#dying in order to save their world from the wrath of her word | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kopfkino-o · 1 year

Text

The Seer’s Stone: An Fanfic Preview II

Only 28 DAYS until Elriel month and I, for one, cannot wait! I’ve been working on a long-form fanfic I plan to begin releasing on April 30 and wanted to share another taste to celebrate the arrival of Spring. I can’t wait to share more with you all come May. Constructive criticism welcomed, as always. Thanks for reading ❤🥀⚔

Summary: Elain Archeron is tired of being the “lovely, sweet gardener” everyone wants her to be. After losing her beloved, her humanity, her life, she’s ready to claim her own path forward with the help of her friends, Nuala and Cerridwen, as she searches far and wide for the mysterious Seer’s Stone: an ancient artifact of old rumored to once belong to an ancient Seer Queen. But will fate itself step in to stop her? Or will Elain defy the strings of destiny that bind her and forge her own path forward, choosing her own fate, friendships, future, and love, along the way.

Word Count: 451

Timeline: Post-ACOSF

Pairing: Elain x Azriel (with strong Lucien x Vassa hints)

Chapter ??? - Enjoy tho ;)

She was wrath and fury, she was twenty-six years of pent up rage. She was her lost humanity, an iron ring yanked free from her finger, her father’s neck snapping beneath the devil’s hands. She could fell empires, she could burn cities, she could slay kings.

You have slain kings, that petulant little voice murmured.

Whether it was her own or the Cauldron’s, Elain still did not know. She never knew these days. Her blessing was her curse, but she reached for it and seized it anyways. Let it rise up and devour her, let it build like a storm, like a thunderhead waiting to collapse upon her tired shoulders. The Cauldron could create, but it could also destroy.

Then that thing inside her began to sing, and Elain Archeron opened.

Her white light of creation cleaved through the word, opening fissures along the battlefield and stirring ancient bones still asleep beneath the earth and calling dying stars to her aid. They speared towards that dark tower just as she commanded, warping and changing alongside her as she winnowed towards it. Soldiers died screaming wherever her light touched, nothing more than stalks of wheat bending before her holy power. The earth blackened and curled, the sky heated and shivered, her power an ancient song that shook the very foundations of this world, and then the next and the next and the next.

An echo.

Kingslayer, Worldcleaver, Cauldron-Blessed, Our Lady of Sight and Sorrow.

Elain shoved her hands forward once more and another blast of her magic skittered down the line of Koschei’s soldiers, drawing out a chorus of screams that rent the twilight. They had hurt her, they had changed her, then stolen him right out of her arms.

Him.

She would not let herself dwell on it, on the vision of Azriel deep beneath the Tower, black iron hanging from his wrists, flames twinning around his sleeping figure.

Never again, she’d promised him.

And Cauldron spare her, she’d meant it.

Somewhere, distantly, Vassa’s flames gilded the evening sky and an explosion of Lucien’s warm golden light sang in answer. A lord of Fire and a bird of flame. Two sides of the same fair coin, an echo and an answer she did not fully understand but knew fate demanded.

This was why they’d been bound together, her and him, this was why they were here. To save him, to free her, to forge their own paths forward, to cleave the threads of fate they had not chosen, but needed to have in order to reach this place, this moment in time. Not a bond of love, but a bond of friendship, of power.

A single word slammed into her.

Carranam.

#The Seer's Stone #Court's Court fanfic #elriel #vassien #elriel month #elain x azriel #Lucien x Vassa #acotar fanfiction

25 notes · View notes

black-velvet-lady · 2 years

Text

"Who's scarier? Ozai, Azula, Hama, or Koh?"

I think a question like this directly ignores some legitimately terrifying characters that we were introduced to in avatar last Air bender. Such as General Fong, the earth bender Prison Warden, Zhao, Avatar Yangchen, Fire Lord Sozin, Fire Lord Azulon, Combustion Man, the dragon of the west, and Long Feng to name a few.

Now many of these characters are undercut by little screen time, narrative framing, being overshadowed, or having their information be supplemental material.

Going in order of the books the Prison Warden of the earth bender Prison is a legitimately terrifying boss with violent impulses as volatile as a grenade locked behind a hair pin trigger. This guy throws fire at a prisoner's feet and locks him in solitary confinement for a week for coughing while he was talking. Coughing. Not only that he tossed his captain overboard for asking a question, he didn’t even know it was the captain. Then later near the end of the episode Haru throws a rock at his head and he immediately went to burn the kid for the offense. Course this is undercut by the end of the episode with him meekly saying he can't swim and Taro calling him a coward.

General Fong is another character that is legitimately terrifying due to his actual power hungry nature. Fong wants to weaponize a twelve-year-old boy and brandishes guilt upon the boy to achieve these ends. When told no he uses violence to achieve his goal against not only Aang, but Katara and Sokka as well. He buries Katara alive to force Aang into the Avatar State endangering the lives of his comrades and the injured stationed at his base, and he doesn't learn his lesson. He still believes he was right in doing all of this by the end of the episode cause he wants to wield the Avatar as the ultimate weapon and carve a bloody path of vengeance through the fire nation straight to the royal palace. Still he's undercut by sharing screen time with Azula who arguably steals the show from every major villain in the series.

The Rough Rhinos are kind of undercut by the fact that they always loose to the protagonist characters, but they were instrumental in the war effort as the forward troops. Not only that but they also have a canonical body count since they were responsible for the deaths of Jets parents during the burning of his village and they did have murderous intent in the village of Chin.

Sozin. Picture is worth a thousand words and I got two.

Enough said.

Azulon. Man was responsible for 90% of the hundred year war and ordered the death of his grandson cause his second son insulted him. He's a horrible POS.

Long Feng. Controls the largest city in the world through mind control and fear and is able to kill kids with impunity cause he's controlling the King like a puppet. Even when placed in prison he is still a danger to the city and its people.

Combustion Man. I think it's very telling that the gang will fight the dangerous ladies but their go to strategy with him is run and hide.

Yangchen and Iroh seem to stick out like a sore thumb now don't they? Don't be fooled. Yangchen's original lore actually states she took her job deadly serious. Yangchen was a fully realized Avatar at 17 and terrorized the world into such a state of paralyzing fear that there was a lasting peace for an entire generation after her death cause everyone feared her wrath. The framing around her and Kyoshi kinda makes them seem like the other way around but I find it very telling that Yangchen says you must sacrifice your own needs to protect the world while Kyoshi equates not lifting a hand to save Chin from dying to be the same killing him.

Iroh is the last one cause honestly you don't need me to explain why Zhao is bad. Let's keep one thing in mind with Iroh. He met the dragons before Zuko was born. He learned that fire is life 9 years before campaigning in the Earth Kingdom and laying siege to Ba Sing Se for 600 days. He only stopped when his son died. Did nothing as his brother took the throne and burned his son. Retired to the place he laid siege to. Brought the white Lotus into power and they continued his father's inhumane prisons on the red Lotus.

And Ty Lee is the scariest and most effective member of the dangerous ladies. No I will not elaborate.

31 notes · View notes

timhatchlive · 1 year

Text

What God Does for Us in the Tribulation

I believe the rapture of the church happens at the singular return of Christ and that we do in fact go through the tribulation. I don't mind if you disagree but I see Scripture bearing witness to this reality and Isaiah helps me get there. In the 25-26 chapters, Isaiah describes God's protective care for His people through the end times. As the world will be judged, God's people will be shielded from the wrath of God. Not at all because we have deserved it or earned it but because we believed in the Son He has sent to save us. Now in Isaiah 27, the prophet enunciates God's activity in the spiritual realm as we see the world descend into chaos.

Isaiah 27:1 (ESV) In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

The word for serpent is the same as in Genesis 3:1. Leviathan is a sea creature and beastly. It is clearly an image of the dragon of Revelation, satan himself either personified in a world leader or representing that rule from behind the visible. Isaiah uses the familiar last days refrain "in that day" to refer to the time of the end.

The good news here is that in the last days, it will seem like the serpent is winning with the world roiling from wars, devastation, division, and hate. But God will be chasing him into a corner and ultimately destroying him completely.

In the midst of this cosmic attack, the church, again is protected by God.

Isaiah 27:2–3 (ESV) In that day, “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! 3 I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day;

God will not just provide protection, He will still be chastising His beloved and purging the evil from among them. Notice the next few verses:

Isaiah 27:4–5 (ESV) I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together. 5 Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me.”

If among the people of God, there are sinful hearts, He will purge them with fire in order to turn them toward Himself. Then, as Revelation and Romans 9-11 make clear, God will raise up the nation of Israel once again as Holy ambassadors.

Isaiah 27:6 (ESV) In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit.

What a wonderful promise of God. He will use Israel as He originally intended, to bless the nations with the goodness of God's truth. The chapter further illustrates God's disciplinary hand on Israel through the ages. And for sure, Israel has been handed from one world leader to another in her hardness toward the Gospel. But that age will come to an end, Israel will be raised to new life in Christ and teach the world to believe on Him.

The last two verses of Isaiah 27 illustrate that hope:

Isaiah 27:12–13 (NLT) Yet the time will come when the LORD will gather them together like handpicked grain. One by one he will gather them—from the Euphrates River in the east to the Brook of Egypt in the west. 13 In that day the great trumpet will sound. Many who were dying in exile in Assyria and Egypt will return to Jerusalem to worship the LORD on his holy mountain.

Notice that Isaiah references the trumpet of God. The feast of trumpets in October/November was held on the first day of the seventh month - a month signifying completion by number. The trumpet is sound and the Lord raptures His church in the air and returns with us to the Earth. The day of atonement being fulfilled as sin will be cast away forever.

Leviticus 25:9–10 (ESV) Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.

The kingdom has come and all the nations will return to worship Him forever.

from Blogger https://ift.tt/dhWcsuM via IFTTT

#belief #Bible #Christianity #faith #God #holy spirit #Isaiah #Jesus Christ #last days #tribulation

2 notes · View notes

thedrag0nking · 2 years

Text

Somewhere in gensokyo where all of hope had seem lost, the survivors that fight back have either been slaughtered or flee back to mugenri with Yukari' s orders. The ones who stayed behind are Koishi and her son Koaru. The black dragon cradles her son into her arms as the crimson dragon has fallen now covered in flesh wounds and severe injuries from the variant's relentless attacks. Koishi drowns in tears, for what she what thought was the death of her son. Her youngest boy who she worked hard to prevent him from becoming like her, becoming Much like the monster that is herself. She failed. She have failed to save her boy and now she refused to leave her son's body behind in this hell as the variants came swarming towards them both. Koishi closed her eyes witnessing all the horrible memories she had endured all her sins came crawling back to her and that legacy of horror she left behind but then the memories shift into the good ones the ones involving her family, Yukari and her son of all was Koishi's pride and joy just as the rest of her children. The only normal child she have ever brought into this world, and they have taken away from her.

This was indeed the last straw, not only that her world is on the verge of dying again but now her son has ceased to exist in her arms now Koishi couldn't control her mental and physical state anymore. All that power she was gifted from the souls and the dragon god grew more and more intense and now her entire body began glowing. She raised her head up in the air letting out a scream of sorrow and agony while tears streaming down on her face and her body undergoes the last transformation that will change not only her and all of gensokyo itself for she have one last trick up her sleeve. The power blasted away all of the variants to ashes that came near her and her son. The old woman has transformed into something...Divine.

Koishi Yakumo, has achieved the final step of her evolution. She has evolved into her most powerful form yet, far greater than the oborojime, greater than god incarnate she became with the dragon god. A dragon king. The dragon king that is Koishi Yakumo now smile at her enemies, not even saying any words left from her system because these creatures aren't worthy. They're a plague in her world and she shall wipe them out from this land, once and for all.

