#convinces her he's mystical and the entire thing becomes out of hand

[yanderecookierunkingdom]

HIII ITS ME AGAIN, i’ve got another idea for you, that you make a little drabble about.

so the time line is like before the yan!beasts got corrupted, or like post-corruption or something, reader is a very overpowered cookie but timid and shy in a way, including considerate and kind, they wants to help people they genuinely loves and cares about (including the beasts), therefore this also makes them a people pleaser/push over, so they keep theyre power secretive

after a while, reader started to see a shift in theyre personality and how they started to resent cookies that didn’t have the same power as themselves, and how they are being kinda possessive/obsessive towards reader, and more really unhealthy behaviors, but of course, like the fool they are, reader decided to ignore those red flags, cause it’s better then having literal no one (said by reader)

anyways when days pass, more things start to change, they start becoming more malicious towards other common cookies, how they cause more chaos and other stuff, of course reader is a bit too delusional to care… till the witches/creators came, saying they need to trap them for good, of course you retaliated (verbally), saying how you care for them and other stuff, and you won’t go through with this, and they tell reader something that will really open theyre eyes to the world, pointing out the actions the beasts do and how shitty and bad they are (including some things they say, how they treat reader etc) how bad their intentions truly are, after this reader was really upset about them, they might be delusional but not THAT delusional, so i think you can vison what happened next now, they advise a plan to get them in a place where the witches can trap them, using reader as a bait, then once it’s done, reader left, no matter how many pleads or yells the beasts through at them, reader didn’t turn back, not even to glance at the prison that they brought themselves upon, as reader walked off, they made a vow to themself, a promise to never be fooled and manipulated like that again, to never pretend to be something they aren’t, after that, they became a whole entire different cookie (woahhh character development, anyway imagine them having a more bayonetta like personality/mindset and strength and speed?) maybe a little crossing of paths once the beasts get out of prison

(also i recently just learnt I HAVE MY OWN TAG? idk why it just made me feel special)

You have?? Such?? Good ideas?? Never stop sending in requests, I love all the ideas you always come up with!!

You were a cold Cookie, with no one really knowing why. You hardly trusted and tended to be very suspicious of Cookies of power. To say it took you ages to even think of trusting the Ancients wa an understatement.

You were heavily against the idea of going to Beast-Yeast, yet you eventually relented. Not for yourself, but to make sure that none of them got manipulated like you did.

You were completely ready to throw hands when the Beasts showed up. To stay you were pissed was an understatement. Somehow, they were convinced they were the victims! Because their fun was cut short!

Shadow Milk Cookie is the biggest instigator. He still thinks you're a pushover and portrays you as such, only to be completely confused when he sees you decimate that animatronic. That was.. a change in the script he didn't expect.

Burning Spice Cookie and Silent Salt Cookie are both taken aback by how ready you were to fight them. Guess that shy part of you was gone!

Eternal Sugar Cookie used to lovebomb you a lot whenever you were still shy. She's surprised to see it no longer works, but doesn't mean she still won't try!

Mystic Flour Cookie is the only one who realizes that you're no longer the same pushover. However, it doesn't mean she won't try and use you for her own benefit again.

[countrymusiclover]

48 - Not The Only Broken One

Part 49

Family is More than Blood

@secretdreamlandmentality

Raelyn’s Pov 

Entering the apartment building that Cami lived in I found her apartment opening the door until I smacked into a barrier spell. “The hell?” Placing a hand on my forehead. 

“Sony Rae, I got a new landlord when my last one left the city.” Cami came around the corner. 

I raised a brow. “Who's your landlord now?” 

“Me. Hi Raelyn.” Davina came to stand beside her. “Come in.” 

I nodded, stepping over the threshold of her apartment doorway. Moving into the living room with the two other woman I came into contact with Freya who I wasn't expecting to see. “What are you doing here?” 

“Cami isn't a witch. So she felt we needed to come and offer our assistance.” She answered me. 

Crossing my arms over my chest. “Assistance of convincing me to not give up my magic right?” 

“Raelyn..” Cami trailed off. 

Holding a hand up I didn't want to hear anymore of this nonsense. “No, I'm done hearing about this. My magic has brought me nothing but heartache these past few weeks and I can't take it anymore.” 

“Will you just hear us out first. Without you and your heretic power I would be dead.” Cami responded. 

Freya sat her drink glass down on the table beside the couch. “Hayley told me what you did for her to become a hybrid. And what you did for her entire pack.” 

“When we met you showed me you didn't have to be a monster just because you had so much power at your fingertips.” Davina gave me a smile. “Why would you want to destroy a part of yourself that has created so much good?”

 

“Yes, Raelyn. I'd like to know your response too.” The four of us all turned our heads around seeing my husband standing outside the doorway. 

I sent him a glare. “What are you doing here, Klaus!” 

“Following your trail since you haven't been yourself lately. Now where in the bloody hell is the hunting knife containing your magic?” He spat back to me. 

Freya rose from her chair creating it out of thin air. “Cami gave it to me for safe keeping for your information brother.” 

“See, it's fine. Now you can go back and watch our youngest kids.” I snapped at the hybrid male. 

Klaus huffed. “Rae, I won't entertain this tone from you for much longer. You need to realize that my intentions are only trying to help you.” 

“I don’t recall asking for you to come here. In fact you are supposed to be at the school since the first headmistress isn’t there. They need a headmaster there if something goes wrong. So head back to Mystic Falls please.” I sent him a glare not wanting him to be here. His paranoid mind never bothered me until this moment. He normally had good reasons to be paranoid sometimes except right now. 

The hybrid steps forward smacking into the barrier, hands gripping the doorway. “Camille invite me inside right now!” 

“I don’t have to follow your commands, Klaus. Raelyn is my sire.” Cami snapped at the Mikaelson hybrid. 

Freya raised her hand waving it in the air. “Okay, I think we should take this conversation somewhere else. Before we all end up fighting and things get violent like most Mikaelson conversations tend to happen.” 

“Raelyn, just talk to me for a minute.” Klaus shifts his blue orbs onto my gaze in a begging tone. 

I briefly paused before answering him. “Fine, let’s go.” He stepped away from the doorway and I moved forward stepping over the threshold vamping down the hallway. Klaus vamped after me leaving the others not to be able to hear our conversation. 

Klaus and I were strolling the streets of Chicago since he had decided that this would be the first place he would take me to. He was holding my hand in his and he could hear my heart calmy beating in my chest since this was before I had turned into a vampire. “So tell me again why you decided Chicago first over New Orleans?” 

“New Orleans is my favorite city, you are right on that. But I once found this city more beautiful before I ever discovered it.” He responded to me, squeezing my hand in his. 

I made a face at the hybrid. “Okay so what do you want to show me?” 

“There’s some great things about this city. But I want to spoil you. That is my goal for this trip.” He sent me that signature smile of his so brightly. 

Shaking my head the hybrid i still wasn’t used to his romantic gestures towards me. It wasn’t as if I had the option of calling up my mother or father for dating advice since then that would only stir up trouble, finding me. Especially Uncle Joshua. Klaus walked closely beside me while I was window shopping the stores we walked past. “You’ve been staring at that dress for the last five minutes. So we’re getting it.” 

“Klaus, no. Just because I look at it for long doesn’t mean I’ll like it.” Whipping my head around I stopped him before he started to go inside the store. The dress that we had been referring to was a dark green with short sleeves and a slit on the right side. The length only reached to the manachens knees. 

Klaus didn’t bother and held open the door for me so I went inside to the dress with a woman who worked there coming over. “Can I help you, ma’am?” 

“Yes. Uh do you have this dress in a six?” I asked her softly. 

She replied. “Yes we do.”

“We’ll take it.” Klaus fired out an answer before I could get a response from my own mouth. The woman walked away when he gave her his card leaving us alone briefly. Crossing my arms over my chest I sent him a half glare. “Don’t give me that look, Rae. I already have ordered some lunch from that chicken place you like too.” 

I sniped back at my boyfriend. “You went through my food delivery receipts. What’s next buying me 50 pairs or new shoes?” 

“If that’s what you wish then yes.” He shrugged his shoulders not fazed by how creepy that might come off as to outsiders. 

Placing my hands over my face I throw my head back failing to hold in my laughter. “Nik, how am I ever going to handle being with you?” 

“You’ll learn to love me in time, siphon queen.” He snags me forward, grabbing the belt loops of my jeans and tugging me against his chest, smiling. 

Draping my arms over his shoulders I booped my nose with his leaning up on my toes. “If you’ll lucky you just might get me forever.” 

“I’d do anything to have always and forever with you, Raelyn.” He brought my lips up to meet his in a gentle and slow kiss until the woman with my dress came back and we headed to pick up his lunch order. 

Standing out on the balcony of the old Mikaelson compound that allowed anyone to look out over the city of New Orleans. My hands rested on the metal railing knowing Elijah would leave us alone since he was the only member who still lived here full time. “You know the point of you agreeing to talk to me implies that you would say something.” 

“Yes I agreed to speak with you. But that didn’t mean I would begin the conversation since you will just cut me off and tell me the same thing you’ve repeatedly told me about how I should take my magic back.” I throw my head back feeling his eyes burning in the back of my head. 

He was leaning in the doorway arms beginning his back simply just watching me in the bright glow of the sunlight and how the wind threw my hair around yet even when it was a knotted ess cause of it he would see nothing but beauty from me. “I am only speaking the truth, love. You shouldn’t have to hide the other part of yourself like I was forced to by my mother a thousand years ago.”

“You still don’t understand it. I choose to give up my magic whereas your mother forced the Hybrid Curse upon you.” Stomping up to my husband I got up in his face. “My brother hates me now because I refuse to use dark magic to let him and Hayley have more babies.”

Klaus natches the knife hanging off the belt loop of my jeans. “Jacob, can’t truly hate you. I don’t think that mate has a hateful bone in his body. Now please I am begging you take it back. Not to please me, not for Jacob or Hayley, but for yourself because I know you.”

“Nik, I am not ready. The Hollow got inside my mind and made me see a version of myself that I didn’t even know existed inside of my brain.” 

“Fructose Ispiritus. Say it Raelyn!” He raised his tone at me. 

The veins and fangs began appearing where I shoved him against the wall with vamp speed baring my teeth. “I said no, Niklaus! And you want to know why look into my mind and see.” 

“Raelyn..” He trails off. 

I shout back at him. “Do it!” 

Once the brightness disappeared I opened my eyes all the way to see a mirror image of myself. The figure of me had my hair loose but the ends were dead in black. The rest of my clothing was almost all black too. “The Hollow isn't fully gone. Her power and soul is now inside you.” 

“You’re me…what do you want?” I blinked my eyes a couple of times feeling my mind was betraying me. 

The dark version of me smirked. “I want you to stop hiding behind this weaker version of yourself. You’ve proven that you are stronger than anyone thought you’d be. Stop hiding who you truly are."

“That’s what this is truly about. You want me to be a bad person after I’ve told my kids to not appear as monsters.” I bite my tongue at the thought.

Dark Raelyn flipped her hair at me. “Just consider how much more Klaus would love you if you let him see the darker parts of you.” 

My husband gasped, holding my face in his hands just scanning over my features. For once in his life Klaus Mikaelson was at a loss for words. He knew he was broken by some degree, yet it baffled the thousand year immortal to see a much darker side of the women he loved. Raelyn has darkness; he knew that when she flipped her humanity switch. Except this other vision of her was the witch side of her that he hadn’t come into contact with. “Rae…I…I’m sorry I didn’t know.”

“She’s why I refuse to take my siphon magic back.” I croaked through heavy tears that cascaded down my face, nails clutching onto his forearms for dear life. “I…I thought I wasn’t broken anymore. Nik, what….what do I do!”

Klaus tilted his head, wiping away the tears that he could. He buried my head into his chest and wrapped his arms around my shaking form.  “Rae Rae, you have nothing to fear as long as I am here. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again that you are not broken  Alina - this better be life or death because your mother needs my support at this moment.”

“Sorry, dad. The problem is that Landon somehow got sent and trapped in a prison world.” Our second oldest werewitch daughter explained through his cell phone once answering her. 

Lifting my head up slightly from his black henley shirt my husband growled. “Bloody hell.”

“Alina, what else is going on?” I questioned her through some sniffles

“Hope is determined to get him back and now she’s looking for the Ascendent. I’d suggest you guys get here before she nearly burns the school down to rescue him.” 

Separating from my husband I take the phone from his hand. “We’ll be on our way in a few. If things start to go sideways I give you permission to use your powers by any means necessary.” Hanging up the phone I scooped Josette’s hunting knife off the ground, sliding it back down into the pocket of my jeans. Klaus moved towards the doorway clasping my hand in his heading back home. 

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[purecurlymeme]

Chapter Two - The Sacrifice

Elijah Mikaelson x Aley Jane Prescott x Klaus Mikaelson

Summary: Aley joins Elena and Rose to find intel on Klaus. Despite Aley’s warnings, Elena insists on sacrificing herself to protect her loved ones.

"Elena, you can't be serious," I say, frustration lacing my voice.

She sighs, keeping her eyes fixed on the road, a flicker of desperation slipping through her determined expression. "Everyone I care about ends up dead. If all I need to do is give myself up to protect my family, my friends, to protect you, I will." Her words settle heavily, like she's already made peace with them.

I lean forward from the backseat, catching her reflection in the mirror, hoping I can talk her out of this. "Honey, I get it. I really do. But there's always a loophole." I pause, hoping my words sink in. "This is a bad idea, Elena.

