#i need in my soul more stories that make SY face the horror of having replaced someones life

[silver-spider-art]

Also! Also! Why the heck to ppl end these unhealthy bingqius with set ups that leave them just utterly isolated? They've alienated all the rest of the Sect, LBH chases everyone else away from jealousy, but it's okay cuz SQQ is sooooo happy with his new life as a spoiled husband. T-T do ppl even realize how horrible that sort of life would really be? Like again, write it if it makes you happy, buy don't tag it happy ending. It's can be an unreliable narrator but if those are actually good the narration at some point will disagree with the character's POV. Will somehow state that the author doesn't believe what the character does. If the narration says this is great and everyone is happy, and the characters go yes we're happy, but the actual story depicted is one where one person sacrifices for another while the other just takes and further isolates them.... Yeah... Look I'm not a purity person. I'm not trying to yuck your yum. I just think you should be truthful about how you look at your ships. When you lust after fictional serial killers or genocidal tyrants in your fiction, please just, grain of salt. Don't act like it's goals or happy endings. T-T don't tag it happy ending when a character ends in an abusive manipulative relationship. If someone writes these messed up dynamics and actually acknowledges them as messed up and unhealthy i actually have ended up *enjoying* them. There is nothing wrong with messed up stories.

It's just, ugh, it's the bane of the Internet, because what I want is nuisance. It's the difference between (I wish I could come up with a perfect example rn but I can't) like Lolita vs any of the many stories with teenages love interests paired with adult men. Lolita is from the perspective of the groomer but it begins with a blurb telling the reader that he's on trial for crimes and trying to defend himself. The author made sure the reader knows that this is unreliable narration. Or a serial killer show that makes sure you understand that the killer is messed up and wrong while also letting you get invested in them vs one that excuses and justifies their behavior through the narration to the point people sympathize more with the killer than the victims. It's that sort of shit. I read a fic where after countless murders and tortures and destruction, including torturing SY himself, LBH was utterly forgiven and SY married him. Treated as oh, it's just water under the bridge, all that horror (worse torture and more deaths that SVSSS canon). Like could SY forgive it? He's a very unhealthy man, he actually might. My problem was all the other characters and the narration treating his choice as not just correct but overdue or expected. That any character that did decent was just doing it out of jealousy cuz they didn't get to fuck SQQ. That's the difference! When a character has complete justification to complain about the POV character's choices, the story should treat those complaints seriously even if the POV character doesn't. If for instance LQG or YQY complain about LBH but SQQ ignores it and then the story just goes on and everything is just fine and the complaints are forgotten about by the story, then the author is reinforcing that SQQ was correct to ignore them. That their complaints were worthless.

I just. Ugh. SVSSS is a master class of unreliable narrator. I like that about it though I wish even the story itself actually did more to reveal just how unreliable SY was. He was always lying to himself and us about everything. His emotions, his feels, his desires. Everything he did was through such a lense. It's actually rather fun, peeling back the layers, trying to see the truth under it, and asking what it would take to actually make a man like that be truthful to himself. You only get a few glimpses of that at the end of the story and even then SY is still pulling the wool over his eyes even when SQH is trying to make him face things.

Yet so many authors just want to lie SY told about himself to be real. The uncomplicated man who's just so kind and oblivious and just a little bun to be protected. I want the messy man with horrible flaws and self destructive tendencies who is too in his own head to realize the consequences of his actions. Who is both thoughtlessly passive and manipulatively kind. So caught up in the story that he died obsessing over that he still refuses to live his life.

I’m trying really hard not to be Peerless Cucumber so I’m ranting here rather than in the comments of the fic. But sometimes I feel like I’m the only person who hates SY being a overly kind suicidally self sacrificing idiot. Like everyone forgets he only nearly killed himself when it was faking his death or because he feared fates worse than death. That his obsession with LBH’s happiness above all was a sign of a deeply mentally disturbed man and not relationship goals. Like you can write unhealthy BingQiu. Knock yourself out, but please, for the love of god, don’t treat that behavior like its a happy ending or healthy. What the narration treats as good vs what the characters treat as good matter. It just annoys me so much. Part of what I like about SY is how much of a two faced mess of a hypocrite he is. He’s cruelly kind. Not some precious disney princess with only a sassy mouth. He had no regard for himself, living vicariously through his fav character, like many a chronically online youth. Its messed up and messy. A good ending for him is LQG and learning how to be a proper teach and take care of himself. That doesn’t mean I don’t like BingQiu, it can be so fun, but the canon end for them is messy and so many fan fics just make it worse. T-T I take comfort in the few who’ve done deep dives on SY vs SJ and where they are similar and different. Cuz they aren’t polar opposites.

[fruitbur]

(bursts into inbox) thAT ASK MEME WITH ALL THE OCS U TAGGED (or just pick and choose but i genuinely would love to know all of them if u want afhdsgjsdhdjd) - darkwarfy

i'm going to start with the easy ones and end with the ones i haven't even talked about to you.

Red-

Full Name: Aaron Cupid Williams

Gender and Sexauilty: Male (trans) and Demisexual

Pronouns: He/Him

Ethnicity/Species: Tribrid of Fae, WARLOCK, and Demon.

