#mystical sleeping haven

[hanvanmusic]

🌟Mystical Sleep Sanctuary: Soothing Ambient Music for Deep Relaxation, H...

Welcome to the Mystical Sleeping Sanctuary, where magic and serenity collide to give you the ultimate relaxation experience. Unwind with the enchanting flute melodies and immerse yourself in the healing nature sounds of the Magic Mushroom Forest✨. Let this soothing ambient music plunge you into a deep, refreshing sleep while simultaneously reducing stress and promoting healing. Immerse yourself in the magic of the fascinating journey down to the last note.

[cyberslvts]

DEPRIVED || w. maximoff

Summary: Following the events in Westview, wanda, obsessed and unhinged, becomes determined to get you back.

Warnings: 18+ MDNI smut, oral ( r recieving), enchanted strap (r recieving), blood, consumption of blood, pain kink, slight breeding kink, choking, marking, brief restraints, reader has lowkey lost it,

Pairing: Wanda maximoff x witch!reader

wc: 4.5k

note: Was in the halloween mood and had a craving to write witch reader. Also I apologize for being MIA for a hot minute school has been kicking my ass

In the dimly lit and clandestine lair, you stood amidst a chaotic array of potion bottles, spell books, and mystical artifacts. The air was thick with the scent of arcane ingredients, and the room was bathed in an eerie, pulsating glow emanating from enchanted crystals scattered about. Rows of tall, ancient shelves were lined with tomes containing secrets of the mystical arts.

Your eyes fixated on the ominous pages of the Darkhold stood at the center of the lair, your brows furrowed in concentration. The book seemed to emit an unsettling energy, its dark runes shifting and writhing like a sentient being. Your hands cradled glowing orbs of blue magic, feeling a tingling sensation of power coursing through them.

Your mind crackled with a frenzied electric charge. The relentless grip of sleep deprivation fuels your obsession. The effects of prolonged wakefulness gnawed at your sanity, leaving your thoughts frayed and disjointed. Muscles twitch uncontrollably as if charged by lightning flashing within your wide, bloodshot eyes. Your voice, barely a murmur, subconsciously reciting spells and rituals from the book's ancient pages, the words stumbling from your lips in a fevered trance.

Everything around you seemed louder and more intense than usual as if your senses were on overdrive. It was like your body was a sponge soaking up all the noise and energy in the room.

As you delved deeper into the forbidden knowledge within the Darkhold, a sudden disturbance rippled through the room. The sound of crackling energy filled the air, and a portal of swirling scarlet light materialized before You, Startled, you turned to face the unexpected intrusion.

Emerging from the portal, with a sultry and determined expression, was Wanda Maximoff. Her dark eyes locked onto yours, and she stepped forward with an air of confidence. Despite the anger that still simmered within you, Wanda's presence sent a shiver down their spine.

It felt like seeing a ghost

In the not-so-distant past, you and Wanda Maximoff had been deeply entwined in a passionate and tumultuous love affair Your connection was built on an understanding of each other's innermost desires.

You, a gifted witch in your own right, had always admired Wanda's incredible power. Your initial meeting had been marked by sparks, both figurative and literal, as you recognized kindred spirits in each other. You spent countless nights together, honing your magical skills, exploring the boundaries of your abilities, and indulging in the fiery lust filled passions that burned between you.

But as your love deepened, so did the complexity of your relationship.Wanda's insatiable thirst for power often put her on a dangerous path, seeking forbidden knowledge that few could comprehend. It was during one of her quests for dark magic that everything changed.In a moment of desperation, Wanda cast a spell that trapped you in a false reality—a twisted version of suburban life in Westview. In this artificial world, you lived a mundane existence, blissfully unaware of the magic and powers you once wielded. Your memories were altered, your true identity erased, and Wanda had complete control over your life

For you, it was a nightmare and a dream come true. You oscillated between feelings of betrayal and intense longing. The life she had created for you two was everything you could have ever dreamed of, filled with the perfect haven of your loving family

When the Westview Hex was eventually broken, and you regained your true identity and memories, the rush of emotions was overwhelming. You confronted Wanda, your anger, burned but the love you once shared still lingered beneath the surface. It was a complex and conflicted love, one that was impossible erase

Wanda, haunted by her actions and desperate to atone for her mistakes, fled to find the Darkhold—a powerful and dangerous book of magic that held the key to her quest for the power she would need to reclaim the life that was harshly taken from her.

In an attempt to divert Wanda until they built up the necessary forces to defeat her, Doctor Strange, aware of the dangers that the Darkhold posed, entrusted it to you for safekeeping, knowing that you were one of the few who could resist its seductive pull

At the sight of her, you immediately conjured the dark hold shut, the glowing hues of blue dimmed around you as you lowered yourself to the ground, standing before her.

"Y/n," Wanda purred, stepping out of the portal her voice husky and laced with desire.

Before she could get too close, you crossed your arms in front of your body and threw them outwards. A tendril of blue magic wrapped around her arms and legs, effectively freezing her movements. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?" you demanded, your tone filled with anger.

Wanda smirked, Seemingly amused by your reaction. She could have easily overpowered you, but she wanted you to have your fun. She didn't want to scare you. Not yet, at least.

"Oh, Y/n," she grinned, her eyes never leaving yours. "How I've missed your fiery spirit.”

“You shouldn't be here.”

Wanda's expression grew more serious as she struggled against your magical bonds. "I need the Darkhold, Y/n. It's the only way to undo the chaos I've caused."

Your grip on the magical restraints tightened,and you shot back, "Save your breath, Wanda. Me and you both know you have no intentions of doing that”

Wanda's eyes flashed with a hint of frustration “You’re always so stubborn”

The room crackled with tension as the truth hung in the air. Both of you were harboring secrets, aware of each other's desires and motives

You stepped closer to her your fingers twisting in the air to hold the restraint “I won't ask again, why are you here.”

“I needed to see you” she confessed, her voice husky, her gaze never wavering from yours.

You broke out into a sarcastic smile, your tongue pressing against the inside of your cheek as you shook your head in disbelief. The madness that swirled between you and Wanda had reached a fever pitch, and it was clear that this reunion would only further entangle you both in the web of chaos that defined your complex relationship.

“You didn't seem so eager to see me when you left me in Westview” Your voice came out sharper then you intended. obviously still hurt from her actions. The way she had left you was awful. Alone, surrounded by ring of flashing red and blue lights that demanded answers to questions you couldnt even comprehend

Wanda let out an exasperated sigh a sense of guilt building up inside her “I had no other choice y/n. Strange was after me and You would have never gone with me”

The soft flicker of candlelight casted an eerie, shadow on Wanda's face, accentuating the mysterious allure that always seemed to surround her. Her eyes, partially obscured by the dim light, bore into you with a mix of longing and lust. You couldn't help but notice how her figure looked in the low light – the subtle rise and fall of her chest, the seductive curve of her lips as they formed that infuriating smirk. The undeniable attraction that pulsed between you two was like a magnetic force, drawing you together. It was a desire that both thrilled and repulsed you.

“Because you trapped me, you stole my life!” you echoed with a sardonic laugh, your voice tinged with a hint of hysteria. the memories of your past experiences with Wanda had driven you into a state of rage and paranoia, endless days and night spent waiting for her return

“It was the only way to protect you,” she argued back, her conviction unwavering, convinced that she had done what was necessary to shield you from the dangers of the outside world.

Your eye twitched with rage as you denied her allegations vehemently. "You're delusional Wanda, You just wanted to control me.”

Her head dropped to the floor, and her shoulders shook as she let out a menacing chuckle. When her eyes returned to you, they were three times darker, and the room itself seemed to respond to her shifting presence as if the shadows deepened around her

"When will you understand," she whispered, her voice now dripping with an eerie, otherworldly resonance that sent shivers down your spine. It was as if she had tapped into something primal and ancient, a power beyond comprehension.

"I would kill for you, Y/n," her words took on an ominous weight, the air growing heavy with her declaration. "I would rip myself to pieces if it meant keeping you safe," she continued, her breathing growing heavier, each word laced with an intensity that seemed to vibrate through the very walls of the room

Her grin widened, taking on an unsettling edge as if she could see right through you, right into the depths of your soul. The intensity of her gaze was suffocating, and it terrified you to your core.

"And you fucking love that," she hissed, her eyes glinting with a manic fervor that sent a shiver down your spine. “It excites you.”

"Shut up!" You couldn't contain your frustration any longer. With a surge of power, a flash of brilliant blue lit up the room as the magical restraints around Wanda tightened. She gritted her teeth, and a prominent vein bulged on her neck, her struggle against the sudden and intense pressure evident in her clenched jaw and furrowed brow.

"Well, someone has certainly been doing their homework," a deranged expression of pain and excitement glowed on her face. "I wasn't sure how far along you had gotten in the Darkhold, but my god..."

"Oh, for the love of God," you muttered through clenched teeth, your jaw tightening in frustration. as you struggled to maintain your composure in the face of her unsettling revelations. "What kind of deluded fantasies have you come up with now?"

The room seemed to hum with tension, The past and the present collided, and the lines between reality and the pull of the Darkhold blurred your thoughts into a red haze.

"I can feel it. The darkness you've been studying. It's consuming you, just like it did me." The switch in her tone made your blood run cold. Her eyes locked onto yours, searching for a reaction "I've been watching you, Y/n."

For months, Wanda had been studying you, watching you from the shadows, watching your obsession grow with every passing day. She had guided you, manipulated events, all with the intent of drawing you into the same darkness that had overtaken her. But she had to be patient, allowing you to come to it on your own, letting the seductive pull of corruption work its magic until you were entangled in its irresistible web.

“You weren't supposed to read the darkhold, you were only supposed to watch over it” Her voice dripped with a sultry and unhinged desire as she taunted you. “You’re no better than me.”

The consuming darkness of the situation weighed heavily on your shoulders, as you recalled the ghastly events of the past few months. At first, you only started studying the Darkhold for research purposes, perhaps trying to understand Wanda, to fathom why she did the things she did. And yet, in the depths of your mind, the Darkhold's whispers grew louder, its promises of untold power and the allure of the forbidden knowledge beginning to take hold. The more you studied it, the more it consumed your thoughts, leaving you with an insatiable hunger for its secrets.

While you were lost in the sea of memories, a beam of red magic shot past the corner of your eye, and before you knew it, you were sent tumbling back to your feet.

You stumbled backward, Adrenaline beginning to course through your veins. Wanda advanced on you with an unsettling mixture of hunger and madness. She threw her head back, and a loud cackle echoed in the room. "Isn't it exhilarating! The power, the temptation. It's irresistible!"

As Wanda closed in on you, you couldn't deny the odd thrill that surged through you. Her presence was overwhelming and a part of you couldn't help but be endlessley drawn to her.

“You're sick.” you spat out, backing away until your back hit your desk. “You’re fucking sick!”

“Sick with love,” she returned with a hint of seductive playfulness

You turned away from her, your hands anchored to the edge of your desk, your shoulders rising to your ears as you tried to fathom how you ended up here, in this twisted dance with the woman who was once the center of your world. The woman who you spent months missing, nights filled with aching longing and days spent wondering where she was, if she was dead or alive.

“Dont you remember our life together” Her tone was soft and convincing “How nice it was”

She came up behind you, her arms wrapping around you, and she smiled when she didn't feel you push them away.

Painful flashes of your memories in Westview flooded into your mind. You remembered your two boys, whom you were equally bonded to. You remembered the endless movie nights and family dinners, waking up and falling asleep next to Wanda every day had become a feeling you grew accustomed to. Those memories were a bittersweet reminder of the life you had shared before everything went awry, and they added to the torment of your current situation.

You remembered how safe and loved you had felt. But it wasn't real. None of it was real. You had told yourself that countless times—nights when everything was too quiet, and the familiar suffocating feeling of loneliness threatened to consume you. You ached to be back in Westview, with your family. But most of all, you yearned to be with Wanda. the memories of what you had shared weighed heavily on your heart.

“I know who you are Y/N,” You could feel her breath against your neck as her hands rubbed mindless patterns down your stomach. “I know what you crave”

A surge of anger suddenly lit up inside you, furious about how she made you feel. Angry that you had spent months alone, going insane with paranoia and the uncertainty of where she was in the world, Angry that she imprisoned you, controlled you, manipulated you. And you liked it. You loved the fire between you, the intense and deranged connection that bound you together. After all of that, she remained the one person who understood you best, the one who endlessly craved and longed for you.

You suddenly spun around and gripped onto the leather edge of her suit dragging her down until her lips roughly met yours.

Wanda's response was immediate, her hunger for you matching your own. Her arms enveloped you, pulling you up until your legs wrapped around her. Her strides were long across the room trying to find the closest surface to hold you up against.

She pressed you against the oak of your bookcase, and you let out a whimper against her lips when you felt the painful bite of your spell book spines digging into your back.

Wanda took attention to this and used her magic to smoothly fuse through the bookcase and into the privacy of your bedroom. Her determination to be with you becoming increasingly evident. She tossed you onto the bed and crawled over you, reconnecting your lips into a searing kiss.

Her tongue wrestled with yours untill you were moaning into each other's mouths. With one hand holding herself up the other slid up and down your thigh, Warm and possessive. With an expert touch, Her lips moved down to your neck, where she immediately began nipping at that spot she knew you loved so much.

Your breaths were starting to become uneven and you through an arm over her neck, Wanting to be closer to her. You felt Wanda smile into your skin, reveling in your neediness

She conjured away the rest of your clothes, leaving you fully exposed infront of her longing gaze. Your body shivered when the textured leather of Wandas suit rubbed up against you, sending a jolt of electricity through you.

Lowering herself down, she pressed her lips to one of your erect nipples, envelopong it in a sensual kiss. Her mouth then tenderly sucked on the sensitive bud while her fingers skillfuklly squeezed and pinched the other. She glanced up at you, her eyes filled with satisfaction as she took in the sight of your blissful expression, eyes squeezed shut and your mouth slightly parted, completely lost in the pleasure she was giving you.

“I want to taste you” she mumbled against your skin, Descending down the mattress, leaving a trail of kisses and bites down your stomach. She kneeled in front of the bed and roughly pulled your legs until they were hanging off.

You could feel her breath on your pussy as she kissed everywhere, purposefully missing the one place you needed it the most.

She gently slide a finger into your hole and let out a low groan when she felt your wet walls immediately suck her in further.

“Still so responsive... you really are mine, aren’t you baby?” she mumbled in between kisses to your thighs, when you didn't respond she nipped at your skin.

“I will never be yours again” your breathed out, your chest rising and falling with every breath you took in

Something twisted inside Wanda at your words and a dark expression overcame her features as her grip on your thighs involuntarily tightened.

“Well see how you feel after this, pretty girl”

The pet's name is spat out like a curse. But you don't miss the way her tongue rolls over the words like she meant it. Like she actually thinks you are pretty. And so, despite the situation your cheeks burn red, and your heart hammers in your chest.

You didn’t get a chance to respond before you felt her roughly slide two fingers into your dripping hole, immediately curling and hitting your sweet spot. A satisfied grin formed on Wanda's face as she watched your head fall back in pleasure.

Unable to wait any longer She dropped her head and replaced her fingers with her tongue, moaning at the taste of you. You glanced down and felt your pussy clench at the erotic sight of Wanda stuffed between your legs.

She opened her mouth wide and immersed her tongue as deep as it could go. Swirling and twisting in all the right places. It had been so long, Too long since she had gotten to taste her girl, the urgency and desperation became evident when she started lapping at you like a ravenous creature.

A sharp hiss escaped your lips as the metal points of her crown pressed into the tender flesh of your thighs. You instinctively squirmed and writhed in an attempt to escape the painful sensation

She only tightened her hold on your thighs keeping them secured to her shoulders “Stay still," she commanded, her voice dripping with desire. "I'm not done yet.”

Your response was reduced to a mere whimper as an overwhelming sensation engulfed you. All of your nerves felt like they were on fire. You couldn't even form a coherent sentence. It all felt too good.

You felt your orgasm build embarrassingly fast, the tight coil in your stomach winding even tighter. It had been an eternity since someone had touched you this expertly—no one living up to the lofty standards Wanda had set.

Her tongue dipped into you and then dragged along your slit until it reached your clit, where she relentlessley started sucking on the hardened bud. Your moans echoed throughout the room As you began to mindlessly grind up into her mouth.

Every roll of your hips sent the sharp material of the crown deeper into your skin. Your mind began to feel fuzzy as it fell into a haze of overwhelming pleasure. Wanda was drunk off the sight of you right now. Fucked-out and completely at her mercy. Her chin was coated in your slick as she shamelessly devoured you.

Her eyes were glued onto your body, taking in the sight of your head thrown back in pleasure, your limbs squirming under her, watching you struggle to fight of your orgasm only encouraged her to go faster.

She pressed her face further into your core. A crimson streak of blood trickled down your thighs and onto her crown. Mingling with your arousal.

“Cum for me baby,” she commanded with a throaty groan, her fingers digging into your thighs. “show me that you’re mine”

You let out a loud moan and your hands flew to the sides of her head, Tangling into the mess of frayed red hair, Wanda's own moans harmonized with vibrations coursing through you, heightening the intensity of your orgasm.

Your hips slowed their pace as the waves of pleasure subsided, leaving your body pulsating with the aftermath of your climax. Breathing heavily, you propped yourself up on your elbows, your eyes fixated on Wanda who was undeniably captivated by the streams of blood tracing their way down your thigh.

A sinister smirk curved your lips as you taunted “You twisted bitch, you love it when I bleed for you”

Wanda responded with a chilling expression. Without breaking eye contact, She re-wrapped her arm around you. Her fingers possessively digging into your skin. She dragged her tongue over the cut, savoring the metallic taste

Your eyes fluttered shut, The gentle warmth of Wanda's tongue soothed the irritated burn, providing a small measure of comfort. As she rose from between your legs her hand found your throat, gripping it with a firm hold that demanded your attention.