This morning, she called me, asking if I'd go with her and Rose to meet one of Rose's friends who might know something about Klaus. The plan was to track him down, find a way to give herself up. My first instinct was to tell her no, that she was out of her mind. But, as much as I hate the supernatural, I hate sitting in school even more, so here I am. Plus, ever since being kidnapped, I'd never let her walk into danger alone.

She glances back, forcing a reassuring smile. Tapping Rose's arm to pull her out of her music, "Everything's going to be fine, Aley. We're just going to ask Slater some questions and be back in Mystic Falls before dinner." She tries to sound convincing, like if she believes it hard enough, it'll be true. "And Rose trusts him. Right?" She turns to the pixie-haired vampire in the driver's seat, who's been navigating these winding roads in silence.

Rose nods, her face distant but resolute. "I've known Slater a long time. He's one of the only people I trust." Her voice softens, her gaze drifting. "Besides Trevor..." She trails off, her expression folding into something sad and faraway. Elena reaches out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, while I sink back into my seat, pretending to focus on my hands. Dealing with other people's emotions has never been my strong suit.

Trying to break the tension, I joke, "I dropped my brother the other day, and I still feel like a terrible person." I let out an awkward laugh, and Elena stifles a smile, biting her lip as she tries not to laugh too.

Rose glances at me, letting out a faint sigh. "The bottom line is, we can trust him. If anyone knows anything about Klaus or the ritual, it's Slater."

I lean back, resting my head against the window as the scenery blurs past. Outside, life looks so normal people walking dogs, kids waiting for buses. I wonder if they have any idea how strange and heavy things can get. How easy it is to end up in a mess you never signed up for. That leads to me wondering how many of them are supernatural.

After a while, I murmur, "Do you... like it?" My voice barely fills the car.

Elena turns, puzzled. "Like what?"

"Being a vampire," I say, my eyes shifting to Rose, who tightens her grip on the steering wheel.

She sighs, like she's been holding this answer in for centuries. "It's complicated. There are things I wouldn't give up, but a lot I'd give anything to forget." She glances at me through the mirror, her gaze unwavering. "Why do you ask?"

I look down, twisting my hands together. "I think about death a lot. Especially lately."

Her expression softens, but there's a hardened edge beneath it. "Because you want to be a vampire?"

I shake my head quickly. "No. It's just...

Katherine basically told me I'm collateral. And that terrifies me."

Elena reaches across the seat, giving my hand a quick squeeze. "I won't let that happen, Aley," she promises, her voice gentle. I offer her a small, tight smile, trying to keep it steady.

Rose gives me a sad, knowing look as silence settles over us again, the weight of it all pressing down. For the first time, I wonder if surviving means becoming someone else entirely.

Eventually, Rose breaks the silence, her voice barely above a whisper. "Living like this... it changes you. It's not all bad, but it's not all good either. You carry things, regrets you can't shake, and some days... it's hard to remember who you were before." Her words settle heavily between us, the quiet truth of someone who's been running for too long.

She shifts her gaze to me, her eyes softened by an understanding that makes me want to look away. "If you're afraid of being collateral, Aley, I don't blame you," she says, her tone almost gentle. "In a world like ours, we all become collateral at some point."

The words land in my chest, wrapping around the fears I've tried to push down. I glance back out the window, watching as the world outside flies by in a blur of colors, lives, faces. All feeling so far away. Somehow, I know I've crossed a line, and no matter how much I want to, I can't go back.

The silence falls over us again, different this time, like we're all holding our breath, each of us quietly aware of what we've given up, what we're terrified to lose next. And as the trees and towns slip by, I wonder if this is how it begins, the slow unraveling, where you stop recognizing yourself bit by bit until all that's left is the choice to keep going or to turn back when it feels like there's no way forward at all.

Then, breaking the quiet, Rose turns the wheel into a parking spot in front of an industrial building. "We're here," she says, her voice low.

I groan, dragging my feet up each stair, my voice trailing in frustration. "I can't do this! I hate going upstairs." My complaint is met with Elena's raised eyebrow, and I just frown, giving in and trudging along behind her.

When we finally reach the top, Rose doesn't waste a second. She pounds on the door with a sense of urgency. "Slater! Slayer! It's Rose, open up!" Her voice carries through the quiet hall, but there's no response.

"Looks like he's not home. Guess we'll have to try again another day," I say, spinning on my heel, relief washing over me. "What a shame," I add, my voice dripping with sarcasm. But before I can get far, Elena's hand catches the sleeve of my jacket, holding me back.

"Oh no, we didn't come all the way up here for nothing." She gives me that determined look and gestures for Rose to try again. Rose rolls her eyes but doesn't hesitate, and with a swift pull, she breaks the latch on the door. Impressive, honestly. She motions for us to go in, and though I hesitate, I follow Elena inside.

Slater's apartment is massive, with exposed brick walls that make it feel like stepping into another world. I wander through the room, catching sight of bizarre artifacts on the walls and old mid-century artwork. There's something hauntingly beautiful about it all, like everything here has a story it's dying to tell.

I turn to Elena, who's now standing with Rose, and casually comment, "Gotta hand it to him, this art's probably worth millions." I trail my fingers over one of the frames, feeling the weight of history there.

"I don't think he's going to be much help," Rose's voice cuts through my thoughts, pulling me back. There's a seriousness in her tone that has me on edge. I look over at Elena, and her wide eyes tell me something's wrong. She steps toward Rose, and I reluctantly follow.

I can feel the tension building as I peek into the next room, and my stomach drops. There, sprawled out and lifeless, is a body, Slater's, I assume. His face is twisted and veiny, an ugly reminder of how quickly things can go wrong in this world.

"Well... damn," I murmur, not sure if I'm trying to lighten the mood or just processing it myself. It's like the air's been sucked out of the room, and suddenly, the weight of everything we're tangled up in feels heavier than ever.

I'm stretched out on the couch, my legs hanging over the edge, my sweater wrapped tight around me. Rose and Elena are digging through Slater's stuff like there's some answer hidden in all his mess. I'm watching them from upside down, a little bit dizzy, as they try every possible password on his computer, growing more frustrated with every failed attempt. I let out a groan and roll off the couch, my feet hitting the ground, and I drift over to this dusty shelf of artifacts, running my fingers along their edges, careful not to knock anything over.

Rose finally sighs, defeated. She glances at Elena, voice barely a whisper. "We should go.

We don't have the password. At this point we're just wasting time."

"I totally agree, let's get out of here!" I chime in, trying to sound optimistic.

And then, right then, there's this loud crash behind us. I nearly jump out of my skin, pulse racing as I instinctively frown.

"Stay back," Rose says, her voice all tense as she edges toward the door. I'm already moving backward, pressing in beside Elena.

"Trust me, bravery is not on the agenda today," I whisper, heart pounding as I watch Rose crack open the door.

"Alice?" she says, her voice softer, confused.

I shoot Elena a look. "I thought the dead guy's name was Slater?" I mutter, and she just shakes her head. And then, in rushes this dark-haired girl, completely falling apart, sobbing like she's just lost her entire world. And it's definitely not Slater. I cringe, trying not to look, sinking back onto the couch, so out of place I could scream.

A few minutes later, we're all in the kitchen, making tea for this girl like it's the most normal thing in the world. I'm trying, really trying, to feel some shred of sympathy for her. But Rose already filled us in, she was only with Slater because she wanted to be turned. She's not heartbroken; she's just freaking out 'cause her whole plan fell apart. I lean against the counter, sipping a juice box I found in the fridge, letting the taste of apple distract me from this whole mess.

Elena's trying to get the password out of her, and Alice just stares until Elena promises that Rose will turn her if she helps. The second those words are out, Alice perks up, like this is the best deal she's ever heard. She practically skips over to the monitor, types in the password, and suddenly, Rose and Elena are laser-focused on the screen, while I'm just standing back, quietly drinking my juice, feeling like I'm in the wrong movie.

"Kristen Stewart," Alice sneers, rolling her eyes.

"He had such a type."

Finally, I push myself off the counter, moving closer to where they're all huddled. Rose points at some email. "What about Cody Webber? They talked about Elijah constantly."

Alice nods, glancing at us. "I could call him."

Elena hands her a phone, her voice cold and steady. "Tell him the doppelganger is alive and ready to surrender."

I drop my juice box. Apple juice splatters across the floor, and I just stare. "Wait... what?" The words barely come out, my voice shaking. "You we're serious?"

Elena doesn't even look at me, just tells Alice to send the message, and walks out like she didn't just drop a bomb on us. Rose and I stand there for a second, then rush after her.

"What are you doing?" Rose's voice is strained, like she already knows.

Elena's face is unreadable. "I'm getting Klaus's attention."

Rose turns to me, wide-eyed. "Did you know about this?"

"Sort of?" I stammer, swallowing hard. "She called me last night, told me some of it, um, she also told me in the car ,but in my defense I didn't think she'd actually do it." My voice drops. "I mean... I wouldn't."

After last night, I thought I got it the ritual, the danger, the way Klaus wanted her blood. But seeing her now, actually ready to go through with it, it's like I don't know her at all.

Rose looks at Elena, realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. "If Klaus finds you, he'll kill you," she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

And then her face falls. "Which is what you wanted all along, isn't it?"

Elena's voice is so quiet, like she's barely holding it together. "It's either me or my family."

Rose shakes her head, a mix of heartbreak and disbelief in her eyes. "So this was all just some... self-sacrifice plan? To save everyone else?" As i go to say something Alice struts back into the room, this weird, triumphant smirk on her face.

"Cody's on his way," she says, her voice all sugary and smug. "And he's really excited to meet you."

I run my fingers through my hair, trying to hold it together as the weight of it all presses down, this feeling of dread sinking in. "We're so fucking dead," I mutter, more to myself than anyone. "I am so, so dead."

Rose and I sit quietly in the dim light, watching as Elena walks back into the living room, bracing herself to meet this Grim Reaper character named Cody. The weight in the room feels thick, like everything we say is hanging in the air, heavy and sharp edged. I glance over at Rose, who's got this fierce determination look in her eyes, like she's already a few steps ahead, planning her next move.

She pulls out her phone, thrusting it into my hand. "Alright, listen," she says in a low voice, her gaze steady on mine. "You're going to call Damon. Get him here, no matter what. Do you understand me? I'll handle Miss Self-Sacrifice." She doesn't wait for me to respond before speeding off to where Elena is, leaving me with the weight of the phone and the mess of thoughts buzzing in my head.

I roll my eyes, "Okay, i guess i'm doing this." I flip open her contacts, scrolling to Damon's name, and press call, hoping hell actually pick up. After a few rings, his voice finally crackles through, sounding as annoyed as ever. "What?"

I roll my eyes. "That's rude. Try again."

There's a pause on the other end, the kind that feels like he's debating whether or not to hang up. "Hello?" he says, his tone dripping with impatience.

"Better," I mutter, trying to keep my own frustration in check. "Anyway, it's the girl who got kidnapped with Elena, if that rings any bells."

"Elena gets kidnapped a lot. You'll have to be more specific."

I huff, my voice low and clipped. "Don't act stupid, Damon. I don't have time for this."

He sighs heavily, like every word I say is pulling teeth. "What do you want?"

"Long story short, Elena's got some brilliant idea to give herself up to Klaus. We're at the dead guy's apartment, and we need you here to help get her out of this mess because I'd rather not die today."

Damon's silence on the other end is thick with irritation, and I can practically hear him grinding his teeth. Finally, he lets out an annoyed growl. "Send me the address."

I don't even wait for him to finish before I hang up, muttering to myself, "For being so ancient, that man needs to learn some manners."

I glance toward the doorway, hearing the low murmurs of Elena and Rose's voices from the other room. I know Elena's determined to go through with this, to make some grand sacrifice for all of us. But the thought makes my stomach twist into big knots. There's no way I'm letting her do this. I'm not about to stand by and watch her throw herself to Klaus like she's some expendable pawn.

I try to ground myself in the coolness of my water, my fingers gripping it tightly as I wait on the couch, my eyes flicking back and forth from the door to Elena's tense pacing behind me. I can feel Rose's steady stare cutting through the silence, her expression tight, and I know we're both thinking the same thing, how close we are to losing control of this whole situation.

Elena finally pauses, glancing over at us. "You know what, I'm just going to get a drink," she says, her voice too calm, like she's trying to convince herself. Rose and I exchange a look, a silent plea that neither of us voices. And then Elena is gone, disappearing into the kitchen.

The quiet doesn't last. There's a gasp from the kitchen that makes my heart skip, the water nearly slipping from my hands as I spring up and rush toward her. But the wave of fear fades as soon as I see him. Damon smirking, with that same look he always has around Elena, his blue eyes sharp and unwavering.

"What are you doing here?" he asks her, his tone both irritated and amused

Elena stares at him, her voice coming out barely above a whisper. "What are you doing here?" She whips around to look at us, betrayal flashing in her eyes. "Y-You called him?"

I shrug, feigning innocence, while Rose just frowns. "We're sorry, Elena," Rose says, but there's a weight to her voice that says she's not as sorry as she pretends.

Elena shoots us a glare, her face flushing. "You said you understood."

Before I can say anything, Damon chimes in, "She lied." His voice is so matter-of-fact, like this is the most obvious thing in the world.

Elena turns to him, her jaw clenched, and I can see the annoyance simmering beneath her calm facade.

Then, of course, Alice waltzes in, her voice syrupy sweet as she spots Damon. "Damon Salvatore!" she exclaims like they're old friends, and I cringe as her perfume hits me, too heavy and floral, making the air feel stifling.