The great king snapped her fingers as doors manifested within their bodies and explodes into chunks of flesh and body parts as they open letting out the dragon god's greatest warriors being the ronin who marched into the land and began to purge and kill every single variant off her world while more of these doors manifested from the sky as they opened unleashing powerful crimson beams of destruction, meteors crashing in from the sky and hurricane cyclones moving around trapping causing more destruction in it's wake. She watched her warriors fight all the while the natural disasters she summon from the snap of her fingers continue on the carnage wiping away the variants while the ronin raised their swords praising Koishi and fighting in her name. The wrath of a father has no restraints for she will burn everything to the ground all in the sake of avenging her son and the people she cared about as now all will witnessed the birth of a new era and the birth where gods and monster truly have restore gensokyo back the way it was, long live the king.

#muse #||| the dragon fish |||#The father's wrath #The birth of a dragon king #Touhou grotesque land story vs KKHTA #SoundCloud

0 notes

author-morgan · 3 years

Note

"I won't let anyone hurt you, you're safe with me" with eivor please... Maybe he rescues reader from the order after they had been used for different experiments or something

i am so sorry for how long this took, but I had to come up with the right plot bunny to pair with the prompt for some angst(tm). here you are, i hope you enjoy and don't mind the touch of Havi and Frigg, or in which Havi makes a promise to his sweet Frigg and keeps it even in the next life.

m!Eivor x fem!Reader

SÝNIN CIRCLES IN the clear sky above the longhouse of Ravensthorpe, and then you know your husband is not far now. Soon Eivor Wolfsmal will be back in your arms, where he belongs. The raven descends, coming to perch on your shoulder, nudging his beak against your temple —as much as you’ve missed Eivor, you’ve missed Sýnin in equal measure. Things could get surprisingly lonely without a tetchy raven around to croak at all hours of the night, steal your hairpins, and beg for treats. Reaching up, you scritch the blue-back feathers on his belly and are rewarded by a low, gurgling croak. “Have you been behaving yourself?” Sýnin bobs his head, but you have a gut feeling he’s lying for the chance at a few extra treats.

Taking to the docks, you watch along the river bends for the sail and masts of the longship. The blue-and-back sail and shields turn from the west —squinting, you can see him standing on the curved scorpion tail, looking onward to home. With a nervous smile, you rest your hand over your belly, knowing soon it will start to grow. You’ve much to tell him since he’s been gone the past weeks, building alliances with Saxon nobles across England.

“Eivor, my love,” you call, meeting him at the edge of the dock as he steps off the longship. His smile is tired but relieved when he looks upon you with Sýnin perched upon your shoulder —the best ‘welcome home’ he could ask for. You open your arms, embracing him as the crew disseminates among the settlement. Eivor pulls back, his hands —rougher than you remember— cupping your cheeks.

There’s something different in your expression, a new glow surrounding you that he cannot place. Regardless of his racing mind, he leans forward as you urge him down with a hand at the nape of his neck. It’s been weeks, and he sighs against your mouth, the burdens of the world washed away by your touch and kiss. “Walk with me?” You ask, holding fast to his hand. He nods, offering his arm. Word of the recently secured alliance can wait; he has been parted from his wife too long.

You lead him past the longhouse, the people of Ravensthorpe smiling as they see Eivor has returned and know what it is you’re going to tell him. Once Valka confirmed your suspicions, it hadn’t taken long for word to travel by way of two mischievous children.

Everyone is happy; and happy for you and Eivor, knowing you two had tried to conceive many times. Stopping beneath the great tree past the Seer’s Hut, you turn with a smile —hand settling on your middle. “I’ve good news to tell you.” Eivor lifts his brow, and your smile only widens as you reach for his hand, pressing it against your belly. He sucks in a deep breath, heart thudding in his chest and ears as he looks to you, his clear blue eyes wide with joy and surprise. You nod, resting your hand over his. “I am with child.”

Eivor is silent for a moment, gathering his words and emotions. He looks down at your belly, then back to you —overjoyed and uncertain. This is a moment you’ve only ever talked about; that he’s dreamt of when the gods were kind enough to let him have a good dream. “I’m going to be a father?” Eivor breathes, though it sounds more like a question. You nod again, eyes gleaming with tears as he rests his other hand on your stomach too. His smile too large to be hidden under his shaggy golden beard. There’s another moment’s pause, then Eivor slips his arms around you, bringing you into a tight embrace —his face tucked into your neck.

You lose track of how long Eivor holds you in his arms as if it all is only a dream and he may wake at any second. Stepping back, he takes your face into his rough hands, brushing away the tears streaking your cheeks. Eivor dips his head down, his nose brushing against yours before your lips meet —gentle and loving but still burning with fervor from the weeks of being parted from one another.

“You’ve made me the happiest man in Midgard,” he admits. You lean into him again, taking another kiss before he settles onto one knee in front of you, level with your belly. Eivor rests his forehead against your front, his hands loosely holding onto your hips. “Rest easy, little one.” Smiling, you brush back his golden hair —half-unbound from his warrior’s braids and knotted. “I will protect you and your mother.” It’s a promise.

“EIVOR,” RANDVI CRIES as he enters the longhouse, tears still fresh on her cheeks. She should not have let you go riding outside of Ravensthorpe alone, especially knowing you were with child. He clasps onto her shoulders, steadying her so she can gather her senses. “It’s Fulke.” The script is fresh in her memory, having read it a dozen times over to be certain of the ill-boding tidings. Randvi shakes her head, unable to meet her friend's concerned gaze. “She’s taken more than just Sigurd.”

“No,” Eivor breathes, but Randvi presents the scroll as proof. He skims the words —his worst fears coming to fruition. Not only did Fulke hold his brother captive, but now the conniving bitch had stolen you away too. You. His wife. The mother of his unborn child. He’d sworn to protect both of you with every breath in his lungs, and now it is an oath broken.

The sudden anger boiling under his skin is so hot it burns the fear freezing him, turning to determination. Eivor crumples the parchment, his expression twisting —no god can save you now, Fulke. “Send word to our allies.” Randvi nods, stepping back to the writing-table at the edge of the map room. “I will burn all of Wessex if I have to,” Eivor grits out, hands turning to fists at his sides as he leaves the longhouse to gather his men —a part of him feels as though he has walked this path before.

HAVI STRIDES THROUGH Fensalir with a deep sadness in his heart, but his agony cannot compare to that of his sweet Frigg. For three days and three nights, his queen has asked for solitude, and though it pained him to keep away during such times, he and the others respected Frigg’s wishes. Though Havi would not leave his dear wife to grieve alone, sending Huginn and Muninn to keep a watchful eye over the Queen of the Æsir. The two ravens are perched upon a stone bench at the edge of the fen. Thor glances over his shoulder at the approaching footsteps —his expression is weary and grief-stricken as he looks upon his father.

Gently, your son releases you from his tight embrace and rises, stepping back with a silent promise to return soon as he greets his father with a solemn nod before leaving. Havi pushes back his hood, seeing the white flowers spring from the earth with your tears. Baldr will be remembered —in deeds and songs and the blossoms brought forth by his mother’s tears. He kneels, reaching for your hands, and slides the bloody sprig of mistletoe free from your grasp. Through weary eyes, you look upon your husband —his expression twisted into the same display of forlorn grief. It makes your heart ache even more to have pushed him away, for he too lost a son. “Frigg,” he sighs.

“Havi,” you cry, falling into him. He swathes you in his black cloak, tucking you against his chest and holding you tight —a vow of retribution on his tongue. Loki would be punished for this crime. For all the realms felt the bitter void left by Baldr’s absence, and all wept, save for a giantess whose unshed tears doomed your son to Hel. The grief and anger simmering in his blood turn to something else —determination. He will not have his sweet Frigg endure this pain again; his one-armed embrace tightens as he cradles the back of your head. “I will not let another of our children fall,” Havi swears, lips brushing over your temple. “Not until our twilight has come.”

HE TWISTS HIS hands into Fulke’s leather-and-cloth armor, throwing the madwoman to the muddy and blood-slick ground. Fulke spits blood, pulling herself away from Eivor Wolfsmal on hands and knees only to find herself surrounded by his men and allies. All their weapons drawn, trained on her. The price for taking the Jarl of Raven Clan and Eivor’s wife is one to be paid in blood, and there is nowhere for her to run. She will have to suffer the wrath. “Where is she?” Eivor roars, kicking Fulke onto her back. He kneels, knee pressing into the bloody gash on her side, one of his throwing axes withdrawn and held high above his head —ready to strike.

There is no fear in her eyes, only bliss. Her work in this world now complete. “You made a choice,” Fulke laughs, choking on blood, “you chose Sigurd.” She coughs, blood-tinged spittle spattering against Eivor’s face, washed away by the pouring rain.

He roars, teeth bared and eyes burning hot with the rage of the gods. Lightning splits open the sky, thunder cracking like a great whip against the earth. “I will flay the skin from your bones and feed your eyes to my raven,” Eivor hisses.

Her smile is bloody —victorious. She knows you are leagues from here, and now the only ones who know are dead or dying. Eivor Wolfsmal could search the land for years and never find the seaside cave on the shores of Cent. “You’ll never find her,” Fulke says. One final victory before relinquishing herself to darkness and her wounds.

Eivor rises, his shoulders heaving and expression twisted. There is no time for a reunion when Sigurd limps from the fortress —clutching the stump where his hand and wrist once were— reinforcements from Wincestre draw nigh. The cry of war horns and drums echoing above the storm. He turns to Dag and Hrefna, eyes flitting over to his brother, unfit to fight in the coming battle. “See him back to Ravensthorpe,” he tells them before shifting his attention back to his allies. The day is not won yet, and Eivor will not rest until he has his beloved back in his arms.

ABOVE THE BREAKING waves of the sea, there is a whisper on the howling wind. Eivor looks to the sea below, then to Basim —his scouts working tirelessly since the siege of Portcestre nigh a fortnight ago to find leads. The culmination of their work leads him and Eivor to the southern edge of Cent to a cave guarded by Fulke’s acolytes. Eivor knows the gods are with him this day, as plain as if the Allfather whispered the affirmation into his ear.

The echoes of battle fill the air, and through the slivers of light above, you see shadows moving and hear the unmistakable cry of a raven growing closer —Sýnin. Rousing from uneasy rest, you clamber to the upturned bucket at the cell’s center, dragging chains behind you. Trembling, you clutch your swollen belly, then step up onto the bucket, fingers finding purchase on the metal grate above, slick with blood and excrements. Sýnin appears at the edge of the grate, his beady eyes staring down at you in the darkness, tilting his head this way and that. He hops up and down —talons clinking against the metal— before squawking wildly.

Eivor’s focus shifts from the dead littering the beach when he hears Sýnin inside the cave, and for the first time in weeks, you hear your name in his voice —a desperate plea. “Eivor!” His name is only a soft, airy rasp, not strong enough to carry with the raven’s calls. “Eivor!” You cry, this time louder, but your voice is broken, throat raw from days screaming and crying at the hands of Fulke and her enforcers. Sýnin’s squawks grow louder, mingling with footsteps.

The wave of relief almost shatters him when it hits and washes over his body and mind when he sees you —alive. Eivor reaches through the lattice, his fingers brushing against yours. “I’ve got you now,” he breathes, the torchlight showing the tears glistening in his clear blue gaze. You nod, smiling with cracked lips —thanking Frigg and Freyja that your prayers did not go unanswered. Eivor urges you to step down and aside, and when you do, he rears back, slamming the butt of his axe against the rusting lock, breaking it. With a sharp cry, he throws open the grate, sliding down into the darkness with you.