Your eyes reluctantly reopened to meet Wanda's intense gaze. Her lips captured yours in a demanding kiss, and the lingering taste of blood mixed with your arousal coated your taste buds. It was a heady mixture that left you feeling undeniably dirty yet strangely exhilarated.

“You belong to me,” she whispered against your lips, her hand still wrapped around your throat. “You are mine to touch, to pleasure, to mark. Don't you ever forget that.”

You smiled and bit your lip, amused by her sudden possessiveness. Using her magic, she removed the rest of her clothes and waved her hand in front of her hips until a long scarlet dildo attached to a black harness reappeared.

You bit into your lip harder as recognition washed over you. It was your favorite toy, the one that allowed Wanda to intimately feel every inch of your throbbing pussy. You felt yourself clench, Anticipation coursing through your veins.

Still hovering over you, She held the base of the strap and dragged the tip along your slit a low groan emitting from both of your mouths at the contact. You began to grow impatient, arching yourself up as you watched her tease herself.

She finally pushed herself into you, and an unrestrained moan escaped her parted lips as she savored the exquisite sensation of your snug, velvety walls enveloping her. She stilled herself for a moment, allowing you to gradually adjust to the fullness.

“I missed your pussy so much” she groaned out, coming down to press her chest against yours as her hips began to rock into you. The toy curves up and and slides against your insides in the most perfect way, she’s nearly halfway in and you clamp down on her.

“Fuck, you're squeezing me so good.” Wanda leans closer to you, inhaling your scent as one of her hands grips your thigh. She pulls the toy out until just the tip remains inside before roughly snaping her hips forward. You loudly moaned into her ear, digging your nails into her back.

“Harder” you whined, wrapping your legs around her waist and pressing your heels into her back, edging her in deeper. “Please, wanda”

She grinned and started pounding into you harder. Pushing her cock in as deep as it could go. “I knew you were still my slut.”

You could only respond with a breathless call of her name. She further pushes your body into the mattress making you feel even smaller as her strap rams into your pussy. you grip onto her tighter and your moans float all throughout the room, they bounce around the walls and come slamming back into your own ears.

“Yeah, you like being called what you are? Because you're my slut. Mine” Her movements are becoming erratic. The mattress squeaks under you and your headboard slams into the wall with every forceful thrust of her hips. “im never letting you slip away again.”

Your hands claw deep red streaks across her back that move with every flex of her muscles. Her hand grip your ass, grinding you onto her cock as her thrusts begin to lose their rhythem.

She thrusts at an angle that has you seeing white light. Your whole body shook as your orgasm crashed over you. Every nerve was sent into overdrive, no feeling could ever compare to this. Being under Wanda, your limbs tightly bound to her as you fell apart on her cock. It all felt so right

“Fuck, oh fuck, You're gonna make me cum” she grunted, shoving her face into your neck. As she chased her high, tortured with the need to release into your wet heat “Gonna fill this pussy up so good-Fuck!”

Her hips roll into you until she is fully submerged in your pussy. Loud moans and whines fill your ears as you feel thick ropes of her cum paint your insides, filling you to the brim until it splatters on the insides of your thighs. Her hips are still fucking into you and your cunt wraps around her cock pulling her in further.

After she rides out the last bits of her high, her body collapses onto you, pressing you into the mattress. You feel her shaky sighs against your neck, and her body slowly relaxes as you soothingly run your hands through her hair. Just when you think she might have fallen asleep, she abruptly leans up to look down at you.

“You're a fucking nightmare.” you breathlessly whisper

She responds by kissing your lips, her love and obsession intermingling in that stolen moment. You can't help but return the kiss with the same feverish fervor, wrapping your arms around her neck and arching into her.

This new side of you excited wanda to exhilarating heights. Even in the early stages of your relationship, you had always embraced your darker nature, and it was one of the things that had initially drawn her to you, but this newfound level of intensity made her pulse with excitement about your future together, the things you'd do together, the things you'd learn, all the things she would teach you.

You were just so perfect for her, you had always been, and In your bones, you knew you could never be without wanda, it was as if the two of you were eternally connected at your very core.

A smile stretched across your face as she gazed into your eyes. It was clear that your journey into the depths of darkness was far from over.

[darsynia]

Dragonfly (Steve/Reader fantasy AU)

MCU MASTERLIST | STEVE ROGERS MASTERLIST | Ro Roll

Summary:  Evil has prevailed. Your mentor’s dead, home destroyed, family scattered--you’re all that is left. At the last second, a stranger is called by magic to save your life. Can the two of you defeat the villain before he reaches the pinnacle of power?

Words/Warnings: 4,700 | canon-typical violence

draGONfly is 3/7 of my birthday gift set for @ronearoundblindly and is an action/adventure, angst with a happy ending story set after the blip. I know right now is a hugely busy week for you, Ro, and there's no pressure to respond right now, they'll all be here when you have time!

NOTE: it's MCU Steve in here! 'Worlds Collide'

Excerpt:

“You’re afraid,” Steve says from only feet away.

You close your eyes. “Yes.”

“Sometimes fear is a friend. It was definitely that in the army. Kept us sharp. You could tell when a soldier lost his fear because he was suddenly very brave. Problem was, we needed the brave ones sometimes.” 

He falls silent, and you can’t help but look at him. The bleak look in his eyes is clear, despite the distance between you, and in that moment you decide to trust him. If he’s another monster construct, if Micht can understand you that well, then the villain deserves the win, and all is lost.

Dragonfly

You’ve been on the run for ten days, with no safe haven to look forward to. The magic hunting you is relentless, fueled by hatred of your now-dead mentor and everything the two of you stood for. Your only reprieve is sleep; your enemy wants to witness the horror on your face in your moment of death.

All you can do is forge a path deeper into the forest, away from any innocent who could be harmed by Jovann Micht’s conjured creatures. As if watching Bram die hadn’t been torture enough, it seems you’re destined to die in the wilderness, alone.

You lean back on a tree and risk a pause to drink from your flask. Deep inside you feel your magic tremble; rest, food, and hydration is needed to stay powerful, but that is the point of Micht’s pursuit. Eventually you’ll falter, and he’ll achieve the last of his goals.

Does he know you bear the vial of his destruction? Those few teaspoonfuls are a potent culmination of your mentor’s study of the arcane, a life’s work of gathering and refining the most dangerous, mystical ingredients and combining them to make a weapon. You’d been able to see just two of the substances interact before being sealed into the final mixture, and the light they’d emitted had lingered in your vision for almost an hour afterwards.

There are three ways this can end: ideally, you’ll pour the vial into the glacial source of the valley’s drinking water and let the power propagate amongst the population Jovann Micht means to control. If that fails, you might be forced to break the vial with your dying strength, spilling its beautiful potential into the ground rather than empower one of Micht’s monsters-- or Micht himself.

The worst, most horrible option is for you to drink it yourself and spend the rest of your life battling to control the power Bram Ersk warned you about.

Heavy buzzing nearby sends your adrenaline racing, but it’s only a dragonfly angling its way past you toward the stream you've been following up to the mountains. They’re your favorite insect, brightly colored and free, with wide wings that decorate tree branches too delicate for a human’s weight.

You tuck away your canteen and check to see that your weapons are ready. The bow and arrows had only served to slow you down, so you’d sent them towards the plains with a burst of precious magic, a misdirection that hadn’t worked. Bram’s sword is cumbersome but necessary, and the daggers scattered through your clothing are a last resort.

Seconds later your preparedness pays off. The barest rustling of the leaves above your head has you crouching down with one leg stretched out for leverage if you need to run. You draw a dagger from its sheath at your back and watch in fascinated horror as your newest attacker reveals itself.

It’s a huge snake, fast and menacing. It strikes out and you dodge sideways, performing a half-roll to distance yourself, dagger still at the ready. Smoke rises from a splash of venom on your padded trousers, and a stab of fear strikes your gut. The snake can spit, likely with magic-enhanced distance. Is this how you finally die? Worn down with nowhere to hide from this acid toxin, then slain once exhaustion drops you?

You curl into a protective stance and tighten your grip on the dagger, drawing the creature in. Once it’s close, you spin up from the ground in a flurry of slashing blades. One dagger connects, but it’s glancing, enough to send the snake into retreat, but not enough to kill.

That only makes things worse. Your field of danger has increased to include the entire forest canopy.

There may only be a few minutes before the next showdown. You wipe your dagger on the nearby moss and place it back in its sheath for now. The forest around you is new growth, full of brambles and other scutgrass that tear at your armor, with a hundred branches arching over your head. You fight your way through to the stream with fear choking your throat, worried that you’ll have to expend more of your depleted magical energy to save yourself. If you need to use magic to survive his enchanted attackers from this point on, there won't be anything left. 

You’ve kept that power in reserve for some kind of final showdown, but there's at least a day left before you get where you're going.

Despair hits, and you scrabble at your neck, suddenly furious at the friend and mentor whose plans have brought you to such misery. The locket he’d given you has always been a talisman, a symbol of hope, but now you look at its silver concentric circles and feel nothing but betrayal.

Movement catches your eye, and you swing out blindly, the locket flying from your grip. As it spins, a blinding golden light spills out, growing larger and brighter until finally a figure steps forth--just as Micht’s devil-snake launches directly at you.

“Down!” a voice commands, and you drop, watching in shock as the glowing figure hurls a disk through the magical snake. The horrid thing lands in pieces that immediately shrivel and writhe. They melt into the ground, leaving only a low-lying, putrid fog behind.

The man stalks towards you, still obscured by the now-fading golden light. Instead of finishing you off, he strides past and pulls his disc-- his shield-- free from the tree it had sliced into. When he turns back your way, the man tucks something into a pouch on his chest, and the glowing light diminishes enough to see him. He looks you over, brows furrowed not in anger, but obvious confusion.

“Are you all right?”

“Thank you,” you say, struck near-dumb by the imposing presence of the man. He’s tall and broad, handsomely clad in padded armor with leather accents, but it’s his shield that has your attention. Its concentric circles and inner star look just like Bram’s locket, but in color.

He seems self-conscious about it, spinning the shield around and attaching it to his armor at his back. “Was that-- did I interrupt some kind of re-enactment?” your savior asks, curiously examining the last remnants of the toxic fog. He turns to look at you with the same studious intensity, but your head is spinning. Did Bram conjure this man with some sort of latent magic? “You should sit down,” he declares, thrusting out his hand with the confidence of a commander. The man clearly wants you to take it, but your hesitation prompts him to give up and walk over to a cluster of rocks. “Here. Do you have something to eat?”

Bemused, you pick your way toward him, deflecting your ‘I usually have to forage for something to eat’ answer with a question of your own. “What’s your name, hero?”

The word turns up a shy little smile that flies like a joy-tipped arrow right through your chest armor. “Steve. Yours?”

“Well, Steve, you’ve shown up for a battle, but I’m still fighting a war.” There’s no more time for niceties. You walk past the rocks he’d suggested you rest on, and pick up a sturdy-looking walking stick. It’s safer to stay close to the stream, and you’ll need the stability. “You’re welcome to come?”

There’s a chance that this summoned savior will disappear soon. You only have so much physical strength left, and you can’t spend it like this.

Steve turns in a circle, taking in the trees, the stream, and you, then nods, squaring his shoulders. “All right.” He certainly doesn’t seem at ease here, and you wonder if he’s real, whether he was somewhere fighting with that shield of his before Bram’s magic plucked him away.

Truthfully, you’re afraid to ask, as if naming the magic will destroy its cohesion.

Instead you lead the way along the uneven stones and brush that edge the stream, and he follows in clearly baffled silence. Sometimes you pause to adjust your armor or fill up your canteen and catch his brow furrow as he looks around at your surroundings. Once, he lunged forward to steady your steps on a slippery stretch of rocks. The warmth of his hand through your many layers was enough to bring rare tears to your eyes.

It's been so long since you’ve been touched in comfort.

Steve sees the tears but can’t know their context. You’re not willing to tell him, so you speed your pace, and he remains silent. If he’s been summoned as support, you question what triggers the magic might use to determine you’re no longer in need. If it’s words shared, you’ll hold yours in reserve. If it’s help provided, you’ll labor beside him with every ounce of your remaining strength until you finally ask for that help. If it’s distance traveled… well, you can’t think about that now.

Countless birdcalls and shared silence later, the landscape starts angling up more, and the trees thin out.

“Oh,” Steve says. His stunned tone makes you stop and look back at him. “I came to the forest--a forest to retrace my steps, looking for the echoes of what we lost. I didn’t want to. I didn’t know what I’d do if I found that the dust of my lost friends had fertilized plants that their shadows never--” he faltered, and you make your way to him, powerless to help, desperate to try. 

You recognize this grief. It's the hopeless kind, where a person just stands desolate in the aftermath and looks for the signs of their own death.

“Steve--” 

“It’s not the same forest,” he interrupts, a catch in his voice. “That’s a mountain.” He tears his eyes from the now-revealed peak in the distance and looks at you, concern and an odd sort of exhilaration in his eyes. “I kept walking because I thought we’d eventually get where you’re going, but we won’t, will we? Not today. Where am I? When am I?”

“‘When’ is easy: my waking nightmare. ‘Where’ is tricky. Who’s to know you won’t be pulled back where you came from if I tell you?” You can’t keep the bitter fear from your voice.

Steve steps forward to look down at you with gentle kindness. He’s so handsome you can’t help but feel self-conscious, clad as you are in shapeless armor, sweating with the exertion of carrying Bram’s sword (actually heavy) and Bram’s vial (metaphorically heavy)-- but you drift closer to your unexpected savior, catching the earthy scent of his sweat. You can see the sheen of it on his forehead, and you lift your hand to draw a finger across and feel the moisture of it.

“You’re real,” you breathe, surprised despite the snake, despite his steady presence behind you for this stretch of your journey.

He moves his hand to touch the drops of freshwater that have spilled from your canteen, going as far as to taste the tip of his finger. “So are you.” As though realizing that’s an intimacy the two of you haven’t agreed on, he steps back and squares his shoulders, the picture of a warrior again, despite his lack of weapon. Perhaps he is the weapon. “So what’s the plan? Camp for the night?”

You sway on your feet at the thought (both that he’d put aside his own situation and at the idea of rest), but shake your head. “Micht will send something else soon. I must reach the base of the stream. Everything relies on that.”

He looks askance at the darkening sky, then back at you. “What would make you willing to camp?”

A promise that you won’t leave me! you scream in your mind. A look of determination crosses his face, and you realize you may not have spoken the words aloud, but your body language has done that for you. You pull in a breath to prevaricate, but he brushes past you, headed into the forest.

“There’s a clearing,” he calls out, a minute later.

“Steve, I can’t--”

“You can.”

A terrible, insidious, horrid thought crosses your mind: that Steve is not from Bram at all, but an illusion with the same purpose as all the others that Jovann Micht has sent you. That his attack is formed from trust this time, rather than fear.

The shape of Bram’s locket is the only thing you can think of to refute your fears, but couldn’t Micht have torn that knowledge from Bram before killing him?

“You’re afraid,” Steve says from only feet away.

You close your eyes. “Yes.”

“Sometimes fear is a friend. It was definitely that in the army. Kept us sharp. You could tell when a soldier lost his fear because he was suddenly very brave. Problem was, we needed the brave ones sometimes.” 

He falls silent, and you can’t help but look at him. The bleak look in his eyes is clear, despite the distance between you, and in that moment you decide to trust him. If he’s another monster construct, if Micht can understand you that well, then the villain deserves the win, and all is lost.

Steve can hold a lot of supplies in his ‘tek’ suit, as he calls it. He gives you a few dense grain bread things, full of dried fruit and nuts that revitalize you. While you eat he lights a fire for the two of you, meaning you can save your newly bolstered energy rather than using it for warmth-- and best of all, he has a strange silver blanket that seems to hold heat so much better than anything you’ve used at night, even the homemade blankets from your cabin. Despite all this, you find it hard to relax, and Steve can tell. You are reluctant to explain and thus relive the trauma that sent you into the forest, and he doesn’t elaborate on his own.

He seems surprised when you want to sleep right away. That surprise morphs to a quiet, concerned anger when you explain the thin agreement you have with your aggressor, that he’ll only kill you when you’re awake.

“That won’t happen,” he declares, and you believe him. Just like a parent who promises they’ll always protect you, his words have an unspoken caveat; ‘for as long as I’m here to stop it.’

It’s enough.

You wake with the light, finding to your surprise that Steve has slept at your side, his broad back acting as a wall between you and the dangers of the woods. It’s been a week since you’ve been able to lay still in the morning, but your respite is marred by a large worry: why hasn’t Micht sent something else? Had he sent his most fearsome conjurations early on in your journey because you’d been stronger? It would be like him to conserve his energy and insult you at the same time. If you die to something more mundane, that would just add to his narrative, after all. The alternative is that he knows about Steve, and his new plan is to create something fearsome enough to destroy them both.

“You’re barely breathing,” Steve rumbles.

Selfishly, you want him to turn over. You want a memory to cherish when he’s gone. Just once, you'd had someone lying beside you whose sole purpose was to ensure your safety.

He does roll over. He’s no less real for it, and that thought lets you release everything you’d held back since Bram, since the village, since the slain, tortured lamb that was the harbinger of all the horrors that followed.

Wordlessly, Steve pulls you to his chest and lets you cry.

The next attack comes within sight of the glacial moraine. You were right. Micht had sent his worst to finish you. 

Steve pulls his shield from his back as soon as you pass through a group of boulders and see the creature. It’s twice as tall as he is, a four-legged monstrosity with the same number of snarling heads. Each serpent-like head is riddled with teeth, and like snakes, they bob and weave easily, able to turn and react with lightning swiftness.