Birthplace and Birthdate: His birthplace is unknown to HIM so therefore it won't be stated. he was born on Halloween but the year is also unknown.

Guilty Pleasures: Dancing and Singing. his mother never allowed him to do anything fun when he lived with her (besides reading) so he hides that side of him.

Phobias: Spiders, water, and the dark.

What They Would Be Famous For: besides being the only one of his kind? his singing, there is just something about it.. i wonder what?

What They Would They Be Arrested For: destroying prisons and freeing wrongly captured supernaturals.

OC You Ship Them With: No one, Red is too young to date throughout most of the stories he is in.

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Iris (his mom) or Icarus

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Favorite movie would be Shark Boy and Lava Girl, he loves kids movies. Book genre is sci-fi or adventure stories.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: For movies it has to Coraline and book cliche is the hero or hero's lover/bestfriend dying for the greater good.

Talents and/or Powers: Talents would be as i said before his dancing and singing. his powers? jesus Red has a LOT. He can do basic magic, he can light himself on fire in a blue magic flame before it spreads around himself. telepathy, teleportation, and "invisibility" (that's more lore stuff) not really a power but he can control his appearance (his was born with baby blue skin and light purple hair but his mother taught him to hide that side to blend in with humans) he has a ribbon spell that he can call them to wrap his wrists and his controls them (i.e pulling and wrapping up his targets) he has another spell that does the same thing called flower power (this with rose vines) that he uses to hurt someone if need be. okay this is getting too long but he has more.

Why Someone Might Love Them: He is such a sweet kid and lights up the rooms he is in. you can't help but love him.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: Red can be a little troublemaker and cause chaos for fun. which gets annoying when shit goes down.

How They Change: Red always thought he was just a weapon, a tool for a war that was never coming. as he grows up and lives on his own with Angel, he changes to be someone full of love for not just others, but himself.

Why You Love Them: Red was my first ever OC. He has been through so much changes and growth and i think i finally love him as he is now.

Angel - (i'm gonna shorten the questions so this doesn't get too long)

Full Name: Nope- that's lore and i wanna tell you that Later.

Gender: Female (Trans), Lesbian.

Pronouns: she/her

Ethnicity/Species: loosely based on the mayans, a necromancer, and a clockwork angel necklace.

Birthplace: Her village in that universe's Tulum. Birthdate... she's existed for over 2000 years, who knows how old she is truly.

Guilty Pleasures: Gardening and painiting.

Phobias: the water. just- the water.

Famous For: bringing the dead back to life with ease.

Arrested For: Killing witches who mess with Red.

OC Shipped: I ship her with Niko, two crazy girls who just want bodies.

OC Murder: Iris again, or Lexi (not doing her, she isn't too important rn)

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: she doesn't watch movies that often because she is ya know.. trapped. but when Red can watch something other than kids movies, Angel finds herself loving romance movies, hasn't picked a favorite yet. Books though? cook books! she enjoys learning about food even though she can't eat.

Least Favorite: Horror, just like Red. or anything with water. nothing against mermaids or wildlife, but she's seen enough of the sea for 10 lifetimes at least. Cliche would be evil necromancers, screw that.

Talents: Her painting are to die for. powers??? now this is going to be fun. Angel can bring back the dead, use her magic to move things and grab people. over the course of her time trapped, she has learned how to possess whomever wears her, which leads to some fun beat downs with both Red and Angel working as a single unit. oh did i mention Angel really loves to mess around with blood magic? she was the only one who was able to master it before the witches attacked.

Love Them: Someone would love her becauss how passionate and nurturing she is. also because she enjoys cracking jokes in the safety of the clockwork during the WORST of times.

Hate Them: the witches hated her for her powers and that she was "sick" in the head for enjoying blood magic.

How They Change: Angel had to learn to live as a soul for so long, slowly forgetting what it means to be a living person, that has to be bad for her mental health.

Love Them 2: Angel has become one of my favorites because of how much i've put thought into who she is.

Niko -

Name: she still hasn't came up with a last name, might just take Angel's :)

Gender and Sexuality: Nonbinary and pansexul

Pronouns: she/her

Ethnicity/Species: Biracial, Japanse and Guyanese, a life sized Drawing Mannequin.

Birthplace: a black market factory that makes life sized objects to be used by witches. Birthdate, before 2016, at least.

Guilty Pleasures: ripping the skin off of witches for shit and giggles. oh and grooming dogs!

Phobias: none, nothing phases her.

Famous for: her spine chilling laugh.

Arrested for: all the murders she's done, that is, if she was ever caught.

OC Shipped: Angel of course.

OC Murder: any and all witches, Lexi, Syd.

Favorite Movie/Book: nope and nope! too busy living in the moment to sit down in one place, besides not have real hands. so the next question is useless.

Talents: is flawlessly ripping skin off of a living person a talent? Niko would say so. besides just living, Niko can change her shape into any type of doll/mannequin drawing or otherwise to hide in stores.

Love Them: she is a funny gal! creepy as shit but loyal once you've gained her trust.

Hate Them: "she. skins. people." -Syd at least 20 times.

How They Change: goes from a manic doll to a somewhat a stable person with the power of lOvE.