Hands trembling, he unlocks the manacles around your wrists and the shackle around your ankle. Each has left your skin red and raw beneath. Eivor gathers you in his arms. “Let’s get you out of here,” he says, lips brushing against your temple. You nod, eager to be rid of this damp and foul hole in the earth. Sýnin takes to your shoulder as soon as you are free, nudging his head against your temple and cheek. With a tired smile, you lift a hand to scritch the dark feathers of his underside as Eivor pulls himself free of the cell.

Eivor kneels, reaching for your hands, his thumbs brushing just above the broken skin on your wrists, and as you lean toward him, he swathes you with the coarse wool of his cloak —forehead pressed against yours. He feels the dampness on your cheeks as you press your face against his scarred neck. "I won't let anyone hurt you again,” he vows, “you're safe now.” One of his hands settles on your stomach, and you cover it with yours, holding him tightly with the other. “You’re both safe,” he whispers, and it’s only when he feels a light twitch against his hand that the realization breaks him. “I’m so sorry, my love,” Eivor chokes.

You draw back from his embrace, seeing the tears streak his face and the guilt clear on his expression. “Don’t blame yourself,” you plead, cupping his scarred cheek. “Please, don’t.” Eivor nods, though guilt still weighs heavily on his heart and will until he sees you safely returned to Ravensthorpe and tended to. He turns farther into your hand until his lips brush the center of your palm —a soft kiss, another promise.

Sýnin croaks, splashing in a puddle, and breaks yours and Eivor’s trance, reminding you both that you’re still in a cave, far from home and where you belong. He slides his arms beneath your knees and around your shoulders, rising with you. “You’re safe,” he repeats, more for himself to hear than you. Eivor breathes a deep sigh when he steps onto the beach, holding you close in his arms. Sýnin flies overhead, as do a pair of ravens — the same pair Eivor has seen in dreams of late. He smiles as he sets on the path carrying you up the cliffside, knowing Havi and Frigg had both heard his prayers.

[taglist: @angstygunslinger @vanillabeanlattes @withered-poppies @ananriel @itseivwhore @maximalblaze @dynamicorbit @theelvenvalkyrie @xxdearlybeloved @elizabethroestone @elluvians @letsloveimagines @finick94 @wallsarecrumbling @kitkitvm @thedragonqueenfan @callmemythicalminx @edelae @darkravenqueen98 ] if your name is italicized, tumblr would not let me tag you. if you’d like to be added to my Eivor taglist, just let me know!

167 notes · View notes

effei-s · 3 years

Text

anderson and his paradox:

about the duality of a man.

(aka see me rambling in this 1500-words long essay about how much i love him)

the first half of his paradox: he’s more than capable of love. i would even dare to say that love is a driving force behind 99% of his actions.

let’s look at examples:

adam’s mom (aurora):

i’ve said it before, i’ll say it again: he worshiped the ground she walked on. it’s a fact. it’s what adam said about him in unravel me: i know he loved my mom. it was always her, everything was about her.

her death was probably the worst thing that happened to him, the loss that made him truly suffer, hence him constantly talking about how he wants to shield warner from it. that whole thing with lena is not about control itself, it’s about warner not making his own mistakes. there’s a genuine desire to protect there.

evie:

considering how little information is given about them it’s honestly amazing how much there lies between the lines (can mafi write everything the way she’s written them, please?).

they’re the perfect example of my favourite type of soulmates. he’s actually second worst person on this planet, because first place is already taken by her. there’s no one who knows him better then her (she knew about adam = she knew about aurora). there’s no one who understands him better than her (them being two vital parts of the RE from the very beginning). it doesn’t matter how much they fight, he trusts her with his life no questions asked: he comes to her before ignite me and asks her to make him immortal. considering evie’s words in defy me about how she was ready to kill him for trying to kill juliette in unravel me it was very risky of him (because if there’s one person that could slit open his throat and kill him for good, because he let his guard down, it would be evie). he trusts her to do her job and has no doubts about her capability to succeed. his first reaction to her death is ‘what? it can’t be real!’ because evie for him is almost untouchable entity ‘if they couldn’t hurt me, they sure as hell won’t be able to hurt her’. when he realizes that it’s true he’s terrified.

and anderson doesn’t do terrified.

/i really don’t know what can scream LOVE louder than this/

warner:

we can’t not talk about warner here.

warner betrays him and he still saves warner life. you need to remember that the only reason why warner is still alive in defy me, after he committed treason, is because anderson protects him.

by that time in restore me/defy me anderson, who technically lost his position as a supreme, still managed to save warner’s life /because he’s cool like that/.

“I had to call in a number of favors to have you transported here unharmed. The council was going to vote to have you executed for treason, and I was able to convince them otherwise.”

even evie doesn’t dare to fuck with warner because she knows anderson will come at them with the wrath of god.

“If Aaron were anyone else’s son,” she says, “I would’ve had him executed. I’d have him executed right now, if I could. Unfortunately, I alone do not have the authority.”

anyone else’s son.

so yeah the problem here is not that warner is one of the heirs of the RE. the problem here is that he’s anderson’s son.

plus his entire conflict with juliette is rooted in the fact that she

a) tried to hurt warner

unravel me:

I cannot allow him to protect a person who has attempted to kill him.

restore me:

The monster we’ve bred has tried to kill my own son.

b) tried to take warner from him.

restore me:

Worse, she’s become a distraction for Aaron. He’s become—in a toxic turn of events—impossibly drawn to her, with no apparent regard for his own safety. I have no idea what she’s done to his mind.

and then in imagine me he declines warner’s offer.

“You would be willing to sacrifice yourself—your youth and your health and your entire life—to let that damaged, deranged girl continue to walk the earth? Do you even understand what you’re saying? You have every opportunity—all the potential—and you’d be willing to throw it all away? In exchange for what?Do you even know the kind of life to which you’d be sentencing yourself ?”

/i dare you to tell me he didn’t love warner, i dare you/

juliette:

as a cherry on top, there’s juliette, of course.

when we’re talking about hate we’re talking about juliette, no questions asked. i truly believe that his hatred for her was stronger than his love for aurora and evie combined. and still what brings him down for good is not hate for her but adoration of her (oh irony, my irony).

after 12 years of hatred, after 12 years of her being ‘the bane of his existence’, he still ended up spending his dying breath to make sure she will be safe.

“I ordered you to remain silent,” he says, glancing back at her. “And I am now ordering you to remain safe, at all costs. Do you hear me, Juliette? Do y—”

“Kill them,” Anderson gasps, blood staining the edges of his lips. “Kill them all. Kill anyone who stands in your way.”

just like defy-me warner, imagine-me juliette survives ONLY because of anderson.

he even apologized to her at one point.

“You know, I realize now that I’ve been too hard on you. I’ve put you through too much. Tested your loyalty perhaps too much. But you and I have a long history, Juliette. And it’s not easy for me to forgive. I certainly don’t forget.”

anderson??? admitting??? that??? what??? he??? did??? was??? wrong???

and not because he needs to get off the hook, but because he actually feels like it was too much???

ALERT THE MASSES, THE WORLD NEEDS TO HEAR ABOUT IT!!!

btw, do my eyes deceive me, or did this ‘not easy to forgive’ mean that he actually already FORGAVE her for trying to kill him?

anyhow if that wasn’t enough look at this:

“What could possibly go wrong?” Anderson asks. “She’s more powerful than any of them, and completely obedient to me. To us. To the movement. You all know as well as I do that she’s proven her loyalty again and again. She’d be able to capture them in a matter of minutes.”

do you see it?

it’s the same thing that happened with evie: no one here is strong enough to hurt her (oh, i can see some PROJECTIONS here happening).

it’s funny how the way Anderson acts is EXACTLY what I expected from Warner. he isn't just talking about how she can do anything, when moment comes he ACTS.

Anderson is guarding Juliette. The same Anderson who’s spent so much of his energy trying to murder her—is now standing in front of her with his arms out, guarding her with his life.

i’d still prefer for her or him to kill ibrahim but even without it... he says you can burn this place to the ground, I don’t care as long as you’re safe, he chooses her over not only the RE, he chooses her over WARNER.

/and you expect me not to ship this??? sure, jen, i’m not gonna/

conclusion number 1: yes, my beautiful people, everything Anderson does in one way or another tied to love.

the second half of his paradox: love doesn’t make him a better person, it doesn’t even make him fully human. you’d think that if person capable of such strong feelings there’s supposed to be something worth saving, just like castle’s said:

“Of course he’s a regular person, son. That’s exactly the point. We’re all just regular people, when you strip us down. There’s nothing to be afraid of when you look at Anderson; he’s just as human as you or me. Just as terrified. And I’m sure if he could go back and do his life over again, he’d make very different decisions.”

(castle is a fucking idiot, never listen to people like him or you’re gonna end up neck-deep in shit)

but at the end of the day anderson remains a fucking monster.

his love for aurora doesn’t stop him from marrying another woman and having a child with her because it’s the easiest way to social climb.

his love and devotion to evie and re (mostly evie, because evie is the reestablishment) doesn’t stop him from playing games with juliette and putting everything and everyone at risk just because he’s bored.

i won’t even start commenting on warner’s situation, because otherwise we’re gonna sit here for days and i’ll end up with 100k words essay about them.

and even his enamourment with juliette doesn’t actually protect her from his violent nature. even this perfect, absolutely perfect juliette still has to prove herself (cut off her finger to show her loyalty). it still very easy for him to hurt her.

conclusion number 2: him being in love, him caring about someone, him trusting someone doesn’t change his fundamental nature. he still remains a destructive force put into a human body.

he’s a fucking satan.

and that’s exactly why i love him.

26 notes · View notes

problematic-faves-appreciation · 3 years

Text

Problematic Faves Cliffs Notes: Harvey Dent/Two-Face

Batman (1980) #329

Summary: Once a crusading district attorney that worked alongside Batman and Jim Gordon to fight crime – now the duality-obsessed super criminal known as Two-Face.

Harvey Dent also serves as a dark reflection of Batman's own struggles living a dual life with conflicting identities.

Main Goal: To enact his own justice whilst committing crimes.

Fears: Uncertainty, himself in general [the things he's capable of, specifically], losing control, his loved ones dying, his darker half discovering Bruce's secret identity [Detective Comics (2016) #1021], Renee Montoya's rejection [Batman: No Man's Land, novel], and the Joker [Joker (2008), only].

Mindset: Sees himself bound by fate and its will. As a result of Harvey's black-and-white worldviews, he considers his two-headed (scarred on one side) silver dollar a truly objective instrument of justice due to it only yielding two simple, 50/50 outcomes at the end of every coin toss.

"Some people go to the beach to forget their problems. They can watch the waves for hours. I understand the fascination.

There's a pattern – then there is no pattern.

It's the same with the coin. We want it all to mean something – we want to find the pattern – but in the final analysis, it's just waves."

— Harvey Dent, Secret Origins Special (1989) #1

•••

"He was always interested in the law – some might say obsessed. Man's law gave order to Harvey's world – they delineated the parameters of right and wrong, good and evil. They gave him something to believe in."

— Gilda Dent, Secret Origins Special (1989) #1

•••

Hugo Strange: Let's go back further, you were a rising star, a beacon of light for this city. A white knight riding in to save it with the Dark Knight not far behind.

Harvey Dent: You can leave him out of this. He is wrong. They all are. No one understands the beauty of fate's hand. I am grateful to Falcone. He gave me a clarity; a purity that few will know. Everything boils down to a simple choice, this way or that way, good... or bad.

Hugo Strange: Do you really believe that?

Harvey Dent: How could I not?

— Batman: Arkham City

•••

Batman: If you pull the trigger, how are you different from the Roman?