Damon's patience snaps. "Get rid of her," he says to Rose, never breaking eye contact with Elena. Finally, that girl was giving me a migraine. Rose pulls Alice out of the room, leaving me stuck here in the awkward aftermath.

"Well, isn't this awkward," I mutter, earning a withering glare from Damon. I raise my hands in mock defense, smirking as he and Elena dive into their usual tug-of-war. He's hell-bent on keeping her from going anywhere, and she's just as dead-set on staying, their voices escalating, each trying to out-stubborn the other.

I start to edge away, thinking maybe I can slip back to the couch unnoticed, but my back hits a shelf, and a vase tumbles off, shattering on the floor with a loud crash. I wince, whispering, "Whoops."

Damon's eyes dart to me, then he jerks his head toward Elena. "You-sit down." His stare cuts back to me. "And you? Plant yourself on that couch, now."

I mumble, "I said whoops," under my breath as I drop onto the couch, trying not to look at him. i felt like i was being scolded by my dad.

The room hangs in this heavy silence, all of us tense and waiting, and I can feel my heart racing in my chest. Then the front door swings open, slamming against the wall with a force that makes the picture frames rattle. I jump to my feet, instinctively moving toward Elena.

Rose, Damon, and Elena hold their ground, bracing themselves for whatever's about to come through that door.

"We're here for the doppelganger," the blond one says, his voice flat and final.

Elena starts to step forward, her expression resolute, but Damon pulls her back, whispering something in her ear that I can't catch from where I'm standing. There's a flash of defiance in his eyes as he turns to the men. "There's nothing here for you."

I jump in place as the man in the back crumples to the ground. That sickening twist in my stomach returns as I see him-very much alive when he should be dead. Well, shit. It's Elijah.

His brown hair is perfectly parted, and a deep scowl is etched on his face, dressed in that fancy button-up and slacks that probably cost more than my life.

Elijah strides forward, closing the distance to the two other men, and I can't help but instinctively duck behind Rose.

"I killed you. You were dead," Damon shoots at Elijah, his voice laced with disbelief. Elijah's gaze slowly drifts from me to Damon, and I peek over Rose's shoulder, heart racing.

"For centuries now," Elijah replies, his tone so casual it nearly makes me stifle a laugh. I cover my mouth, trying to suppress the urge.

His eyes flick back to me for a moment, and I realize he must have caught my reaction.

The burly man from before speaks up, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "Who are you?"

"I'm Elijah."

The moment he says it, the two men drop their tough-guy acts, clearly rattled. "We were going to bring her to you... for Klaus. She's the doppelganger. I don't know how she exists, but she does. Klaus would want to see her."

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Like, really? It's pretty obvious, dude. Elijah doesn't even bother looking at him.

"Does anyone else know you're here?" Elijah asks, and a sickening feeling churns in my gut, just like when I watched him decapitate that grown man the other day. His eyes flick to mine, then to the window beside me. I can't hold his gaze, so I focus on the outside world, feeling that something terrible is about to happen. "Well," Elijah continues, his voice smooth, "Then you have been incredibly helpful."

Gasps fill the air, and I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing myself for what's coming. I bury my face into Rose's back, clinging to her like she's my lifeline as I hear the thud of two bodies hitting the floor. "That's just disturbing at this point," I mutter to myself, the words barely escaping my lips, swallowed by the tension in the room.

"I thought Elijah was dead! You guys told me he was dead! So why the hell is he not dead?" I exclaim from the backseat, frustration bubbling up in my chest.

Damon's grip tightens on the leather steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. "Great question, Sparky. It's almost like no one else was wondering it," he replies, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The unflattering nickname sends a glare shooting his way; he knows how to push my buttons.

"You would think you'd know how to properly kill a vampire," I shoot back, my irritation flaring.

"Says the one who had to hide behind Rose," he retorts, a smug grin on his face.

"Damon, enough," Elena interjects, her tone firm as she backs me up. "Aley is right. Why is Elijah alive, and why did he just leave us there, alive?"

Silence settles in the car as we all ponder the weight of her question, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

"I'm not sure," Damon admits, glancing sideways at Elena's profile, the worry etched in her features. "But I'm going to find out."

"I bet you felt cool saying that," I mutter, rolling my eyes.

Damon rolls his eyes in response. "Oh, whatever," he dismisses, but I can tell he's a little rattled too.

"Does this just mean shit is going to be harder?" I ask, trying to get a grip on what Elijah's return really means.

"No," Elena replies firmly, only for Damon to chime in with a "Yes" at the same time, leaving us in an awkward standoff.

Elena shoots Damon a daggering stare, her annoyance palpable as he drives. I lean my cheek against the cold window, watching the world blur past. My mind races with thoughts of how screwed I am, how undeniably hot the scary guy is, and how the hell I'm supposed to finish my history homework on top of all this chaos.

[ravenspeakrp]

Welcome to Raven's Peak, Erin, we're excited to have you! Noah Morgrave (Milo Ventimiglia, original vampire) has been accepted. Please be sure to stop by the CHECKLIST for the follow list, tags to track, and other reminders.

OUT OF CHARACTER 

NAME: Erin PRONOUNS: She/Her AGE: 32 TIMEZONE: EST

IN CHARACTER 

FULL NAME: Noah Morgrave SPECIES: Original vampire AGE: ?? DATE OF BIRTH: July 31st GENDER IDENTITY: cisman, he/him NEIGHBORHOOD: Hidden Hills OCCUPATION: Self employed WORKPLACE: Owner of Midnight Mirage POSITIVE TRAITS: Debonair, stoic, clever NEGATIVE TRAITS: Apathetic, cynical, resentful LENGTH OF TIME IN RAVEN’S PEAK: In and out for his entire life, most recently returned ~six months ago FACE CLAIM: Milo Ventimiglia 

BIOGRAPHY

TRIGGER WARNING: death, blood, violence

There isn't much that Noah remembers of the days before - or even really the centuries that had immediately followed - what had happened at the top of Raven's peak that fateful day. He knew he had been a responsible older brother, always looking out for his siblings; though, perhaps not when it had truly mattered. He had a family, a wife and children more made out of a mutually beneficial relation rather than love, but they were family all the same. They were still his, and he cared for them with a stern but nurturing hand. He had dreams of them following the footsteps left for them by the Morgrave legacy.

When a power struggle became apparent between the four families who had been selected to watch over Raven's Peak, Noah had wanted no part of it. Of course they all had their reasons to covet the stone that brought them so much power. But it was foolish, thinking one could have it all for themselves. When the plan was proposed to split the stone and share the power...he'd been skeptical, to say the least.

Noah should've known better than to mess with the balance of nature. He knew better, because magic always did come with a price. But curiosity got the better of him. What if they could harness the power held within the mystical stone? What if they could make it their own and wield it how they wished? No matter who you were the idea of holding something like that in your own two hands to mold to your will? Well, it was a rather intoxicating idea.

When the plan had blown up in their faces, literally, Noah thought death would be a blessing. But instead, the most horrid of curses was laid upon him and his siblings, instead. Vampirism. They had become slaves to blood lust, a thirst that seemed as if it could never fully be satiated. In that instant, the whole entire world flipped on its axis and went dark. The light disappeared from within him, instead replaced with an undying hunger. The only thing he knew was he had to get away, and he fled - dropping bodies in his wake across the entire world. Without his humanity, Noah just didn’t care. Time became relative, hundreds of years were lost in what seemed like a blink of an eye but also felt as if they were stretched into infinity. He didn’t love, he didn’t feel, he didn’t care. He was a slave to the blood, a killer, a monster.

He’d all but forgotten his past life when his brother reappeared to flip everything over on him once more. It was his baby brother who made him feel again - only when Noah had him within an inch of his life. He was convinced to return to himself and let his humanity return - and along with it all of the shame and regret he felt over the past several centuries. He hadn’t even kept a count of all the bodies that had dropped at his hand, how many innocent people that he’d murdered - but he could feel the weight of each and every one of them, bearing down on his shoulders and dragging him into hell.

His wife and kids had died centuries ago thinking he’d abandoned them. For all intents and purposes, he had. For decades he walked the Earth on uneven footing, not knowing where he really fit or belonged. Even his family were only shadows of their former selves, waging war on the werewolves and continuing to fight for power, no longer interested in the normal aspects of the life they’d once known. Noah wanted nothing to do with it. He fought the wolves that got in his way but otherwise didn’t seek to wage war with them, unlike his siblings who seemed more hungry for power and control than ever. While he knew his siblings certainly didn’t need his help, perhaps even didn’t want it, he kept an eye on their affairs from a distance, meddling just enough to keep them from getting too deep into trouble. After all those years had passed they may not be the family he once had known, but they were still his family - and he loved them now even more fiercely than before. As a boy he swore to protect them and that promise is still something he plans to keep.

Noah sought out more of the finer things in life. He chose to travel, exploring every inch of the world and beyond as new territories were discovered. He studied, absorbing what knowledge he could and trying to keep abreast of the ever evolving world. Technology advanced at startling rates, often leaving the vampire behind to catch up years later. He chose the path of blending in, assimilating with humanity but never staying in one place too long.

Laying down roots isn’t Noah’s thing. He drifts in and out of Raven's Peak, preferring to live in a constant state of transition rather than letting himself get too comfortable. Even if it takes hundreds of years for things to change, he’s been burned by it far too many times to count, and he’s not willing to be caught off guard again.

EXTRAS

FILLING CONNECTION: Morgrave family INSPIRATIONS: pinterest

[theheightofdishonor]

So I randomly rewatched tua in reverse order (s2, then s1) and i’ve come to the conclusion that my fondness for Klaus comes mostly from the latter half of season 1, after he’s off the drugs.  

As much as I feel sorry for Klaus about how often he gets ignored, I also can’t actually blame his siblings for doing so. Klaus is exhausting to care for/about and is more preoccupied with getting his next fix than about his siblings and he’s aware of that. He doesn’t hate them for it because he knows they’re justified. 

I low-key felt bad for Diego because Klaus is 100% aware Diego has a soft spot for him and has almost definitely taken advantage of that knowledge before. 

However, when he’s not wholly, selfishly consumed with finding his next fix, Klaus is ridiculously endearing, with an earnestness that begs you to love him. Think of when he’s trying to soothe Luther, unhesitantly offering his blood to save Allison, advocating for Vanya. Klaus’s love for his family is what makes him so easy to love when it would be just as easy to hate. 

And honestly, that goes for all of them. Their love for each other and how they act on it is what makes the Hargreeves likable (redeemable, even, if you want) because let’s be real, they’re all un-united, awfully adjusted, occasionally insensitive child superheroes/celebrities/soldier who have a hard time forming deep connections with people outside of each other, partially because it was near impossible to find anyone who could understand even half of what they’ve been through and partially because again, they’ve been fucked up since childhood. 

Like these idiots literally cause the apocalypse and lose each other in time, but when they meet again, they’re arguing again in five minutes and end up causing the apocalypse for the third time. It would be easy to hate them for it but it’s not and I love them (and Klaus) anyway, despite their laundry list of issues. 

[nevertheless-moving]

Imagine Luke and Leia ending up in the clone wars era but all of their force abilities are “what the actual fuck?” levels of bullshit, and neither of them ever realized that the things they could do with the force were considered extremely high level techniques.

that is one of my FAVORITE things to imagine yes. To me this is less about ‘Skywalker bullshit’ (though there is some of that) and more about the training they (didn’t) receive.

The high-Midi-chlorians-actual-descendents-of-the-force thing makes it easier to tap into the force, makes it more possible to do so without accidentally exhausting yourself. But, in universe, under the right circumstances and with the properly channeled belief anyone can do anything. That’s why Palpatine had to make the galaxy want an empire, why his first strategy was misdirection and his top priority was crushing hope. Chirrut was supposedly force-null and he walked through an army. Han navigated that astroid field because he had to. The force is everywhere. 

In an amusing but possibly unintended turn of events, 6-12 weeks of training in a swamp with an elderly frog who only talks in riddles without ever being exposed to Jedi culture except as a myth is actually IDEAL if you’re looking to maximize a Jedi’s raw strength. Most Jedi training that we see in the prequels is explicitly designed to put the breaks on a force-users raw power (for honestly very valid reasons). Channeling all violence through a single weapon that will start screaming if you get too violent, training to use it defensively, is definitely the soft-ball alternative to just squashing people like meatballs. 

Meditating, wearing beige, the code, shunning attachments, all that stuff is built around making sure force users never run above first or second gear even in stressful situations (again valid, when you run your jedi in the red sometimes they become murder monsters). The downside of this is that when they’re forced to maintain that placid pace for years at a time (i.e: prolonged war), they’re much more likely to burn out.

When Yoda told Luke do or do not, told him a luminous being was he, told him size matters not, the amazing thing isn’t that Luke believed him. That was karking objectively provable. Yoda lifted a spaceship, so now Luke knows he can too if he just thinks he can. So he does. Vader and Palpatine conquered a galaxy. Luke believes he can stop worlds, crush armies, conquer planets and so he can. 

The incredible thing about Luke is what he doesn’t do despite being tapped into the Force utterly free of mental restraint. Luke’s op character trait is his compassion, not his strength.

I assume at some point Luke puts Leia through a similar 2 month meditation class where he convinces her that her only limitations are the ones she imposes on herself. She has a complete meltdown when she realizes that she actually could have boiled Tarkin alive with her mind and saved Alderann. This causes a volcano to go off, devastating the ecology of a small moon. On the flight home, both of them slightly charred, she tells Luke that she wanted to focus on politics and didn’t really want to be a Jedi anyway. Luke nods quickly, supporting her decision, and resolves to seek out some Jedi texts about how to teach people they can do anything but also...maybe...not...anything.