Love Them 2: She is perfect for Angel and that's enough for me.

Trinity -

Name: Trinity Wither Lakes

Gender: Female, Bisexual.

Pronouns: she/her.

Eithnicity/Species: Biracial, Polynesian, and African American. Werewolf and Siren.

Birthplace: Kaneohe, Hawaii. 3/17/1999.

Guilty Pleasures: Running in the woods in the middle of the night.

Phobias: being half wolf, she fears anything with silver, oh and blood.

Famous for: her speed.

Arrested for: graffiti and other forms of vandalism.

OC Shipped: Abigail. (not doing her either, sorry!)

OC Murder: Lexi, Raph, her grandparents.

Favorite Movie: Twilight and The Twilight Saga. she loves quoting the movies and books to piss everyone off, making it her favorites. Cliche would enimes to lovers.

Least Favorite: The Princess Bride, she just doesn't Get It. Cliche would be anything with angry werewolves or evil sirens. "we aren't your tropes, humans" -Trinity everytime she reads or watches something with a sexy but evil siren.

Talents: all the perks of being wolf and siren, nothing to add really.

Love Them: she is headstrong and makes for a good leader for a rebellion.

Hate Them: too loud, doesn't back down from a fight. will not shut up if someone is wronging her in public.

Change: she goes from the sheltered girl from her family's home in California to the loud rebel in Texas.

Love Them 2: Trin is like me, i don't know when to quit. if someone wrongs me i will scream it from the roof tops before i let them get away with it.

Syd -

Name: Syd Brimstone Lockwood

Gender: Female, Bisexual.

Pronouns: she/her

Ethnicity/Species: Caucasian, human.

Birthplace: Boston, Massachuestts. 4/20/1999

Guilty Pleasures: shitty reality tv, she lives for the drama. also magic, she has always been skeptical of the existence of magic so she spends much of her time researching and tracking down sightings of magic usage.

Phobias: None that i can think of.

Famous for: her deadpan delivery and humor/her resting bitch face.

Arrested for: stalking "known" supernaturals.

OC Shipped: Ainsel.

OC Murder: anyone who she follows would kill her, mainly Lexi or Raph though.

Favorite Movie: IT (2017) or a Purge movie. favorite cliche would be any boring, human trope. so like a coffee shop au.

Least Favorite: Harry Potter (okay she really enjoys the third one but she'd never admit it), cliche, would be magic. (she doesn't hate it, just that she doesn't believe.)

Talents: breaking and entering. "that's a fucking talent and you know it, Ains! i've never been caught in my life." -Syd. she is human so no powers.

Love Them: over protective of the ones she loves. would fight anyone to save Ainsel and she'd win.

Hate Them: her skepticism makes it hard for her to make friends and tears groups apart.

Change: after she meets a certain someone, she finally lets go of her overbearing skepticism and borderline hatred.

Love Them 2: i just love her character.

Ainsel -

Name: Ainsel Raven James

Gender: Female (Trans), Asexaul.

Pronouns: she/her.

Ethnicity/Species: African American (she has albinism), human.

Birthplace: Middletown, New York. 5/18/2002.

Guilty Pleasures: painting on herself, walking in the rain with no umbrella.

Phobias: fire. "You can't control it Sy-Sy!!! what if you drop that match huh?! we could go up in flames! i don't want to burn away!"

Famous For: her looks, or her happy go lucky nature.

Arrested For: Jay walking to get away from a monster or someone chasing her and Syd.

OC Shipped: Syd.

OC Murder: Lexi or Raph.

Favorite Movie: Tangled. Cliche, a happy ending.

Least Favorite: Monty Python and The Holy Grail. Cliche, a dog dying.

Talents: Her impeccable timing, always seeming to get Syd out of trouble before she is caught. "Nuh uh! none of that miss "breaking and entering!"" -Ainsel. Again a human so no powers.

Love Them: her optimism and acceptance of magic and the supernatural. how she loves everyone so fiercely and stands for what is right.

Hate Them: how happy and full of light she seems to be.

Change: She starts to stick up for herself more and learns how to fight back.

Love Them 2: i love how happy she is, i want to be that comfortable in my own skin like her.

Sebastain -

Name: Sebastain A. Montague

Gender: Male, Aromantic, Asexaul.

Pronouns: he/him.

Ethnicity/Species: Caucasian, Vampire and Sorcerer.

Birthplace: Venice, Italy. 7/25/1462

Guilty Pleasures: Ballroom Dancing. Drinking straight from the pulse.

Phobias: the sun, even if he can walk in the daylight.

Famous For: his charm and "naturally" good looks.

Arrested For: a string of murders in the east coast of the US.

OC shipped: no one, the only thing close to a relationship he has is his friendship with Red long into the future.

OC Murder: Syd tries, but she finds it's hard to kill something already dead.

Favorite Movie: he has lived for so long, he finds his memories are better than what you'll find in those picture shows. he does enjoy reading poems by Edgar Allan Poe or any of Dickinson's works. (skipping the next question)

Talents: Dancing and cooking. Powers, compulsion (vampire mind control), and the basic skillsets a sorcerer has.

Love Them: his charm, though their love is misplaced, is appreciated.

Hate Them: he is a world class bastard who knows how to use his charms to get what he wants, you.