“Your sword, please,” Steve says grimly.

“It’s armored--”

“So am I.”

Adrenaline mixes with the magic surging inside you. “Listen. I have a thing to do. It’s all that matters,” you tell him breathlessly. “After that, I don’t care what happens. Do you hear me?”

He’s looking at the creature, and you can see his soldier’s mind. You watch the fear dwindle, replaced by bravery, and you cannot let that happen.

“Steve!” you beg-- and he looks at you, still alert and ready to fight. “This was always going to end one way, okay? I just need you to--” The thing screeches with many voices, each wielding a knife that slices away some of your resolve.

You swallow hard and start taking off any extra weight, dropping your canteen, the sheathed dagger at your back, even the heavy brigandine leather that covers your blouse. It isn’t a match for a hydra’s teeth and claws anyway, and you must be fast.  

“I need to get to the base of the stream. That monster is here to stop me.” It probably isn’t. If Micht knew you bear this potion, he’d have long ago crushed you into paste and taken it for himself. “Don’t you dare lose your fear!”

Steve laughs ruefully. “I wondered if you would remember that.”

“Something sent you to me, and this is why. If there’s any justice, it should send you back, once I succeed.” The words stick in your throat, but you get them out.

“It’s a hydra,” Steve says with a hatred in his voice you didn’t think he was capable of. “I was created for this.”

You both turn to face the horrible creature. Steve lifts the sword and you ready yourself to run.

“Wait,” Steve says, a manic happiness in his eyes. He steps close and dips his head, kissing you. It’s awkward, with the sword and shield held wide at his sides, but that just makes it more real. “Go get him.”

Then he charges toward the beast.

You’d planned to wait until the two were fully focused on each other, but every fragment of magic in your body is screaming for you to help Steve. You tamp that down and hold still, certain that the hydra will only focus on Steve if bloodlust blinds it to your existence.

That’s even harder when there are multiple sets of eyes to look for you.

Steve makes first contact, roaring up and smashing his shield against the first head that lunges toward him. The thing reels back in obvious surprise, the injured head lolling to the side. The other heads rear up, and you take the moment to run far to the side, sticking to the treeline, even though it means farther to run. You weave between trees, catching glimpses of the battle but always hearing it. Screech follows screech follows the smash of metal against armored skin, over and over and over.

Just as you’re forced to cross into the rockfield, the hydra lets out an agonized scream, and you risk a look over. Steve’s holding his shield protectively above himself as he hacks at the two heads he’d sliced from the hydra. He’s panting from exertion, and as you watch, magic bubbles at the sliced necks, growing two new snarling heads from each stump. They sink down to the body of the beast and then stretch back out as individual, fully-realized necks right in front of your eyes.

You can’t send any power to Steve, not yet. Instead, you send it to your own legs, and the burst of resulting speed tears through the remaining distance. You reach into your shirt--

“You could have given it to me right away, foolish child.”

“Liar!” you spit at your enemy, furious and fragile. “You wanted this.” Of course he’d known. Micht had always loved theatrics.

“You’re right. That’s quite a guardian you’ve found for yourself,” Jovann Micht muses, leaning casually back against a large boulder. He’s standing between you and the stream.

You’re done with this. One way or another.

“Move.”

“I don’t think so.” He moves towards you, confident, commanding. “Hand it over.”

Behind you, the screeching gets louder, and oddly, Micht stumbles sideways, hissing. You risk a look over your shoulder and see that Steve’s sliced off more of the creature-- a leg this time. It brings the deadly heads closer to him, and you can’t watch.

Micht has conjured a walking stick that he’s now leaning on with a vicious look of delight on his face. “I prefer an intelligent adversary.”

He doesn’t mean you.

He’s always underestimated you. Everyone does.

Your fingers close around a vial, and you pull it free. It’s been shaken up by your headlong run, as evidenced by the blue glowing light.

“If you want this, you have to catch me.”

Your burst of speed still sings in your veins, and you start to run-- toward the hydra, not the stream. Gathering up all of your magic, you hurl it toward the back legs of the hydra, meaning to destroy them and hopefully disable Micht, if your hunch about the connection between them is correct.

The fireball hits home. The ground shakes as the terrible beast falls sideways, all seven heads turning to assess the damage. One catches fire, its agonized scream piercing your ears even at this distance. You can’t see Steve, but the desperate flailing of the inflamed head soon spreads the fire. 

You hook around, satisfied. Micht is in a heap not far from where you’d left him, recognizable by his signature blood-red suit. All that’s left is to get as close to the headwaters as you can. Bram had confided in you about the rip current that swirls right at its base, sucking the water down into a secondary stream that he’d helped the village tap into.

It serves as the drinking water for the whole valley, surfacing down past your former home and bubbling down to the sea, or so it’s said.

If you can get even half of Bram’s concoction into there--

A powerful blow knocks you to your feet, and you lose your grip on the vial. Dazed, you struggle to your knees, watching as a hand curls around the vial.

Get up! You have to be convincing! UP!

You’re unsteady as hell, but you lean into that, begging with a suddenly raw throat for Micht to stop. Your magic is almost gone again, but you grit your teeth and start for the vial. Behind it is your goal, the origin of the stream. Just ten strides, and he’ll think you’re giving up and throwing yourself in instead. Eight strides…

A rough hand curls around your neck and pulls the true vial from your bodice before shoving you to the ground.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!” Steve roars. Through tears, you can see him running toward the two of you. He swings his arm, releasing his shield. 

Micht stands triumphant with the vial, unstoppering it in preparation to drink. It’s all of your worst fears realized, and the moment seems to hang in time, more misery for you to experience right before he kills you face to face, just as he’s always wanted.

Steve’s shield smashes into Micht’s midsection, knocking him backwards. The vial flies up, its contents fanning out in a glowing blue rain over Jovann Micht. Everywhere it lands, white lightning and red flames erupt. He’s screaming, you’re screaming, thunder and agony crashes all around you, until finally, he’s gone.

The silence is oppressive. It’s as though your blood’s stopped pumping, the air’s trapped in your lungs, and your muscles are frozen solid. The pressure builds until Steve stabs the bloody sword into the ground beside you and slumps over to rest his hands on his knees.

“We won.”

Your body's working again, but you don’t know whether to feel happiness or horror. “Yeah.”

Both of you are exhausted, the kind of bone-weary that isn’t possible without having experienced something unspeakable. The smell of burnt hydra is horrendous though, so Steve pushes to get as far away as you can before collapsing beside the placid stream. You let your hands dangle in the frigid glacial meltwater, needing to feel something bad that isn’t horrible.

“Don’t fall in. I’m too wiped to go back for the rest of your armor, and that’s a white shirt.”

He’s speaking in riddles, and honestly it's the first regular thing Steve’s said to you since… all of that. “What?”

“The water makes it transpar-- Never mind.” Embarrassment drips from his words, and it’s enough to make you scooch around so you can see him.

Steve’s black armor hides most of the blood, but he’s almost drenched in it. He’s got his legs stretched out in front of him, and he’s wrapping a once-pristine white bandage around a gash on his leg, pausing every few revolutions to rest. Noticing your scrutiny, he offers you a weak smile.

“That fireball was something.”

“So’s your swordsmanship.” You search your resources and make a decision. “Want me to heal that?”

“What?” he says, then laughs, the sound genuinely joyful, though astonished. “I just fought a real hydra. Did you know that’s the second bad guy that’s disintegrated right in front of me? Of course you can heal. This place is… this place is something.”

His voice breaks on ‘something.’ You don’t know him very well, but the trauma you’ve shared tells you he needs a moment. Avoiding eye contact, you reach out, sending your magic in a gentle golden trickle across the ground between you. It slides smoothly over his boots and up the fabric of his trousers, finally sinking into his wound. You send a little extra, too, even though it makes your chest ache with warning. It’ll soothe his mind, and that’s worth it.

That done, you turn back to the water, staring past your fractured reflection into the stream’s shallow depths. Across the stretch of rocks and bubbling froth a dragonfly twists and dips, reacting to shifts in the air too subtle for you to notice. It’s a reminder that not everything’s been affected by the life or death struggle you’d just experienced. It helps, so much so that you don’t notice that Steve’s come to sit beside you until he speaks.

“Did you know that dragonflies are a symbol of grief and rebirth?” He doesn’t wait for your answer. “Part of their life cycle is underwater, I guess, and the story goes that each one reaches a point where they need to surface. They each promise they’ll come back and tell the others what they find up there, but--”

“--but they can’t. They’re trapped either side,” you breathe.

“Trapped, yeah, but not dead.” The word is ragged, and you look up at him, even though it hurts your neck. “I lost friends in my forest. They turned to dust. We lost.”

Your hand is freezing, but his armor is thick. You reach out and squeeze his leg, and Steve stays still, clearly moved to quiet reflection.

“There’s a second life, is the moral. I don’t know if this is mine, but I wouldn’t mind if it was.”

You don’t dare hope, but you pour yes please into your expression. He smiles and pats his chest.

“There’s a pocket here. When I first showed up, you threw a locket--” he shakes his head curtly, enough to stop you from speaking. “I only caught a glimpse, but it looks like my shield.”

You squeeze his ankle, and determination hardens his expression.

“I think you might-- I think this place might need me. Do you have enough magic to, I don’t know… freeze it? Put it in stasis so it doesn’t send me back? I know just where I’d like to put it.”

You feel brave, but it’s not due to a lack of hope this time. This time, you have an abundance of hope.

“I’d like that very much.”

[angelsworks]

Hi, hopefully you are doing well. Can I please request a headcanon of yandere Mikaelsons brothers (separate) with an understanding and sweet obsession? Where despite the reader knows who they actually are, they accept them for who they are and loves/loyal to them no matter what? Thanks a lot

Sweet Obsession Yandere! Mikaelson brothers (seperate) x Willing! Darling

TVD Masterlist -> Here

Type: Headcannon

Summary: What it’s like for each of the Mikaelson brothers to have a willing darling.

Warnings: 18+, mature themes, yandere themes, kidnap, coercive behaviours, stalking, etc

For a darling to be willing I think they’d either need to be blindly naive, have a low self esteem or just not care, or find it incredibly charming.

The blindly naive darling would see everything their yandere did for them as loving, kind and normal. They wouldn’t care that childhood friends don’t call anymore or any guy you talk to disappears.

Or they’d have low self esteem. They’d be surprised that anyone would take an interest in them. Especially when there were girls like Elena Gilbert and Bonnie Bennet in mystic falls.

The just not care darling would do exactly that, just not care. They’d be extremely nonchalant with everything their yandere did. Isolate you? Good you like being alone. Move you to their house? Great, rent was getting expensive.

The final darling would have to be a little crazy themselves. They’d twist everything their yandere did into something romantic. They’d see their lover as their Romeo or their Clyde. Ready to do anything to protect their love.

Klaus Mikaelson

Out of everyone in Mystic Falls, Klaus takes an interest in you.

It surprised you. You weren’t exactly the most stand out person in the town, nor the most pretty by your standards.

He approaches you with his charm dialled up to a million. He flashes you his smile and you feel yourself swooning.

It’s not long before you go on a date with him. It of course being one of the most romantic nights of your life.

Yet you can’t get over your insecurity. This won’t last. He won’t stay.

Once he finds everything out about you he’ll get bored and leave. His Interest will dwindle and you don’t think your heart can handle it.

So one night you invite him over. Tell him of your concerns and propose that you try to tell him everything he wants to know.

That way he can decide sooner if he wants to leave.

The logic makes sense in your own head, yet seems completely ludicrous to Klaus.

How could he not be enamoured with you.

But he plays along. Spending the night asking you as many questions as his heart desires.

He’s not used to someone being so open and honest with him. You’re putting everything on the table and he can’t help but admire you for it.

Your attempt to scare him off only draws him in.

He makes this clear to you with gifts and gestures.

He gives you a intricate promise ring, so you can see that he plans to stick around for a long time.

When he says forever, he means forever.

Slowly but surely any doubts you have about yourself and Klaus’ intentions are washed away.

It gets a to a point where nothing he can do scares you off. Killing, intimidating, hunting. Regardless of who it is, you don’t care.

You’re more than happy to talk him through any of his plans. You become his confidant, his safe haven, his other half.

Regardless of any objections you have, he makes you move in with him. Giving you your own room in his mansion but demanding requesting you sleep with him.

And you do, every night.

You lay still as he buries his nose into your neck and sometimes even his teeth.

Marking you as his for all to see.

Elijah Mikaelson

An uncaring darling wouldn’t really understand or care that what Elijah was doing was wrong.

He’d watch you for a while going about your normal routine. Completely oblivious to the original vampire stalking you.

Maybe you do see him one day, you smile and wave politely. Which makes his heart beat and head swoon.

When he approaches you he can’t control himself. He takes you immediately. To a place isolated from anyone willing to help you. His family home.

While you sleep he plans for any negative reaction you could give him. What he’d do if you rejected him, screamed, tried to fight him.

Imagine his surprise when you wake as if it’s completely normal. You walk from the room and make yourself comfortable on the sofa. Turning on the TV and quickly finding your favourite channel.

Elijah tries to explain the situation, but you show little interest. Little emotion to being kidnapped.

You hum and nod at him as he tells you he’s claimed you as his, he’s a vampire, you are to live with him now.

He even makes up some more outrageous claims to get a rise out of you. Like his plans to drink your blood, claim your body, fill your womb.

Still you don’t react, too engrossed in your show.

Finally you turn to him and ask if he has any snacks

Bewildered he complies and fetches your desired food from the kitchen.

The rest of your relationship carries on the same.

He does what he wished, you stay pliant. Why fight him, when he’s given you nothing to complain about?

Sure you have limited freedom. But the man had private jets at his disposal. One call and you could be jetting off to Paris, Milan, New York. Anywhere you want to go, Elijah has it covered.

Similarly, anything you desire, the man is waiting with his credit card. Money is no issue for him and he’s happy to spend it all on you.

Over time you do grow fond of the vampire. Enjoying his attention that is forever on you. How deep his obsession goes.

You find little to grumble about and plenty to enjoy.

Elijah is more than pleased with your response to him. Enjoying how easy it is to do things with you.

Having you willing is such a pleasure.

Kol Mikaelson

A darling just as crazy as Kol would work.

Any crazy thing Kol would do to prove his love, you’d triple.

It became sort of like a competiton between the two of you. How crazy could you get?

Arguments over nothing would lead to glasses thrown and rough fucking on the nearest surface.

Despite his yandere tendencies, you love each other like they aren’t even there.

Maybe that’s what draws him to you.

Your complete lack of sanity.

It’s perfect actually.

With you he feels truly accepted.

At first you didn’t even realise he was flirting with you. The two of you exchanged snide remarks and quips.

Only much later in your relationship did you start to exchange more loving words.

To be honest with all the insults you were sure Kol hated you.

He was always where you didn’t want him.

At your job, at your school, at your house.

His incessant attention lead to an argument between the two of you, then quite a dramatic kiss.

From then on Kol became a lot more bearable.

To the point you were able to feed into his more murderous tendencies.

Finn Mikaelson

You loved Finn, yandere traits and all.

You loved the fact that he cared about you more than anything else (well next to his family of course)

You loved the fact that you could share all your interests with him. He’d sit, listening intently, hanging off your every word.

For him he loved the fact you would explain the world he’d missed to him. Showing him culture of the last 900 years.

Together you learned about history. Exploring the world together.

From the moment Finn found you he knew he had to have you.

His own little encyclopaedia.

Together you watch all your favourite shows and films. Explaining all the behind the scenes facts you know about them.

Eventually you do probably realise how possessive Finn can be.

But you fail to care when he loves you so.

Treating you as the sun that warms the earth.

Something unrivalled by any lover that’s come before him.

Previous lovers and even friends have critiqued your ability to ramble. Often becoming disinterested in your topics of interest.

So to have this original vampire who has been alive (albeit the majority of time in a box) for 1000 years, to pay attention to you, to listen to you, to love you.

That makes any negative of loving Finn Mikaelson completely worth it.

[rinriya]

IF Masterpieces pt.1

Wayfarer by @idrellegames

This is a unique, original and incredibly interesting game. A rich plot, deeply written characters, unusual twists and turns, lots of choices and options, and an incredible amount of work involved. This game is absolutely unique in its genre and type. “Wayfarer” combines aspects of rpg and dark fantasy literature. There are many twists and turns that make it easy for your game to take a different path. All the decisions you make are sure to be reflected in the aftermath. An absolute must-have for fans of rpg, fantasy, and books. (My MC)

Werewolves: Haven Rising by Jeffrey Dean

This is an incredibly compelling story that will make you feel like a strategist who needs to make decisions in the most difficult situations and not break down. “Werewolves” is exceptional in its genre of military fantasy. The novel is full of unexpected twists and turns. Not in a "well I guessed it" kind of way, but in a "fuck what?" kind of way. It's insanely interesting, insanely suspenseful and thrilling. Discover terrible secrets and protect those who you care about. The path you have to go through will be very difficult.

A Mage Reborn by @mage-parivir

Do you want to have your heart broken? Then this game is for you. “A mage reborn” is an author's fantasy with a fully crafted world, laws, magic, and history. The long and beautiful descriptions make the lore fun to explore and learn, and the dynamic scenes allow you to immerse yourself in battles and tense situations. You know what this novel reminded me of? A good fantasy anime. It's got that classic sword-and-magic vibe with sacrificial hero. I like that drama. (My MC)

The Fog Knows Your Name by Clio Yun-su Davis

It's a very compelling story, moreover it’s finished! “TFKYN” is an intriguing and mystical story with a dash of detective, but more paranormal phenomena. The story is filled with mystery, oppressive atmosphere and tension, which perfectly conveyed in the text. Сanon in such stories is the end result of player choices. Who they want to be with, how they want to act, and what the result will be, but in this story, for me personally, a meaningful canon is only one. It's very painful, but beautiful storyline. 