Harvey Dent: That's Jim Gordon talking. You know the system doesn't work. That justice can be decided like the flip of a coin.

— The Long Halloween

•••

"You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time... but you were wrong! The world is cruel. And the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased, unprejudiced, fair."

— Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight

•••

"Life's a lottery, Holman. It's chance that decides who lives and who dies. Who gets cancer. Which kid is born with spina bifida. Who gets run over by a truck.

This [the coin] is what decides whether or not I blow your wife's brains out."

— Harvey Dent, Joker's Asylum: Two-Face #1

Teen Titans Spotlight (1987) #13

Character Traits:

🌗 Loving • Idealistic • Genuine • Principled • Resolute • Focused • Driven • Workaholic • Passionate • Eloquent • Wrathful • Obssessed • Brooding • Self-loathing • Black-and-white thinking • Dauntless • Fair • Honest (generally) • Man of his word • Learned helplessness (regarding the coin and his choices) • Self-destructive • Unpredictable • Hair-trigger temper • Can be persuaded • Charitable (depends on coin toss) • Takes his pain out on others • Self-enabling • Serious • Harsh • Intimidating • Vengeful • Physically violent • Self-aware • Conflicted • Feels remorse • Tries, but fails to improve as a person • Too Dependent on his coin • Fatalistic • Suicidal • Forgiving • Self-centered, but not selfish 🌗

Key Facts:

Harvey Dent...

• Had mental health issues long before his disfigurement [Batman Annual (1990 #14, Batman: The Animated Series - Episode 10, and Batman: Arkham City].

• His father physically abused him every day as a child. Christopher Dent used a double-headed coin to make Harvey believe he could "avoid" the beatings if the coin landed on the non-existent "tails" [Batman Annual #14].

• Bruce Wayne was his childhood friend [Rebirth universe & Batman: Nightwalker].

• Harvey "Legal Eagle" Dent was the top of his class [Secret Origins Special (1989) #1].

• Paid for his father's nice apartment [Batman: Two-Face (1995) - Crime & Punishment].

• Half of Harvey wanted to love his father, while the other half wished him dead. Despite everything, he tried to make peace with Christopher prior to the acid attack [Batman Annual #14].

• Never stopped loving/thinking about Gilda Dent when she disappeared from his life following the events of the Long Halloween [Batman (2006) #653 & Batman (2011) #712].

What's more, Harvey continued loving Gilda so much that he wound up murdering her second husband's killer in a pre-Long-Halloween continuity [Batman (1980) #329] because the man's death left Gilda grieving.

• Fun fact: The Power of Love helped him resist Poison Ivy's pheromones in the Dark Victory #11!

Begone, thot!

• Blamed Batman for what happened to him with Salvatore Maroni Carmine Falcone and the acid attack that scarred his face [Batman: Arkham Knight].

• Uses his coin to determine whether he should kill or spare his victims. Also, he has been known to perform acts of charity [Detective Comics (1942) #66 & Batman: The Silver Age Newspaper Comics Volume 3 (1969-1972)] sometimes.

• Loves and hates Gotham [Batman and Robin (2013) #23.1].

• Dislikes hypocrites [Batman: Two-Face (1995) - Crime and Punishment & The Spectre (2001) #5].

• Developed strong feelings for Renee Montoya in the Batman: No Man's Land storyline.

• Continued caring about Renee deeply, despite the events of Gotham Central (2003) #10 [Convergence: The Question #1-2].

Received training from Batman [Batman #653] and Deathstroke [Deathstroke (2018) #38].

• Has tried growing better as a person, but he keeps failing [Batman Annual #14 & Batman and Robin Adventures (1995) #1-2].

• Has re-scarred himself more than once [Batman Annual #14, Batman #653, and Batman: Black and White (1996) #1].

• For all his faults and crimes – such as nearly beating Dick Grayson to death in Robin: Year One – he has helped people [The Batman Chronicles (1999) #16], defended Jim Gordon from himself as Jim's defense lawyer [Detective Comics (1999) #739], cares about the women in his life, and keeps his word when the coin comes up good.

He is a complex character, period.

Other Facts:

• Has seen Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast" [Batman (1986) #397].

• Knows how to sculpt [Detective Comics (1986) #563].

• Owns a "thememobile" like Batman [Batman (1987) #410]!

• Likes baseball [Batman (1987) #411].

• Likes symmetry [Batman (1989) #442].

Smokes, but also doesn't [Batman (1994) #513].

"My own version of the literary reference mark known as a diesis – more commonly known as a double-dagger! My next pair shall strike to the heart of the matter!" — Harvey Dent, Batman: Two-Face Strikes Twice #1 – the words of a man who certainly reads a lot!

Batman Annual #14 & Teen Titans Spotlight #13 – A himbo he is not!

• Reads classic books such as "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" [Detective Comics #66] and "A Tale of Two Cities" [Batman: Two-Face Strikes Twice #2].

• Still finds putting criminals behind bars fun [Batman Gotham Adventures (1999) #12].

• Can speak Spanish [The Batman Chronicles #16].

• Doesn't mind hitting women at all. There are so many examples of this; Harvey confirmed it himself [Batman: Streets of Gotham (2009) #7], and beat up Jim Gordon's wife in Batman (1999) #572.

• Made a self-insert comic book in an art therapy program. Yup, he wrote and drew it himself [Detective Comics (2001) #753]!

Called it "The Adventures of Copernicus Dent and His Best Girl and Plucky Assistant R'Nee!"

• Plays chess with Batman [Gotham Knights (2002) #32].

• Has watched Star Trek [Nightwing (2008) #150].

• Fought and killed a werewolf [The 2008 DC Universe Halloween Special]. Yes, really.

• Was a cult leader [Detective Comics (2020) #1020].

• Rebirth!Harvey is now working as a jailhouse lawyer in Blackgate [Detective Comics (2020) #1024].

• Understands how binary code works, but computer geeks make him sick? [Robin (1994) #11] Yeah.

• Has kids. Twins! [Batman: Two-Faces Strikes Twice]. It looks like they're irrelevant.

• Remembered Renee's birthday and sent her tulips [Detective Comics (2000) #747].

• Has been a judge before [The New Batman Adventures - Episode 24 & Arkham Unhinged (2013) #11].

• Hates odd-numbers [Robin: Year One #2].

#batman #harvey dent #two face #gilda dent #dc comics #my posts #problematic faves cliff notes

46 notes · View notes

sakuranoumi · 3 years

Text

Fandom: Shaman King

Characters: Hao

Word Count: 995

Request: It's the SK main story but Yoh dies in a really unexpected way, too soon in the story. Hao is pissed.

Hao was talking to Anna when he felt it. Felt a pain blossom in his chest worse than when Anna had gained control over his onis. Worse than 500 years ago when Matamune willingly plunged himself as a bladed oversoul into his chest taking his last breath of that lifetime. He physically felt himself dying and that could only mean one thing.

Anna's own face had gone from smug to dawning horror as the chou senji ryakketsu feel from her hands landing on the dusty ground. She wasn't far behind it as gravity pulled her to her knees and a desperate no escaped her lips as tears pooled at her eyes. She had realized the exact same thing Hao had. Had felt his existence fade in her very soul as well proving how deeply his brother had loved her.

The other three in her company could only look on confused, but with horror as they knew a show of emotion like this from Anna was never good.

“Well finish this conversation later,” Hao stated, turning with his poncho and disappearing.

He'd sent five of his men after Yoh and his group earlier that day. He had expressly told them not to harm Yoh. His friends were fair game, but Yoh was to leave that encounter physically unharmed.

Who had betrayed his orders. Who would he be feeding to the Spirit of Fire if not all of them for they were all just as guilty for not stopping the one who had gone rogue.

He passed through Mesa Verdede easily, and saw Bori's and Damayaji's dead bodies. A cursory glance showed Damayaji was a victim of Boris, and Boris had run into the X-Laws.

The godforsaken X-Laws. He hadn't thought he'd need to protect Yoh from them. That they would figure out who Yoh was and target him specifically to hurt Hao. He should have listened to Luchist. Should have known better than to have left them unchecked. He should have eliminated them immediately in the wilderness of the American Southwest.

That had been Hao's error and for that they would all pay,

He knew when he was getting close in the tunnel because their turmoil and disbelief washed over him in waves. Then the voices reach him. There was yelling. The X-Laws hadn't left yet and Yoh's little band of misfits seemed ready to go to war to avenge their fallen comrade.

He would do Yoh the service of making sure they didn't die stupidly. He'd spare them out of respect for the relationship he never got to have with his brother. Never let it be said that Hao wasn't capable of mercy, or that he couldn't love someone since his mother.

The cave fell silent when Hao flared his furyoku as he made his entrance. Killing intent rolled off him in waves freezing everyone in their tracks. The X-Laws wouldn't be able to attack until Hao allowed them too. No one would escape from his wrath except the ones he decided to spare.

“He saved me boss,” was all Big Guy Bill was able to say as he sat against a wall exhausted and close to joining the rest of his team.

“You'll wish he hadn't,” Hao replied, a fire in his eyes. His followers should have understood that Yoh's life was more important than their own. They all owed Hao a duty to sacrifice their life if it meant saving Yoh's own.

“You're the one that sent them after us,” Horohoro shouted, but Hao ignored him. It didn't matter. Hao had messed up. He hadn't protected Yoh from his enemies and now Hao would make sure the world burned.

“Why'd you do it, Marco?” Hao asked, voice calm and deadly.

“They'd caught your interest and anyone who interests you interests us,” Marco stated, boldly pushing up his glasses. “Upset we ruined your recruitment plan.”

“That was never plan,” Hao stated, voice level.

“Bullshit,” Horohoro called, “You said you might make Yoh one of your followers. You wanted to personally introduce yourself to him”

“Keep talking and I will no longer spare your lives,” Hao spoke to the three of Yoh's friends gathered behind him.

“Humor me before I kill all of you and hunt down your self proclaimed maiden, and tell me what was Yoh's sin that you executed him for?”

“You can't kill us. You'll be slain in the face of our justice,” Marco retorted.

“That wasn't a question. It was a command,” Hao stated, strenghting his killing intent even more.

Marco tried to hold strong for a few seconds before he relented, “He was misguided and thought he could walk the precipitous path of true neutrality. He wanted to protect your follower despite all the evil you've shed on the world and what had happened to them a mere hour ago. But his gravest sin was questioning our methods and comparing us to you.”

“You didn't like what you saw in the mirror. Didn't like how true his words rang. He's right you know. Killing people in your way makes you no different then me. The only difference is I have the courage to admit what I've done while you try to hide behind your fragile image of justice. Say a last prayer to your God. You won't meet him where you're going.”

Eight rounds of gunfire rang out simultaneously deafening all in the area and leaving only ringing in the ears. The world seemed to slow in the absence of sound as Spirit of Fire roared to life incinerating all eight spirits in an instance. Meanwhile its fingers easily reached out and speared all eight members easily forcing them to hang lifeless.

Marco struggled to hold on with the last remaining bit of strength and willpower. Hao walked up to him to rely his parting words.

“You killed my better half. Now the world will burn.”

#shaman king #hao asakura #request fic #this ended up being less angst #and more Hao pissed as hell #but maybe if no one else had been there it would have been angst #but he also would have been like why the hell did they just leave his body here #you can't win Hao #you have emotions and they are real #also they can hurt you #noreallyitsfine

24 notes · View notes

klarolinelibrary · 3 years

Photo

Hi KC Readers,

Happy Friday!

We have another weekly releases for you to check out. The stories below were updated during the week of April 17 - April 23.

Grab a snack and drink, then dive right into the new stories and reimagined characters of Klaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes!