And thus the Jedi order is reborn.

- - -

In the time travel version of this, it means that Luke is assuming that all of the Jedi are restraining themselves like he is. And they are, but they also aren’t, because their breaks are subconscious, built in since childhood, and have a lot of failsafes so even if they turn darkside they still restrain themselves pretty good (a la Dooku). 

Leia is, again, less interested with the Jedi-specific aspects of the war (especially now that she doesn’t have to feel guilty about being one of the only people who can pick up that mantle) and more interested in the diplomatic side. Again, Palpatine can only succeed if the galaxy at large accepts this, and from where she’s standing they’re fucking moving in that direction. If being a Jedi is tapping into the mystical energy field that binds all living things together to channel it through one specific person in one specific place, then politics is manipulating that same power for a diffuse impact on as many people as possible. 

This status-quo lasts until a major clone wars battle where Luke’s like ‘wait- the entire other side is sub-sentient droids? No living beings, and no droids with complex personality matrices? And they’re currently, actively killing living, sentient humans? Well kriff, come on! This is a no-brainer!’

Luke takes a deep breath. The air- it doesn’t disappear or anything- but it- it stops moving. It’s hard to explain...but breathing has an odd...resistance. The hair on the back of every clone’s neck stands up. Several get vaguely sea sick. One pukes a little. Plo Koon stumbles back, head ringing and afraid.

Luke Skywalker stands up and clenches his fists. 10,000 droids crumple like flimsi in the hands of a child. The battlefield is eerily quiet for a moment, then that imperceptible hum (which no one noticed until it stopped) fades and the air returns to its normal density. A few of the shinies start whooping, then the whole battalion is cheering.

Luke massages his temples, smiling wryly at Master Koon. “I guess I can see how that would get exhausting if you were doing it everyday.”

Plo Koon just stares.

[lemonzestywrites]

Intimate Moments: 1) Hugging them from behind, laying their head on the other's shoulder

(i cannot stress enough how sorry i am that this took for absolutely forever so i hope you will take this a good enough apology!!)

exactly what you were looking for

paring: buck x eddie

word count: 3,053

tw: n/a

[ao3 link]

_____

Eddie is 6 years old, sitting in Adriana’s room, watching as his older sister plays with her Barbies without a care in the world, when in the smallest, most curious voice, he asks, “How do you know when you’ve found your true love?”

He had come in here to ask her something; what the question was exactly is now long forgotten, but soon after, he caught himself becoming oddly mesmerized by what she was doing, the little story she had created for herself. He didn’t really understand the details all that well, something to do with a princess…and maybe a tiger, maybe? He just remembered his sister muttering something about a “true love’s” kiss, then the rest had all but gotten lost in his mind. He was vaguely aware of the concept, probably the product of his sisters watching Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast for hours on end, but he didn’t understand the how?

“You just do,” she had explained like it was the simplest thing in the world. A unanimous fact. Like the sky was blue and the grass was green. Like love was a magical but understandable process- as most 9-year-olds often view it. Back then, Eddie didn’t know any better, had no idea what kind of reality the world had in store in for him, but still, he listened. He remembered looking up at his sister as she brushed some hair from her doll's face, one that had been a little scratched at the edges, the product of tough childhood love. She placed the barbie back into the dollhouse alongside another, positioned to make them look like they were holding hands. “Everything in the world will feel right, and in that moment, you’ll know. You’ve found exactly what you were looking for.”

At 6 years old, little Eddie Diaz had taken those words to heart, a new discovery into the world beyond him. Wise insight on what the wild concept of love was really like. But the world kept growing, and reality became more brutal as he got older. He found that love wasn’t this mystical thing perfectly painted like it was in the movies. As much as he wished it was.

There was a while with Shannon, early into their relationship, where young Eddie could’ve sworn he had found it there. That fairy tale, perfect high school sweetheart kind of love. Youthful and free. But then, a positive pregnancy test and a sudden need for income changed a lot of that. It’s not that Eddie didn’t love Shannon; that couldn’t be farther from the truth. He loved her. Eddie’s pretty certain she loved him too. Life and happenstance had changed them a lot, taken more than what they were looking to give. 

Ana, on the other hand- she had been a different story entirely. Eddie was searching for a part of himself within Ana that she just couldn’t fill, to no fault of her own. He wanted perfect, he wanted nice, he wanted that kind of love that was so wondrously simple…just, not with her. 

Eddie had almost given up on the prospect entirely, convinced himself that fairy tale romance was just that, a fantasy. It was something that other people got- not him, though. 

That was until a couple months ago, when the product of a few beers and late-night confessions had led to Eddie kissing Buck in the middle of his kitchen. 

Before then, Eddie wasn’t sure if he’d ever feel that sensation of butterflies in his stomach or the feeling of his heart leaping out of his chest. But God, kissing Buck had made every shred of doubt melt off his shoulders entirely. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had kissed him like Buck had- loving and sweet, with the faintest hint of desperation that left Eddie breathless as he had pulled away.

It wasn’t long after that everything else had started falling in place, following suit with such an unspoken ease. They’re so ingrained in each other's lives, their routine practically effortless. 

It’s good. Really good.

The whole thing feels so natural. Eddie always wondered if dating a man would be different at all, and in some ways, admittedly, it is. Kissing Buck had been a lot different than anytime he had kissed a woman before. Before, his height had never been an issue when kissing his partner, but now Eddie finds himself having to tilt his head slightly up to kiss Buck. But Eddie’s getting used to it all now, the things that were once new and unsure to explore now come to him with ease. And as Eddie has discovered, there are definitely perks. Especially after recently finding out that Buck’s hoodies not only fit Eddie but are also very comfortable. 

He likes that he gets to have this now, this simplistic domestic life he’s always wanted, happy and fulfilling, shared with the man he loves. That now his weekends are comprised of going to the zoo or the beach. That their work bags sit together in their shared bedroom, their fridge now is intermingled with a combination of fresh produce from the farmers market and bottles of fancy creamer Buck is addicted to (that he may or may not also be getting Eddie addicted to).

It's these kinds of moments, kind and soft in nature, that he likes to bask in. To reminisce and take in the handcrafted intimacy they’ve made for themselves. And it’s in times like these, moments where the soft familiarity drifts in subtly in the late hour of the night as Eddie stands in the kitchen, finishing off the last of the leftover dirty dishes before he heads off to bed.

The water is running just low enough for him to catch the sound of the gentle footsteps padding up from behind him. Suddenly, a warm wave climbs up his back, coating his shoulders with a familiar solidity that Eddie has come to know time and time again. Buck tentatively wraps his arms around Eddie’s waist before pressing a lazy kiss to his temple. “Hi,” Buck greets softly into the tufts of Eddie’s hair, his voice low and still sweet in the quiet hours of the night.

Eddie smiles before shutting off the water and sinking further into Buck’s embrace. “Hi,” he whispers back tiredly. “Thought you went to bed.”

Buck nestles closer into his neck, causing Eddie to giggle at the sudden feeling of Buck’s cold nose pressing up under his jaw. “I missed you,” he murmurs, soft lips brushing up against Eddie’s collarbone. He kisses the exposed patch of skin there, as if determined to pry the sound from him again. Eddie is starting to regret telling Buck about the fact that he’s ticklish cause now it seems to be a piece of information that he appears keen on exploiting. 

Once he pulls one more laugh from Eddie’s lips, he thankfully withdraws with what Eddie can only picture as a very satisfied smile before Buck settles back into Eddie’s neck, snuggling against him a little further.

Right beside his ear, Eddie hears him let out a small curt yawn before settling his head back to where it was. “You’re warm,” he mutters, the hints of exhaustion still lingering to the ends of his words.

Eddie chuckles to himself and slowly turns the sink back on to finish up the dishes. There’s only one glass left, but he knows Buck doesn't like cooking in a dirty kitchen, not that he’d ever say anything about it, but as Buck is always saying, it's about the principle of it. The warm water cascades softly down his hands as he begins to work with Buck by his back, practically falling asleep on his feet. With every breath, a small puff of air will brush up against the underside of Eddie’s jaw. He finishes up eventually, washing the suds off the last glass, gently settling it down aside on the drying rack before grabbing a hand towel and drying his hands.

He tosses it to the side, and with a relaxing breath, Eddie leans back in Buck’s arms, taking in the warmth spread out along his shoulders, the soothing comfort that Buck’s embrace brings. Buck has always been a space heater of a human being, warm and cuddly in nature, as Eddie had come to find out. It's especially comforting now, in the low chill of their kitchen, that carries that same frigidity that spring nights often do. Here though, that coldness feels miles away as a gentle wave of tranquility floats along, surrounding them both in a kind of warm contentedness that Eddie wants to bask in. 

Blindly, he reaches to his stomach, searching for one of Buck’s hands, entangling their fingers once Eddie’s found it. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to mind the clamminess of Eddie’s palms as Buck squeezes Eddie’s hand in return.

Everything around them goes silent. Not deadly or eerie, but comfortable. A delicate kind of serenity that couldn’t be matched anywhere else in the world. It’s the kind of wondrous contentment Eddie’s been trying to find for years. And here it sits, in his kitchen during the late hour of the night. 

There’s a soft flicker in his chest, subtle and quiet. Not much more noticeable than the hum of the fridge beside them, but here in the delicate silence they’ve created, Eddie can’t help but catch it. 

It’s not an unusual feeling. It’s one he’s noticed before a handful of times, this gentle wave capturing moments not too dissimilar to ones like this. In these soft fragments of time, only limited to them and the love they have for one another. Every now and then, that soft fluttering feeling that he’s been searching for ages comes rolling back around the edges as he shares this moment with Buck. Eddie never thought he’d ever get here, to find this kind of tranquility in his life.

(Everything in the world will feel right, and in that moment, you’ll know.)

He looks to Buck the best he can, given the angle. The overhead light is the only thing illuminating his features, the gentle glow being cast down, cradling the contours of Buck’s cheek, highlighting the messy curls deprived of product. 

For some reason, something Eddie can’t entirely explain, it suddenly all hits him.

(You’ve found exactly what you were looking for.)

It’s as if the world quietly clicks into place. Everything settling right in front of him. A quiet revelation, taking up only a few seconds in time. For years, he’s been trying to look for something just like this, and now it’s here. Right here in the center of his home. It's not grand or spectacular; there’s no wondrous firework show or glowing choir.

It just…is. 

Eddie loves Buck. He’s the most important person in his life, second only to Christopher. 

This little family he’s created and fought so hard to do so. He’s happy. Really happy. And right now, more than anything, Eddie wants to hold on to that. He looks to Buck, and there’s no question to it.

“Marry me.” 

His voice is quiet, no louder than a whisper, yet in the still solace of the nighttime hour, the words echo magnitudes in the gentle vastness of their kitchen. 

Buck’s arms shift from where they’re wrapped around Eddie’s waist, almost stilling but not quite. His head lifts from where it had been resting on Eddie's shoulder, and he turns his head to look directly at him the best he can, eyes widened, taken aback with surprise. “What?”

“Marry me,” Eddie repeats, soft and low once more, letting the delicate meaning fall and sink in. “Please?”

There’s a beat of silence, a moment where the words hang there in the air, being hung by anxious trepidation. Buck’s eyes scan his features for a moment before he relaxes and smiles. “Okay.”

Eddie blinks a couple of times. “Yeah?”

He was sure Buck would say yes, Eddie wouldn’t have asked if he wasn’t, but still, the excitement finds itself radiating from his heart. A flurry of Buck wants to get married, and We’re going to be husbands is swirling in his head, feeling overcome with the growing happiness within him, unable to contain itself any longer.

And Buck laughs, the kind of infectious, joyous laughter Eddie loves. “Yeah,” he says giddily as a smile begins to form at the edge of his lips. “Yeah, Eds, I’ll marry you.” 

Call him a sap, but suddenly Eddie finds himself unable to restrain himself any longer and surges forward to kiss him. The position is a little awkward, putting a strain on his neck as he turns over his shoulder to kiss his boyfriend- his fiancé- but he pushes the discomfort aside and leans into it as far as he can.

It’s late, and the weariness lingering on Eddie’s shoulders had all but made itself evident. Even in his tired state, Eddie feels himself overwhelmed by the delighted bliss running through his veins. It rushes him in volumes, feeling it course all the way down to his toes, this serene happiness flooding his senses.

The arms wrapped loosely around his waist now pull him in closer till the two of them are almost flushed together from ankle to lips. But the positioning is too far, not enough; Eddie needs to be closer. 

He pulls back just far enough for him to speak. “Buck, baby, I wanna kiss you.”

Buck smiles sweetly against Eddie’s lips. “Sweetheart, you are kissing me.�� 

Eddie laughs, the sound partially muffled in the small space between them. “Properly,” he insists. Thankfully, Buck so graciously complies, letting his grasp loosen just long enough for Eddie to turn in his arms and face him. And not a second later, Buck’s lips are on his again. 

They’ve both kissed each other countless times before; god knows they must've traded at least a hundred kisses on Eddie’s couch the night they first confessed to each other. But here, there’s nothing else other than bubbling excitement shared between them. It’s sweet and loving. Filling their kitchen with silent fireworks and a burning kind of adoring passion Eddie can’t get enough of. 

He lets himself be gently pushed back against the counter behind him and welcomes that wonderful elation once again.