The Soul Stone War by @intimidatingpuffinstudios

If you want to feel like an adventurer who gets into the most unusual and dangerous situations, then this game is clearly for you. An intriguing plot, fun company and a lot of adventure await you. Solve mysteries, fight and save the world. The plot is incredibly intriguing and you want to know all the secrets of your companions. You constantly want to know what happens next. (My MC)

Superstition by @13leaguestories

I play a lot of short stories, both IF and VN, but I rarely get emotional when I play them (I'm not the most easily impressible reader), but what the text of the Superstition did to me... I can't put it into words. It's been a long time since I was so emotionally tossed from side to side. This work is an incredible swing from which you constantly fall off, face into a dirt, but stubbornly get up and keep on swinging. This work is full of mysticism, darkness, twists and turns, drama, and oh yes, so many suffering. (My MC)

Wayhaven Chronicles by @seraphinitegames

I assure you, you will spend several nights without sleep, because “Wayhaven Chronicles” is the best modern fantasy. It's a detective story that will make you feel every dangerous and tense moment. This is a beautifully written story that you won't be able to tear yourself away from. Be a detective who's fighting for justice in this world and protecting people. Learn stunning secrets, discover a whole new world, and become the person who turns things upside down. Be the one who becomes an indispensable and important member of the plucky team. (My MC)

The Bastard of Camelot by @llamagirl28​​

If you love stories based on the legends of Arthur, then you should definitely play this awesome game. Become Mordred and write your own story. This is a very beautiful version of the famous legend. You can meet different people, ride a dragon, use magic and learn the secrets hidden in other people's hearts. Will you become the terror of Camelot, or will you prove to everyone that prophecies can be wrong? 

Supernatural in New York by @llamagirl28​

Immerse yourself in the world of supernatural creatures, meet many interesting personalities and join an extraordinary team to help and save others. This is a big and very interesting game that you read like a book! A great story, well-written characters and incredible adventures in the modern world, but with the supernatural addition. You will find colorful descriptions, many interesting references and choices that will affect future consequences. Also this story has the species nsfw scenes. Highly recommend. And tame your own dragon!

The Midnight Saga: The Monster by @the-keeper-of-midnight​

If you love well-thought-out story as much as I do, then you will definitely love this game. The story takes place in the modern world, but with elements of mysticism and the supernatural. Discover a completely different world, abilities and history! There are many interesting things in game: lore, monsters, abilities, even a parallel world! This is not a standard fantasy, because the author brought a lot of unique things to the story. The game is good not only with text, but also with quests. Yes, you can visit different locations, collect legendary weapons, create an armor and unlock the secret ending. You can even die in a variety of situations, so be careful! And omg, this game contains one of the spiciest and hottest nsfw scenes I ever read. (My MC)

[dmitriene]

— ethereal resonance.

 ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ «surrender to my pain»

 ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌«locked inside my cage»

 ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌«could i be a prisoner»

 ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ «for the voices in my brain»

summary: in the daily struggling with the viscous abyss of unhappiness, tears and an irresistible desire to reunite with your lost love, an unexpected and mystical connection arises. content: ethan winters x gn reader tags: angst, emotional hurt, character's dead, mentions of breakdown - depression - suicidal thoughts and sensitive topics, lack of communication, slightly comfort at the end and the start. author's note: hello sweets!! i'm happy to present you my first work with ethan which is slightly sad and contains sensitive themes, so i hope you'll like it! enjoy your reading) 🌫️

Your once happy marriage to Ethan was a cocoon of warmth and love, your home a haven filled with laughter, shared dreams, and the comforting familiarity of each other.

Each morning began with the soft light of dawn filtering through the curtains and casting a warm golden glow throughout your shared bedroom, when you woke up you were greeted by the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and Ethan's gentle kisses on your forehead, setting the tone for another wonderful day together.

Your days were filled with stolen glances and shared smiles, small gestures that spoke volumes about your love, the walls of your home were adorned with photographs of your happiest moments — holidays on sunny beaches, cozy evenings by the fireplace and stolen kisses in the rain, these photographs served as a constant reminder about the love you shared.

The evenings were a symphony of togetherness, you cooked dinner together, the aroma of your favorite dishes filled the air, the dinner table was a platform for conversations that seemed to have no end, where you shared your thoughts, hopes and fears, the quiet sound of your laughter echoed through everyone corner of your house.

But then this happiness was cruelly taken away.

The day Ethan died, your world fell apart.

The atmosphere in your home became one of unbearable sorrow and oppressive emptiness, every room was cold and silent, devoid of the warmth that once filled it, once loved photographs now served as a painful reminder of what was lost.

Your days became an endless cycle of despair, you retreated from the world, locked in the house that was once your refuge of warmth and love, the curtains remained drawn, casting an eternal shadow over your life, the house became a labyrinth of memories with a piece of Ethan kept in every corner, a reminder of a life lost.

Every night you retreated to your shared bedroom, tears staining the pillow where you once shared dreams and whispered sweet nothings, sleep was elusive and when it came, it brought dreams of being reunited with Ethan, dreams that were both balm and torment.

The morning was the cruelest part of your day, you woke up to a world that seemed emptier with each sunrise, the first rays of sunlight that were once a joyful greeting now only illuminated the harsh reality of your loneliness, your bed that once was a place of general warmth and intimacy became cold and deserted.

Tears became your constant companion, a river of sadness that flowed endlessly from your eyes, they wet your pillows and stained your cheeks — a tangible manifestation of the pain rooted in your soul, each tear contained the weight of your grief, a heavy burden that threatened to consume you .

The rest of the day passed in a blur, you moved through life like a ghost, cut off from the world around you, ordinary tasks seemed insurmountable and simple solutions became overwhelming, the atmosphere in your home became oppressive, the walls seemed to close in around you, locking you in a prison of despair.

At night, when darkness fell, the real torment began.

Sleep offered no respite, instead it brought vivid dreams of being reunited with Ethan, in these dreams he was so close, his presence was almost tangible, you could hear his voice, feel his touch and for a brief moment were transported back to the time when your love was alive and well.

But then, cruelly, you woke up.

The atmosphere of these moments of semi consciousness was in stark contrast to the dreams, you jerked in bed and the crushing reality of Ethan's absence crashed down on you, the room would be immersed in shadows and the silence would be deafening.

Gradually, thoughts of suicide began to enter your mind like an inexorable storm, the quagmire in your thoughts was suffocating, as if a dark cloud had descended over your consciousness.

She whispered to you, offering an escape from unrelenting pain, a way to reconnect with the love you so desperately missed.

Every day became a battle between the desire to be free from suffering and the faint glimmer of hope that still simmered within you, your existence was a constant struggle, a war between the darkness that threatened to consume you and the memory of the love that once brought you so much joy.

In those moments of despair, it seemed as if there was no way out of the suffocating cocoon of grief and longing, and you were adrift in a sea of sadness, desperately searching for a lifeline to hold on to, a way to find meaning and purpose in a world that had lost its shine.

Then, one evening, an unexpected glimmer of light and the somehow familiar sound of Ethan's voice broke the suffocating silence.

The scenery changed again, but this time it was as if a faint thread of hope had made its way through the darkness, the soft yellow light that danced in the corners of your house seemed like a lifeline, a connection to the love you had lost.

Ethan's voice, a soothing whisper in the silence, seemed to call you, telling you to hold on, as if he was trying to convey something, to tell you that in some form he was still with you, the sharply empty space was filled with the feeling of his lingering presence, and you clung to these manifestations of his existence in your head.

 ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

These moments of unearthly connection became your lifeline, the only thing that kept you from the abyss of despair.

The yellow lights and his voice were a fragile bridge to the life you once knew — a reminder that love, in one form or another, can survive even in the darkest of times.

The cemetery was shrouded in a heavy, gloomy atmosphere — as you approached it, your footsteps echoed along the gravel path, the sky above was overcast, casting a dull gray pallor on the landscape, and the air was thick with the weight of sadness.

The road leading to the cherished grave was lined with silent rows of tombstones, evidence of the countless lives that came before, and the inevitable end that brought you here.

As you approached the grave, the world around you seemed to recede, leaving you in a bubble of isolation, your steps slow and heavy — each one a reluctant step closer to your heart's desire to be reunited with Ethan in the land of the dead.

You stood in front of a grave, the final resting place of a loved one, the tombstone was a stark reminder of the permanence of death, the world felt still as if it was holding its breath in awe of the pain that brought you here, the tombstone served as a stark reminder — a reminder of a reality that is impossible to escape leave.

With trembling hands, you reached out to touch the cold stone surface, your fingers tracing the letters of Ethan's name as tears welled up in your eyes, the world around you seemed to fade into the background, leaving only you and the memory of your lost love.

In a voice choked with melancholy, you whispered — «I can't live without you, Ethan, life has lost all meaning»

But then, in a moment that surpassed all reason and expectation, the dull gray sky above seemed to part, allowing grains of golden light, reminiscent of the sun, to form in the air out of nowhere and fall directly onto Ethan's gravestone, enveloping him in a warm, ethereal light.

Your heart skipped a beat as you watched in amazement, the light intensifying, swirling and merging until it formed the unmistakable shape of the letters.

The words became clear, shining brightly in the golden light and seemed to float in the air — «I want you to live, love, please..»

Shock and disbelief filled you as you read the message, as if Ethan's very essence had taken shape in those glowing letters, you couldn't understand what was happening, maybe it was some strange trick of the light, or maybe your grief stricken feelings were playing tricks on you a cruel joke?

As you continued to look at the inscription, the realization slowly dawned on you, this was not a trick, not a mere coincidence, it was Ethan's voice, his presence reaching out to you from beyond the grave, he was still with you, even if not in a physical sense, but in such a way that he overcame the boundaries of life and death.

Tears flowed freely down your cheeks, a mixture of relief, gratitude and overwhelming emotions, that made you silently fell to your knees in front of the gravestone, reaching out your hands to touch the words as if confirming their reality — «Ethan» you whispered, your voice trembling with a mixture of joy and sadness — «You're still here with me..?»

The environment seemed to respond with a light breeze that rustled the leaves of nearby trees, calming with its caress, and it was then that you realized that Ethan was still with you, albeit not in the physical sense, but in the sense that went beyond the boundaries of the possible and familiar.

You were no longer alone, you had Ethan with you, a presence that defied the limits of mortality, and a love that could never truly be extinguished.

And as you cried tears of loss and gratitude, you made a silent promise to fulfill his wish, to cherish the memory of your love and to find a way to move forward, to live knowing that a part of Ethan would always be there— your side.

[ taglist: @roseglazedlens, @sporeghost, @scar-crossedlvrs, @daydreamrot, @valsthea ] dm me if you want to be tagged in my works or open my taglist.

© dmitriene - my masterlist or ao3

please, don't copy my works as your own, and if you want to post them somewhere else - contact me.

reblogs, likes and comments are very much appreciated, thank you for reading! ♡

[remembertheplunge]

BLACK COWBOY SHIRT, WHITE PEARL BUTTONS, AND BOOTS WITH SPURS

February 18, 1990. 9pm

Duane D is here. I’ve been with him all day. Since 11am. And, it’s as if we somehow both have found a safe haven in each other.

He sleeps now in the living room—he has trouble sleeping at night.

Duane J.—in black cowboy shirt white pearl buttons and boots with spurs. He horrified the Hilton staff in Sacramento. Duane thought the big grey sterile building was a hospital because the building had a big “H” on it. When we went into the men’s room, they sent in one of their goons to make sure…well—just to make sure. Little miss blonde hair, blonde teeth, blonde life did that. I didn’t tell Duane.

We went on a trip to potentially rescue mom and dad whose personal car break downs were again at it. 

We went to Jeff and Jane's house. Duane didn’t want to exit the car. Jo would have none of that. “We are not afraid of Aids” she told me in private. And, they were polite and kind. They stood in their front yard and watched us go. I’m sure thoughts of their lost 22  year old son rang through their heads. And, a lot of our talk time neath seas of roving schooner clouds and blue slate, water shed skys was about Aids and Aids phobia and Hand to Hand and about our past lives and what has brought us to where we are and then home—and, he listened to Alan Watts—amazing—he listened. He slept

End of entry

Notes: 10/2/2024

Duane was my Aids match in February o/f 1990. I was a volunteer for Stanislaus County Aids Project (SCAP) in 1990. They matched us with people with Aids and we supported them through their illness and death. Duane had Aids. Our Match relationship did not last long and I don't know if he eventually died from Aids. But, the time we were together was intense and beautiful.

In the above entry, we drove from Modesto, where we lived , to Sacramento to meet with my parents and their friends Jeff and Jane (Not their real names). I must have told my parents about Duane and the fact he had Aids, and they told their friends. That led to the interchanges between us, above, concerning Aids and acceptance of those with Aids..

Alan Watts was a philosopher and lecturer on eastern mysticism. I have loved listening to his lectures since the late 1980's.

Hand to Hand was the first Aid's support group that I volunteered for in Sacramento 1986-87.

[bloomingdayswithyou]

Hiiiii, can I request a Jaemin X Male Reader with a Sleeping Beauty inspire...Like the forest scene where Aurora and Philip first met...The Male READER is Aurora and Jaemin is Philip....

Thank you...

Enchanted Encounter

Pairing: Philip!Jaemin x Sleeping Beauty!Male!reader

Word count: 625

Warnings: none

Author’s note: I’m not very familiar with Disney movies so apologies in advance if this came out wrong or weird! Hope you like it

In a realm where magic and dreams intertwined, there was a mystical forest known for its enchanting beauty. Within this serene haven, a young man named m/n found himself drawn by an inexplicable force. As he wandered through the ancient trees, a sense of wonder and anticipation filled his heart. Unbeknownst to him, a charming prince named Jaemin was also captivated by the forest's allure. The stories of a legendary sleeping beauty rumored to rest within its depths only added to the intrigue. Determined to explore, Jaemin ventured into the woods with hope in his heart.

It was at twilight when the two paths converged, m/n and Jaemin standing mere meters apart, their eyes locking in astonishment. The forest seemed to hold its breath, as if acknowledging the significance of their encounter.

"M/n...?" Jaemin whispered, the name rolling off his tongue like a familiar melody. In response, m/n could only offer a timid nod, for it felt as though his voice had been enchanted away. The beauty of the prince before him left him breathless, and he couldn't help but feel as if he'd been waiting for this moment his entire life. In the magical twilight, time seemed to slow, and Jaemin took a step forward, drawn to m/n like a moth to a flame. The connection between them was undeniable, as if their souls had recognized each other across lifetimes.

"M/n, you are like a dream come true," Jaemin whispered, his gaze tender and filled with admiration. "I have searched for someone like you, someone who would awaken my heart and fill my days with light." Every word Jaemin spoke felt like a gentle caress, and m/n felt his cheeks flush with warmth. It was as if he had been living in a slumber, waiting for his true love to come and wake him from his deep sleep.

"I... I've always felt as though I was waiting for something, someone," (Reader) finally managed to confess, his heart pounding in his chest. "And now that I've found you, it's as if all my dreams have come true." With a soft smile, Jaemin stepped closer, his hand reaching out to gently touch m/n's cheek. "Then let me be the one to wake you from your slumber, to break the curse that kept us apart," he said with determination.

As their hands intertwined, the enchantment of the forest seemed to intensify, weaving its magic around them. The air was filled with the scent of flowers, and the trees swayed as if dancing to an otherworldly tune. With the courage of true love, Jaemin leaned in, his lips meeting m/n's in a tender kiss. It was a kiss that held the promise of a new beginning, a union of hearts destined to be together.

In that moment, m/n felt as if he was floating on air, his heart soaring with joy. The curse that had kept him apart from his true love was breaking, and a profound sense of freedom washed over him. When their lips finally parted, Jaemin looked into m/n's eyes, his own filled with adoration. "I promise to protect you, to cherish and love you for all eternity," he vowed, his words like a sacred oath.

"And I promise to stand by your side, to be your light in the darkness, just as you are mine," M/n replied, his voice unwavering. As they basked in the glow of their newfound love, the forest around them seemed to come alive, celebrating their union. The trees rustled with delight, and the stars twinkled with joy in the night sky. In this enchanted forest, Jaemin and m/n had found a love that transcended time and space, a love that would endure for eternity. As they embraced, they knew that they were no longer bound by curses or fate, but rather guided by the magic of true love's kiss.

Their journey together had just begun, and in the heart of the mystical forest, they knew that their love story would forever be etched in the stars, a tale of two souls finding their happily ever after.

[yamomsahoe]

Can i request platonic, slightly angst with happy ending one shot of rottmnt? Little sister and her older turtle brothers. (Reader is 14 and this happened after kraang invasion, if you want to include this idea, feel free if you wanna include caesy jr).

Plot: Reader is insecure about her strength, her intelligent and talent, she rarely goes on missions with her brothers because she usually ends up getting rescued or falling victim first, so she trying her best to be perfect in everything else her brothers aren't and mostly would help her count as " useful talent ", trying to learn new languages, understand mystic powers, reading more books about science.

However this cost her greatly with her health, she sleeps less, eats less and rarely interact or spend time with her family, april and splinter, thinking " if you have time to play around then you have time to get better and be useful ", until one day she collapses on the ground due to stress and exhaustion, her brothers asks her what's wrong and she tells the truth in a moment of weakness, they assure her she's not useless or worthless and try to help her out.

If this request is too much or uncomfortable in anyway, then please feel free to ignore/delete it.