FFN

Klaus POV - The Trouble with Spells (Chapter 21)

Author: ilovetf

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: I think the title is self explanatory. The Trouble with Spells as seen through Klaus's eyes and his POV. Over the years, people kept liking this story and some even asked for Klaus POV, so I decided to give it a try. Hope you enjoy it. All feedback is more than welcome. Good or bad.

Date of update: April 17 2021

SKULLS (Chapter 9)

Author: Lovely Vero

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Vampiro and El Diablo, aka: Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson, heads of the bikers SKULLS are fighting Gabriel Desperaldo, aka: El escorpión - head of the Spanish mafia - and his human trafficking in their city of Los Alamos in New Mexico. Never in a million years, did they imagine that the love of two captured women would change their life forever.

Date of update: April 17 2021

In the shelter of your light (Chapter 3)

Author: Clarity23

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Caroline expected to face some challenges when she decided to foster a teenage girl. But she did not expect that the girl's older, annoyingly handsome brother would be in the picture as well. AU

Date of update: April 17 2021

Everything and anything for you (Chapter 13)

Author: thelibrarianofalexandria

Rating: T

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: She had it all planned ahead. Graduate early, go to an Ivy League college, make her dreams come true. However, she has to change it a little when her whole life is thrown upside down and a handsome original takes an interest in her, the younger, shy, sister of Caroline Forbes.

Date of update: April 20 2021

You can't run from your past (Chapter 2)

Author: CookieDuo

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Caroline Forbes is an FBI agent with secrets. Three years ago she fell in love with a target before she helped put him behind bars, and she faked her own death. Now he's escaped from prison and he's learned the truth, about who she is and the secret she's been keeping since he got sent away. Now she has to run, but he's determined to catch her. And he always gets what he wants.

Date of update: April 20 2021

Take on the world

Author: Logan27

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Starts near the end of 4x14 (I would rewatch that episode up until Klaus comes out onto the porch just for a refresher). Caroline makes a life altering decision and takes a big chance in order to move forward, heal and discover.

Date of update: April 21 2021

A Failed Sacrifice (Chapter 4)

Author: CookieDuo

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: She ruined the sacrifice to save her own life, and in order to survive she turned to the only other vampire who'd been able to survive the wrath of Klaus Mikaelson. She gets away, and learns from the master, but when Klaus eventually catches up to her, her life will never be the same again.

Date of update: April 23 2021

AO3

Step Up Or Step Out

Author: ThrowMeAStory

Rating: E

Length: One shot

Summary: 4x16 au, Part 7. For Caroline it's been a long time coming.

Date of update: April 17 2021

no goodbyes (Chapter 9)

Author: deadofwrite (dead_of_write)

Rating: E

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: “Last night shouldn’t have happened,” Caroline whispered. Guilt. Shame. Regret.It was all the emotions he feared. And it was written all over her face. aka. a college/cheating au

Date of update: April 17 2021

Turned Off or Turned On?

Author: Anonymous

Rating: E

Length: Drabble

Summary: Caroline-that-has-flipped-the-switch seeks out one Klaus Mikaelson. Deep down Caroline knew that seeking him out was wrong on so many levels, he had been responsible for so much death and destruction, but that didn’t stop her. Truthfully, it made her want to go to him more, now that her emotions had been turned off. There was nothing from keeping her from having him. Had she had them switched on it was doubtful she even would have gone out of the door, she would have just wistfully thought about going instead. Thinking about what might have been.

Date of update: April 17 2021

One of a Kind, Two of a Kind, or the Three Musketeers (Chapter 10)

Author: Phandancee74

Rating: T

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Caroline recognizes how hard it is for Elena to be a doppelgänger, her fate predestined as well as her face. It's pretty tough being the last of your kind too though, and Caroline is determined to protect them both, with some very helpful Bennetts on their side. A fic that integrates Malivore and the larger supernatural universe into TVD from the start.

Date of update: April 17 2021

A Blonde, A Brit, and A Baby (Chapter 3)

Author: Books4eva180

Rating: T

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Caroline Forbes life is right on schedule for her Twenty-Year plan that she created at 16 years old: at 23 years old she is a junior editor at a magazine company in NYC and she has fantastic friends; one of whom is about to get to married. Life couldn't be more perfect or at least that was until she slept with a British asshole. What was only supposed to be a one night stand has turned into a life changing night because Caroline is now pregnant. Klaus Mikaelson has always enjoyed the simple things in life. Bourbon, art, and an endless stream of girls who are more than willing to fall into his bed. This all changes when he is forced to move to America to join his father's law company and he isn't even really his father. Then to make matters worse he ends up sleeping with a girl and even worse she ends up pregnant. Forced together in a situation that neither of them could have planned for will feelings blossom (yes they definitely will) Will Caroline be able to handle this life changing event? Will Klaus be able to escape the demons from his past? Will the both of them be able to provide a happy and healthy home for their baby?

Date of update: April 18 2021

Darkness Becomes Thee

Author: BelleMorte180

Rating: E

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Austria 1300s When Klaus met a young girl on a riverbank, he knew that he would one day come back for her. When he looked into her bright blue eyes, he could see a reflection of his own soul, a darkness that lingered inside both of them. When the young girl turned into a beautiful woman with a thirst for blood, his fascination with her turns into obsession. He wants not only her loyalty but her eternity, a possessiveness that is equally returned. or my "Caroline is the serial killer Elizabeth Bathory" au.

Date of update: April 18 2021

Reunited (Chapter 13)

Author: CandyCane1287

Rating: T

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Set after 5x12 TVD, where Caroline confesses what she did with Klaus to Katherine and Tyler hears. Katherine reveals that she’s dying and knows of a witch that could help her. But the witch is in New Orleans and that’s where Elijah and Klaus. Baby included but nice Hayley doesn't stick around. Also, Elena is supportive here.

Date of update: April 18 2021

A smutty anniversary (Chapter 6)

Author: kcatdino

Rating: E

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Caroline and Klaus celebrate 3 months together with a day full of smut.

Date of update: April 18 2021

american dream prom queen

Author: trashcanbarbie

Rating: T

Length: Drabble

Summary: “What would they say, if they knew you were here, on my birthday doing something almost…” she trails off, because she doesn't know the word. “Nice?” he suggests, then grins like a wolf, “They’d roll in their graves, my siblings.” “They're not dead.” He grins, and Caroline feels as if he’s laughing at a private joke when he says, “Aren't they?”

Date of update: April 19 2021

We are young (Chapter 12)

Author: kcatdino

Rating: T

Length: One shot

Summary: Basically, Klaroline flirt in front of their kids who they are barely older than, and Landon is appropriately confused.

Date of update: April 19 2021

Nowhere Else To Go (Chapter 2)

Author: NerdyNostalgia

Rating: G

Length: Drabble

Summary: Klaus has an unexpected visitor while in New Orleans and is determined to show her a good time. He isn't going to let this chance pass him by, and if it means he and Caroline get closer...well, that was a bonus. But is Marcel planning something?

Date of update: April 19 2021

Part of Your World

Author: perfectpro

Rating: G

Length: One shot

Summary: After trading the loveliest thing she possessed to a sea witch in order to walk on land, Caroline realizes that she'd accidentally bargained her voice away. Human legs shouldn't always feel this sort of pain, should they? With only a week to go before the spell wears off, the bargain can be undone entirely with true love's first kiss. The only problem is... Who falls in love in less than a week?

Date of update: April 19 2021

I Don’t Want You To Die

Author: klarolinexluv

Rating: E

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary:

Date of update: April 19 2021

Sibling Rivalry (Chapter 9)

Author: kcatdino

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: In which Klaus and Rebekah are both bi, their taste in men and women overlaps infuriatingly often, and they argue over their newest shared interest. Edit: This is going to be a full series now, I love it so much. Edit 2: Oops, I dropped a whole bucket of angst on Caroline's backstory. If only there were some Mikaelsons willing to help her work through it...

Date of update: April 20 2021

What Could Have Been (Chapter 37)

Author: TNaPKI

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: My impression of what Season 6 of The Originals would have been like post 5x13 where Klaroline becomes endgame. Is Klaus really gone or is there more to the story? Find out! FINAL CHAPTER out in a month!

Date of update: April 20 2021

The Salvatore Sisters (Chapter 19)

Author: 1Jemmagirl22

Rating: T

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Caroline and Davina Salvatore are Stefan and Damon's younger sister's, and they are far more than meets the eye. When Stefan and Damon's younger sisters show up during the beginning of season 2, what could possibly go wrong. The Salvatore girls have a dark past littered with their brother's enemies, the same enemies that just so happen to be their family. With Mikaelson's as husbands, miracle powers that could crush a Bennet witch, and whole life their brothers never knew about just how much have can these sisters and their family cause.

Date of update: April 21 2021

YOU ARE NOT HERE

Author: wincefish16

Rating: T

Length: Drabble

Summary: PROMT - HUMAN. KLAROLINE LOVED EAC OTHER, HAPPY IN A RELATIONSHIP WHERE CAROLINE IS THE ARTIST AND KLAUS IS A LAWYER. THEY HAVE AN ACCIDENT AND CAROLINE SLIPS IN A COMA. SHE IS LIKE THAT FOR 1 YEAR. KLAUS , AS A TRIBUTE TO HER STARTS PAINTING. DOES HE FALL INTO NEW RELATIONSHIPS?

Date of update: April 21 2021

Compromise Coffee (Chapter 3)

Author: BelleMorte180

Rating: E

Length: One shot

Summary: Caroline Forbes has a coffee problem; or better described as a crush on the cute barista, Klaus, who knows how to make her large, non-fat latte with a caramel drizzle and two extra espresso shots just right. After years of coming to Compromise Coffee, Caroline thought he would have made a move by now, but he hasn't. Caroline has decided that it is time for her to make the move herself.

Date of update: April 22 2021

Soulmate visions (Chapter 4)

Author: kcatdino

Rating: T

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: On your soulmate's eighteenth birthday, you see through their eyes for an hour, but they don’t know. And if your soulmate turns eighteen before you are even born, you never get a vision. Klaus gets his soulmate vision right after he orders Tyler to bite Caroline on her birthday….

Date of update: April 22 2021

Give Me A Sign (Chapter 6)

Author: PumpkinDoodles

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Caroline Forbes is happy that she left founders' parties, competition over guys she'd known since elementary school, and even Mystic Falls itself behind years ago. She's not second-best to Elena anymore. Even Liz would be proud of her new life working on the side of the law. Mostly. (If you need to compel someone into giving up stolen goods, is it really a crime?) Of course he's the one person from her past who comes looking for her. Klaus does that.

Date of update: April 22 2021

Secrets Inside Us

Author: 1Jemmagirl22

Rating: T

Length: Drabble

Summary: Klaroline as actors falling in love on set.

Date of update: April 23 2021

Destination Wedding (Chapter 2)

Author: PumpkinDoodles

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: The first rule of going to your ex's wedding is 'make sure you look good,' but Caroline's seriously worried that this British Guy is going to make her late. And she cannot be late to Rebekah Mikaelson and Matt Donovan's wedding at a Virginia winery.

Date of update: April 23 2021

There Is Nothing I Would Not Do

Author: ThrowMeAStory

Rating: M

Length: Drabble

Summary: 4x16 au, Part 8. Caroline and Bonnie reconnect.

Date of update: April 23 2021

Cloud 9: A Collection of Klaroline Fusions and Crossovers (Chapter 10)

Author: klarolineagainnaturally

Rating: G

Length: One shot

Summary: Various fusions and crossovers with Klaus and Caroline including Much Ado About Nothing, Ready or Not, and Tangled!