Change: He learns to be nicer to people and not view them as just a food source.

Love Them 2: he is one cocky bastard but i wouldn't trade him for any other bitch out there.

Irri -

Name: Iradeseca the Faithful

Gender: Genderfluid, pansexual. (in a poly relationship).

Pronouns: any, but mainly goes by she/her.

Ethnicity/Species: she's.. she's an alien boss. (oqjsgsyisha) anyways she is from a race called The Marked Ones. i'll tell you all about them soon. Irri is of the Shifter classification, and is the last pure blood shifter left.

Birthplace: their (the girlfriends/partners) home planet, in the palace of the shifters. (no date because lore reasons, this will be the same for her girlfriends.)

Guilty Pleasures: her partners 😏

Phobias (more like fears): explosions, drowning, losing her girlfriends.

Famous For: her shifting ability.

Arrested For: well... L O R E

OC Shipped: Betrix, Calenni, and Desa.

OC Murder: lore

They are aliens, so i'm skipping these questions.

Talents: her speed. she is a shifter, so she can shape shift into her true form (a ice fox) and into her more humanesque form. (having two arms and two legs)

Love Them: her mysterious but gentle presence

Hate Them: her special skill and the fact she is dating Calenni and Desa in particular.

Change: Irri changes from being controlled by an oppressive regime.

Love Them 2: She is my second oldest oc, she will always have a special place in my heart.

Betrix -

Name: The Stoic Betrix

Gender: Genderfluid, pansexaul. (in a poly relationship)

Pronouns: she/her or he/him.

Ethnicity/Species: The Marked Ones, Bender classification.

Birthplace: on their home planet, in a abandoned temple of the benders.

Guilty Pleasures: smiling and being happy.

Phobias: being alone and losing his girlfriends.

Famous For: her calm, unphased demeanor.

Arrested For: same reason as Irri and Desa.

OC Shipped: Irri, Calenni, and Desa.

OC Murder: WOAH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT, LORE!!!

Talents: being able to take everything thrown at him without saying a word (punches, kicks, fire, etc etc). bending people in half without moving a muscle. being a bender means she can bend spaces and minds with no difficulty, leading him to control the person's mind.

Love Them: No matter what happens to her, Betrix always gets back up with twice the amount of power and the same amount of complaints, zero. a man of little words unless he is with his partners.

Hate Them: WHY WON'T SHE STAY DOWN? STOP FIGHTING ALREADY!!! dating Calenni and Desa

Change: Betrix learns how to open up more and use her words because she is allowed to speak.

Love Them 2: She is a badass. who needs to speak when you can just knock the asshole over with one push.

Calenni -

Name: Calenni the Creative

Gender: Genderfluid and pansexual. (in a poly relationship)

Pronouns: she/her and sometimes called they/them by Betrix.

Ethnicity/Species: The Marked Ones, Creator classification.

Birthplace: On their home planet, on her family's estate.

Guilty Pleasures: being taken care of, not always the one leading things.

Phobias: bugs, filith, losing her partners.

Famous For: looking like a flower or a tiny pixie creature.

Arrested for: nothing because of lore reeasons

OC Shipped: Irri, Betrix, and Desa.

OC Murder: lore.

Talents: everything she creates is one of a kind and priceless. She is a creator so she is able to make whatever comes to mind with just a tap of her fingers. and is always changing how she appearance due to creating new shapes and forms.

Love Them: she speaks out against what was happening with the creators and risked her lives for her partners, nearly dying for them.

Hate Them: didn't sit back and be the little princess she was supposed to.

Change: learned how to be independent while being able to depend on her loves.

Love Them 2: Calenni said eat the rich even if that means eat me too.

Desa -

Name: Desa the Kind

Gender: Genderfluid and pansexual (in a poly relationship)

Pronouns: any but mainly she/her.

Ethnicity/Species: The Marked Ones, Destroyer classification.

Birthplace: on their home planet, in the woods far away from civilization.

Guilty Pleasures: creating stuff!!! being able to just live and feel love and acceptance.

Phobias: destroying the ones she loves. being alone, losing her partners.

Famous For: being understanding and not judgmental.

Arrested for: lore- but also just for being caught with Calenni.

OC Shipped: Irri, Betrix, Calenni.

OC Murder: lore, but anyone but her partners.

Talents: Her forgiveness. Being able to destroy whole planets by just being on them. Detroyers can eliminate anything in their paths with little to no struggle.

Love Them: ??? what is not to love??? she is such a friggin sweetheart who wants to spend all eternity with her sweethearts.

Hate Them: being born.

Change: girl has it ROUGH let me tell you. but in the end it'll all work out and a much happier, healthier Desa will make it out on the other side.

Love Them 2: "all i want is to love what i can not destroy with a single touch, then and only then, i'll be at peace" -Desa.

BONUS!!!! BONUS ROUND!!!!

Iris -

Name: Iris the Lurer

Gender: Female and Straight (😔)

Pronouns: she/her

Ethnicity/Species: Greater Demon (dark gray/light purple complexion)

Birthplace: in the demon realm, before mankind was created.

Guilty Pleasures: using her kids as weapons to orchestrate a war. oh and 90 Day Fiance on TLC.