(A/N; THIS IS AMAZING!? HELLO?? I LOVE THIS CONCEPT SM. I APOLOGIZE IF IT'S NOT GOOD IT'S MY FIRST REQUEST-)

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐒:She/Her

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒/𝐓𝐖:overworking,comfort,angst with a happy ending,starvation,fainting,bad thoughts,yelling. (that's all I think)

•—-—-—-—-—-—-—–—•

𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇;

Exhausted. you felt utterly exhausted. Lately you've been working your ass off into proving to yourself you can be like your brothers.

See you were the youngest of 4, being younger then Mikey by at least 4 minutes. Being youngest may have good perks but it has its bad sides. Like now, your currently in the dojo practicing for how long?? 2-3 hours? You've lost count.

'Your not enough' 'Their better than you' 'You've always been behind them'

thoses words rang in your head over, and over again like a timed day. You've skipped on meals to train, lost sleep to. Your brothers were becoming worried but you assured them your fine.

"yeah, your totally fine" a voice interrupted your practice. You quickly turn around to find your oldest brother, Raph, leaning on the entrance's door way. "What do you mean by that?" you question quickly gathering your things. "I mean, you overworking your self. Ever since the last mission you've been...off." he told you,

what would he know?? He's the oldest, and if not, the strongest of you all. He didn't have all this shit about being the youngest. All of those thoughts made you rage.

"WHAT YOU KNOW HUH!?" you exclaim as you quickly turn around looking at him. "ALL.MY.LIFE. I'VE HAD TO BE BEHIND ALL OF YOU!" you say with such rage, such anger. It terrified him honestly.

"ALL MY LIFE I'VE BEEN EXPECTED TO BE LIKE ALL OF YOU. 'BE MORE RESPONSIBILE LIKE RAPHAEL!' 'BE MORE SMART LIKE DONATELLO!' 'KEEP YOUR EMOTIONS IN CHECK!' THEY WOULD SAY!!" You rage with tears in your eyes, some even spilling out on your cheeks.

Some of your mystic power even began to show, your fist glowing a beautiful (F/C)

Raph didn't know what to do. His youngest sibling, his only sister, letting out all of her emotions in front of him. Is this what she had to deal with?? Was all this put up anger finally being let out? He didn't know.

Your anger was soon stopped though, as black dots clouded your vision. Raph noticed to, he quickly caught you before you hit the floor. The last thing you saw was his worried face before you black out.

----------------

You slowly open your eyes as you welcomed with a warm glow of purple, 'Guess im in donnies room' you think before trying to sit up before your push back down.

"No, no way your sitting up in this condition." you look to your left as you see Raph sitting by your bed, where you rested. "What you you mean? I'm perfectly fine." you say stubbornly. "Then do you wanna explain to me why you haven't eaten in at least a week??" he questioned.

you stop. How did he know? Were you that easy to see through??.

"Only way I know is because you haven't had a proper meal since the day we went on our last mission. THAT WAS AT LEAST 4-5 DAYS AGO (F/N/N)!!" he exclaimed with worry lacing his voice. "I'm sorry ok...i just feel like I'm not as good as you and the others." you say, you voice fading at the end. "(Y/N), you know we care about you, and you putting your health at risk worries us." he says placing a hand on your shoulder.

That's when you break. All of the emotions that were pent up came out. Tears streamed down your face like a cascading river, you quickly hug him. Shoving your face into his shoulder has he hugs you back. "We care about you (Y/N).

All of us do."

•—-—-—-—-—-—-—–—•

𝐋𝐄𝐎:

How long have you been going at this?? You don't know. Lately you've been trying to practice with your (W/O/C) more often.

Trying to do more tricks, working on new attacks, ECT. More or so locking yourself in the dojo, only coming out for e necessary things, like eating for example. Other then that you were locked in the dojo for hours.

Sure your brothers were worried, but why would they be?? You need to get better. So you restricted your self to training.

On one day though, they got an important mission and you had to go. Not like you wanted to.. But you went anyway.

----------------

'Geez how long until this is over??' you thought to yourself as you fought off the clones of (R/V/N)

"(Y/N) Watch out!!" you hear a someone tell as you quickly turn around, only to be punched in the face. Hard enough where you go back a few Inches. "OW-!!" you exclaim as you hold your mouth, tasting a metallic substance already.

(R/V/N) attacks you before you could comprehend what happened. Easily though, with your practice, you fight them off leaving a few wounds on your body.

With all the extra movement your not used to, black spots cloud your vision. "Nice going (Y/N)!! Good job beating that villains ass!!" you hear Leo's voice as he hugs you around your shoulders. "Heh...thanks l-leo" you say with a small smile.

"Hey...are you ok?? You look kind pale.." Leo questions, worried for your physical appearance. "Oh I'm fine..." you mumble before you pass out in his arms.

----------------

God your head hurt like hell. Where were you?? You question as you open your eyes to find yourself in donnies room. Purple eliminating your (S/O/G) skin.

"Oh thank god your awake!!" you hear someone exclaim as you look to your side to find Leo there. "Wha-what happened??" you ask as you sit up. "Well you passed out after you fought (R/V/N)."

He said with a small smirk. "But," he continued as the smirk fell. "We did find out you haven't been sleeping or eating enough." he said with a concerned face. "(Y/N) why?? Is all i wanna know."

You couldn't tell if he was being genuine or not. Did he really not know?? "Ok fine I'll tell you." you said as you look to your lap.

"All my life, I've felt like I've had to compete with all of you. All of you are stronger than me, you have better control with your powers, and even more things I can't remember." you explain as you feel tears well up in your eyes. "So to make myself not feel like that I've been trying and I mean trying, to work on things I'm bad at.."

As you continue your rant Leo couldn't help but think 'She's really felt like this?? All this time..' before you could finish your rant, Leo pulls you into a hug, shoving your face in his shoulder.

"You don't have to do all that. I understand how you feel, I mean hey when i found out I was gonna be the leader, honestly I was scared. I thought I couldn't be as a good as Raph, that was before I found out I don't have to be like him. I could be the same person I always was, so hey."

He says as he pulls away placing his hands on your shoulders. "You don't have to be like us.

Be yourself."

•—-—-—-—-—-—-—–—•

𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐄:

Lord, how long have you been starring at the screen. Probably forever, due to the aching pain in your cornea's. You see, ever since you could remember you've been academically challenged since you were young.

So to see one of your older brothers excel at what you weren't good at angered you.

As you read over the different formulas like 'C6H12O2' or 'NaOH' and many more to embedd them into your cranium. You get a voice over your wrist band saying it's dinner time.

You sigh and close your tabs on you computer before leaving your room. Walking into the kitchen you smell (Y/F/F). "Hi (Y/N)! Nice to see you after you've been in your room all day!" Mikey exclaims as he sets down a things of rolls on the island.

You hum in response as you take a small bowl/plate from the cabinet, and filling it with (Y/F/F) before heading to your room again.

"Is she ok??" Leo questions as he stops eating for a quick second. "I hope." Raph says.

----------------

You walk back into your room only to find Donnie sitting at your desk with a disappointed look on his face. "What are you doing in here?" you say with a monotone voice placing your food on your bed side table.

"Making sure your not doing the same thing I did when i was younger." he responded,while getting up from your chair. "Well your in luck, because I'm not!" you exclaim as you grab different books from your shelf.

Donnie crossed his arms, "I know you're overworking your self. Your like a open book." he says. You close your eyes, breathing in and out before you turn around, and slam the books on your table.

"I'M FINE OK!? GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!" you yell as you walk up to him with tears in your eyes. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO FEEL BELOW SOMEONE BECAUSE THEY EXCEL AT SOMETHING YOUR SHIT AT!!" you announce, a you point your finger to his plastron.

He stares down at you with a look of surprise on his face. Did he not know what you've been going through?? What you've been suffering with? Your anger quickly stops as you stumble holding your head as black spots invade your vision.

Donnie quickly grabs ahold of you as you fall, the last thing you see is his worried face before you black out.

----------------

You wake up to find yourself in donnies room instead of yours. "Ow..that hurts." "I see your awake." you quickly look to your left to see Donnie typing at his computer.

He turns around in his chair and asks "Why haven't you slept the past 4-5 days??" your surprised. 'How did he find out?? Wait....if he found out about that then.. Please do tell me..' Your train of thought was cut off when he asked another question. "Also, why haven't you been eating full meals?"

That's when it happens. The damn breaks, tears rolled down your cheeks like a freight train.

"I-im sorry ok!? I-It's just, your so much smarter than me academically and-and I wanted to keep up with you so- I buried myself into studying. I-i even skipped some meals to keep up with you...." you stop to take a breather. "I'm-I'm so so sorry, I really am." you cry as Donnie walks towards you.

Warm. That's all you felt. It tales you a minute to realize he's hugging you. Donnie, is hugging you. You hug him back and place you face in his shoulder. "I know I'm not good at this but....

Your enough in your own ways."

•—-—-—-—-—-—-—–—•

𝐌𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐘:

God, your hands hurt. They were covered in water colors and charcoal. Why you ask?? You were trying to up your skill at it. You see, all your life your twin has been better at art then you were.

Oh? Wanted a realistic portrait?? Mikey’s gotcha! Wanted a cartoon-ish picture?? Mikey's got you covered! While you?? Geez you wanted a squiggly line portrait?? Go to (Y/N)! She's got you covered.

Now it seemed like hours since you started, and honestly? It has. You we're to concentrated to notice someone walked into you room. "Hey (Y/N)...um, you haven't came out of your room in a while.." you look over to see Mikey standing in the door way. "Ok? So, I'll be out in a little, please leave." you say as you go back to your drawing.

"No (Y/N). You said that like, 4 days ago... (Y/N), you've been cooped up here for 4 days with no food or water." Mikey explains. You stop using the charcoal and place it where it's supposed to be.

"Mikey, I don't have time to argue. I need to finish this to pro-" you stop before your continue, "I just need to finish this, please. Go" Mikey's eyes sharpen before he walks over to you, "no you listen (Y/N)-" he stops talking as he sees the exhaustion in your eyes, the eyebags, the red-ness, everything.

You glare at him before you stand up, But you being a idiot. You stood up to fast and black dots invade your vision. Mikey quickly holds you by the shoulders, so you won't fall. Black completely invelpes your vision as you faint in your brothers arms.

----------------

You regain consciousness as you realize where you are. 'God not here.' you say in your head before you start to sit up, looking around. The door opens to Mikey standing there with some wipes and a meal.

"(Y/N)!! Nice to see you awake!!" he exclaims, placing the items on the table besides your 'bed'. "Wha-what happened??" you question while holding your head. "You passed out because you haven't been eating or sleeping." he answered while looking at you with a small glare.

"Wha- h-how'd you know....?"'you question with a scared look. "Donnie told us. (Y/N), tell me why. Why did you do that." he beggs while looking at you. You sigh and look at your lap before explaining everything.

"Well ever since we were young I was always getting told to be more like you. You were a great artist, outgoing, and a extrovert....while I was here, not good at art, was rude to everyone, and a introvert..." you fleet tears start streaming down your face. "I-i just wanted to be useful in some way." you say a tears go down you cheeks like waterfalls.

Mikey quickly hugs you, as you cry into his shoulder,"You know (Y/N).." "Hm.." you hum wanting to know what he wanted. "Even though you want to be me, I say,

Just be yourself"

•—-—-—-—-—-—-—–—•

(A/N: OMG MY THUMBS HURT- it was worth the 3 hour time it took to write this✨I hope it's what you were looking for😭)

[moooonpiie]

Wisterly Specimen Guide Entry One

The Luminia

The Luminia are a magical and enigmatic species that reside in their realm, only occasionally making appearances in our world, Wisterly. Their bodies are composed of a semi-translucent, shimmering substance that emits a soft, otherworldly glow. This appearancd allows them to communicate through their mystical environments. It is thought that all living things began from Luminia

Appearance

Luminia possess a fluid and ever-changing form, allowing them to morph into various shapes and sizes, but mainly possess a jellyfish-like body. Their bodies are responsive to their emotions and intentions, creating a display of colors that reflect their mood and/or surroundings. They do not always have eyes, but ones without them can radiate a light that can convey emotions in place of eyes.

Habitat

Luminia live in Dorsio, in a realm that can only be described as the deep sea. This realm is vibrant and surreal, filled with floating crystals and gems, luminescent flora, and ever-shifting landscapes. This mystical realm exists beyond the boundaries of Wisterly. In Dorsio, time flows differently, and the boundaries between dream and reality are blurred, an ethereal haven created for the ancient Luminia to explore, evolve, and safeguard the ancient wisdom they hold. Now, for present Luminia, it is a place of sleep, dreams, and wonder. Every blue moon, during the Blue Moon ceremony, mythical gateways open, allowing the species to visit vast worlds and the rest of Wisterly.

Culture

In the past, Luminia were powerful, focusing on improving the way of life for all creatures. The present culture of Luminia revolves around the pursuit of harmony and enlightenment. They are known for their love of art, music, and storytelling, mainly through plays displayed through light and colors. While Luminia do not speak out loud, it is thought that the species might possess a form of telepathy that allows them to communicate with each other.

Interaction with Other Species

Though their world is mainly inhabited by only those of this kind, there have been rumours that some other kinds have gotten lost and trapped here. When this happens, based on our views of Dorsio during the Blue Moon festival, they become one with the Luminia and turn into Luminia through the use of the small mythical powers Luminia still have.

Abilities

- Light Manipulation: Luminia can control and manipulate light. They can shape light into solid constructs, create illusions, or even become invisible by bending light around themselves in Dorsio. It is unknown if they can do this in other worlds. - Magic: While this is little, as the powers have diminished over centuries of not using them, Luminia can do little tricks and if many are present, turn an outsider into a Lumina or create a Luminia to join the ranks, as mentioned above.

History

The Luminia trace their origins to a time beyond recorded history. Legend has it that they emerged from the convergence of ancient energies. Initially formless, these beings gradually developed consciousness and self-awareness as they explored the landscapes of their home, what we now call Wisterly.

Ancient Times:

As the Luminia evolved, they discovered the immense power of knowledge and wisdom. They became the custodians of truths, storing the collective wisdom of the realm Dorsio, which was one for the first things they created. Over the eons, they developed a commitment to guiding and nurturing other species, venturing into different realms to share their insights.

Throughout history, Luminia have occasionally crossed the threshold between realms, appearing in many worlds. Based on what they left behind, it is thought they would intervene during times of great imbalance in worlds, aiding civilizations in moments of crisis or inspiring individuals to achieve great feats.

During periods of development in the realms, Luminia discreetly influenced various societies, leaving subtle traces of their presence in folklore, art, and mythology, for the worlds of Marthos and Fyndel, and ruled over Dorsio before the Ruins, sending some of their own to help advise Wisterly as well.

The jellyfish species is thought to have come from Luminia who stayed on earth, due to the similarities and artifacts found in Wisterly and what the Lumina have given us, in Dorsio as well.

[meilunye]

ewige Jugend (eternal youth)

♡ Ship: N/A ♡ Characters: Fischl, Bennett, Razor ♡ Genre: light-hearted ♡ Word count: 4,3k

This fic was written for Ex-Animo zine (volume 1: Mondstadt). 🍃 The characters assigned to me through RNG were Fischl, with Bennett and Razor as the side.

I hope you enjoy!

Fischl finds a bizarre handwritten map in her favorite fairytale book. Believing it’s a sign left by an unknown adventurer, she drags Bennett and Razor on a quest to seek the mysterious treasure.

Having grown up in a house cluttered with books, Amy naturally grew to believe her shelves held the response to all mysteries in the universe. It didn’t matter what kind of inquiry churned inside her mind: there would surely be a tome there to provide her with the answer she sought.

It wasn’t until she began to question bigger things (her purpose in the world, the love of her parents, the meaning of friendship) that she saw its limits. A library was ultimately forged by its owner and, as such, it harbored only what they wished for the beholder to know. Nothing about affection or sympathy could possibly be found in her cold house.

At the tender age of twelve, long before she chose an alias to go by, Amy found solace in a greater haven: the library at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. More than the embodiment of a single person’s will, that place was a huge collection of the world’s living spirit. The shelves were throbbing lungs that spread knowledge to anyone who craved it, with a mere handful of excluded topics.

Fairytales, folk stories, history books, scientific essays, philosophy debates, archaeology papers… Nothing was left unexplored. Before realizing what was going on in her heart, Amy— or, well, Fischl had ditched the cozy armchair in her bedroom to hang out at the public library instead, buried nose-deep into ancient tales that fueled her imagination.

So… what to do when even the almighty Favonius Library failed to bear useful answers?

Hours after her arrival, Fischl had double-checked every nook and cranny of the building, pushing as far as to sneak into the Grand Master’s office to ask for Lisa’s help. Not a single page in the entire archive seemed to mention the mystical place she was searching for.

Sprawled on a bench near the Anemo Archon’s statue, Fischl inspected once more the note in her pockets. There was no mistaking it: the hand-drawn map showed a path to the magical Holy Fountain, where “eternal happiness and youth” lay and “the answer to any inquiry” was within reach.

“It’s so strange that I don’t remember writing this,” she muttered to herself, staring at the faded ink on the yellowed paper. She couldn’t recall seeing the map before, though it was highly unlikely for a stranger to leave something of the sort inside her childhood fairytale book. “Where did I hear about this Holy Fountain before?”

When nobody but Oz was around to hear, it was nice to break out of character and drop the roleplay for a while. A hobby she had willingly chosen and pursued out of passion, but which could prove tiresome at times.

The starry night sparkled above their heads, silence enveloping the whole town. The citizens of Mondstadt were too busy either drinking their hearts out at the tavern or sleeping soundly in their beds to pay heed to a girl’s lonely ramblings.

“Maybe you’ve simply forgotten, mein Fräulein,” Oz pitched in. “Pardon me for my lack of tact, but I strongly disagree with your theory. It’s delusional at best to assume a stranger slid the route to a precious treasure inside a child’s book.”