Date of update: April 23 2021

FFN/AO3

FFN: The Traitor and the Coward (Chapter 5)

AO3: The Traitor and the Coward (Chapter 5)

Author: Uppity Bitch

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Klaroline AU supernatural multi-chap - Original!Caroline has spent lifetimes running from her lover and his family. Despite the centuries of loneliness, she regrets nothing. Soon, she'll bring an end to this madness. Or bring the madness full circle.

Date of update: April 17 2021

FFN: Heartless to Heartfelt, Redone (Chapter 10)

AO3: Heartless to Heartfelt (Chapter 13)

Author: SmallTimeWriter

Rating: T

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: Daggered and buried deep within the ocean, Klaus has spent the last 9 years in a torturous state. Haunted by memories of the past and images of a child he never got to meet. Now awakened, but not the same. He is faced with a decision, can he forgive those who wronged him when a threat larger then they could anticipate appears? They must reunited to survive. All Main Characters.

Date of update: April 18 2021

FFN: Divine Intervention (Chapter 13)

AO3: Divine Intervention (Chapter 13)

Author: Uppity Bitch

Rating: M

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: This takes place in an alternate universe after Klaus seeks assistance from a certain blonde Norse goddess after Katerina has become a vampire and foiled his attempt at breaking his curse. Later chapters will follow this spicy "power" couple as they stir up all kinds of trouble in Mystic Falls. (Dark Klaroline) *Nominated for 2016 Klaroline Award - Best Original Story Concept

Date of update: April 19 2021

FFN: A Beautiful Symmetry (Chapter 154)

AO3: A Beautiful Symmetry (Chapter 154)

Author: Uppity Bitch

Rating: M

Length: One Shot

Summary: A collection of random AU one-shots featuring Klaroline. *2019 KC Award - Best one-shot series* Chapter 154: Dimples and Domestics. The Mikaelsons are spoiled, selfish snobs — and unfortunately are art student Caroline and her parents' main source of income. At least she only has to put up with them over her summer break...

Date of update: April 21 2021

FFN: Through his eyes (Chapter 6)

AO3: Through his eyes (Chapter 6)

Author: TheAlllureOfDarkness

Rating: T

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: The story of Klaus and Caroline, from Klaus POV.

Date of update: April 21 2021

FFN: Judgment Call (Chapter 5)

AO3: Judgment Call (Chapter 5)

Author: Eliliyah

Rating: T/G

Length: Multi Chapter

Summary: As a Federal Agent, Caroline Forbes has always lived by a strict moral code. But when new evidence comes to light that Klaus Mikaelson, the first man she helped send to death row, may not be guilty hours before his execution, she begins to question everything she's ever known. As the investigation leads to the heartbreaking truth, she's forced to choose between right and just.

Date of update: April 23 2021

#klaroline library #KCL weekly releases #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline

19 notes · View notes

notyouraverageeldaryafan · 3 years

Text

World Building part 1/5

The History of the Fae World

Hello and welcome to the first post dedicated to explaining how I would rewrite Eldarya! You can find the context to this post here. Before I begin here is your kind reminder that this is just my opinion and that it is subjective and that my version/AU is not better than the original or any other version for that matter, feel free to disagree and even tell me how wrong I am as long as you remain kind and polite. I will assume you are familiar with the game’s plot and so these posts will contain spoilers.

Let’s start with one of the core problems of this game, the world building. The game glosses over it, vaguely explaining it and seldom utilizes it in the plot. The team had a few good ideas, such as the war between the dragons and the aengels and it’s aftermath, but also they fail to take into account some of their decisions and their consequences. I am referring to the fact that the ritual was not completed and thus the food grown on Eldarya isn’t nutritional, it’s interesting in theory but the application is sloppy considering they have to constantly steal food from Earth but are unable to bring the main character back home. I will try to rewrite this origin story as well as a bit more of this world’s history, trying to make it as interesting but without it having so many consequences that are just making things less fun. (warning: this is unnecessarily long)

The creation:

The birth of Christ was but a few centuries away: humanity was slowly learning how to write, faes were worshiped like gods and everyone lived in harmony. All was good and dandy until The Oracle (yes, the one in the Crystal) foretells a grim future. The Oracle was but a young witch back then, someone very similar to the Oracle of Delphi who could see into the future. She began to tell of a world where there’s only God who’s word is law and where fear of the unknown pushes humanity to persecute and abuse of faes (aka Christianity and unholy amount of persecution they led against witches and pagans). This of course was terrifying to the current leaders of the faes and, despite having some doubts, they still decided to act upon this prophecy. The Oracle offered the solution, the creation of a new world, an escape, so that, if things get out of control, the faes can just escape to this world and close the gates towards Earth guarantying their safety.

All that was required was to complete a century long ritual, led by none other than the Oracle, where three of the mightiest faes species will have to sacrifice themselves in order to use the power within them to create this new world. These species symbolize what this new world should be like: the Dragons represent its power and might, the Phoenix, its immortality and fairness, the Aengels, its generosity and beauty. But there was a catch. The Oracle was using part of the power released by this sacrifice to become more powerful herself, unbeknownst to the others. Her Apprentice ended up discovering her secret and told the sacrificed about it. They decided to trap her during the last ritual inside of a giant crystal so that she may not use her new found powers against them in the future. And so they did, The Oracle found herself eaten by blue crystals where she stood and as she understood what was happening to her, she cursed this new world that she built: pieces of her Crystal will make faes go insane with greed and power, forcing them on killing sprees, that as much as they will try to keep the crystal in one piece, it will shatter, poisoning the inhabitants reminding them of her wrath. Dumbfounded, the remaining faes didn’t know what to do now, afraid of going in this new and now completed world, none wanting to go insane. The Apprentice stepped up, promising she knew how to appease her late master and thus control the intensity of this curse.

Thus began something known as the First Wave, only a few thousand faes left for this new world they have created, to understand if it was truly dangerous, led by the Apprentice and much later by her reincarnations. Among these faes were the Original Three (the Dragons, Aengels and Phoenix) who each claimed one of the four main continents, the last one going to The Apprentice and her followers (you can find more details about the geography of this new world here [yet to be written]). At first, the Crystal was easy to control and the cases of Corrupted Faes were few and far between but it couldn’t last forever. (cf:The Fall of the Mightiest and The Return of The Oracle, found below)

The War between the Dragons and the Aengels, also known as the Rise of the Mightiest:

The Ritual has left the Original Three weak and far less in numbers than they used to be. The Apprentice decided to give up the continent she was assigned, preferring to dedicate her life to dealing with the Oracle than to rule land. Both the Dragons and the Aengels wished to take this now ‘vacant’ continent for themselves. They were unable to compromise lands both wanting the land in its entirety. A war began between the two, The War of The Mighty Two. Meanwhile the Phoenix decided to remain true to their principals and remained neutral and fair, not taking part in this quarrel. They ended up regretting this much later. The war stretched for a couple of centuries until the Aengels disappeared completely from the face of this new world, declaring the Dragons victors and rulers of now three of the four main continents. Thus the Dragons began to change history, changing the name of the Aengels into Daemons and antagonizing them in history books. The Phoenix let them do so out of fear but also because they were afraid of losing their neutral stance.

Special thanks to @partyinnevarra for helping me perfect this section and giving me the idea for the better reason behind the War between The Dragons and the Aengels, thanks again for your help <3

The Fall of the Mightiest and The Return of the Oracle:

In some sort of divine karma, the Dragons themselves suffered greatly. The Crystal, who had been quiet until then, awoke. The Oracle, who is theorized to have a conscious, waited until the new world was at its weakest to attack. The Dragons were the main victims of the First Corruption, going insane with power and destroying the world they promised to protect. The local faes were overwhelmed and called upon the faes that had remained on Earth to help them, mostly Dragons that have stayed behind. This was know as the Second Wave, starting around the fall of the roman empire and ending around the middle of the Dark Ages. The on-going fight with the Corrupted lasted less of a millennium and is to this day the longest cycle of Corruption to date. It is also good to know that back then, the faes weren’t sure how to fight these Corrupted, even more so that they used to be their saviors and were the strongest faes at the time.

The easiest way to deal with the Corrupted was to kill them and take the piece of Crystal from their cadavers in order for it not to spread. It was the way that was prioritized for it was the most straight forward one (this technique is still used to this day). Another way is to trap the Corrupted in objects or caves or what-not, anything that can potentially contain something, but it required a lot of skill and maana and thus was deemed too costly (more on how that works here [yet to be written]) (this can also be an interesting villain for an episode, maybe a Dragon from the Dark-Ages trapped in ice or something else being freed by a villain or something) (this technique also explains the monster that could eat knowledge that was released by the main character in one of the episode). The last and perhaps the most efficient way of dealing with the Corrupted is through the Apprentice’s divine powers. The reincarnation of The Apprentice can extract the Crystal piece out of the Corrupted without harming them, this is called the Purification, but it is energy consuming and, well, there has only been 4 reincarnated at a time for thousands of Corrupted, so it is still considered the last viable option. (more information about how the Reincarnated work go here [yet to be written])

The First Corruption led to the almost complete extinction of the Dragons. On one side they were Corrupted and killed, on the other they fought against their brothers to extract the Crystal from them. The few Dragons left on Earth were hunted for sport by the likes of Arthur and his knights. A few unhatched eggs were saved and are kept by the Phoenix, in hopes that one day they will be able to save their species but there have been many debates surrounding the subject, mainly because of the fear that if the Dragons were to return, the Crystal might target them again.

Aengels, Daemons and The Divine:

The Aengels were not all gone, a few escaped to Earth while the rest went into hiding. The ones on Earth quickly abused the then growing Christianism, becoming the known angels and demons. Despite that, they couldn’t hide from the witch hunts and the industrialization and either disappeared or returned to the fae world during the Final Wave.

The Final Wave and The Second Corruption:

After the last of the Dragons disappeared, the First Corruption calmed down, the exact details aren’t clear, mostly because the faes that survived were few and traumatized. It took one full century for this new world to heal and for the faes on Earth to figure out that maybe, living in the fear of being Corrupted is better than dying at the hands of angry mods. Because, you guessed it, the Inquisition began followed by the witch hunts as well as the colonization of most of Earth which meant that even the places that were still considered “safe” (places that respected their legends and magical creatures, co-habiting, I’m thinking mostly of native tribes) started being invaded. Thus the last of the faes left Earth and joined the fae world, though a few remained but not enough to be worth being considered. The Second Corruption happened soon after the Final Wave and lasted less than two centuries. This time, everything was managed better, mostly because of the creation of the Guards (one of which the story takes place in), military bases meant to regulate the “bigger” Crystals and be able to predict the amount of Corruption, usually a Reincarnated accompanies the Guard members.

The Third Corruption:

After a few centuries of moderate silence where the Corrupted were present but not the worst of threats, the Oracle awoke again. And it is at this moment the actual story starts.

Nota bene:

This version of their history won’t be told to the heroine until much later in the game. At first, she will believe the story the Dragons have crafted, the version where Daemons are the villains and deserved what happened to them. The Oracle is also not seen as the villain for most of the game, mostly because the Oracle and the Crystal are seen as two different entities in the faes’ consciousness. The Oracle is seen as a helping hand, sometimes even worshipped as the goddess of this new world. The Apprentice and her reincarnations pushed forward this deification in an attempt to calm her late master’s wrath, maybe being seen as the goddess she always wanted to be would sooth her (spoilers: it doesn’t). All of this history being hidden would work greatly in the game’s over-arcing theme of lies vs. truths (it’s a theme that was present in the original material: just look at how many things the Guard hides from the protagonist even in A New Era where she is their savior). The fact that most of the faes population believed a lie ties in perfectly into the theme without making characters that the player is supposed to like and sometimes romance lie to the protagonist’s face (idk why for some reason beemoov keeps making their LIs lie to their main character, no one in 2021 finds that hot anymore, not that i think anyone ever found it hot in the first place, also you don’t need to have people lie to each other to create drama pls beemoov im sick of it) (sorry for the rant xD)

Wow!! I’m actually done... this was way to long, thank you so much for reading so far if you did. This is way too fun tho, wish I could do something more with this than just throw it in the void that is tumblr. Oh well. Next time, I’ll try to tackle the gameplay and the dreaded maana system.