Phobias: love and weakness from her children.

Famous For: her natural rainbow hair.

Arrested For: mass genocide.

OC Shipped: Icarus (two slimey bastards)

OC Murder: ANGEL AND RED LIKE THE BAD BITCHES THEY ARE 😤💯

Favorite Movie: The Birdcage. Cliche would be main villainess destroying the land.

Least Favorite: The Hunger Games. "so over rated and boring CGI, why do humans enjoy this?" -Iris

Talents: being the worst mother alive, making your child into a monstrosity to benefit your delusions. her powers are mostly mental manipulation and normal demon theatrics.

Love Them: being confident, commanding, and full of herself.

Hate Them: everything she has ever done after breaking free from the demon realm with Icarus.

Change: maybe if she gets murdered she'll finally change.

Love Them 2: i like working with a villain, morally gray character like her.

THIS TOOK ALL DAY WOANSGEUOWMSB I HAVEN'T LEFT THIS TAB ALL DAY.

[lisinfleur]

Rangsælis - Chapter 02: Day Two

Author’s Notes | Oh boy, things are going mad here... Thank you, Sy (@honestsycrets) for the inspiration!!! Warnings: Do I have to say "Major Character's Death" again? No? THANKS! Lots of blood, triggering A LOT. Stay away from here if you don't like ANGST. Universe | Vikings Pairing | Ubbe x Reader Info | Viking Age AU, inspired by a request from @lol-haha-joke for 5CW4 Words | 3967 ⁑ Warnings: Major Character’s Death, mentions of murder, blood, violence, and death. Caution is recommended: The following content may be triggering. +18

"Ubbe, you're scaring me. What's wrong? Why are you looking at me this way?"

She was genuinely scared. Genuinely innocent and unaware of what was happening. So, Ubbe could only deduce it was happening to him and himself alone.

But why?

"Ubbe!" She insisted and he lifted his eyes looking at her.

"Someone will try to kill you today."

Something he didn't try last time: he didn't tell her the truth, but the truth only scared her even more.

"What? Ubbe what are you talking about? It was just a nightmare you had; I'm sure things are confused because you just woke up..." she started trying to calm him down.

But the mere attempt to tell him things would be alright just infuriated him even more, causing Ubbe to explode, nervous. His voice sounding full of fear and despair.

"I'm not fucking dreaming! I lived this damn day before twice! Someone will try to kill you and I won't let it happen again!"

Y/N got up, walking towards him, cupping his face, feeling the cold sweat in his skin.

"Husband..." she prepared to say something sweet, but the coldness in his skin scared her even more. "You're sweating cold... What was it that you dreamed about? You're shivering!"

"It wasn't a dream!" he yelled, causing her to pull back, surprised.

Ubbe was never that nervous. Never that desperate. What was wrong with him?

"I saw this day!" he continued, looking at her "I saw what happens, I changed it, and yet, the damn bastard found another way to kill you! Not this time!"

Ubbe moved away from the window just enough to pull the locker in order to block it. His wife's scared and surprised eyes watched as he walked to the door of her room, doing something he never did before into her house.

"SLAVE!"

Ubbe usually didn't call the slaves with screams, but his voice echoed through the whole hallway and soon there was a slave girl in their door.

"Order the others to lock the house and keep the doors shut and you, go to the hall and call my brother Hvitserk. Tell him to cancel the peasant's visitation and come to me as fast as he can! Go!" he shoved the slave girl and she went running to fulfill his orders.

Then, he came in, locking the door of the room, lifting his index towards his wife as soon as she took a breath to speak, not even allowing the words to leave her mouth.

"Don't you even try to tell me about your appointment with the Seer. Fuck it. I'll find a way for you to talk to him, but not today! Definitely not today! Whatever surprise you're preparing for me, it can wait! I won't have you dying in my hands one more time!"

She seemed to be very shocked now.

How did he know about her surprise or even about the appointment with the Wise One? She didn't even tell him she was trying to set one!

Unless... Her face changed into an annoyed expression.

"Are you watching me, husband?" she asked, crossing her arms, really pissed off. "It is Hvitserk, isn't him? You asked your brother to watch my steps and speak about them to you!" she accused, causing Ubbe to sighs frustratedly.

"No!" he warranted, coming near her and holding Y/N by her shoulders, looking straight into her eyes. "Y/N, my love, you say my eyes are windows to my soul and you can always see the truth behind my words through them. Isn't it right?"

"Yes," she said, looking at him kinda confused.

"You also say I'm a terrible liar. Ain't I?" he insisted, increasing the confusion in her eyes.

"Yes, you are, but why are you asking me these things, Ubbe, you're scaring me for real!"

Ubbe leaned his face touching her forehead. His eyes were now facing hers directly.

"Then look into them... See if I'm lying, wife. I lived this day, twice. I saw you strangled to death... I had your blood in my hands... I held you while you were dying. I can't lose you, Y/N. Somehow the gods are allowing me to relive this day one more time, but I don't know how many chances they'll give me. I can't lose you. I just can't."

She felt goosebumps down her spine, cold... He wasn't lying.

Ubbe wasn't lying and she knew that because his eyes weren't able to hide the fear into his heart. And somehow, it touched her...