With an offended snort, Fischl stood up from the bench and headed down the staircase. Her heels clicked against the stone tiles, a pleasant sound she had grown accustomed to. It made her presence impossible to miss. “I beg to differ. It must be a sign of fate.”

“And… why would a sign of fate be hidden in your secret diary? This is what I mean when I suggest you spend far too much time with miss Megistus—”

“Quieten thee, Ozvaldo.” Stopping in her tracks, Fischl snapped back to her usual personality, a rush of comfortable adrenaline immediately coursing through her veins. “It is decided. Seizing this holy manuscript, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung shall set forth on a quest to gather her loyal meinies, and embark on a journey to the depths of the mortal realm…”

Oz wasn’t following her, choosing to watch her prattle from a safe distance instead. It didn’t matter much, anyway. Fischl knew he would always be in her tracks while she traveled, no matter how near or how far. Such was the nature of their blood bond.

“Ah…” he sighed at last. “Don’t forget your parasol this time, mein Fräulein.”

✦🍃✦

In comparison to the majestic peaks of Liyue and the massive trees of the Sumeru rainforest, Mondstadt appeared like a flat land, with perhaps the sole exception of Dragonspine’s frosty summit. The straight cobbled roads, the hills and sweet slopes, the modest plants…

Or, at least, that’s what Fischl had believed all her life. After wasting the best part of her day climbing up rocks to reach her friends, she was starting to reconsider the imagery in her mind. Had Wolvendom always been so steep? Her palms were sprinkled with cuts from the dry branches of the wolfhook bushes scattered about the boulders.

When she finally found them, peacefully napping on top of a tree stump, her first instinct was to choke them for their audacity. Thankfully, her royal blood condemned such lowly acts. She coughed weakly to catch their attention, arms crossed proudly over her chest.

“Fischl!” Bennett was the first to react. He rolled around, almost falling down the log in the process. “What brings you here?”

Ah, her time to shine. Fischl had rehearsed her grandiose speech while fighting for her life on the cliffs of Wolvendom, her brain overworking to find words that would fit her persona. How should a proper princess invite her subordinates on a mission? “I have ventured hither on a pleasant stroll—”

“Mein Fräulein means that she ran here.”

“Oz.” A glare was enough to shut the raven up. Neither of her friends reacted to their banter, used to the daily script of her recital. It was surprising to notice they hadn’t grown tired of her antics yet, despite the passing years. “Ahem. I have ventured hither on a pleasant stroll to seek thy assistance for a crucial mission.”

A sparkle of excitement shone in Bennett’s eyes. “Oh, I smell the adventure! What kind of mission is it, Prinzessin?”

“It is a matter of life and death. A heilige Sendung.”

That was Razor’s cue to wake, shaking sleepiness off his body with a scroll of his shoulders. “Hi… Hilichurl sense dump?” he distorted her words, brow furrowed in confusion. “Is that food?”

“A sacred mission, you brute! We shall follow this divine Führung and…” Fischl slid the handwritten map out of her pocket and held it in front of their faces. “...chart our path towards the Holy Fountain of the Immernachtrealm.”

Ignoring her previous warning, Oz dared to translate her lingo into the commoners’ language yet another time. “Mein Fräulein means that she found this map out of pure chance in her childhood book and believes it was left by a mysterious adventurer.”

“What are we waiting for, then?!” Bennett sprang up on his feet in a cascade of dew drops. “Let’s go!”

Fischl pressed a gloved finger against his lips to bring him to silence. “Halt! You shan’t revel in the company of the Prinzessin der Verturteilung with commoner names. Thou shall be bestowed with fitting titles to match your noble status.”

“Titles?” Bennett tilted his head to the side. “Like, adventurer roles? I’m down!”

Not like he had a choice. As the most experienced roleplayer in town (if not in the entirety of Mondstadt, actually), Fischl was the one who set the rules of the game. Even the scornful astrologist Mona Megistus and the bubbly rocker from Liyue had quickly adapted to her terms and conditions.

“One hereby declares you… Jester of the Immernachtreich,” she announced solemnly, before turning to face Razor. “While thou… One shall address thee as the Guardian Dog of the realm.”

Razor wrinkled his nose. “I am no dog. I am a wolf.”

Fischl couldn’t help but giggle at his utter confusion. It was so entertaining to have people play along with her whims despite not having a full grasp of the situation. “You should feel honored and blessed.”

✦🍃✦

“O’ Jester of the Immernachtreich,” Fischl’s voice cried out from the back of the line, her hands gripping onto the nearby tree trunks to keep her balance. “Could you cease thy frantic chase? This fine expedition calls for thorough enjoyment at a graceful pace…”

Bennett scratched his head. “Erm, Fischl, I—” he cleared his throat emphatically. “I mean… Prinzessin, your Highness, this humble Jester cannot… huh, seem to find the boulder we’re looking for.”

“One can see as much.” She smiled, positively impressed by his fast learning and positive attitude. That was the kind of collaborator she adored the most: those who stayed in character and didn’t question her speech. “The sacred Karte should indeed lead us to a rock covered in ancient carvings, whereby we should find the entrance to a mystic Höhle.”

Bennett shoved a slim tree to the side, and was immediately slapped by the rebound. Yet another bruise to stain his cheeks… And one more bandaid that Fischl would need to apply on him later. “Yeah, but, huh. I see no mystic gizmo anywhere.”

“Höhle.”

“Höhle, yes. My apologies.” He cast an irritated glare at Razor, who had pretty much dumped the talking duty onto him. Since he could barely fathom complex sentences in their native language, that formal nonsense was far beyond his reach. “So, what should we do? We’ve checked every corner of the woods.”

Fischl halted her step in the shade of an oak’s foliage, deep in thought. Playful gusts of breeze spiraled through the branches and bushes, bringing about whispers and noises from distant lands. That must be why the area was named “Whispering Woods”, she figured.

A raven cawed its approval from afar. “Fine,” Fischl seized the message of her wild servant. “Let us return to our temporary palace and plan our following steps until the break of dawn. Darkness shall be our ally in this perilous mission.”

Bennett hopped behind her. “A wise decision, your Highness! Now, let’s—”

His voice bent into a high-pitched scream before growing progressively distant, as if he was falling somewhere. When Fischl turned around, he was gone. Razor’s back was bent over a hole in the ground, his arms stretched out in a vain attempt at pulling him up.

“Bennett!” Razor yelled. “Bennett!”

A muffled response came from below, in the bosom of the earth. “I’m fine! I’ve seen worse!”

Fischl stared at the cavity. Hidden behind a thick layer of leaves, smudged reddish paint had been poured into the carvings of a rock. It seemed that, in the end, their voyage hadn’t been a delusion… Perhaps, someone had seriously left the map there for her enjoyment. But who could be sneaking around her house, sneaking items into her childhood belongings?

“It appears our Jester has paved our way to success,” Fischl said, her heels sinking into the foliage around the entrance. The cave was enveloped in darkness— she might pose as a raven princess, but it was scary indeed. “Let us proceed forth, o’ servants of the Immernachtreich.”

She jumped into the void.

✦🍃✦

The back of Bennett’s head hurt when he came to his senses. A familiar feeling for him, given the number of daily falls he experienced. The wind blew strongly around him, whipping his arms and legs.

When and how did he arrive at Starsnatch Cliff? The last thing he recalled was slipping into a hole in the woods. Had his bad luck finally reached the point of causing space-time paradoxes?

“Why do you stick with me?”

He blinked. Although he hadn’t noticed her presence until now, Fischl was standing in front of him, on the very edge of the cliff. The outfit she donned was different from her usual goth attire: a frilly purple dress that made her look like a genuine princess.

That side of hers was new, and… Bennett could tell something was off. That stranger might have the appearance of his friend, but he was rather sure she was an impostor. “What do you mean? I stay at your side because we’re friends.”

“Lies!” Fischl cried. As if driven by her willpower alone, a fiercer gust of wind rose from beneath the cliff. Electro-infused feathers swirled with the breeze, whipping Bennett’s limbs like knives. “I know what you think deep down. I am a weirdo, an annoying and spoiled brat who can’t do anything but roleplay and bore her friends to death with unintelligible gibberish.”

“That’s not what I think,” Bennett shook his head firmly. “Nobody does. And well, if they do, then it sucks to be them. Because it means they don’t see how amazing you are.”

When Fischl lifted her head again, tears were rolling down her cheeks. “How amazing I am…?”

“Yeah!” Bennett showed her the best of his thumbs up. “You’re cool, fun to be around, and creative. Your mind crafts such complex and vivid scenarios! You’re also a powerful fighter, and you don’t back off from danger… I’m happy we met.”

Fischl was at a loss for words. She closed her eye, a trembling smile curving her lips. The world turned black at once, as if a thick black curtain had covered the sun. Bennett felt something grasp at his throat, choking him—

…Bennett woke up. For real, this time. While his lungs desperately begged for air, his shoulders heaving up and down in frantic breaths, he gazed at his surroundings. He was sitting at the bottom of the cave, with Razor still unconscious at his side.

Was it just a dream? It was oddly realistic. Perhaps, the stranger in his vision wasn’t that different from the Fischl he knew. It might be the embodiment of her inner dark thoughts, the self-destructive opinion she had of herself.

And which, as her buddy and loyal companion, Bennett felt in need to dispel. “Razor, this is no time to sleep!” He shook his friend’s body with his hand. “Wake up!”

“Where…” Razor groaned, regaining his consciousness little by little. “Where princess?”

Oh, true. Fischl wasn’t there with them, even though they were walking together on the surface. Had she fallen somewhere else? Maybe the cave had branchings invisible to the naked eye.

“Let’s go find her.” She couldn’t be too far.

✦🍃✦

The garden of her mansion was even more gorgeous than she remembered. Colorful flowers painted the bushes with their million bright hues, their scent a pleasant aura scattered about. Fischl’s mother loved tending to her plants more than she cared about her daughter and the dreams she trampled over.

The Immernachtreich should have been different. Nothing but purple roses should adorn the royal palace of Princess Fischl, scaring enemies away with their thorns. Ravens and armed knights should defend the ruling lady at the cost of their lives. Everyone in the kingdom was meant to exist with the sole purpose of making Her Majesty happy.

Of course, the reality wasn’t like that. Even though Fischl wasn’t in Mondstadt at the moment, but rather sitting on a cliff that reminded her of the Golden Apple Archipelago… it still didn’t feel like home. Her servants were cold statues, their hearts incapable of bearing emotions. They simply acted according to a script.

“Would this place become the Immernachtreich if I painted you purple?” Fischl mused, twirling a thornless rose in her hands. “Of course not, would it? The realm of the everlasting night only exists within my dreams.”

“Just like your confidence, after all.”

A perfect mirror of her own voice spoke at her back. Fischl recognized the person standing behind her with no need to turn around and meet her stern gaze. It was her fake self, the voice of her conscience calling her out on her lies.

She shrugged. “I thought both you and I knew that much,” she said. The rose’s stem snapped in half, cut by her purple lacquered nail. “We’re aware of how exhausting it is to put up an act from dawn to dusk. How pitiful and annoying we feel beneath our proud and carefree mask.”

“The weirdo who roleplays,” the fake Fischl recited. The grass under her boots withered with each step closer she took. “Have you heard what the old men say? This is what child neglect does to a young girl.”

The harsh judgment stang, like a blade piercing through Fischl’s chest. Was that really what people thought of her? Ah, well. How to blame them? They were right. “What is your aim?” she faced her enemy with a fiery glare. “You won’t get anything from me with some mere insults and accusations.”

“Far be it from me,” the fake laughed, the sound rippling through the silent garden in an uncomfortable wave. “But wouldn’t you be happier if you gave up trying? This palace was shaped after your deepest desires.”

She offered her open palm.

“So, why not ditch all those peasants who don’t understand you and spend eternity here, in your merriest garden?” Her exposed eye glowed an eerie hue of red. “Nobody would consider you a weirdo anymore.”

The first sliver of doubt crossed Fischl’s heart. Wasn’t she right? If she ceased trying to impress others or pretending to be someone she was not, she would finally be at peace. Alone with her raven servants, surrounded by nothing but the loyalty and respect she deserved.

The Immernachtreich had everything she ever dreamed of. Theater plays at any hour of the day, wonderful sights and the sea for miles on end, and neverending dusk framing the gorgeous corners of the kingdom. So, why was it so difficult to let go of Mondstadt?

“I see greatness in your stars,” the voice of Lady Megistus claimed from afar. “Your path may be uncertain and brimming with mistakes and obstacles, but I see the glorious end of the line. You will stand victorious.”

Fischl laughed. “Of course. How foolish of you to probe my fate, when greatness transudes from every inch of my very being.”

“Yyyes.” Mona frowned. “No need to thank me, Fischl.”

The fake’s hand drew closer. It was so tempting, so damn alluring. What was there for Fischl to lose, anyway? Pretending that people’s judgment didn’t hurt her or get to her was growing harder over time.

“I’m so glad we met!” Bennett chirped. “You’re so cool, Prinzessin!”

Fischl pouted. “Stop moving! I’m trying to put bandaids on your face, you fool.”

“Hah, you broke character,” he pointed out with a little wink. “Such an honor to witness it.”

“Come,” the fake beckoned. “Come to me, and find your happiness.”

“I…”

“It was fun!” Razor called out loud. “Princess speaks so long. But she is fun. Razor always laugh.”

Fischl flicked his forehead. “My title is Prinzessin, not princess. It means so much more.”

“Prinz…” he wrinkled his nose. “Prinz… essin.”

The impostor shook her head. “No need to hesitate. Now, come.”

“I’m sorry.” Fischl stood up, newfound courage bursting in her chest. “But I cannot.”

She was loved. It might not always seem like it, but she was surrounded by friends who genuinely cared and accepted her. And it was for their sake that she couldn’t go. Her confidence wasn’t going to falter— it already did once; it already did for countless years.

And well, she had grown past that.

“Fischl!”

Bennett’s voice crushed the spell. He appeared in the vision, passing through the illusory walls of the castle like they weren’t real. The palace trembled and faded, along with the mirage of the fake Fischl.

He hugged her close to his chest. “Fischl!” Bennett called again. “We found you! We were so worried…”

How could she not melt in this warmth? That was her home. That was her merriest garden. No raven servants or frilly dresses were needed. “My apologies, o’ Jester. It appears your majesty was lost in a daydream.”

“About the Immernachtreich?”

Fischl smiled, though neither of her friends could see it. “Something of the sort.”

✦🍃✦

The cave’s interior was quite linear. With the obstacle of regrouping behind their back, the trio managed to make their way through the remaining tunnels and forks effortlessly, their navigation skills honed through many years of adventuring in the unpredictable woods up on Stormbearer’s Mountain.

“We should be close,” Bennett said, taking yet another look at the map. Since they had reunited, Fischl had been uncharacteristically silent, lost too deep in her thoughts to continue his beloved hobby of roleplaying. The role of map-holder had thus fallen onto him. “Your map says the treasure chest is buried in the next space.”

Fischl showed her approval through a happy hum. “How marvelous!” She hopped in the lead, preceding her friends to the fated destination of their journey. “Let the bells of the Immernacthreich sing a song of victory! One hereby declares the whole kingdom shall feast and be merry for the Prinzessin der Verurteilung’s discovery of…”

The cave was empty— definitely not the usual treasure room of a dungeon, sprinkled with golden coins and precious jewelry for the conqueror to claim. The only object in sight was a handmade wooden sign.

“...the Holy Fountain of eternal youth?” Although she completed her speech, Fischl lowered her arms in a disappointed groan, baffled by the finding. That was it? Hours and hours of strenuous marching through the woods for… a child’s prank?

Catching a hint of her misery, Bennett walked to the center of the room to inspect the alleged buried treasure. “Well, someone definitely put this here for a reason. I have a shovel with me, maybe we should dig and see what we find?”

What could they hope to unearth from that shallow place? A few Mora, at best. Perhaps some ragged old journals, or something of equal nature. Surely bearing wisdom and forgotten knowledge, but nothing that would satisfy an adventurer’s spirit.

“This is like burny red girl’s treasure,” Razor broke in, sniffing the air in search of potential traces of Klee’s scent. “She hides bombs in ground. Razor goes and takes them out before lupical gets hurt. Big hassle.”

Fischl raised her eyebrows. Ah, alright, some digging wouldn’t hurt. “O’ Jester— I mean, Charter of the Immernachtreich! Her Highness the Prinzessin orders you to…”

“Yeah,” Bennett understood her message on the fly. “Gotcha. I’ll dig it up.”

The other two kept watch for any intruders or threats while the boy poured his best efforts into the task. Frankly speaking, Fischl wasn’t planning on helping him ex ante, given her poor affinity with manual labor. Plus, it didn’t help that Bennett was a magnet for bad luck: by the time he was done carving a hole in the pavement, the bruises on his body had multiplied tenfold.

“Razor never seen rocks fall on one person many times,” Razor commented.

Bennett glared at him. “Please, be quiet, Razor.”

As cliche as it might be, there was a minuscule chest at the bottom of the pit. Even though it was supposed to be an antique, a relic from the past that would grant them eternal youth, it looked rather fresh. Almost as if someone had buried it there a day prior and smudged some dirt on it to counterfeit its appearance.

“Ahem,” Fischl cleared her throat, determined to see the recital through to the bitter end. It may all have been in vain, but they had fun: what better way for their story to come to an end if not a formal ceremony to check out their loot? “One shall now examine the bounty our sacred coven has exhumed. Hear ye, hear ye, o’ dear dwellers of the Immernachtreich!”

Fischl’s fingers latched onto the casket. After a few taps in the correct spots, the lid came open with a deafening creak, some chunks of wood falling off and onto the floor. The content was bleaker than their (low) expectations: a stuffed animal surrounded by a multitude of colorful paper scraps.