Thanks again and have a good day!

#rewriting eldarya as not-really-an-average fan #eldarya #world building part 1/5 #order 1 #the history of the faes #man i forgot how hard is english

20 notes · View notes

lokislittlesigyn · 3 years

Text

OG616 : Thor 1 - Pt.3 [The Odinsleep]

[My masterlist, where all parts of this and my other fics can be found]

Pairing: Loki / Sigyn (basically an oc based off the marvel/myth namesake)

Warnings: Some mention of violence/death. All past tense.

Author’s Note: It’s getting worse.

Taglist: @high-functioning-lokipath

To be added to the taglist, just ask me here or send a message! <3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something has happened.

Something is wrong.

Sigyn sat alone in the library, a forgotten book lying open next to her. The last remnants of evening light gleamed over the city. Fiery hues of red and gold, mixing with the slightest whisper of purple. So far, the Bifrost had fired - thrice. She heard it, the distant, low rumble.

Loki still hadn't come for her.

Healers bustled around the castle. Rumors spread.

"The Warriors Three were wounded."

"Prince Thor hasn't been seen since they returned."

"The Allfather mentioned Jotunheim."

Sigyn decided against bothering the healers or trying to find her brother and his friends. Instead, she decided, she should stay put. Things were better that way. No need to worry, she told herself. Everything would work out, and soon Loki would peer around the corner, wearing his signature smirk. Ready to tell her how foolish Thor was being, or how relieved he was to be home.

So she waited.

And waited.

She twiddled her thumbs, gazing out a window. The day was fading. Tones of amber and gold mixed with cobalt blue, where stars began to twinkle, promising the coming night. Asgard always had beautiful sunsets.

"Princess?" The guard's voice made her turn. "Princess Sigyn, the bookkeeper asks you retire soon."

"Yes. Of course…" She stood, returning the book to its shelf.

The guard didn't move.

".. Do you need something else?"

"Prince Loki requested I escort you to your quarters."

Sigyn whipped around to face him. "He’s home?"

"He is preoccupied."

".. Very well, follow me, though I wish Loki would do it himself. Where is he?"

The guard led her from the library, on the usual route back to her quarters.

"He is at the Allfather's bedside, milady."

"The Allfather…?"

"Has fallen into the Odinsleep."

Sigyn stopped. "What?"

"Allfather Odin has fallen into the Odinsleep. Had you not known?"

Without a word, Sigyn turned and walked in a different direction.

"My lady, where-"

"I need to see the Allfather."

"My lady," The guard jogged after her, "My orders were to escort you back to your room..."

"Consider this taking the long way."

"Princess Sigyn." he stressed.

Sigyn sighed, looking at him. "I ask that you please escort me to the Allfather before you escort me to my quarters."

After a moment of silence, she asked again. "Please?"

With a sigh, he finally spoke. "Yes, my lady. But only this once. I fear Prince Loki's wrath should I displease him…"

"Leave my husband to me. He can be difficult, but he'll come around."

They reached the Allfather's cavernous room. Entered.

There, in a great bed, lie Odin. Frigga was on one side, Loki, the other. A golden aura encapsulated the Allfather, cloaked him in shining light which shifted and writhed like waves.

"Sigyn," Frigga stood, "Daughter."

"Frigga." Sigyn smiled at her, but quickly looked back at Odin. It was jarring, to see him there. The king of the realm, the most powerful of all of them by far, reduced to a deep sleep. Defenseless.

Without him to govern the realm, perhaps the Frost Giants could attack again, could-

No. That would never happen.

Loki stood, staring the guard down. "I told you to escort her back to our chambers."

"Yes, Prince Loki, but when she heard about the Allfather-"

"I don't care. You should be flogged for disobeying my orders."

"Loki, have mercy on him." Sigyn glanced at him. "It's not his fault I decided to run off."

"So it was you again? Sigyn, you mustn't keep running about like this, you’ll end up hurting yourself." Loki walked over to her. But he didn't touch her, didn't take her hand like he normally would. "Go to bed, Sigyn. It's late."

"But what of the Allfather? Is he safe? Are we safe? Loki, how did this happen?"

Loki’s jaw clenched. An unfamiliar, pained look flashed across his eyes, but quickly left.

Sigyn's brow furrowed. "Loki?" He avoided her gaze. Avoided getting too close. Have I done something wrong?

Frigga walked to them, embracing Sigyn in a light hug. "My dear, worry not. Tomorrow we'll have a better understanding of how long Odin may rest… Until then, you should rest." She kissed Sigyn's forehead, then turned to Loki. "Both of you."

Loki opened his mouth to respond, but shut it. Instead he nodded, dismissing the guard and motioning Sigyn toward toward the door. She turned back to Odin, pondering as she stepped backward to follow Loki.

"Sigyn." He called.