Eventually, there’s a point in which the kiss slowly dissipates in a series of giggles and shameless smiles, neither one of them able to contain their joy long enough to properly kiss each other. But Eddie doesn’t mind. He’s pretty sure Buck doesn’t either, this precious joy caught between them becoming wonderfully infectious. Instead, they carefully pull apart and settle for pressing their foreheads together.

Buck huffs, brushing their noses together. “God, I wanna marry you so bad. It’s not fair I have to wait.”

Eddie pauses for a moment, thinking. “Then let’s not wait,” he says simply. “First thing in the morning- you, me, and Christopher, we drive down to the courthouse, and we make everything official.”

Buck blinks at him in surprise. Which is understandable. Eddie is most definitely not an impulsive person by any means. But this feels like an exception. Eddie has waited years for this, to finally get to this point in his life, to experience this kind of happiness. On top of the years he and Buck had spent slowly realizing and coming to terms with their feelings, Eddie is pointedly deciding he’s not waiting any longer than he has to.

Despite the nighttime darkness peeking through the window, Buck glows in pure uninhibited elation. “Okay, let’s do it,” he beams excitedly. His smile is so bright and joyful, the kind of excitement so unrestrained that he doesn’t hesitate pulling Eddie into a sweet kiss. Cradling the side of his face and pulling him in, another rush of wild adrenaline capturing them both. It sends a ripple of goosebumps down his spine at the motion, it reminds him of their first kiss all over again. The feeling of warm hands gently stroking his face, Eddie’s heart singing and singing the same beautiful melody as it did the first time. He could live in this sensation forever if he could but suddenly he feels Buck slightly jolt above him, humming against Eddie’s lips as he pulls back just far enough to speak. “What about the others? Maddie’s gonna kill us if we get married without her there.”

“We’ll invite everyone, and they can meet us there.” Their friends will think they’re crazy for it, he knows they will, and Eddie is more than willing to endure the endless amount of teasing they’re about to go through. But he knows it’ll be more than worth it, especially to have everyone there.

It’s good they don’t have to plan for much. They both already have suits, and they can get flowers. The cake will be a mess, but they can figure that out later. Thankfully, though, Eddie doesn't even have to worry about the rings either, knowing at least that the one he bought Buck is sitting in the pocket of his blazer hanging in the back of his closet.

Buck looks at him with that adorable glint in his eyes, hopeful and bright. “Can we still have a ceremony?” he asks with that hopeful, sweet tone in his voice that makes Eddie’s heart flutter. “I’ve always wanted one of those.”

Eddie leans in, pressing a kiss to the corner of his smile. “Yeah, baby, of course, we can.” God, Eddie would find a way to get married on fucking Mars if that’s what Buck wanted. Besides, if he’s being honest, he’s always wanted a proper ceremony too.

That wave of joy comes back again and they find themselves tugging each other close till their lips meet once more. It's soft and content. Gentle and careful, singing soft praises of their love that reverberate out in a hazy glow. Around them, the world feels at peace. 

Eddie feels at peace.

It’s crazy to think he’s here. In this moment, basking in a glow he thought he’d never experience again. Distantly, he remembers being 6 years old in his sister’s room, pondering his life, wondering if he’ll ever find his true love. 

He’s more than glad to say that at 35, Eddie’s found him.

[linksthoughtbrambles]

My official ask submission lol:

As the village seer, you peer into the mystical to give the villagers sage wisdom from beyond. The problem is, you're not magical, you're just smart and you live in an exceptionally dumb village

A bit nsfw.

Half-Right

Zelda watches him walk into the clearing, sunset-orange light dappling against him sideways as he swallows a tremulous breath, lowering himself to sit on his heels, hands open, palm-up in his lap and head bowed in uncertain offering, and a pang of sympathetic guilt spears its way out her chest—she'd let this situation get out of hand, a flippant remark ("Link has caught the eye of a powerful creature and may soon be devoured"—honestly, no one had the brains to understand Zelda was capable of both physical attraction and sarcasm?!) turning into many questions hurriedly answered to the point that the entire village became convinced Link's inescapable fate was to be eaten by some monster in these woods at sunset; she hadn't meant to frighten him, truly, and she's a bit surprised he is frightened considering he's the one villager who always seems smart enough to be on to her (she had, after all, predicted the eclipse via mathematics, not mystical future-sight, just as she'd predicted what years would bring high populations of mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies, and other pests to name a few things).

It isn't her fault she has a functional mind—she simply sees things, and no one else seems to (except Link, who squints at her suspiciously every single time, and the older they'd become the more heated she'd grown under that piercing blue gaze, especially when, like today, he went shirtless in hot weather)—but it is her fault Link's kneeling there trying to even out shaking breaths, and she makes up her mind, stepping toward him with a rustle that snaps his head up, his eyes widening first in fright and then in something unnamed; when she reaches him, she opens her mouth to apologize but lets out a gasped "oh!" instead as he pulls her suddenly into his lap, legs on either side of his, and all the heat she'd felt with each of his stares slams her gut hard.

"I hoped it would be you," Link whispers, his lips feathering over hers as she begins shaking as violently as him, that heat moving directly to where her lap meets his, realizing her so-called-future-sight has been blind where he's concerned, for his trembling isn't a sign of fear but of anticipation and desire—her hands thread through his soft hair and explore the definition of muscle along his shoulders as she presses her open mouth to his, as he probes hers then pulls back to bite his way to her ear where he says, "You were wrong this time, Zelda," leaving her wondering for just a moment, his breath fluctuating against her skin before finishing, "you're the one who'll be devoured"; he lays her back and begins making quick work of her body in a line from her ear down her torso's center, and as he reaches his goal her last glimmer of logical thought is how very, very pleased she is, just this once, to have only been half-right—she'll correct him later.

-----

[Thank you so much for the fun ask, Deilia!!]

[thegirlwhomoanedwolf]

Come back to bed

Damon x reader

( Damon gets reader to come back to bed to fulfill his naughty needs)

Warnings: 18+

“ Damon I have to go. Caroline will kill me if I don’t help set up for the Christmas tree ceramony,” (y/n) said matter of factly as Damon tried to pull her back into bed.

“ I’m sure a few hours won’t matter,” he said trying to convince her. (Y/n) thought of the night before a flush coming to her cheeks. He had spent hours worshiping her body until finally she had passed out from exhaustion.

“ I need to take the lights Damon, I’ll be back in a few hours” she leaned down to kiss him and was quickly pulled ontop of him, his erection pressing into her. He thrust his hips into her only a thin sheet covering his lower half.

“ I need you to take this first,” he thrust again causing her to moan.

“ Damon I need to get ready”

“ shhhh,” he interrupted her, “ what if I make it quick ?” He asked and began to kiss her neck. She moaned softly trying to find the words to resist but none came out. Damon slid his hands under her pajama shirt playing with her nipples just how she liked before lifting it over her head. He began to kiss her chest before twirling his tongue around one of her peaks causing her to cry out. He could feel her wetness soaking through her panties driving him mad. Flipping her over and removing the sheets from himself he hovered above her. Trailing a hand down her stomach he slipped it into her lace panties.

“ god you’re so wet,” he moaned into her ear while circling her clit.

“ Damon,” (y/n) begged softly.

“ Don’t worry I know what you need.” He sat back slowly pulling her panties off making a show of it. He licked he lips at the sight of her spread out before him and positioned himself overtop of her as he ran his tip over her slick folds. Damon slowly thrust into her only letting half of his tip enter her before pulling out. He knew she always came harder after being teased like this. She whimpered below him and he thrust back into her heat feeling her wrap around his tip tightly wanting to pull all of him in.

“ you said you’d make it quick,” (y/n) moaned trying to convince him to give her what she wanted.

Damon nibbled her ear while still teasing her by inching his cock in slowly before taking it out.

“ you want quick kitten ?,” he whispered. “ just remember you asked for this.” With that Damon thrusted into her forcefully causing her to cry out from the pain and pleasure. Instead of letting her adjust or gradually building a pace he began to fuck her hard and fast consumed with lust.

(Y/n) screamed overwhelmed by pleasure and Damon pushed himself upwards to change their position. Sitting back he pulled her forcefully toward him hooking her legs over his shoulders.

“ play with yourself,” he ordered and watched as her hand slipped between her thighs. The new sensation caused her to tighten around Damon and he began to thrust harder knowing what she needed.

“ come for me (y/n).”

His words sent her over the edge and she trembled around him as he continued to thrust into her warmth.

“ good girl,” he growled his eyes rolling back in his head from her grip on him.

“Damon I’m too sensitive,” (y/n) moaned her hand trying to push his hips away. He continued to mercilessly pound into her.

“ I want you to come again.”

“ I can’t,” she sobbed the pleasure becoming too much to handle.

Damon knew that wasn’t the case from how many times they had done this before and angled his hips so each thrust would cause him to rub against her clit.

“ yes you can, come on, cum for me.”

The new angle made her body shake close to another orgasm.

“ that it’s,” Damon panted about to cum. “ I’m gonna cum baby.” His thrusts started becoming inconsistent especially with her entire body shaking below him, “ I want you to cum too.”

The sensation of his cock and the desperation in his voice caused (y/n) to cum around him even harder than before Damon following her into bliss.

“ oh fuck (y/n),” he cried out burying himself in her folds farther as he came.

They laid in bed breathing heavily as Damon slowly pulled out of her sad to leave his favorite place on earth. The only thing that made him feel better was knowing that he fully intend to fuck (y/n) in the mystic grill bathroom after the tree lighting ceramony. He smirked thinking of his plan again. What a great night he had ahead of him.

[elffees]

why Jane vs. Kenny made sense and why ANF is important (or the continuity between seasons)

ya know as much as i heavily agree on the “Luke vs. Kenny wouldve been more fulfilling rather than Jane vs. Kenny” thing (trust me Luke was my favorite S2 character) Jane vs. Kenny did have its purpose, especially when looking at Clementine’s arc through S2, ANF, and TFS.

im not gonna talk too much abt S2 bc the game couldnt make up its mind on what it wanted its main theme to be so it changed overtime. but still, by the end of Episode 5, Jane vs. Kenny makes sense in its own way.

while a Luke vs. Kenny confrontation would represent Clementine having to choose between the deep ties of the past vs the hope of a new future, Jane vs. Kenny represents something else. while S2 notoriously having nonstop and controversial deaths bothers me as much as the next person, i think its also supposed to represent Clementine’s spiral. Kenny’s downfall is focused on a lot, but Clementine experiences her own just as much.

in S2 so many people die around her and the point of the Jane vs. Kenny fight at the end is not supposed to be a duel between two vastly different sides, but instead a messy situation of having to choose who’s the lesser of two evils (btw no im not saying the characters are actually evil). Jane vs. Kenny is supposed to feel awful and unfair. Clem has been dealt a shitty hand in a shitty world and has had nothing but a shitty time. S2 is a very dark experience for her, there is no happy ending because there’s not supposed to be.

➱ how this flows into A New Frontier

this fits into the overarching narrative because Clem’s journey in S3 is basically the opposite of S2. seeing the Garcias go through their struggles, but still miraculously come out on top and safer than they ever were before changes a lot for Clementine. like, regardless of what you choose, at least one other Garcia besides Javier survives the EP 5 “who do you go after” choice. Javi does not end alone.

the Garcias have a rough time, Clementine witnesses their trauma first hand. throughout the season, her emo self is constantly trying to convince Javier that happiness doesn’t exist. and i mean, after the griminess she went through in S2 and then having AJ taken away from her pre-ANF, can you really blame her? ffs the girl even gets her first period and has cramps! cramps!! in the apocalypse!!! what a fucking cherry on top. from big situations to small, nothing has been going right for her in a very long time.

but for the most part Javier and the Garcias remain optimistic. they are very aware that the odds arent in their favor but they keep going regardless. and Clementine tries frequently to get away from them. shes not trying to walk away because they believe in happy endings, but because she just doesnt want to be with people again, not after theyve burned her so many times before. but circumstances keep reconnecting her with this family whether she wants to be with them or not. not to get mystical, but its like the entire world kept forcing Clementine back with these people because this was smthg she needed to see. and see, she does.

the more time she spends with the Garcias, the more happiness actually seems possible. she learns that AJ is alive and well! despite Gabe’s possible endings she gets her first crush! both Javi and Kate help her out with her period! an entire community is saved and continues to thrive in the end! and Clem learns that people arent inherently bad or doomed for misery. people are just people, theyre not something you have to avoid and run from, and tragedy and loneliness are not guaranteed.

Javier may lose loved ones, but he can also become the leader of an entire community! and even if he doesnt, they as a whole still made Richmond better. they rooted out the weeds that made it dangerous and harmful, and helped turned it into a better place in the end. and Clementine sees this. she sees it all, she sees the journey of the Garcias and it helps her realize that maybe, just like them, she can make a fresh start and find her own happiness too. and what could be a better first step than searching for the little boy she thought she lost.

➱ how this flows into The Final Season

this connects to S4 because already at the beginning of the season, Clementine values life and love much more now. regardless of how you choose for them to get into the office in EP1, Clementine always hesitates to kill the walker couple. and thats just the first instance, overall Clementine is a much brighter and open person than she was before. she’s found her happiness, AJ, and it shows. shes not as bitter and full of resentment as she was in S3, but shes also not naive. shes found the balance that works for her: firm but not cold, kind but not ignorant. finding this balance in herself is what allows her to be the new leader the Ericson kids need.

her journey from the miserable experience of S2 to the renewed hope of S3 has all led her to this moment, of becoming a leader in her own right. and damn it is so good to see and is so deserved.

i know people thought Clementine’s lack of death was kinda bullshit, and because TWDG is supposed to be choice based, i do agree that the situation with her leg was written really really weird. but at the same time, this is Clementine’s first real happy ending. S1′s finale was a nightmare. S2′s was a dreary no-win scenario. S3′s was the growing possibility of a bright future. while S4′s ending is finally nothing but peace. she might lose a love interest or AJ might lose a best friend, but they still have each other and Clementine is now the leader of a place she truly feels she belongs.

after all the pain and grief and hurt, she has finally found home.