“This is it?” Bennett peeked from behind Fischl’s back. “Is that a stuffed bunny? Hey, look, it has an eyepatch. Reminds me of you, Prinzessin.”

It couldn’t be…

“...Ozvaldo Hrafnavins the First?” Fischl gasped. How not to recognize her first companion as a newborn? Her mother had placed the bunny plush in her crib as soon as she was brought home, though it had to wait six years to get a name. “How can this be?”

Summoned by the homonymy, Oz appeared on her shoulder in a whirlpool of thunder feathers. “That… plush bears my same name, mein Fräulein?!”

But Fischl was far too gone to hear his voice. She grabbed the plush and held it to her chest, her mind racing towards happy memories of the past. Back then, she was lonely and miserable, surrounded by nothing but coldness and a heartbreaking lack of affection. Her books and that stuffed companion were her only escape route.

Lagging behind, Razor wrinkled his nose. “All this for… toy?”

“Nah,” Bennett said, a moved grin curving his lips. It was rare and wonderful to see Fischl so genuinely cheerful, radiating joy from every inch of her body instead of putting up a facade and playing pretend. “I think that’s a real treasure here.”

✦🍃✦

“There is a fountain of youth.” The voice of a young man echoed through the plaza, high up above the citizens’ heads. Busy with their routines, they didn’t notice his presence, a fleeting green spot on top of the Archon’s statue. His gaze, on the other hand, didn’t miss a detail across the whole nation. “It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and to the lives of people you love.”

The wind carried distant sounds to his ears. The happy laughter of three friends in the woods, spiraling through the ancient branches. The tingling in a young girl’s veins that could only be caused by reuniting with her forgotten past, and coming to accept the woman she had grown into. Ah, yes— one of the best feelings for an Archon.

“When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”

[spainkitty]

After the Adamant Nightmare (a.k.a. she FINALLY knows her name)

Lanil's Pieces Masterlist

The last place she wanted to sleep was anywhere in the Western Approach. Being near where that Rift had been, where those eyes had stared hungry and terrifying through the Veil, it was impossible. Lavellan walked the battlements of Griffin Wing Keep, arms around her torso tightly, eyes on the dotted campfires. She would rather be down there, hearing the soldiers talk while anonymous and silent and mindblank for a few hours.

Anything would be better than sleep.

She turned from the edge, heading for the stairs with determined strides. She was wearing borrowed armor which would help her blend in. Her own was somewhere being cleaned of its filth and memories.

But not all the memories.

She paused midstride.

Lanil.

Her name was--is Lanil. Lanil Lavellan, once known as Lanil Surana.

She was from Kinloch Hold, born in the Denerim Alienage.

Cullen saved her life. And then Divine Justinia saved it again more than ten years later.

How ironic. She had left Circle and Chantry behind, and she owed her life to servants of both.

She needed to tell him. Soon. Anyone who made it through the Fade and back with her could let it slip at any moment. A juicy bit of gossip like the Inquisitor and Commander having known each other when they were younger would spread like wildfire. Especially if the part where he defied Templar orders to free her from the Circle made it out there.

She knew she was smiling now. For her, it had been the beginning of her freedom. A freedom she hadn't even known she didn't have. He forced her out of that cage and she'd found so much more than she ever could have imagined.

But Cullen.

Her smiled wiped away as the desert's too chilly night breeze sent goosebumps down her skin.

Cullen carried the trauma of what happened at Kinloch Hold inside him. Had carried it for years. Had grieved a girl he thought he'd never see again even while blood mages had used that infatuation against him, poisoned it and his memory of her forever. It wasn't some mystical other girl anymore. An elf girl with grey eyes and white hair who happened to look like her.

What if... what if everything they'd gone through, everything they'd become, was ruined by this? What if the truth of their past turned their present into something like a lie? Would he look at her and see only the wraith, like that first day he'd seen her in Haven?

With an ugly snort and toss of her head, Lavellan--Lanil began to walk again. Knowing Cullen, he'd be midbrief with his night scouts. She refused to let this fester even a moment more.

Whatever their past, whatever she had forgotten and was slowly regaining, they were different people now. They had forged something new, in this new life, together. He cared about her. And while neither of them had admitted it aloud yet, she knew she loved him and that he felt the same.

Probably.

Her steps faltered.

No. Definitely.

Her steps continued.

As she'd predicted, Cullen was wide awake. An Inquisition scout was standing at attention next to him while he scanned a handful of documents.

"I think even our Spymaster sleeps, and if anyone is inhumanly perfect, it's her," Lavellan... Lanil said.

"Lane--Um, Inquisitor." He glanced at the scout, visibly mortified by his own slip.

"I almost died in the Fade today, eaten by my literal worst Nightmare. You can treat me like a friend instead of the Inquisitor in front of a single soldier. Just a little." She held up her finger and thumb, pinching the tiniest sliver of air.

Cullen's eyes closed and a shiver ran over his face. He looked ready to punch the nearest wall and La... Lanil wondered if maybe it wasn't yet time to joke about it.

"Harper, you're dismissed."

"Yes, Commander." The woman saluted and moved to walk past Lanil.

Lanil.

"Your Worship..."

Lanil startled in place and turned to the scout. The look on the woman's face was intense, her words fervent as she spoke,

"Every one of us is glad you made it back alive. You give us all strength and we would've lost something truly irreplaceable today if you had not."

Lavellan stared at her, eyes too wide and heart squeezed in a fist.

"Ha-Harper, was it? Thank you. I..." Lavellan reached out to clasp the soldier's shoulder. "Thank you."

The soldier, Harper, nodded once sharply. Then waited as still as stone for Lavellan-Lanil to move her hand. Another salute, and the woman was gone.

"Well, anything I would say just wouldn't compare to that," Cullen said after a long moment.

Lavellan abruptly remembered where she was and entered the closet of an office Cullen had claimed. He braced a hand on the desk and rubbed between his eyes with the other, sighing softly. All but silently, La...nil, Lanil closed the door and moved to perch on his desk. By the time his red-rimmed and weary eyes opened again, she had already stolen his stylus and was twisting it between her fingers.

"I know I joked about it just now, but I can't sleep. It's there. Waiting for me in the Fade..." she whispered. "It was a Nightmare. In every sense of the word. Solas said it was old, older than anything else he'd ever encountered. Maybe the first Fear Demon ever formed. Do you know what it means that I survived it twice? That it... knows my name?"

"Lane." Cullen's voice shook. But she brushed off the hand that reached for her.

She felt too exposed. Too raw. And she still hadn't told him--

Inhale. Exhale.

Open your eyes.

Meet his.

She gazed into amber, saw his struggle, the twist of his mouth. Desperately wondering what she needed.

She reached up to touch his cheek. The stubble scratched against the back of her fingers, and the glow of her wound cast a sickly greenish light on his too fair skin. She had to pull away and hide the ugliness of it in her fist.

"It told me my name. More than that, my memories, all of them, were there. That's why I couldn't remember me. All the important parts of me were trapped there because it had stolen them."

"Not all the important parts," Cullen denied vehemently.

Her gaze dropped to the desk, chest too tight, throat too full. Which is how she saw when he lifted the hand she'd pulled away, unfurled her fingers, and kissed her knuckles, the heel of her palm, and then right in the middle, his lips brushing the glowing scar.

"Lanil," she whispered. He froze. "Lanil Surana."

He lifted his head and met her eyes.

"That's the name I forgot. I was adopted into the Lavellan clan after escaping the Blight. I took their name to... to symbolically forget the life I left behind. When I was made First two years ago, I got my vallaslin. I found my People, my heritage, my home, because a young Templar broke the rules and forced me to run."

Cullen still said nothing, eyes darting over her face, lips parted.

"You told me you'd protect them. All of them, but I had to go and not turn back, or they'd catch me. Then, you slammed the door shut. I stood there screaming and throwing every spell at it I could, I didn't know you runed the other side, I don't think I cared... until the spiders came. I'd run them out of the storage room days before, did you know? I wasn't scared of them then. But in the dark, all alone, I was... I'd never known fear like that. Not in my Harrowing, not when Jowan sliced open his hand, or when Greagoir wanted to Tranquil me. Spiders and blood mages and demons, they all got mixed in my head and I ran. I ran as fast as I could and I didn't turn back again. Not once. I ran all the way to the Braecilian Forest. The Sabrae clan took me to Kirkwall. I tried to go back to a Circle, but the Gallows... it was..." She broke off. Inhaled. Exhaled. "It was nothing like Kinloch. And none of the Templars were you. Keeper Marethari found the Lavellan clan after that."

"Lanil."

Papers scattered to the floor. The stylus rolled and clattered after them. Cullen had both arms tight around her, so tight she could barely breathe, and she wanted them tighter. She wrapped her arms around his waist as best she could, but with all his layers and width, it was hard to return the embrace as tightly as she'd wanted, needed.

"Maker's breath, Lanil. I thought. In Haven, I thought I'd gone insane. I told myself you were gone, I'd never see you."

"Surprise?" she whispered hesitantly.

He laughed into the crook of her shoulder. Startlingly, something wet spread over her skin.

"Cullen, I didn't--I'm sorry. Is this bad? Should I have told you a different way? Maybe let Leliana do it?"

"No! No, definitely not."

"What about Dorian--"

She mmphed, cut off by a desperate kiss. She melted into it, fingers burying in those gingery-blond curls, pulling him closer. He dragged her over the desk, arms tight around her waist, hands spread over her back. Covering her, enveloping her as completely as he possibly could. It felt like an eternity, and not nearly long enough, when he pulled away. They both gasped for breath, foreheads touching.

"You were... supposed to be safe," he gasped at last.

She burst into laughter, damp and thick and relieved.

"That's not exactly my forte, but I appreciate the effort," she quipped. Their eyes met and she smiled softly. The smile he always managed to drag out of her. "I really do appreciate the effort. You saved my life ten years ago. I should've been made Tranquil, or Uldred should've gotten to me, but you--"

"You never should've been made Tranquil. It should never be a punishment. I believed that then, that's why I did it," Cullen said fiercely. "I believe it even more now, especially since we know about the Seekers and the lies they kept, the people killed to cover it up."

Lanil nodded. "Does this... change us?" she finally asked.

He shifted, moved to sit or lean beside her, only for the whole desk to wobble under their combined weight. Lanil yelped and Cullen shouted wordlessly, and they barely managed to keep from toppling to the ground. They froze, Lanil clinging like a limpet to him, him basically holding her entirely aloft, his shoulder wedged against the wall he stumbled back against. They stared at each other and then burst into laughter. They almost forgot to smother it, desperately pressing their faces against fur and collar.

"This is not Skyhold and that is not my desk," Cullen said.

"Do you make a habit of crawling on your desk?" Lanil asked, smirking.

"I have to make sure it's sturdy. Who knows what's going to happen next. Do you know how many people like to come in and punch it? One time Iron Bull did in the middle of laugh and it didn't even buckle."

"That is a good test of sturdiness." She leaned back to meet his gaze. Despite how little sleep he still hadn't gotten, his eyes didn't look so weary or red. "He was laughing at you, wasn't he?"

Cullen groaned, head tipped back. "When are they not laughing at me?"

She grinned and, because it was there, pressed a featherlight kiss under his jaw. His pulse jumped under her lips, and she wriggled out of his clutches to place both feet on the floor. She didn't quite escape, his arms remained locked around her. But that wasn't so bad

"You didn't answer."

"Hm, what?" he asked dazedly.

"You really need sleep," Lanil said in some concern. She glanced around, found the pathetic cot shoved in a corner, and sighed. "They must've assigned you a better bed than that. You gave it away, didn't you?"

"Dorian needed it more. They gave him a bedroll and I thought he was going to cry," Cullen explained sheepishly. Lanil rolled her eyes.

"He'd never ruin his eyeliner for that, not here where he can't fix it properly afterwards. You've been had." She shoved him towards it.

"Wait, what--?"

"One of us is going to sleep, and as long as we're in the same region as Adamant, it won't be me. So it's you. Sleep." She carefully unwrapped and shoved the cloak he always wore off his shoulders. It would make a better blanket than whatever was lying on the cot. "I'll keep awake for any emergencies."

"No, I have too much to do and you need it more," Cullen protested, slapping her hands away from his arm... things. She glared and slapped his hands back. He meekly let them drop.

"I told you. I can't. I'll accidentally will my consciousness right back to the Nightmare, I know I will. You however are safe, lucky little ex-Templar that you are."

His hand fell over hers on his arm, where she still struggled with the buckles. Why did he always have so much armor on? She huffed, frustrated. Her own armor was all leather and very little metal. Very easy to lace and unlace in comparison.

"I'll go to sleep, I promise."

"Good."

"And it does change things."

She froze, slowly raised her head. His hand cupped the side of her face. Carefully, almost reverently, as if reforging the two pieces of her into one, his thumb traced the line of her golden vallaslin, then down along her cheek, following the scar she'd gotten in Braecilian Forest. She remembered that now. A rabid wolf had attacked her when she'd been exhausted, torn open her face before a Dalish hunter, the first one she'd ever met, had put an arrow through the wolf's heart. The next wolf, Lanil had burnt to a crisp in a fit of bloody, pain-filled rage.

The scar just under her lip was newer, it needed no lost memory. Cullen thumbed it gently. Jagged at the edges where rock had sliced skin open when she'd fallen through the Breach the first time.

"You are Lanil Surana, but you're also Lavellan. Whatever I felt for Surana was important to me then, but what I feel for you, right now, is... incomparable. It changes things, but the parts that matter remain the same. If that... I don't know if I explained that right."

Lanil pressed her cheek into the curve of his palm. "I understand. And agree. Just so you know, I had no idea you had a crush on me then. You were just a Templar, the easiest one to tease." Her eyes glittered when she looked at him. He sighed under his breath. "But I also just... didn't care to notice anyone. I cared about my magic, and that's it. I can say it for sure now. Feeling like this? It's hard for me. If I don't want to feel it, I ignore it until it goes away, and it doesn't even hurt. Didn't. It didn't hurt. I never got this deep into it before, I never wanted to. I don't think I could turn it off now."

Cullen leaned forward. Just like they always did, their foreheads pressed together and she could breathe.

"I'm honored that you, Lanil Lavellan, let me in."

"Yes. That's me." She smiled and brushed her nose against his. "That's who I am now."

"Happy to meet you."

Lanil laughed softly. "Cheesy. So cheesy."

"Yes, I instantly regretted saying that."

She laughed again, interrupting herself to kiss the rueful look off his face.

[maryhale1]

Had a new idea for my poem for that picture 🥰

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

In a cottage enchanted by twilight's embrace,

A witch finds solace, a magical space.

Timeworn books whisper secrets untold,

In the hearth's warm glow, mysteries unfold.

Cauldron bubbling with potions rare,

Aromas of herbs dance in the air.

Candles flicker, casting shadows in tune,

In every corner, spells gently strewn.

Moonlit gardens, where potions bloom,

Under the stars, broomsticks groom.

Crystal balls gleam with futures unknown,

In the witch's haven, a place to call home.

Whispers of familiars, a mystical kin,

Cobwebs and charms, a magical din.

An attic of wonders, where relics sleep,

In the witch's perfect home, secrets keep.

Through potions brewed and spells well cast,

A haven of enchantment, where time moves vast.

In the twilight's glow, where spirits roam,

A witch finds serenity, a place to call home.

This would be my perfect home 😍

[nakuuro1994]

The Midnight Queen

By Andre Partridge

So essentially “The Midnight Queen” soon starts where the previous story of “The Midnight Kingdom” left off where we see the now Princess Rajani currently living the high life within her new luxurious home of the mysterious & particularly small Midnight Kingdom alongside the elderly King Nadir & Queen Maya of the Midnight Kingdom who had recently taken her in as their newly adopted daughter thus officially making her the new princess of the land.

But what Princess Rajani didn’t know was that not only that her new regal parents were actually about to die soon due to their advanced age (thus leaving their newly adopted daughter as the sole heir to the kingdom) but the Midnight Kingdom itself has a deep secret about it, which is that the longer someone stays as the Queen of the kingdom, the bigger, taller, stronger & older they’ll become. But when Princess Rajani soon becomes aware of these facts for herself, she becomes very sad that her new parents will not have much time left to live but she was also very confused about why only the Queen of the Kingdom would grow to be so big, tall, strong & powerful.

So, to answer the princess’s question, the shadowy royal vizier soon explained that The Midnight Kingdom itself was originally built about 300 years ago by a great, kind & powerful witch named Manjula the Great who was a master of the mystic arts was who originally tried to help people with her immense knowledge of both magic & medicine. But unfortunately, some of the people she had helped grew to fear her magical healing powers as they began to think that she was actually a sinister demon in disguise as the people soon turned against her & other kindly witches like her out of fear, ignorance & disgust. So ultimately, Manjula the Great & her other witch friends all fled to the vast desert wastes to escape persecution as Manjula ultimately decided make her own magical kingdom that would be hidden away from the outside world & would only appear in the dead of night so it would act as a safe haven for not only witches & mystics but for the outcasts, the homeless, the poor, the disabled & other misunderstood & mistreated peoples of society as Manjula The Great even transformed herself into a great & mighty giant in order to protect the people that she grew to love & care for from then on, as all of the ruling queens of the Midnight Kingdom afterwards would all eventually magically grow & transform into a mighty giants in order for them to protect the kingdom from any kind of threats to the kingdom and its people.

So shortly after realizing all of this for herself, Princess Rajani soon decided to become the next queen of the Midnight Kingdom to honor her kind & caring adoptive parents as shortly after King Nadir & Queen Maya had both peacefully passed away in their sleep several weeks later, the small young Princess Rajani soon began to rapidly grow & age into the new big, fat, tall, strong, but also kind, caring, sweet, wise & beautiful giant adult queen of The Kingdom over the course of only seven nights as she had magically traded away her own youth in order to repay the Kingdom’s kindness, hospitality & generosity towards her as their new powerful queen as the new Queen Rajani soon lived happily ever after within her new home as the Midnight Kingdom’s newest magical protector.

