that it’s been messing with the battery itself, a lot of rapid oh look it’s changing followed by oops, now it’s not. Tapping it like I did could be enough to jostle the battery and cause connection problems or something like that?” Phones were more Tucker’s territory, but Danny liked to think he knew enough to not sound like a complete idiot.

“Oh. Well then if that’s the case then you don’t have to worry about it,” Sam said reasonably. “Just wait for your parents to fix it.” Yeah. Yeah, honestly. If the power shortages were driving Danny crazy then they were probably driving his parents nuts. “Back to more important matters… What are you wearing for the first day of school? Are you going as Danny or Dani?”

“The way you said those names sounds exactly the same,” Tucker grumbled, Danny hiding a laugh and that… was a really good question, wasn’t it? While he was slowly starting to get used to, well, he, there were still times he wasn’t sure if it was just a phase that he was exploring, in Sam’s words, or if it was a him — her? — thing.

Like, okay, he had felt totally great when he had first seen himself in Sam’s mirror after wearing his new ‘guy outfit,’ but then he remembered a couple nurses asking for his pronouns at the hospital after he had really woken up. While his dad had looked confused, his mom had looked condescending and he was pretty sure he remembered the words Of course she’s a girl! What else would she be?

It had made her feel pretty shitty for a while, and even now it hurt a little to think back on, but it wasn’t like she could up and explain it all. Especially when in a hospital and hooked up to a bunch of equipment. Jazz had made it feel better, using a lot of gender neutral terms to the point she wasn’t even sure she had meant to, but there was still that uncertainty.

What would kids at school say? Yeah, okay, their cover story was that Dani was going through a ‘tomboy’ phase, but the fact she needed a cover story was just… It didn’t exactly feel great. It felt like she was playing a game she didn’t even know how to play, let alone win.

“Hey, you know, my cousin does this online thing where she sells wigs.” Startling at Tucker’s sudden comment that had been spoken way too loudly, Dani (Danny?) looked up at the video call to see Sam looked just as startled since she had been in the middle of talking and planning for, in her eyes, what was going to be their first battle of the year. “Some of them are made from donated hair, which, yeah, creepy, but it makes them look really natural.”

“And you’re interrupting my battle strategy to talk about wigs, why, exactly?” While Sam crossed her arms and looked ready to have Tucker drawn and quartered, Tucker only looked at his camera so it made it seem like he was staring right at Dani.

“Just thought, you know, if Danny is having a guy day and wants some shorter hair or something, I can get a wig or two off of my cousin that’ll look like your natural hair. And a couple long ones, too, in case you want to cut it, but want to go back to long when you switch.” Oh. Oh. “Can also get some colored ones if you want to give Jazz a heart attack and go through some temporary teenage rebellion.”

Silent and way too emotional for a moment, Danny (much better) finally nodded and managed a perfectly normal sounding, “You’re such a dork, Tuck.” If Danny really was close to crying, his friends at least did the mercy of not pointing it out and god he had gotten lucky when it came to his friends, if nothing else.

Right. He just had to remember what Sam had said. It wasn’t about one or the other, it was about being who he was in that moment. That was something he could do, just focus on the moment and not what came after.

Finally settled he only paused when, for a second, he felt something brush against his skin, a sensation that had no feeling and Danny. Danny with a y Ph-

“-stick with the NASA theme.” Sam’s sigh was loud enough to break through his thoughts. “At least it’s familiar ground.” Right. Battle strategy. First day back at school outfit.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with NASA clothing,” Danny defended immediately, brushing away the thought that had fluttered through his mind. “And I’ll have you know that galaxy themed clothes are fashionable-”

“No, they’re not.” The fact that came from both of his friends hurt. It hurt deeply. Danny would have to remember to pay them back in kind as soon as he could. In that moment, though, it was a good distraction from having to think about everything else.

Moments with her friends, though, didn’t last forever. Especially not at night when she was back to being Dani and everything was still and quiet and the loudest thing in the world was her too quick breaths.

It wasn’t like- She knew she wasn’t fine. She could say it to her friends and family all she wanted, but… But how could anyone just be fine after something like that? Movies and books made it seem a lot easier, but… She wasn’t fine.

She knew that when she had gotten a jolt from a pile of freshly cleaned clothes and had almost collapsed from how fast her heart had started beating.

It was in how she had smelled something like bleach or antiseptic and had immediately collapsed over the nearest sink to gag, visions of yelling doctors and pain seared against her.

She wasn’t fine because instead of sleeping she was staring at the dark, cool colors of her room, eyes hardly closing for even half of a moment. She had seen enough of white walls.

She had only been in that hospital for two or three days at most, but it had felt like so much longer. It hadn’t helped when every time she had managed to fall asleep for just a few minutes her dreams (nightmares) were terrifying and had made no sense. She was pretty sure she had jumped at the color green way too many times after seeing it so much in her dreams.

Then there was the fact that she had barely even seen her parents since she had gotten home — she had barely seen them while she was in the hospital. Her mom and dad hadn’t arrived home from their science whatever until the day after Dani had been admitted into the hospital. They hadn’t been there long, either, because they had to rush home and deal with whatever had happened to the Portal after hearing why she was in the hospital to begin with.

It had definitely been lonely. Sam and Tucker hadn’t been allowed to stay with her because they weren’t blood related. Jazz was the only one who had been there the entire time and had seen what had happened from beginning to end, and, well, Dani couldn’t blame her for all the hovering and worrying that she had been doing since then.