[finalvortex]

Green.

I’ve got a record player that was made in 2014, Dyed my hair blue, it came out a seasick sort of green. I like vintage dresses when they fall just below my knees, I pretend I scraped them climbing in the trees.

Sometimes I think all I’m ever doing is trying to convince myself I’m alive.

-Daisy the Great, ‘The Record Player Song’

Green is a difficult color to talk about.

Green is a difficult color to talk about because everything in Amphibia, or at least Wartwood, is green. The plants are green. The grass is green. The trees are green. The water is green. The sky is green. The majority of background frogs are green.

Green is a background color.

It’s always there. Ever present, but never significant. Defining every scene by its presence, but never in a way that draws attention to itself. Green is so prevalent, so pervasive, so consistent, that you never really notice it’s there.

Until it’s gone.

Green is Marcy’s color.

Most Marcy episodes deal with her relationship with another character without focusing purely on Marcy herself, because Marcy is always standing in the background, behind everyone else, both in supporting them and in not revealing her true self. Because of this, there are very few times when green stands out.

One notable exception is that Anne wears this green dress throughout Girl Time, when she’s fixated on what she thinks Polly needs instead of what she actually wants - specifically, trying to get Polly to ‘fit in’ with a preconceived societal idea Anne has of what a girl ‘should’ be like.

Huh.

Anne’s back to her regular outfit before the end of the episode, by the time she’s realized that she’s “super wrong” and she shouldn’t be pushing Polly to be something she’s not.

On the other hand, Anne wears a green sampot (pha thung? look don’t expect me to know fashion) in Lily Pad Thai, as she fixes up Stumpy’s and delivers on the promise she made. This is Anne at her most capable and competent, as she easily handles the task of running a restaurant - because it’s something she knows that she’s good at and has experience doing.

The mossman is green and surrounded by cyan butterflies. I don’t have anything to say on that right now, because we still don’t know the full deal with the mossmen, but I thought I’d point it out.

In Cursed!, the color of Barry’s magic is a paler, almost sickly, green, which makes a nice contrast to Maddie’s purple:

Barry, as we know, is a real jerk. But he’s a jerk in secret.

Barry: I played it cool and was sweet, because my image is half my business! I may look nice, but I’m petty and vengeful on the inside!

And you know who else is a shade of light green?

Everything about Tritonio is a fabrication. He pretends to be an ordinary, boring teacher to Hop Pop, and then a cool teacher to the Plantar kids, but he’s neither of those things. He’s a con man. Even his goatee is fake. Hell, I don’t think he’s actually Spanish. And what the first lesson he taught them?

Trust no one.

And then there’s Children of the Spore.

Throughout the entire scene of Gary’s possession, Amphibia’s moon becomes a similarly pale green, which provides an eerie lighting that helps to sell this episode’s horror vibe. This is hardly the last time we’ll see the moon change color, but what’s really interesting is that immediately after Gary is defeated and the threat has passed, the moon turns back to its normal red.

So, either the light of Gary’s mushrooms is making the moon look green somehow, or there’s something more mystical going on. Green is also the color of wit, of course, and these frogs are having their minds taken over. While we don’t know how Gary enslaved most of the town, we can say one thing: he got control of Hop Pop’s kids by tricking him. Like Tritonio, he’s a con man.

As with Anne and Sasha, a lighter shade of green represents Marcy’s positive traits taken to a logical extreme - in this case, intelligence, cleverness, and strategic brilliance become deception, trickery, and lies.

And that’s it for green in season 1, so come back next time when we actually talk about episodes with Marcy in them.

[7-wonders]

Hardships Unnumbered

Summary: The quest to save Julia begins, but not everything is as it seems in this mystical land.

Word Count: 1969

A/N: Hi friends! This is the second chapter of my Labyrinth King!Michael AU fic, "It's Only Forever." I'll link the first chapter down below. I hope that you enjoy and, as always, likes, comments, and reblogs make my world go round.

(also there's a couple of little easter eggs/one big one and I'm really excited to see who figures them out)

Chapter One

Though you put your hands out in front of you to brace yourself, it doesn’t help you to discern which way is up and which way is down until you finally stop rolling. With a groan, you shove yourself up to your feet. Your palms are scraped and slightly bleeding, your jeans are torn at the knees, and leaves and twigs now adorn your hair. All in all, this is not the way you had hoped to start this mission to get Julia back.

Now that you’re already at the bottom of the hill, it’s easier to decide how to start this jaunt through the Labyrinth. After all, you certainly can’t go back up, and the solid ground beneath your feet only leads one way. The shining spires of Michael's castle at the center of the maze, closer than you had thought, rise high above you and act as a compass. All factors considered, you can definitely run this in a couple of hours. Then, once you’re both safely out of here, your first order of business is to call the cops.

Your confidence begins to fade the longer that you walk along with the wall separating you from the inside of the maze. There’s no door, or arch, or opening anywhere to be seen. Turning around, you look back to see if you’ve missed the entrance. Instead of finding one, movement catches your eye. A man, tall and willowy, cries out victoriously at something trapped under his foot. He seems to be your best bet, and you decide to approach him.

“Excuse me?” you say.

The man startles, obviously not expecting to see anybody here. “Oh!” he cries in surprise, looking at you as if you’re the first person to ever cross his path. His hair is bleached to look almost white, and he has a pair of oddly-shaped sunglasses with purple lenses covering his eyes. The checkered jumpsuit, complete with ruffles on the shoulders, both does and doesn’t go with the sunglasses. You’re not quite sure why the people that live here dress so funny, but it’s making you feel underdressed.

“Which way do I go to get into the Labyrinth?”

“Now, why would I tell you that?”

“Because you must have come from there,” you pause, looking down at the man’s foot when you hear a squeaking, “oh! Is that a fairy?”

“Mhm.” Your childlike wonder is abruptly swept out from under you when he kicks the small, blue creature into the forest.

“Why did you do that? That wasn’t very nice!”

“Go ahead and pick one up,” the man says, “you’ll see how nice they are when you’re missing a finger.” As if to prove his point, a fairy flies up to you and hisses in your face, showing off two rows of razor sharp teeth. “What is it that you wanted, again?”

You huff. “To know which way to go to get into the Labyrinth.”

“Did you try asking it?”

“I’m sorry, what?” You roll your eyes in disbelief before mocking him. “‘Labyrinth, please let me in!’ Is that what I should say?”

He doesn’t have to respond, for a sudden rumbling has you turning around. To your shock, there’s suddenly an open space in the wall that hadn’t been there just a second ago.

“You’re joking.”

“No, I’m Gallant.” You want to tell him that you weren’t guessing his name, you don’t even want to know his name, but he continues. “Who are you?”

“(Y/N).”

“Ah, that’s right.” So this is one of Michael’s ‘subjects?’ After all, if your dreams have been right (and you’re still half-convinced this is just the elaborate scheme of some unhinged weirdo and not magic, despite what you just saw), then that means that Michael is also the ruler of the Underworld. With that logic, Gallant must be some sort of a demon. If that’s the case, you certainly don’t want anything to do with him.

“Well,” you say awkwardly, “I’m going to go now. Running on limited time, and all that.”

“You’re just going to go in there? Alone?”

“Yep.”

“But--but the Labyrinth leads to the Labyrinth King!”

“That’s kind of the whole reason why I’m here.”

“You’re going to get hurt in there.” Gallant gasps. “You could even die in there!”

You set your shoulders, walking to the hole in the wall and glancing back. “I won’t, but thanks for the concern.”

“Wait!” Even if you did want to listen to what he had to say, you couldn’t, for the wall closes back up on itself the moment you step through it. Mildly jarred though you may be, there’s not much you can do to change this, so you turn around and try to figure out whether to go right or left. Both directions look exactly the same, so with the flip of a mental coin, you go right.

After both walking and jogging for what must have been over a mile, you’re no closer to any sort of landmark that would tell you where you are or how close you are to the castle. There haven’t even been any corners to turn past, just one long, unending aisle. You’re starting to feel a little claustrophobic as you finally come to a stop, needing to take a break for a minute. Sinking down against the wall into a sitting position, you find yourself looking back and forth down the path. Both directions look exactly the same, for as far as you can see. You groan dejectedly and put your head in your hands, allowing yourself a moment of pity before getting up and trying again.

“Hey there!”

You jump at the sudden Southern-sounding voice. “Who’s there?”

“Me, of course!”

Looking around, you see a small door just to your left, and a small woman, probably less than a foot tall, standing next to you. Her curly blonde hair is pulled up into a ponytail, showing off her pointy ears. “And you’re...talking to me?”

“There’s nobody else around, is there?” The woman glances inside the open door. “‘Cept the missus, of course.”

Another woman, also blonde, pokes her head outside and smiles up at you. “Hello!”

“Why don’t ya come inside for a while? ‘Delia makes a killer gumbo.”

“Uh...no thanks. I’m just taking a break for a moment before I find a way to the castle.”

The woman’s face turns severe, and she holds her shawl tighter around herself. “You must be awfully brave if you’re so determined to go up there.”

Brave? You wouldn’t call yourself brave. Stupid, maybe, for bowing to the whims of the guy who’s kidnapped your charge, but not brave.

“But anyways, just go through the wall across from us and you’ll be on your way.”

You look in front of you to see the solid wall. “Through there?”

She nods.

Logic is telling you that this is obviously false, but, considering the same thing happened with Gallant, it can’t hurt to try. Standing up, you cautiously put your hand up to the wall, expecting to meet, well, a wall. Instead, you almost fall through a doorway that leads to another passage in the Labyrinth. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“You will be if you keep going.”

You choose to ignore this, at this point knowing that everybody who lives here is terrified of their ruler. “Thanks for the help.”

The elf stares at your back as you walk through the new corridor, figure becoming smaller and smaller. “If she would have stuck around, I would have been able to get her on the right track back home, not towards that horrible man.”

From inside the house, a timer beeps. “Misty, supper’s ready!”

///

In the stone chamber of the King of the Underworld’s throne room, a three year old girl is currently winning a staring contest against a demon. Michael watches as the demon’s eyes begin to water (with blood, of course), before he eventually gives in and blinks. The little girl cheers before looking at Michael.

“My daddy’s gonna kick your butt, you know. He saved mama from aliens once.”

“Silence, child,” Michael commands, but he can’t help the twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth. It’s difficult to hide his amusement when this child is the most lively thing to grace his castle since...well, he can’t quite remember since when.

Being surrounded by demons of all shapes and sizes, with a variety of horns or extra eyes or tails, gets old after a while. Demons, quite frankly, are a bore. All they want to do is scare people and cause mayhem, yet continue to use the same methods that have been in place for thousands of years. If Michael’s being honest with himself, everything’s a bore to him here. In the early years, this job had been quite fun. Lots of naive humans to terrify and endless souls to torture.

Michael himself had been prone to naivety, then. It was easy to deal with the buffoons that called themselves demons when it seemed that, soon enough, he would find somebody to share this burden with him. After all, it was the guy upstairs who believed that emotions were for the humans. Michael, however, found it to be one of the most carnal pleasures. To love, and to be loved, seemed like the greatest sin. As the years passed, and the whole routine of ruling the Underworld became stale, Michael began to embrace the feelings of dejection, while simultaneously dreading the thought of an eternity alone.

That’s why, no matter the outcome of tonight, Michael would at least have something to add a little color to his black-and-white world. At the very least, the child would provide much-needed entertainment in the Underworld. She seems quite creative, which could potentially lend itself to some new and innovative torture methods. But, that would almost be a non-starter, considering the whole reason that she’s here, the whole reason Michael implemented this plan in the first place, is to get to you.

You, who managed to somehow win over demons disguised as beggars that loitered outside of the bookstore you worked for. You, who was constantly coming up with your own ideas for stories, creating and erasing entire worlds within your mind (a power far more powerful than any regular magic, Michael believes). You, who had somehow managed to vex and enchant him, without ever having spoken a word to him. He had seen you on one of his visits up Above, talking to a beggar demon as if they were your equal, offering food and shelter to their grotesque form. From then on, he knew that he had to have you, and from that, a plan was born. The Labyrinth, which he had subtly placed in every single one of your dreams for months now, was impossible to run through. You would inevitably lose. And when that happens, he’s prepared to accept your frantic offer where you exchange yourself for the child. He is, after all, a benevolent ruler.

“Mr. Michael?” Julia questions, breaking Michael out of his pondering.

Michael hums, deciding that he won’t lecture her on the importance of referring to rulers by their titles. “Yes, little one?”

“Do you have juice here? ‘M thirsty.”

“Abaddon!” Michael calls, the demon appearing in a puff of smoke. “Get our guest some refreshments.”

The demon turns to do Michael’s bidding, shocked when Julia grabs their clawed hand and skips along with them. “I really like your spiky horns,” she says.

Michael looks up at the clock on the wall, noting that only nine hours remain for you to reach the center of the Labyrinth and rescue the child. Perfect. He’s not one to get too cocky (yes he is), but these are odds he’s willing to take.