The End.

[kshitij1804]

Aromatherapy With A Twist: Mystical Creatures And Fragrance Fusion

Aromatherapy has long been celebrated for its ability to enhance mood and well-being through the power of scent. Imagine combining the calming and rejuvenating effects of essential oils with the enchanting allure of mystical creatures. This fusion creates a magical experience that not only delights the senses but also adds a touch of fantasy to your daily routine. At Aromatic Waterfall, we offer a range of products that bring this unique blend to life, allowing you to indulge in the captivating world of fragrances intertwined with mythical charm.

The Allure of Mystical Creatures in Aromatherapy Mystical creatures like unicorns, dragons, and mermaids have fascinated people for centuries. Their allure lies in their otherworldly beauty and the sense of mystery they evoke. When incorporated into aromatherapy, these creatures transform the experience from ordinary to extraordinary. Imagine lighting a unicorn-themed essential oil burner and letting the delicate aroma of lavender fill the room, creating a serene ambiance that transports you to a realm of fantasy and relaxation.

Unicorns symbolize purity and grace, making them the perfect companions for calming scents like chamomile and vanilla. Dragons, on the other hand, exude strength and power, aligning perfectly with invigorating fragrances such as eucalyptus and peppermint. By choosing mystical creatures that resonate with you, you can tailor your aromatherapy experience to reflect your unique personality and desires. Check out our Incense Fragrance Cones Box.

Exploring the Fragrance Fusion: Scents Inspired by Mythical Beings The fusion of mystical creatures and fragrances opens up a world of creativity and imagination. At Aromatic Waterfall, we have curated a selection of scents inspired by mythical beings, each designed to evoke specific emotions and moods. Our collection includes "Mermaid's Dream," a refreshing blend of sea breeze and coconut that transports you to the tranquil shores of an enchanted island.

For those seeking an invigorating boost, "Phoenix Rising" combines citrus notes with fiery spices, igniting a sense of energy and renewal. If you're in the mood for something more soothing, "Fairy Forest" blends earthy tones of sandalwood with the delicate sweetness of jasmine, creating a peaceful haven reminiscent of a magical woodland. Check out our The Teapot Holder With Aroma Fragrance.

How to Incorporate Mystical Aromatherapy into Your Daily Routine Integrating mystical aromatherapy into your daily routine is simple and rewarding. Start your day by diffusing "Dragon's Awakening" in your workspace to enhance focus and creativity. The blend of rosemary and bergamot creates an atmosphere of clarity and inspiration, setting the tone for a productive day ahead.

In the evening, unwind with a luxurious bath infused with "Unicorn Serenity." The calming scent of lavender and chamomile envelops you, melting away stress and tension. As you soak, let your mind wander to a realm where unicorns roam freely, and tranquility reigns supreme. By incorporating these enchanting scents into your routine, you can elevate everyday moments into extraordinary experiences. Check out our Home Fragrances Incense Cones.

Creating a Mystical Atmosphere at Home Transform your home into a haven of magic and wonder by strategically placing mystical creature-themed aromatherapy products throughout your space. Consider adorning your living room with a dragon-shaped incense holder, allowing the spicy aroma of cinnamon and clove to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. In the bedroom, a mermaid-inspired candle can infuse the air with the soothing scent of ocean mist and vanilla, promoting restful sleep and sweet dreams.

Don't forget to extend the mystical experience to your outdoor spaces. Hang fairy lights and place essential oil diffusers on your patio, filling the air with the refreshing scent of "Elven Meadow," a blend of fresh grass and wildflowers. This outdoor oasis becomes a retreat where you can escape the mundane and embrace the enchanting beauty of nature. Check out our Aromatherapy Waterfall Incense Burner For Home & Office With 20 Cones.

User Persona: Meet Ella the Enchantress Ella is a creative soul with a passion for fantasy and all things magical. She loves expressing her individuality through her home decor and personal style, always seeking unique and whimsical pieces that reflect her love for the extraordinary. As a devoted practitioner of self-care, Ella values the calming effects of aromatherapy and is always on the lookout for products that offer more than just a pleasant scent.

When Ella discovered Aromatic Waterfall's collection of mystical creature-themed aromatherapy products, she was instantly captivated. The combination of enchanting scents and mythical charm resonated deeply with her, allowing her to transform her home into a sanctuary of imagination and relaxation. Whether she's unwinding with a dragon-themed candle or starting her day with a unicorn-inspired diffuser, Ella finds joy in embracing the magic of aromatherapy.

Conclusion: Embark on a Journey of Fragrance and Fantasy Aromatherapy with a twist offers a delightful escape from the ordinary, allowing you to indulge in the magic of mystical creatures while enjoying the benefits of essential oils. At Aromatic Waterfall, our collection of fragrance fusions and enchanting products invites you to embark on a sensory journey that elevates your everyday experiences. Discover the captivating world of mystical aromatherapy and let your imagination soar.

Visit Aromatic Waterfall

[outfitterhimalaya]

Tsum Valley Trek 18 Days

Tsum Valley Trek 18 Days

Discover the Mystical Beauty of Tsum Valley: Embark on an Unforgettable 18-Day Trekking Adventure!

Are you ready to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure? Get ready to discover the mystical beauty of Tsum Valley! Nestled in the remote corners of Nepal, Tsum Valley offers a trekking experience like no other. With towering mountains, ancient monasteries, and a unique culture, this hidden gem is sure to leave you in awe.

In this 18-day trekking adventure, you will explore the untouched landscapes and immerse yourself in the rich traditions of the local people. Traverse through lush green valleys, cross suspension bridges over roaring rivers, and marvel at the breathtaking views of the snow-capped Himalayas.

As you hike along the trails, you will have the opportunity to visit ancient Buddhist monasteries and interact with friendly locals who have preserved their traditional way of life for centuries. The warm hospitality and genuine smiles of the people will make you feel right at home in this enchanting valley.

Whether you are an experienced trekker or a beginner seeking a new challenge, Tsum Valley has something for everyone. So, pack your bags, lace up your boots, and get ready for an unforgettable adventure in the mystical beauty of Tsum Valley!

The mystical allure of Tsum Valley

Nestled deep within the Himalayas, Tsum Valley Trek is a hidden gem that captivates the hearts of adventurous travelers. This remote and untouched region of Nepal is a true paradise for those seeking to escape the hustle and bustle of modern life and immerse themselves in the timeless beauty of the mountains.

As you approach Tsum Valley, the landscape transforms into a breathtaking panorama of towering peaks, pristine glaciers, and lush green meadows. The valley is surrounded by the majestic Ganesh Himal, Sringi Himal, and Boudha Himal ranges, creating a natural amphitheater that fills the soul with a sense of wonder and reverence.

The spiritual significance of Tsum Valley is equally captivating. This region has long been revered as a sacred land, home to ancient Buddhist monasteries and hermitages that have stood the test of time. Pilgrims and spiritual seekers have journeyed to Tsum Valley for centuries, seeking enlightenment and connection with the divine. The valley's remote location and untouched natural beauty have made it a haven for those seeking a deeper understanding of the world and themselves.

Essential preparations for the trek

Embarking on a trekking adventure in Tsum Valley requires thorough planning and preparation. As this is a remote and challenging region, it is crucial to ensure that you are physically fit and well-equipped for the journey.

One of the first steps in preparing for the trek is to ensure that you have the necessary permits and documentation. The Tsum Valley trek requires a special permit, which can be obtained through a licensed trekking agency or the Nepal Tourism Board. Additionally, you will need to obtain a TIMS (Trekkers' Information Management System) card, which serves as a record of your trek and provides emergency assistance if needed.

Proper gear and equipment are also essential for a successful and comfortable trek. This includes high-quality hiking boots, warm clothing, rain gear, and a sturdy backpack. It is also recommended to bring a sleeping bag, a water filtration system, and a first-aid kit to ensure your safety and well-being during the trek.

The best time to visit Tsum Valley

The best time to visit Tsum Valley is typically during the spring and autumn seasons, when the weather is mild and the landscapes are at their most vibrant.

During the spring months of March to May, the valley is adorned with a profusion of wildflowers, and the snow-capped peaks are bathed in the warm glow of the sun. This is an ideal time for trekkers to witness the natural beauty of Tsum Valley, as the weather is generally dry and the trails are relatively clear of snow.

The autumn season, from September to November, is another excellent time to visit Tsum Valley. The skies are often clear, and the temperatures are comfortable, making it a perfect time for trekking. The landscapes during this season are particularly stunning, with the changing foliage adding a vibrant touch to the already breathtaking scenery.

While the summer months of June to August can be quite warm and humid, they can still be a suitable time to visit Tsum Valley, particularly for those seeking a more challenging and less crowded trekking experience. The monsoon season, from July to September, can bring heavy rainfall and increased risk of landslides, so it is generally not recommended for trekking in this region.

Tsum Valley trekking routes and itineraries

The Tsum Valley trek offers a variety of routes and itineraries, each with its own unique charm and challenges. The most popular and well-established route is the Tsum Valley Trek, which typically takes around 18 days to complete.

The Tsum Valley Trek begins in the town of Soti Khola, located along the Budhi Gandaki River. From there, the trail winds through lush forests, crosses suspension bridges, and gradually ascends into the heart of the Tsum Valley. Along the way, trekkers will have the opportunity to visit ancient monasteries, such as Rachen Gompa and Mu Gompa, and interact with the friendly local people.

Another option is the Tsum Valley and Manaslu Circuit Trek, which combines the Tsum Valley trek with the classic Manaslu Circuit. This extended trek takes approximately 21 to 24 days to complete and offers a more comprehensive exploration of the Himalayan region. Trekkers on this route will have the chance to witness the stunning Manaslu massif, as well as the cultural richness of both the Tsum Valley and the Manaslu region.

For those seeking a more challenging and less-traveled route, the Tsum Valley to Larkya La Trek is an excellent choice. This demanding trek takes trekkers over the Larkya La pass, at an altitude of 5,160 meters (16,900 feet), offering breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks and glaciers. This route is suitable for experienced trekkers with a high level of fitness and acclimatization.

Regardless of the route chosen, each Tsum Valley trekking itinerary promises a truly unforgettable experience, filled with stunning natural landscapes, cultural immersion, and personal growth.

Accommodation and facilities along the trek

As Tsum Valley is a remote and sparsely populated region, the accommodation and facilities along the trek can be quite basic, but they are well-suited to the needs of trekkers.

During the Tsum Valley trek, trekkers will primarily stay in traditional Tibetan-style teahouses or lodges. These simple but cozy accommodations provide basic amenities, such as dormitory-style sleeping quarters, shared bathroom facilities, and a communal dining area. While the facilities may not be luxurious, they offer a unique and authentic experience, allowing trekkers to immerse themselves in the local culture and traditions.

In the main villages and towns along the trek, such as Chumling and Mu, there are slightly more developed lodges that offer slightly more comfortable accommodations, with private rooms and en-suite bathrooms. These lodges often have basic amenities like hot water, electricity, and even Wi-Fi, though the availability and reliability of these services can be variable.

When it comes to dining, trekkers can expect to enjoy a variety of local Nepali and Tibetan-influenced dishes, such as dal (lentil stew), rice, and various vegetable and meat curries. The teahouses and lodges along the trek typically serve simple but hearty meals, often using locally sourced ingredients. Vegetarian and special dietary options are usually available, but the selection may be limited in more remote areas.

It's important to note that the facilities and services in Tsum Valley are quite basic, and trekkers should be prepared for a more rustic and authentic experience compared to more developed trekking destinations in Nepal. However, the warm hospitality and genuine connection with the local people often make up for the modest accommodations.

Highlights of the Tsum Valley trek

The Tsum Valley trek is a journey filled with breathtaking natural wonders, rich cultural experiences, and personal growth. Some of the highlights that make this trek truly unforgettable include:

Stunning mountain landscapes: The Tsum Valley is surrounded by the majestic Ganesh Himal, Sringi Himal, and Boudha Himal ranges, offering trekkers awe-inspiring views of towering peaks, pristine glaciers, and lush green valleys.

Ancient Buddhist monasteries: The trek takes you to several ancient Buddhist monasteries, such as Rachen Gompa and Mu Gompa, where you can witness the centuries-old traditions and spiritual practices of the local people.

Interaction with the Tsumba people: The Tsum Valley is home to the Tsumba people, a unique ethnic group with a rich cultural heritage. Trekkers have the opportunity to interact with the locals, learn about their traditions, and experience their warm hospitality.

Challenging and rewarding trekking: The Tsum Valley trek is a physically demanding journey, with steep ascents, suspension bridge crossings, and high-altitude passes. Conquering these challenges can be incredibly rewarding, both physically and mentally.

Opportunities for wildlife viewing: The Tsum Valley is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including the elusive snow leopard, Himalayan black bear, and a variety of bird species. Trekkers may have the chance to spot these majestic creatures in their natural habitat.

Spiritual and personal growth: The remote and serene nature of the Tsum Valley, combined with the rich cultural and spiritual traditions, can provide trekkers with a profound sense of inner peace and personal transformation.

These highlights, coupled with the stunning natural beauty and the warm hospitality of the local people, make the Tsum Valley trek a truly unforgettable experience for adventurous travelers.

Culture and traditions of the Tsum Valley inhabitants

The Tsum Valley is home to the Tsumba people, a unique ethnic group with a rich cultural heritage that has been shaped by the region's remote and isolated location.

The Tsumba people are predominantly Tibetan Buddhists, and their way of life is deeply rooted in the spiritual traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Throughout the trek, trekkers will have the opportunity to witness the vibrant cultural practices and traditions of the Tsumba people, from the colorful prayer flags that adorn the landscape to the intricate Buddhist murals and statues that grace the ancient monasteries.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Tsum Valley culture is the strong sense of community and interconnectedness that permeates the region. The Tsumba people are known for their warm hospitality and their willingness to welcome visitors into their homes and share their traditions. Trekkers may have the chance to participate in local festivals, observe traditional rituals, or even join the Tsumba people in their daily activities, such as farming or herding livestock.

The Tsumba people have also maintained a deep connection with the natural world, and their way of life is closely tied to the rhythms of the land. They are skilled in traditional agricultural practices, such as growing crops and raising livestock, and they have a profound respect for the delicate balance of the ecosystem. This reverence for the natural environment is reflected in the Tsumba people's spiritual beliefs and their daily lives.

As trekkers journey through the Tsum Valley, they will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in this rich cultural tapestry, gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation for the unique traditions and lifeways of the Tsumba people. This cultural exchange can be a truly transformative experience, fostering a greater sense of global interconnectedness and respect for the diversity of human cultures.

Safety tips and precautions for the trek

Trekking in Tsum Valley, while an incredibly rewarding experience, also comes with its fair share of challenges and risks. To ensure a safe and enjoyable journey, it is essential to take the necessary precautions and be well-prepared.

One of the primary concerns when trekking in Tsum Valley is the high-altitude environment. As the trek takes you to elevations exceeding 5,000 meters (16,400 feet), it is crucial to be aware of the symptoms of altitude sickness and to take the necessary steps to acclimatize properly. This may include spending extra days in lower-altitude areas, staying hydrated, and avoiding rapid ascents.

Another important consideration is the unpredictable weather conditions in the Himalayas. Trekkers should be equipped with high-quality rain gear, warm clothing, and sturdy hiking boots to protect against the elements. It is also wise to closely monitor weather forecasts and be prepared to adjust the itinerary if necessary.

The remoteness of Tsum Valley also means that access to medical facilities and emergency services can be limited. Trekkers should carry a comprehensive first-aid kit and ensure that they have adequate travel insurance coverage. It is also recommended to trek with a reputable guide or join a guided group tour, as they can provide valuable local knowledge and emergency assistance if needed.

Finally, it is crucial to respect the local environment and culture during the trek. Trekkers should follow Leave No Trace principles, dispose of waste properly, and be mindful of their interactions with the Tsumba people. By being responsible and considerate, trekkers can help to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of Tsum Valley for generations to come.

Conclusion: Why Tsum Valley should be on your bucket list

Tsum Valley is a destination that truly stands apart, offering a trekking experience that is both physically and spiritually transformative. From the awe-inspiring natural landscapes to the rich cultural heritage of the Tsumba people, this hidden gem in the Himalayas is a must-visit for any adventurous traveler.

The Tsum Valley trek is a journey that challenges the body, nourishes the soul, and leaves a lasting impression on the heart. As you traverse the rugged trails, cross suspension bridges, and immerse yourself in the timeless traditions of the local people, you will be rewarded with a profound sense of personal growth and a deeper connection to the natural world.

Whether you are an experienced trekker or a newcomer to the world of high-altitude adventure, Tsum Valley has something to offer. The trek's varying routes and itineraries cater to a wide range of fitness levels and interests, ensuring that everyone can find their own path to discovery.

By embarking on a Tsum Valley trekking adventure, you will not only create unforgettable memories but also contribute to the preservation of a unique and fragile ecosystem. Your presence and support can help to sustain the local communities, protect the natural environment, and ensure that this magical corner of the world remains a beacon of hope and inspiration for generations to come.

So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags, lace up your boots, and get ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime in the mystical Tsum Valley of Nepal. This hidden gem is sure to leave an indelible mark on your heart and soul, and it will forever hold a special place in your memories as a true testament to the power of the human spirit and the beauty of the natural world. Some more trekking in Nepal are Manaslu Circuit Trek, Tsum Valley and Manaslu Trek, Short Manaslu Trekking, Everest Base Camp trek, Annapurna Circuit Trek and Langtang circuit Trek.