And she felt her blood freezing into her veins

"Husband," she cried, hiding into his arms.

"Shh," Ubbe embraced her, kissing the top of her head and caressing her back "I'll protect you. I'll find a way, I will. I swear on my armlet I'll find the bastard who's thinking about killing you and I'll warrant he won't see another night!" he promised.

Feeling her arms wrapping around him, tighter.

"I love you," she mumbled, pulling back from his neck just to look at him. "Ubbe, I have something to tell you..."

The surprise.

To think about this made the fear into her eyes become bigger, especially when Ubbe placed his fingers over her lips.

"You shall tell me my surprise when this is over. And we'll make our dinner just like you planned before," he said, but she insisted, taking his hand away from her mouth.

"No, husband, this is important. This situation demands me to tell you what's happening or it could become even more dangerous," she said, looking at him. "Ubbe, I am..."

But her voice was interrupted by the knocks on the room's door and Hvitserk's voice outside, worried.

"Brother? Your slave came to call me. She told me you wanted me to come urgently. What happened?"

Ubbe kissed her forehead and turned himself to open the door, letting Hvitserk in.

"I called you," he said, locking the door once again. "You always trusted me no matter what. You even fell into a frozen lake with me and when we thought we would be dead, somehow the gods made Siggy strong enough to save us both. But even with this catastrophic choice, you always trusted me with your life."

Ubbe's words causing Hvitserk to nod, completely confused.

"What's happening, Ubbe?" he asked, "You're getting me dizzy..."

"I know you'll think I'm crazy, but I lived this day... This is the third time I'm waking up in this morning and I know exactly what will happen today." he started.

And Hvitserk giggled.

"Did you drunk last night and didn't call me to share the mead, brother? What are you talking about?" he asked, pretty dizzy now.

"I'm not drunk, Hvitserk. Someone will try to kill Y/N tonight."

The heavy news causing the smile to vanish from Hvitserk's face.

"I don't know who he is, but someone will try to kill my wife today. I saw it happening. Twice. And this time I won't let that bastard win, but I need your help... I need you to watch over her while I leave to try and find this bastard before he can come for her."

"But Ubbe, how will you find someone you don't know?" Hvitserk asked, worried about his brother's safety.

It was a dangerous thing to leave knowing someone could be wanting to kill him as well.

"I don't know yet, but I have to try, Hvitserk. The problem is: when I change things, he changes as well. This time I must be prepared. Do not open the windows, do not leave this room, no matter what happens, until the end of this day, do not leave Y/N alone. I know I can trust her to your hands."

Hvitserk nodded, looking straight into his brother's eyes.

"You can count on me, brother."

The more his story was unaccountable, Ubbe knew Hvitserk would always be with him to have his back. He touched his forehead with his brother's and kissed his precious wife, cupping her face with his hands.

"I'll see the Seer. I'll find a way into this madness. And when it all ends, I promise, you'll be alive. No matter at what cost."

One more kiss and Ubbe left, hearing when Hvitserk locked the room from inside.

She would be safe this time, he was sure. Even if the murderer was having the same visions he was and knowing his plans or anything, Hvitserk was a hell of a warrior.

Ubbe doubted someone could pass through his brother's rage to reach his precious wife.

Knowing this, he left to the streets already knowing what he would find.

The fish seller, the complaining peasants. Anything had changed except for the pieces he changed on the board.

Fuck... Maybe he should have played more hnefatafl with Ivar... That damn game would probably help him to think better this time. He didn't doubt his crippled brother would believe him and even help him to find the murderer if Ubbe asked, but first, he went to the Seer's tent for more information. Ivar could help and he knew his brother wouldn't doubt a miraculous story where the gods were helping him somehow. But with the Seer's information, it would be easier even for his brilliant younger brother.

Ubbe's steps went through the stones, climbing up the stairs to the Wise One's tent. As usual, the Ancient already knew about his arrival.

"The spirit of the wolf among the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok... What do you want, Ubbe?" he asked not turning himself from the tasks he was doing, cleaning some animal's fur he was treating, probably for some rituals or offers.

"I'm trapped. I need the way out. Someone is trying to kill my wife. Who is this?" Ubbe asked and the Wise One sighed.

"Loki smiled upon you who's like his son, a wolf... A ring is always a gift," he spoke, enigmatic as always. "But I can see... the horror... Oh, the sadness. Why are you always bringing me back to the sadness?" he turned his eyeless face towards Ubbe, even knowing he couldn’t really see the man in front of him.

"Who is trying to kill my wife, Wise One?" Ubbe insisted, anguished.

But all the Seer did was to come back to his own chair, covering his face with the shaking hands.

"The defeated wants to leave no spoils for the one who won..." his voice started sounding as if he was wandering around, seeing anything that wasn't that room or Ubbe in front of him. "Bare hands are not enough, I see. The embrace of death wants to feel her warmth against his body while it slowly vanishes. It wasn't what he wanted... If only she didn't... No..."

The Ancient started to shake more and Ubbe came closer, dizzy by his enigmas, not really being able to understand what he was saying.

"You're not helping me. I beg you, Wise One, who is him? Who's killing my wife?" he insisted, trying to touch the Seer's hands.