//

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[thewebcomicsreview]

If you look up “How to make a magic system” over on the Google, you’ll get a lot of advice. Make it “hard magic”, focus on the cost of casting spells, Think about the effects of magic on society, blatantly rip of bending from Avatar, etc etc etc. People will often say that the best magic systems are stuff like Avatar, FullMetal Alchemist, or Battle Anime where people spend thirty pages explaining their stand, with a very strong preference for Hard Magic, but as a general rule and especially if your protagonist is a spellcaster themselves. It’s one of those iron-clad rules of fantasy writing: The ability of magic to solve problems in directly proportional to the audience’s ability to understand magic. There are tons of writing guides that make it very clear that you can’t make a successful fantasy story where the main character can resolve issues with some nebulous vaguely defined and unexplained magical abilities, like using some kind of “guide the arrows to hit the target” spell that was never so much as hinted was one of his powers until the moment he uses it.

Audiences just won’t put up with it!

Prequel is a fancomic based on the Elder Scrolls series of games. This presents it with an issue when trying to tell a story of a girl who slowly becomes a powerful and heroic wizard: It’s magic system has to line up with a video game, one with a fairly generic “wave your hands and a spell happens and your MP goes down” magic system, where wizards can shoot fireballs, heal, walk on water, pick locks, summon monsters, summon pants, turn invisible, trap souls, move things telekinetically, etc. with no real underlying logic connecting it all. How do you make it interesting to learn about? 

One thing Prequel does that’s kind of clever is that it leans into the inherent “softness” and inconsistent nature of the Elder Scroll’s games and really digs into how fucking frustrating it must be to learn how to be a wizard in a soft magic setting.

Every single spell or magical effect in Prequel has an entirely unique set of rules for how that one spell works. Destruction magic is based on emotions, mysticism is apparently more of a logic and understanding, summoning is literally calling a tech support hotline....

Which is neat and all, but none of that really matters. What makes this so interesting is how all this magic shit relates to Katia, because she’s the protagonist and it’s her story.  And Katia’s got a bit of a problem that gets her into trouble a lot, an emotional boom-and-bust cycle that works like this:

Things go badly for Katia

Katia has an emotional crash

Katia tries to fix things (in this case by raiding a tomb to find treasure)

Katia has a lucky break

Having succeeded at something, Katia gets overconfident that her entire life has managed to turn a corner and that she’s transformed into a cool and successful new person

Things go badly for Katia

Katia has an emotional crash.

This is a enough of a repeated pattern that the above panel is where a lot of people apparently drop Prequel, convinced it’s just gonna be misery porn. Katia needs to get control of her emotions. She needs to learn to think more carefully. She needs to be able to change the parts of herself she wants to be different.

Anyway, we were talking about magic. The first spell Katia learns is powered by her emotions, taking her hurt feelings when experiencing racist micro-aggressions and channeling those feelings more productively.

Once Katia learns this ability, then the next time she has a big emotional crash-

Is the time where she manages to lot let her negative emotions control her.  And at no point does the comic explicitly make the connection between Katia learning to channel her negative emotions in magic and Katia managing to overcome her negative emotions and quit drinking.

I mean, yes, the act of refusing to give in to despair causes Katia to immediately get her fire powers super-charged, but because this is treated as a problem for her to solve (”Oh shit everything’s on fire!”), the connection is one of those things you have to put together yourself, or have a Webcomics tumblr point out to you. 

The second spell she learns is based thinking logically and realizing that things don’t inherently have to be the way they are.

In this case, the connection is reversed. Katia learns “to think like a Witch-hunter” and gains Telekinesis. 

And this causes her to do something she’s never really done: Make a plan. Once she learns to think like a Witchhunter, Katia does a lot more thinking generally, and doesn’t rush headlong into bad ideas nearly as often. 

The magic system in Prequel isn’t interesting because it follows rules or because it’s well understood in a way that makes it easy to slot your OC into it. It’s interesting because it’s tailor-made for Katia’s personal character arc.

And so while healing magic being a time of time travel is a cool idea (and one I independently had for Saffron and Sage before Prequel did it, for the record), what makes it really interesting is that the key is “believing in yourself harder”. The reason Katia can’t get a handle on how restoration works isn’t some worldbuilding lore, it’s because she hasn’t gotten to that point in her character arc quite yet. 

Because ultimately the worldbuilding exists to serve the story, and doing what serves the story is always going to be better than doing what some guide on the internet says is the “right” way to do something.

[hyperion-moonbabe-art3mis]

Virago 35. Finally Justice

Summary: Y/N was sent to the ground after spending five years in the Skybox for stealing medical supplies and murder. How will she deal with her new environment and learn to survive on earth? Will she crack under the pressure of becoming a leader of the 100 or will she embrace it. 

Post Date: 08.13.2021

Word count: 1.4k

Based off: 03x10 “Fallen

Pairing: Bellamy Blake x Reader

Masterlist

100 Master List

You all head back to the cave that you and Octavia had taken Bellamy to. “Where’s Lincoln?” Bellamy asks.

“Pike put a bullet in his brain,” Octavia says trying her hardest not to break down.

“O...O, I am so sorry,” Bellamy says right before Octavia connects her fist with his face. Bellamy doesn’t speak a word as Octavia continually lands punches on his face.

“Octavia, that’s enough,” Kane says.

“Kane, stay out of this,” Bellamy responds, accepting his fate. Octavia then begins to beat him even harder, letting out as much rage as possible. Even though Bellamy was the reason for Lincoln’s death, it wasn’t the easiest to watch his little sister punch him over and over again.

“Stop, that’s enough,” Miller says knowing the group couldn’t bear to standby. He tried to pull Octavia away but was just pushed back by a heartbroken and sobbing Octavia.

“Miller, back off,” Bellamy says. Octavia still punches her brother.

“You’re dead to me,” Octavia says to Bellamy before walking away to cool off. After everything seemed to have settled down, you all gather to make a plan on what the next steps are.

“I say, we run two-man patrols, round the clock, starting now.,” Bryan suggests.

“We’ll do that but we should be safe here. The grounder blockade’s too close for Pike to risk looking for us,” Kane says.

“Yeah, but are we safe from the blockade?” Bryan questions reasonably.

“As long as we stay on this side of the line, we should be,” Kane reassures.

“They’re grounders, you really think they’re gonna play by the rules?” Bryan asks.

“Hey, Pike will want you dead now, too. We take him out, we can go home,” Miller says.

“We take him out, then the grounders lift the blockade,” You add.

“That’s right. We become the 13th clan, again. Those were the terms.

“Lexa’s terms. If what Bellamy says is true and she’s dead, how do we know the next commander will honor them?” Sinclair asks.

“One problem at a time,” Kane answers.

“What about Clarke? With Lexa gone, she’s not safe at Polis,” Miller asks.

“Clarke made her choice,” You say.

“The only thing that matters now is killing Pike,” Octavia says breaking her silence.

“Octavia’s right. Once we resume our place in the commander’s coalition, Clarke will be safe, so how do we do it?” Kane asks you all.

“Bellamy, come in. It’s Monty, I’m in trouble. Please say you still have your radio,” You hear Monty say over the radio.

“If we respond and Pike’s listening--” Sinclair starts.

“We go to channel 7. ‘Please say you still have your radio.’ That’s seven words after the word “trouble.” It’s code, go to seven,” Bellamy interrupts. Everyone seems unsure until Kane gives the go-ahead to do so. Sinclair turns the radio to channel 7 and hands it to Kane.

“Bellamy, are you there?” Monty asks again.

“Monty, it’s Kane. What’s wrong?” Kane says answering for Bellamy.

“Pike knows that I helped you get out,” Monty says.

“Can you get to the dropship?” Kane asks.

“I think so,” He responds.

“Good. Go there, I’ll bring you in. Stay off the radio. Over and out,” Kane says.

“Hold on, what if it’s a trap and Pike’s waiting?” Harper asks.

“That’s why I’m going alone,” Kane says.

“Like hell you are,” Octavia protests.

“I agree with Octavia. That’s stupid and dangerous,” You say.

“I’m with Octavia and Y/N. Monty saved our lives. I’m going too,” Miller says.

“No, you’re not. If it is a trap, I’m not marching our entire insurgency into it,” Kane says.

“To stop me, you’re gonna have to kill me,” Octavia says.

“She hopes it’s a trap,” Bellamy says.

“He’s coming, too. We’ll need a hostage to trade for Monty,” Octavia says. Seeing as there is no way to convince Octavia otherwise, Kane agrees with her plan.

“He stays chained, gag him,” Kane says.

“Sir, with all due respect--” Miller starts.

“He’s the enemy. Do what I said,” Kane says, giving you no choice. You all then prepare to make your way to the dropship, but the rest stay behind in case.. Kane, Octavia, and Bellamy head into the opening as you hide.

“Monty?” Kane yells out, but no appearance or response.

“Get outside! Now!” Octavia yells after taking a hold of Bellamy. Soon enough Monty appears, but so does a gun behind his head with Pike holding it.

“He followed me. I’m sorry,” Monty says.

“Let him go, Pike,” Kane says.

“Can’t do that,” Pike says before a gunshot hits by their feet. You quickly look to see where it came from. “It’s over. Put down your weapons. Come on, Marcus,” Pike says and another bullet hits the ground by their feet. “I promised Monty’s mother that I’d bring him home alive. Don’t make me a liar,” Pike says. Kane then lowers his gun and tosses it away from himself. “Now, you,” Pike says to Octavia. 

Octavia doesn’t obey and instead moves her machete to the front of Bellamy’s throat. Bellamy then takes her arm and wraps it around, not letting her get leverage and the rest of Pikes group comes out of into the clearing, handcuffing Octavia. Pike comes up to Bellamy, but they’re talking too quietly for you to hear. 

“You son of a ---” Octavia yells as she’s hit with a baton after Bellamy says something.

“Sir. I found one more,” A man says as he pulls you out of the bushes. They don’t hesitate to handcuff you and bring you with the others. Bellamy leads the way back to the cave, with Pike’s people.

“Sure about the route?” Pike asks Bellamy. “We’re getting close to the blockade line,”

“That’s why Kane set up out here. He didn’t think we’d risk it,” Bellamy says.

“Well, he was wrong,” Pike responds.

“What’s gonna happen to my sister and Y/N? I know they have to answer for their crimes, but--” Bellay asks.

“I’ll tell you what. I’ll make you the same promise I made to Monty’s mother. But this will only apply to Octavia, Y/N still has to answer for her crimes.  Immunity from all past actions, but if she screws up again--,” Pike says.

“Oh, she won’t. I’ll make sure of it. My sister, my responsibility. But what about Y/N’s punishment,” Bellamy says.

“I’ll have to talk to the rest. It depends on what all of her accusations are,” Pike says. Bellamy stays silent, you guess that he doesn’t know how to respond.

You all continue to trek through the forest getting closer and closer to the blockade. “Hold on,” Pike says, feeling like something is off.

“The cave’s just on the other side,” Bellamy says. You’re not exactly sure what he was planning, but you are awfully close to the blockade.

“Keep a sharp eye out,” Pike says to his men as Bellamy moves into the clearing. You and the rest of the group move gingerly into the clearing. Soon enough you hear a horn go off.

“The blockade. Anybody got eyes?” Pike yells.

“I got nothing,” A man says.

“Back to higher ground,” Pike says turning towards the hill.

“Drop your weapon,” Bellamy says taking Pikes handgun from his holster.

“What the hell are you doing?” Pike asks.

“Drop your weapon!” Bellamy yells. You notice Pike’s men starting to turn to hold their guns towards you, so you and Octavia fight back despite your hands being bound.

“We bring you Chancellor Pike of the Sky People. O, translate,” Bellamy says. Octavia pulls out her gag and translates.

“You’ve killed us all,” Pike says to Bellamy.

“Take him. Lift this blockade,” Bellamy says. Octavia translates and the archers take out Pike’s people, before coming in for an ambush. Octavia goes in to kill Pike, but Kane stops her.

Pike tries to go for Bellamy’s gun, but a grounder archer puts an arrow in his shoulder and another one knocks him out.

“Where are you taking him?” Kane asks and the grounders pick Pike up.

“To the new Commander,” The grounder says.

“May I join you?” Kane asks and shows his mark of the 13th clan. “We’re the 13th clan,” 

“Don’t slow us down,” The man says and walks away.

“Are you sure? We know nothing about the new commander,” You ask.

“I’m sure. Go home. Tell our people what happened here. Tell Abby, I’ll look out for Clarke,” Kane says and heads off with the grounders after talking to Bellamy. The rest of you gather everything up and head back to Arkadia.

A/N: We’re back in the world of the 100. I hope you all enjoyed this part! I’m sorry if Y/N doesn’t have like a ton of parts right now, I’m trying to figure out what to exactly do with she/he/they during this time. Although, I do have a plan for later in the series.

🏷: @misfortunatem00n  | @zestylemon99 | @mystic-writings​ | @thebeautifulbookworm | @wintrfld | @simonsbluee | @iwishilivedinthesims | @awkwardspontaneity​ | @hurricane-abigail​ | @how-does-this-work​ | @lizlil​ | @vxidnik​ | @hh0n3yppie​

[plus-size-reader]

Solidarity

Stefan Salvatore x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1483 words

Warnings: none

Summary: No one gets Stefan or why he would decide to become a ripper again, but who better than another ripper?

——————————————————————————————————

Stefan was gone.

Elena had come to terms with the fact that whatever Klaus did to him wasn't going to change. He was just gone, and frankly, she was pretty close to giving up on him entirely. She would rather he be out of her life forever than be what he was right now.

She hated how he'd been acting and couldn't be around him anymore. However, someone had to talk some sense into him and if she and Damon couldn't do it, there was only one other person who could try.