For hours it had been Jazz, who had practically raised her with how busy their parents were, who had watched her on the verge of death. Dani could only remember what was probably a quarter of what had actually happened and even that was enough to know just how bad it had been. The doctors had been talking about how she might have needed a new heart because of the possibility of how badly the electricity had damaged hers. She was pretty sure most of the doctors and nurses had been surprised she had actually pulled through and been alright. One of them had even gasped when she had actually managed to stand up and walk around the room.

She could say she was fine all she wanted, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t heard the recovery instructions and the debriefing the doctors had given Jazz and later her parents. Her heart was damaged and weak, so there would no doubt be problems when she was older. She might have trouble breathing and being active if her lungs stayed as badly damaged as they had been. There could be memory loss, amnesia, confusion, hearing loss, and so much could have gone so wrong.

Yet there Dani was, sitting in the kitchen in her nightgown after getting too restless and claiming she was fine and thinking about the invention that had almost taken her life.

It couldn’t have been any earlier than at least two or three in the morning, probably closer to past three, and considering Dani had school in a couple of hours she should definitely be at least trying to sleep instead of sitting at the kitchen table and staring at the thick metal door that separated her from her parents’ lab.

Ever since her Accident the two of them had kept the door down into the lab locked and sealed tightly, not even a crack of light escaping from any part of it.

Considering how busy the last few weeks had been Dani couldn’t be sure, even that late at night, whether her parents were upstairs asleep or down working in the lab. If it was the latter she wouldn’t have exactly been surprised. What she had thought would be nothing but useless scrap metal had turned into something very active.

Dani wasn’t sure of all of the details, but she had understood enough of her parents’ excited ramblings as they drove her home from the hospital and got her settled into bed. The Portal — the Ectoplasmic Monitoring Device — was no longer just a working theory. Instead it actually worked.

There had been a lot of big words and a lot of emphasis placed on the importance of it finally working, but Dani and Jazz had read between the lines as easily as they had always done. The Fentons had work to get done and Fentons never stopped until the job was finished.

Her parents had been studying the ‘scientific breakthrough’ since the second they realized it was working. They hadn’t released it to the public yet, but Dani was sure it was only a matter of time. After all, it was… definitely something. It was definitely something and Dani couldn’t even see what it looked like.

Looking at the stove, and seeing that she was right and that it read half past three in the morning, Dani carefully got to her feet, shivering at cold tile against bare feet before she was walking over to the lab door, tucking her hair back and placing an ear up against it.

She didn’t hear her parents in any way and, while the door muffled sound from the laboratory, it wasn’t soundproof. It was a safe bet to say that her parents were upstairs finally getting some rest, but… For once, Dani had to agree with her parents over Jazz.

While Jazz always complained about how their parents tended to ignore everything else outside of their current project, in this one case Dani couldn’t even begin to blame them. If the Portal was actually working like it was intended then… there was a whole new world down there that they could see.

Oh, Dani had no illusions about there being life or ‘ghosts’ in whatever realm or reality or whatever that they had busted their way through to, but it was still something so new. This wasn’t a faraway planet out past the distant reaches of their own galaxy. This was a world. Even if it was empty, it was a world that was right down there.

Dani didn’t even realize how closely she was pressed against the door until she was shivering from the cold metal that leeched the heat out of her and her simple nightgown. Taking a few steps away, Dani took a bracing breath as she just… stared.

It probably looked amazing down there. Even if it was just a mirror image of whatever they were seeing, it probably looked incredible.

“The door’s locked,” Dani said firmly, almost jumping at the sound of her own voice after the silence of the kitchen. It was just the reminder she needed to take a few steps back. “The door’s locked because that’s a lab down there with radiation where I almost died.”

Except, well, she hadn’t died. Oh, it had been terrifying as all hell and she certainly felt like she had gone through death, but she was still there, alive and breathing. She was still there, just standing still, just like that world that was just out of reach-

“Nope!” Snapping her mouth shut as the word came out louder than she wanted, Dani risked a glance at the stairs and sighed in relief when it didn’t sound like anyone had heard her. She then immediately cursed at herself along with a halfhearted, “Idiot.”

What was she thinking, honestly. She had wanted to go down and look at the thing that had almost killed her? Yeah, no, if she hadn’t had a panic attack before then, that would definitely do it. Nope. Nope, nope, nope, she was going straight up to bed.

She would shake off the phantom screams that she absolutely did not hear and that absolutely did not sound like her and march right up the stairs because it hadn’t mattered what had happened down in that lab and what did matter was that it was late and she should be sleeping.

Forcing herself up the stairs, Dani didn’t stop moving until she was collapsing into her bed and staring up at peeling glow-in-the-dark stars that were judging her. She was tempted to throw something at the ceiling if it wouldn’t just come right back down and hit her.

“I’m fine.” Whatever was down there and whatever had happened didn’t matter. As it was now she was alive, and breathing, and physically exhausted even as her mind was absolutely wired for her first day back at school- Her first day. Actually. It might have been time for Danny’s first day of school.

—

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#danny phantom #the guardians series #ftb chapters #danny phantom rewrite #i got way too excited about this story again so i wrote a whole new chapter last night #which means we have enough to actually maybe HAVE a writing schedule lol

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