But the creature pulled his wrinkled hands away as soon as Ubbe touched them, looking at his own fingers as if they were bathed in something horrible.

"No... No!" he continued, getting up, walking away from Ubbe, "You left him no choice... Why have you done this? It wasn't supposed to happen... Now there is blood in his hands. Dirty blood... Not this blood! Not again! NO!"

Ubbe's eyes watched as the Seer was shrinking himself against the corner of the room, mourning in a loud and painful moan, repeating sentences as if he was crying so big was the horror his inexistent eyes were showing him. "Change it... Change it... Not this way... Not this way!"

Hopeless, Ubbe left the tent where the Ancient One remained, crying and cradling himself against the wall. But as soon as he stepped outside, the voice of the Seer echoed in a terrible scream so full of pain as Ubbe could remember his own voice echoing at the first time he had his precious Y/N dead in his hands...

"Too soon!!! Too late!! Too late!!"

The words echoing like a chant of despair into Ubbe's chest, racing his heart when the smell of his little brother's hair reached him again like a caress from the wind.

Ubbe thought about calling Ivar. Begging him for help. But his heart guided him back home. He would ask Hvitserk to bring his little brilliant brother there, but he would stay home to protect Y/N by himself. With everything locked, the murderer would have to come and face him!

Everything was supposed to be locked...

But his front door was lying open once again.

Ubbe's throat almost close with the enormous knot that choked him with the sight of that door lightly moving with the wind, not being able to open completely for something was blocking it from inside.

"Gods, please, no," Ubbe begged when his hand pushed the door to find one of his slaves, lifelessly laid in a pool of blood behind the door.

The bastard came earlier...

The son of a bitch knew he left his home and changed his course from the Hall to the Seer's tent.

The motherfucker knew and changed his actions again! But Hvitserk was there, right?

Ubbe unsheathed his sword and went to his room in order to help his little brother. He was sure Hvitserk would be fighting the bastard. Or maybe his little brother had already killed the son of a bitch! The hallway was too silent and his room's door was open.

Strange, it wasn't broken...

It wasn't forced, but someone opened it to whoever came in.

Ubbe went into his room and one more time, his sword slid to the ground, but this time, there wasn't surprise in his blues.

Despair was everything that filled his veins with the blood and he covered his ears, screaming in despair, defeated one more time.

At the bed, his precious Y/N choked to death once again by that damn belt she embroidered for that dress...

Beside the bed, Hvitserk's body and a huge pool of his own blood.

Ubbe came closer to his precious brother, falling to his knees. A wound near Hvitserk's back showing him his brother didn't even have a chance to fight back: he was stabbed and fell. And whoever killed his precious wife, also stabbed Hvitserk's belly multiple times with a short weapon, leaving his beloved brother there, bleeding to death. There were marks on the ground and blood near the door: Hvitserk dragged himself trying to reach the bed. The bloody hand marked on Ubbe's sheets telling him his beloved brother was still alive while the bastard choked his sweet wife to death and even wounded, he tried with everything to prevent her murder.

He had failed again, and this time, things were worse! Horribly worse!

The Seer was right: It wasn't supposed to happen. Hvitserk didn't die in the last times he lived that awful day. But this time, he lost everything.

The bastard seemed to be always one step ahead of him. Always predicting his movements. Always working perfectly on his mistakes, adapting, finding ways to reach his heart, to rip it from his chest despite all his efforts. Despite even the help of the gods.

But was it help?

The Seer said Loki smiled at him...

The words of the Ancient One squeezing his heart even more, causing his voice to echo into the room in a long and painful moan of pain and despair. Embracing Hvitserk's body, ignoring the blood staining his clothes, Ubbe cried one more time, freely this time.

He couldn't handle anymore. He couldn't understand.

"Why?" he asked to no one, speaking as if the gods could hear him. "Why are you doing this to me? Why are you making me see this, live this, again, and again, and again? Why? Did I offend you? What did I do wrong??"

That breeze came from nowhere again, caressing his face with the fresh smell of Sigurd's hair, clenching Ubbe's heart into his chest.

"Is this because I didn't avenge my brother? Is this you, Sigurd, punishing me for my broken promises?"

"I would understand if it was. But you're wrong, son of Ragnar," Sigurd's voice sounded, causing Ubbe to look back at the door to see his dead brother staring at him.

Fear and surprise widened the older one's eyes and a smile cracked on Sigurd's lips when he giggled, almost mocking the expression on Ubbe's face.

"You should see your face..." he said, extending his hand and shaking it when Ubbe took a breath to speak, preventing him to start his sentences. "Spare the names, I'm not your deceased brother... I just thought you would hear me better this way. Or maybe..."

The image changed in front of Ubbe's eyes and Sigurd's face became older and changed until the wide blues were seeing someone even more unlikely to be in that room. Shivers went down Ubbe's spine when Ragnar's voice reached his ears one more time.

"Like this?" the man in front of him with his father's face smiled and Ubbe got up, even more shocked, causing him to giggle again. "Humans... You worship your gods, pray to them, talk to them. And when one of them answers your prayers, this is how you look like. Would you feel more comfortable if we were silent to your pain, child?"