You.

The only solution that Damon could think up in that regard was getting in touch with you, Stefan's oldest friend. An old friend that neither of them had seen in a very long time.

The two of you were complete and total strangers at this point as you hadn't talked to either Salvatore boys in over fifty years. Though, there was nothing time could do to ease the bond that you had shared all those years ago.

You and Stefan had always been inseparable, and that kind of history never really went away.

...Or at least, that's what Damon was counting on. No one could understand a ripper like a ripper.

Which was where you came in.

More than the history between the two of you, Damon figured that the fact that you'd been a ripper for quite some time wasn't going to hurt either. You could relate to him in a way that no one else could, because you were in the same state.

You could relate to what he was.

Now, you were shocked that Damon would reach out to you. As thrilled as you were to get his call, it just didn't make any sense at first. You hadn't talked to either of the Salvatore boys in a while, but it was always nice to catch up with an old friend.

Though, something told you that this call wasn't for catch up purposes. Even from the very first word, you could immediately tell there was something off.

"What's wrong? You sound grumpy" you wondered, keeping track of the ebbs and flows of his tone. That was one thing about Damon you had always appreciated, he was so easy to read, he always had been.

While you took vampirism as a viable excuse to never deal with messy human emotions again, Damon was just less affected by them in the first place. Still, when he did get upset, there was no hiding it. He was just the kind of person who wore his emotions on his sleeve.

Even now, you could hear it, even in his breath. "He turned it off, I need your help" he allowed, that depth still there in his voice. He was really shaken up but at least you knew why.

Stefan seemed to have finally joined the party.

Personally, you had been a ripper since the forties, at which point you decided that you were done worrying about all the pain and suffering that humanity could cause. Being a vampire meant that you didn't have to feel it, and what kind of absolute idiot would choose all that pain if they didn't have to.

It was a gift, and you had chosen to use it to its fullest.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before he'd want to leave it all behind" you hummed, holding the phone just a little tighter in your hands. You should have known what was coming after that, but you didn't see the problem with that in itself.

If Stefan wanted to turn it off, that was his right, and you weren't about to tell him that he couldn't. However, Damon was far from finished, and started telling you the tale of what had happened these last few weeks.

It was quite the story, one you hadn't seen coming, and by the time he'd finished, you were already in your car. Mystic Falls was a few hours away from where you were, and you could be there in two if you broke every law from here to there.

So, that's exactly what you did.

You had no idea what was waiting for you there, at the old Salvatore house, but you knew better than to have any expectations. The Salvatore boys had a wonderful talent for getting themselves into a ton of trouble.

It was easy to get wrapped up in it, but a little bit of solidarity wasn't going to hurt anything. Even if you wanted to help him, you could only do so much to make it better for everyone involved.

You had agreed to talk to him, but that was all you could do. At the end of the day, it was up to Stefan if he wanted to keep being empty or not.

~

Stefan was in much worse shape than you thought.

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he'd gone from Mr. All-American-Vegetarian-Vampire to a Ripper but he wasn't handling it well. He was lonely in the most odd, depraved sort of way. The kind of way that made you really rethink if being a ripper was for everyone.

On you, it was aloof and sexy but on Stefan, it came across as more constipated and moody. It wasn't cute, and you didn't hesitate to tell him that as soon as you saw him.

"What are you doing this for? No offense but you're kind of a dick when you're like this" you started, sitting down beside the male on the couch. You had no idea why he was even bothering when he clearly wasn't having a good time.

In fact, you had never seen him so down and grumpy. For someone who couldn't feel anything anymore, he was really gloomy.

"I like it better" he shrugged, as if you were just going to leave at that.  

You knew for a fact wasn't the real reason and you weren't about to just believe that just because he said it. If Stefan thought that he was better off that way, he needed some kind of a reality check.

...And lucky for him, that was your favorite kind of conversation.

"Well, I don't. So, here's how this is going to go down. You're gonna turn your humanity back on or I'm gonna force you to" you suggested, knowing that it was mostly just a bluff. There wasn't much you could do to physically force him.

However, there was one thing that Stefan had been asking of you for decades when the two of you were together, and maybe that could convince him somehow. So, you pulled out the big guns shortly after, just to entice him further.

"The people who care about you want you back, don't be an idiot. We both know you're better than this" you started, hoping it would help somehow. This wasn't just about how desperate Damon was, or how clearly miserable Stefan was.

Selfishly, you wanted him back to the way he used to be too.

This wasn't the way he was supposed to be, it just wasn't right.

"You don't know what I'm better than, we haven't seen each other in a lifetime" he spit, standing from where he was in his dramatics, heading for the other side of the room before you could even hope to stop him.

Though, there was one thing you could say that would stop him in his tracks.

"If you turn yours back on, I'll do the same"

It wasn't the sort of offer he had been expecting, but of everything that you could have said, that was quite possibly the best thing you could have brought up. For the longest time, the pacifist in Stefan had been begging you to turn on your feelings, but you had always refused.

Though, if turning them back on was going to be the secret to getting the real Stefan back, that was a sacrifice that you were willing to make. If nothing else, you could turn them off again if it sucked.

"Look, the offer has an expiration date cause I'm not exactly itching to start feeling again" you warned, knowing just how far you were willing to go. It was a terrible thing, what you were suggesting, but this was Stefan you were talking about.

You would do anything you could for him, even if you didn't want to.

If you wanted to be all about solidarity, you had to be willing to do things even when you didn't want to.

"Fine, you've got yourself a deal" it wasn't perfect, and may not work in the long haul but if he was willing to try it, you had to be too. That was the whole thing, and in all honesty, you just wanted to be done with Ripper Stefan.

He was a real dick when he didn't feel anything.

[heliads]

Of Sorcerers and Spiderwebs Chapter Four: Hopeless

Y/N L/N is a Master of the Mystic Arts, trained by Doctor Strange himself. When she first meets Peter Parker as they fight side by side against Thanos, she isn’t expecting for their brief partnership to blossom into a love that could last a lifetime.

previous / series masterlist / next

After realizing that you’re in love with Peter Parker, it feels even harder to drag yourself out of bed to head to school the next morning. Even the sight of him walking towards you from across the crowded hallways of Midtown hurts- you know that no matter how close the two of you become, he’ll never see you as anything more than a friend.

In fact, just the simple act of seeing him confirms that you truly love him. You’re not sure how you didn’t realize it before, but it’s glaringly obvious now. When the two of you are paired together for some partner activity in class, you’re able to laugh and smile with him as if you’ve known him your entire life. 

That’s the easiest thing about Peter- with him, you’re able to just live and be whoever you want to be. There aren’t any expectations with him- no rules or assumptions or anything. He doesn’t presume you to be anything more than yourself. You’re not sure anyone’s made you feel like that in a long time.

However, things aren’t exactly perfect. Now that you’re actually paying attention to how you feel about Peter, you’re also noticing how Peter feels about other people. Specifically, how he feels about one of his closest friends, MJ. Case in point: whatever’s going on with them during this exact lunch one sunny afternoon at Midtown.

Although technically there are four of you at the lunch table, Peter’s clearly centered around MJ and MJ alone. He’s sitting next to her, leaning over to face her in a way that shuts out everything else around him. They’re engaged in some deep conversation about the ethics of neuroscience, something that you happen to know a lot about thanks to Stephen and that you could easily debate along with them. However, you already tried to enter the conversation and were talked over more than a few times, so you’ve given that up.

You can’t exactly blame Peter for being wrapped up in MJ. She’s practically perfect for him- she supports him being Spider-Man, she knows enough about his favorite topics to have discussions like the one they’re having now, and they both have the perfect blend of shy and talkative that makes them equals. The only problem is that she’s not you.

The worst part is that Peter is clearly in love with her. Here’s the thing- nobody looks at a girl the way Peter is looking at MJ right now, with that stupid soft smile on his face as she talks and that unnameable expression his eyes, without being in love. You suppose that’s why it hurts you so much to see him. It shouldn’t, of course, Peter’s known MJ for far longer than he’s known you and you just arrived at Midtown a few months ago. Yet your heart still feels a painful twinge every time you glance their way.

“You good, Y/N?”

You’re broken out of your trance when Ned speaks to you. Blinking once to clear your head, you turn to him. “Yeah, I’m just, uh, considering my plans for the future. I’ve heard about this really cool opportunity within the different international Sanctums to go out in search of people who could potentially become Masters of the Mystic Arts to monitor them and offer aid if they need it.”

What you’re talking about isn’t a lie- you have heard about this program, and it’s been simmering away in the back of your mind for quite some time. You had assumed that you weren’t going to act on it, as your life was going very well over in New York, but for once you might be convinced to move away as a nomad for the sorcerers.

Ned looks impressed. “That does sound cool. So you’d basically get to vacation around the world in the name of the Sanctums?” You incline your head, confirming his words. “That’s the thing- it sounds amazing. The only thing is, I’d have to apply and I don’t know if they’ll let me in or not. And, even if they do let me in, I’m just wondering if I would be able to leave all of this behind. It feels like I just got here.”

Ned nods. “I mean, I don’t really know what to tell you. Wizards-I mean, sorcerers, kind of have a priority of coolness over everything else. I guess you just have to ask yourself what you’d be giving up by leaving, and if you think the pros of the trip would outweigh the cons.”

You look at him, somewhat surprised. “That’s actually really good advice. Thanks, Ned.” The boy smiles. “Hey, if I can’t be a superhero I can at least give out super-good talks.” The two of you dissolve in laughter, but your smile fades slightly when you realize Peter hasn’t even heard you at all. Would he care if you left?

The next day, you slump down into your seat at the lunch table with a glower that could rival the stormy weather outside. Ned raises his eyebrows at the sight of you. “Well, I didn’t think you could look even more depressed than yesterday, but I guess I was wrong. What, did Sorcerers Worldwide not let you into their program?”

You point a finger at him in agreement. “I showed up and asked if I could go through with their program. I showed them everything I could do, which is more than the average adult at the Sanctum. Even with that, they still won’t let me go. They kept saying something about how I should be finishing school before I go traipsing around the globe. That doesn’t even make sense- they pulled me out of my freshman and sophomore years so they could train me at Kamar-Taj, why is it not okay now?”

Across the table from you, Peter looks stunned. “Wait, what do you mean? You were going to leave Midtown for some errand of the sorcerers?” You nod, staring up at the ceiling bleakly. “It was going to be so cool, too. But no, I have to wait until I’m out of high school or college or whenever they run out of excuses.”

Peter leans forward, and you realize for the first time that he actually seems cross, almost hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you liked it here.” You can’t help but feel defensive at his questioning. “I did. Yesterday, at lunch. I talked about it right here. I guess you weren't paying attention. Besides, I do like Midtown, but are you telling me you’d rather go to high school than travel the world?”

Peter scoffs. “Yeah, it would be fun to leave for a vacation or a weekend trip. You just got here, do you really not care about all of us enough to leave it all behind for some jaunt around the world?” You raise your eyebrows. “Why are you so upset? I just said that I wouldn’t be going anyway. And besides, I do care about everyone here, which is why I talked about the possibility of me going on this trip yesterday to all of you. I suppose you just weren’t listening.”

Peter’s opening his mouth, presumably to deliver a no doubt intense remark, but Ned places his hands in between the two of you, interrupting him. “You know what, I think what Peter means is that we’d all be sad to see you go, Y/N. We’re sorry that you didn’t get into your program, but at least you still have us, right?”

You tilt your head towards Ned, pointedly ignoring Peter. “Thank you, Ned. I absolutely agree. Midtown is, and will always be, an amazing school with amazing people and I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world.” You and Ned continue to have a conversation in the same forced calm voices, and eventually Peter joins in. MJ arrives later, and joins in the chatter as well, although she does raise her eyebrows at the tension clearly brewing between you and Peter.

When lunch ends, the four of you are heading back to your classroom when you suddenly stop moving. Your friends stop as well, looking back at you in confusion. “Everything alright, Y/N?” MJ asks, but you just shake your head fervently. “Everything is very much not alright. It’s like I can sense something strange in the school. I don’t know what it is, but it isn’t human and it isn’t going away.”

Your friends walk back up to you. “Can you tell us anything else about it?” Ned questions. You try and latch onto the sudden feeling, but you can’t sense anything else. “I think I’m going to have to use my astral form to check it out. Can you make sure nobody notices what I’m doing?” Your friends nod their assent, and huddle up around you to hide you from view. If anyone happens to walk by, they’ll just see a group of students clustered around a locker.

You fling your shoulders back, closing your eyes and opening them once more to find yourself in your astral form, glowing and weightless just like normal. As you head off down the hallway in search of whatever malevolent entity is creeping around the school, you glance once over your shoulder and can’t help but feel slightly better when you notice that Peter is the first one to reach out and catch you, despite everything that just happened.

Brushing away thoughts of Peter and the concern clearly written across his face at the thought of you heading into danger, you continue on down the hallways. You quickly check classrooms and halls of lockers, and you notice that the strange feeling of darkness is emanating from a room down a few flights of stairs. The basement. 

Of course it had to be the basement, the darkest, coldest, most formidable place in the whole school. Why couldn’t creepy things just hide in plain sight for once? Why the basement? You shudder briefly, then force yourself down through the floor until you’re standing just outside the basement door. You step forward, walking through the door, and suppress a silent scream when you see what’s inside.

When you suddenly jerk back to life in Peter’s arms, your friends look at you with startled eyes. “What is it? What did you see?” All you can do is clasp on to Peter, who’s still holding you tight. “Something is coming. Something bad.”

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