"Is this... Really happening? Am I mad?" Ubbe asked, stumbling in his words and the man in front of him walked forward, changing again.

"Are your eyes numb, child?" this time it was his father's first wife's voice and Lagertha's image... But when she extended her hands towards him, it changed again, and Aslaug's figure cupped Ubbe's face with the coldness he knew so well from his mother's thin fingers always too affected by the winter's breeze, "Can't you see?"

Her fingers caressed Ubbe's cheeks and she smiled at him before pulling away. Her dress sliding around, her hands near her belly, touching fingers with fingers like he was used to seeing his mom doing when she was wondering. Her eyes looked at him as if she was waiting for him to say something.

And Ubbe's mouth muttered, his lips barely opening, in disbelief.

"Loki..."

She smiled and Ubbe knew he was right. The god of mischief, the lord of the fire, the shape-shifter was walking in front of him, smiling at him as if the worst tragedy of his life wasn't extending itself behind his back in the dead bodies of the ones he loved the most.

"Why have you trapped me this way?" Ubbe's heart found the bravery to question and Loki giggled with his mother's voice. "Is not a joke!" Ubbe insisted, anguished.

"I'm not a joker," Loki answered, serious, causing cold shivers on Ubbe's spine once again. "I may be a trickster, but my actions aren't unfounded. Someone is messing with fate." he started walking through the room until reaching Y/N's body at the bed, caressing her face softly. "And fate is becoming unfair... Odin's favor is against you, so I thought it would be fun to balance the scale."

Odin's favor... His opponent was smart, Ubbe had to admit. The intelligence was something the bastard had undeniably, adapting his plans whenever something changed and always reaching the final goal despite Ubbe's efforts to prevent him. But Loki wasn't really helping, right?

Ubbe heard the god sighing in one of those bothered sighs from his mother's irony. The god could hear his thoughts, of course.

"You know... Odin is not killing your wife for him. We won't change the world in your favor while you sit and watch our work, child. Do not confuse us with the Christian God you wanted to follow once. We don't want lazy sheep. The cattle are there to be slaughtered. I gave you a chance such as Odin gave him a chance. My father blessed his mind... I locked you in time." Loki said, opening his hands and showing him a smile. "None of these things really happened... Yet."

"What do you mean?" Ubbe asked, surprised. "Am I locked in the future? Is that it?"

"Almost, smart ass," the god said, getting up and walking towards Ubbe one more time, "Once you said your life would be easier if you had the Seer's eyes... I gave you them. I gave you more... You're locked in one of my puzzles and it will repeat, again and again, until you find the way out."

"Until I save her..." Ubbe mumbled looking at his wife.

But Loki rolled his mother's eyes.

"She's not the key. She's just a consequence. Just like him... Oh, poor puppy, following you wherever you go," he said, lowering the female body, staining Aslaug's dress in Hvitserk's blood on the ground to touch the dead body's face, "Poor child. Just another victim, like many others..."

The god got up and his face changed, his body changed and so, it was Sigurd again, walking towards Ubbe to look him into his eyes. The snake in his eye, moving as if Fafnir was alive in his brother's eye through Loki's powers.

"Find your way out, wolf. Your wife's life is nothing, just another pawn in his game. How many pawns will you lose? How many can you save?"

The god turned away, starting to walk towards the door and Ubbe's heart filled with despair one more time.

"I can't see anything! I'm not like him! As you said, Odin's wisdom is his, not mine! I can't see anything!" Ubbe insisted and the god looked at him one more time, smiling.

"When there is nothing you can do... Well... then do nothing," he said, with one of those sweet smiles in Sigurd's face, confusing Ubbe's mind even more. "Sometimes nothing is the answer, Ubbe Ragnarsson. Sometimes is just... Nothing."

After the last word said, Ubbe saw Loki's fingers lifting up and touching his forehead, pushing him back gently. But the gentle push became a long fall and there was no ground for him to land.

He felt like falling from an abyss, a long and endless abyss. But when his body finally landed, it was a childish bed his mind found.

Choked sounds.

His baby brother was at the crib once again, choking with his blankets. And one more time his older hands pulled the thing away from him.

Childish cries.

His mother's tears.

Sigurd's hair against his face.

That smell...

"Good morning, big boy. Time to wake up..."

His precious Y/N's voice. Her warm hands.

This time Ubbe pulled her into his embrace and held her, tight.

It was starting over and he couldn't think about what to do. He couldn't see anything.

Any way out.

Anything but pain, loss, and despair.

He felt her warm body embracing him back and her soft breath against his neck.

"Hnm... If it wasn't so hard to find a time with the Seer nowadays, I would want to stay and make love to you this whole morning," she mumbled, feeling his embrace becoming strangely tighter.

He kissed the top of her head and hid his face against her neck. But she became worried when something wetted her skin.

"Ubbe?"

He didn't answer. His tears just dropping one after another against her neck and his embrace around her was now completely locking her body against his.

"Ubbe what happened?" she asked, embracing him, trying to comfort something she didn't even know what it was.

"I had a nightmare... I had the worst nightmare of my whole life," his voice answered, hoarse.

He had a terrible nightmare.

He was still having.

And in his mind...

 There was nothing he could do to stop it.

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