"Coming..." She took a final glance over her shoulder before leaving the room.

~~~~

Sigyn waited for Loki to embrace her that night, but he never did. She supposed the day had been very rough, and he would talk to her in the morning.

She expected him to. To wake her up the next morning, venting about how reckless Thor had been again. How Volstagg had nearly gotten himself killed again. How everyone had acted like complete oafs, only for him to save them all again.

Sigyn would smile and lie there with him, agreeing with him, stroking his ebony-black hair. Tracing the line of his jaw. Perhaps stealing a few kisses.

But that never happened.

Instead, Sigyn awoke to find she was alone.

"Loki?"

No answer.

She pulled a blanket around herself, trudged over to the balcony. Even with her nightdress on, she felt cold.

There Loki, fully dressed as though he’d been up for hours already, stood overlooking the city.

"Did you sleep well?"

He jumped, turned to face her. "You startled me."

She pursed her lips, walking over to join him. "I'm sorry, I hadn't meant to…"

"It's fine." He turned back to the city and set his jaw firm. He didn't smile.

Didn't say good morning.

Didn't jest or chuckle or tease her about the blanket.

He didn't even seem to notice the blanket.

What's going on with you? Why aren't you yourself? My love, why won't you look at me?

".. Any news of the Allfather?" She focused on the city. She loved this city. But more, she loved the man next to her, the man who still hadn’t looked her in the eye.

"No."

"And of the Warriors Three? I heard they were wounded."

Loki shifted next to her. "Yes. Fandral and Volstagg both."

"And?"

"They're being healed." His tone was short, his jaw still clenched.

"I’m glad to hear it." Sigyn practically felt the conversation waning. Gasping for breath. Dying. She cleared her throat. "And Thor? Is he well? I didn't hear from him yesterday. Though I suspect he may be tending to his wounded pride.."

"Thor is banished." Loki spoke far too calmly.

Sigyn froze. Blinked. "... What?"

"Odin banished him."

She turned to face him, head already swimming with questions. But all she could manage was- "Why?!"

Loki huffed through his nose. "Sigyn, isn't it obvious? We went to Jotunheim. The imbecile nearly got us all killed because a few stray Frost Giants broke into the weapon's vault. Thor practically committed treason."

Sigyn’s blood ran cold. "But- You warned a guard, so you’d be stopped?"

"That was my plan, Sigyn." Loki was growing tenser by the second, and yet, he refused to look at her. Refused to acknowledge the fact her hand was reaching for his. "It's the guard's fault for taking so long; this could've been prevented."

Sigyn went silent, trying to comprehend everything.

"...Where did the Allfather send him?"

"I don't know."

"Will he ever come back?"

"I don't know, Sigyn!" He shouted, finally facing her, then stilled himself when he saw how her eyes had gone wide, how she’d pulled away from him.

He breathed, swallowing and hushing his tone. "There's no telling when Thor may return. And now our realm is weak; we have no king, no crown prince, and no assurance our borders are even capable of keeping out two Jotuns - much less an army of them."

Sigyn swallowed. Loki turned away, running a hand through his hair.

".. They won't get in again, will they?"

He glanced at her. "I cannot say for sure."

"So they might."

"Of course they might. I won't pretend our realm is safe. None of us are safe now. Laufey practically declared war while we were on Jotunheim."

"War?" Sigyn's pulse quickened.

"He mentioned it."

"Oh, Loki.." She leaned against the balcony wall, hugged her blanket tighter around herself.

So the truce was broken. Jotuns, at war with Asgard, like they were when she was a child. Her thoughts drifted back to then – to the stories of fearsome, bloodthirsty creatures from a world of ice and darkness. Her father had told her those stories of the Jotuns he slayed. Hundreds, he said, had challenged him. He killed every one of them.

Sigyn shivered. If war came again, she would hardly be able to help – she was weaker than other Asgardians, more delicate, more… Cold. She always felt cold.

Luckily, Loki felt rather cold too.

He always said that it proved he and Sigyn were destined to be married. Her skin hardly felt different to him...

She looked back at her husband.

He hadn't moved. Still deep in thought, he stared out over the city, his brow furrowed, his body tense. She hadn’t seen him this tense in a long time.

"Loki…" She moved closer, "Whatever happens, I love you. And I trust you. We'll be okay."

He tried to smile. But there was still a shadow behind his eyes. He seemed closed off, removed... Like there was a gap between the two of them.

She returned it, nodding slightly. "We'll be fine. Just fine."

#lokixsigyn #loki fanfic #logyn #OG616 #Thor 1

8 notes · View notes

timhatchlive · 1 year

Text

What God Does for Us in the Tribulation

In the midst of this cosmic attack, the church, again is protected by God.

Isaiah 27:2–3 (ESV) In that day, “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! 3 I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day;

God will not just provide protection, He will still be chastising His beloved and purging the evil from among them. Notice the next few verses:

Isaiah 27:6 (ESV) In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit.

The last two verses of Isaiah 27 illustrate that hope:

The kingdom has come and all the nations will return to worship Him forever.

from Blogger https://ift.tt/dhWcsuM via IFTTT

1 note · View note

scaras-world · 3 years

Text

it was an eminent tale between two divinities which is known to us all. a story when the god of the dead came to claim his bride who beguiled him at first sight when he was just passing by the mortal realm. it was a lovely love story. but, a god as supreme as the governor of the underworld—his heart, isn't rumoured to be stone cold? so how did a young lass managed to captivate him? nobody knows since well, for starters, no one dared to question their affection for one another in fear of incurring hades's wrath albeit, is winged cupid truly blind? 𝗻𝗮𝘆. it was all the work of magic and charms and spells and well, it was all done by our lovely dame, perse. curious, aren't you? why don't you keep on reading? let's move on with the story.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

proserpina, the most favoured daughter of demeter and the goddess of spring is seen as innocuous and amiable by many albeit few knew of her true colours as a mischievous wild child who sought for naught but boundless adventures and action in her "boorish" life, or so she calls it. albeit with her mother's overwhelming protection, she was caged. an incarcerated little bird whose only wish is to fly freely and unveil the mysteries of the most mysterious place on cosmos, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

her heart gnaws at the thought of not being able to explore the land where the dead resides. albeit, she—proserpina knew herself that even if her mother, demeter does not limit her antics, venturing into the underworld is still impossible for her unless zeus helps her for the necropolis is a sacred place where no being, mortal nor immortal is allowed. if one dares, they are not to step out alive for the ruler of that dark world is rumoured to be cold-blooded and cruel. hades, he's one of the most feared gods besides poseidon and zeus. the man is supposedly her uncle albeit not even once did she saw him. 'maybe he really is an aloof divinity.' howbeit she is known for her intrepidity. which is why, despite risking the wrath of the almighty god of gehenna, persephone cracked her own plan.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

looking for her father first, persephone inquired about hades in a roundabout manner. she asked zeus to tell her his tales of valour until she managed to question him about the rumoured god. "𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗵𝗶𝗺. 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲." zeus replied when she asked him about the man's weakness. and for persephone, love is naught but a child's play. with the enchanted osmanthus necklace that the nymphs gifted her in her coming-of-age, she is confident that hades will fall prey to her plot. they told her that it can charm any man or immortal without fail. afterall, zeus himself was a victim to the object. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝘆.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

proserpina then waited for the fourth full moon of the month to come. the dame lie in wait for hades to pass by the lake of niche. according to zeus, the man would always travel above ground once a year to see if there is anomaly in the realm and after that, hades would coop himself in the land of dead and not come to the surface until the year ends. and this is the sole place that he would pass by. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

the lands surrounding the lake is devoid of life. the aura of the place is almost, sad. so being the kind deity she is, proserpina thought that she'd do the god of the dead a favor and grew some flowers in the vicinity. in the blink of an eye, the once barren land is now brimming with elegance and tantalizing floras. but, not for long. the zephyr who came to dance with her in the field of flowers fled in hastiness. the once wonderful place suddenly became engulfed with the scent of death as the flowers started to wither and die. 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

as the brewing tempest of deathly aura stopped right infront of her, the black smoke take form of a man more beautiful than aphrodite herself. his delicate features along with his silken hair and melancholic orbs filled with naught but confusion enchanted her. the man infront of her then gaze at her, intensely and she returned it with fervor. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. persephone knew that this man is hades. she didn't expect his dashing visage but his aura speaks for himself. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"𝘆𝗼𝘂," hades started whilst pointing his finger to the woman infront of him. "𝗺𝗲." she said, her voice sounded like a sweet melody, a music to his ears. he then noticed the annoying curse that keeps on trying to get under his skin the moment he step inside his territory. he already noticed for quite sometime now about the place filled with charmed incantations in order to lure someone crazy. he thought that the one who set the whole fracas must've been out of their minds for it is known to gods that this place is his and yet, they dared. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

but now, he's in dilemma. he thought that the culprit was some major god who's looking for a fight but now that he's infront of her, it turns out that the transgressor is just some minor goddess whose name is not even known to him. normally, he would either let them off the hook with just some light punishment especially when they look apologetic and scared albeit the little one infront of him right now is not even showing remorse rather, she almost looked expectant. what is she scheming? should he scare her for a bit? 𝗜 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁. 𝘀𝗵𝗲'𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗶 𝗷𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲.

"𝗜 𝗮𝗺, 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲," he uttered in a slightly louder voice in an attempt to intimidate the nameless deity infront of him albeit her answer came off as a surprise. "𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲!" the lass exclaimed, she sounded almost excited to him which is a first for him. 𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝖺𝗐 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗒 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗅 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖼𝖾𝖿𝗎𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

he whispered to himself and left for the portal of the underworld which is placed on the boundaries of sparta and athens and just when he was about to enter the gates of what mortals dubbed as hell, an ebony haired lady step inside first before he could even enter. 𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗶𝗺. 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐬, 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐭

𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒎𝒐𝒔.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

the peaceful nights that hades used to have in the underworld is no more. the mighty god who governs the dead is now reduced into a guard of a dame whose silly antics caused disturbance in the underworld entirely. although her curiosity meant no harm to the beings who resides on his territory, most of them were hostile to gods who are unknown to them and hades cannot count the number of times that he had to save the distresssd dame. and despite the life threatening events that transpired, she still refuses to leave which puzzled him even more. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹." she would always say those words whenever he's asking when she would leave. he find it quite, baffling. this place is the 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗻𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄? 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀." he would always reply to her in hopes of enlightening her mind that the underworld is not as beautiful as she viewes it albeit, it was ineffective. "𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆, 𝗵𝘂𝗵. 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀, 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲, 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀, 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻. 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹." she told him gently and not long after, the barren rocks where both are resting became dusts and in the blink of an eye, the somber setting is blanketed with lush vegetation whilst treasures of above

ground started to blossom right infront of his eyes. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱," hades is lost in awe as he mindlessly muttered those words, eyes filled with pure confusion as he reached for the carnations delicately. his chest is pounding as emotions not known to him filled his very being. 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶'𝗺 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘀?ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"𝗵𝗼𝘄...?" he heard persephone ask herself as she stare at the field of flowers albeit, not for long. she shifted her gaze from the field to him as she took his hands clumsily but gently and started to dance around him happily. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐮𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

albeit for hades, moments of happiness had always been fleeting and this time, it isn't different. for not long after, zeus descended to the underworld to take persephone above ground. mortals are dying due to demeter's sorrow of losing her most favoured child and persephone must come back. although he was quite hesitant to give her back to zeus, hades yielded. "𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲?" zeus asked, curious. hades was never one to speak about his desires. out of all the immortals, he is the most humane for not only is he selfless, hades is the most magnanimous of them all. he's the contrast of all divinities.

hades however just simply smiled as he replied, "𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗶 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘁. 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲. 𝗰𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶 𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁," he then left zeus and visited the garden of wondrous flowers and gazes at the spirits who are enjoying the company of the earthly fields. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

𝐞𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐮𝐦, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬

𝐞𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐮𝐦. 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒

𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞.

his quiet life came back to him faster than he expected. hades didn't see persephone and zeus off. not that he can't but he choose not to. he's afraid that he might do something unnecessary thus, he choose not to show his face. it had been four months since she left his realm. to say that everything became quiet again is an understatement. but, everything was supposedly this way in the first place.

he then lie down and closed his eyes in an attempt to catch some rest but his sleep was interrupted by a loud knocking on his door. 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗺. 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲.

the moment he opened his door, a very familiar grin greeted him. "𝗵𝗼𝘄?" he accidentally voiced his own thoughts to the beaming persephone who is currently eating the fruits of the underworld. "𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸?" she answered his question with another question albeit he can figure out what she did by the looks of it. but,

"𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻," he said, pertaining to the rule of the underworld about eating its food rendering one unable to be free of the place. its like a chain that can only be broken by death. "𝗶 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁. 𝗮𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄. 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗶 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲. 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸, 𝗶 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀. 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗶?" she lamented for the most part albeit in the end, persephone puffed her chest out proudly as if expecting him to praise her. albeit what she did is not worthy of praise. it is a curse that cannot be undone. she is forever bounded to this gloomy place which brims of death.

noticing the frown in his face, persephone sighed and smiled lightly at the frustrated god, "𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸. 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗶 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗶 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘀, 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀, 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗿—" hades cut her off before she could even list all the things that she love in this place. "𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄?" he asked in hastiness as persephone repeated her words about cerberus but he asked even before cerberus and when she said the word you, hades's face turn beet red as he turn his head and walked away from her while muttering, "𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲." albeit persephone ran after him while she teasingly chirped beside him, "𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲. 𝗶 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼, 𝗶 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹," she said shamelessly in a dramatic manner which made hades blush even more.

persephone just chuckled beside him upon seeing his reaction and asked, "do you think you can love me?" hades then halted and replied, "i think i can. although such profound emotion scares me, it's worth risking."ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

╱ 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕.

I've seen a prompt in the tumblr from the past but I cannot remember where but its has this "wild perse" concept. Thus, I've written my own version

#alternative universe #lore olympus #greek mythology #persephone and hades #my writing #my fic

8 notes · View notes

zuihuojoui · 3 years

Text

To Act;

Monday December 14, 2020 12pm

“You’re fucking the crazy bitch?” Ayao asked when Joui walked into her sitting room, cleansed, and cleansed again from the stench of imp inners and seen to Syuusen’s justified large meal. He stopped at the coffee table, leaning down to pull up a small cake to his lips. Ayao did love her sweets. The table was decorated in peonies and pink and red miniature cakes, some covered in gold dust. He simply looked at the elder, seated in the blush colored velvet chair, eyes focused on the white fox on her lap, petting its sleeping head. Her eyes raised, her expression clear, she was not repeating the question Joui felt no need in answering.

He sat, legs crossed, licking the sweetness from his fingers. She was his elder, yes, but he was clan leader this side of the portal. Sometimes when his elders came into Kadeu they made the structure of hierarchy a pain to enforce.

“You are”, she concluded by his silence and calm expression.

He felt no intrusion into his mind but Ayao could probably just tell it so, even if Joui felt he gave nothing away with his expression. Eori, his mother, would not be pleased her training in expression withholding was failing. Then again, this was the prodigy of Genun’s generation. He could hide nothing from those eyes.

She grinned, then let out a small sweet laugh. “I hear this vessel is quite stunning. You know Joui, you can save some fun for the rest of us. I am not in the habit of sharing a lover with my grandnephew.”

Joui chuckled, her statement too ridiculous to not laugh, then took the extended napkin from an attendant, wiping his hands clean. “Kadeu is not that small Ayao”, he answered then tapped his thigh.

Her smile faded, lifting the sleeping fox to her junior butler. Once the sleeping creature was free of the room, she reclined, continuing as if she intended not to wake her pet. “I know you will never outright answer the question of your entanglement with the bitch, but now that entanglement has brought her wrath and those rats from her home world.”

“Wonderful, isn’t it?” he answered, his smile growing.

“Joui”, she spoke then clasped her hands together, long pointed nails painted black in view, golden rings with pearls on three fingers.

“Yes, I am enjoying it”, he breathed with ease. “I’m awaiting a report that should narrow my options”, he added, passing his right hand over the soft velvet at the arm of the chair. “Rest assured beloved Grandaunt, I have never lost sight of my duties and though I would love very much to torture all of her senses while carving up that beautiful host holding the vicious essence within”, he began, all but imaging the vengeance he could deal on a personal level from his knowledge of her inner most thoughts. “Then lock her consciousness away in anguish till the very secrets she shared rip her to pieces”, he paused, stripping the malice from his smile. “I know the repercussions well. The timing is not ideal.”

Ayao smiled widely at him, his own expression growing into a mirror of hers. The door to his left opened, his junior butler stepping in and bowing before both High Fae. Joui stood, walking closer to Ayao, kneeling at her crossed legs. “Bless me”, he worded, head leaning against her legs. Her smile softened, hands passing over his head, adjusting his locks behind him. She looked up, eyes holding their golden glow. Joui felt the mana yanked towards her with the precision of all her years. Her head lowered, lifting his forehead to meet his own. His eyes opened, their shared golden gleam uniting, mana passing into him, until her eyes faded back to brown. Joui closed his eyes then lowered his head in thanks, his own returning to hazel. He eased back, giving a formal bow, hands meeting above his head, his head lowering completely to touch them.

He then stood, smiling at her with thanks before leaving a kiss to her cheek.

6pm

Within his own study he let the report absorb within him, let its words map his choices precisely. The silence held after the scout gave it. He glanced around the room at his gathered captains, dressed in their armor and awaiting his order. His full guard awaited the order to march, bloodlust peeked and ready to end the whole faction if their Lord so will it. Still, Joui yet considered his actions, something the demon clearly did not do.

The ex-council members had hurriedly gathered in their chamber. The spies witnessed the rushing carriages and verified each member enter the hall. They still had eyes on them.

Joui thought it through, turning to look to the crackling fire, its blaze an option in itself. He could very well burn the bastards alive. Syuusen would see to that easily since they were all gathered neatly in one place, but what he didn’t understand was why.

Why had they gathered when Valentina was sole Ace?

He stared at the fire letting his thoughts free to find the most probable answer. Realization turned him to face the captains with a grin. “They either intend to rid themselves of the demon or she is already incapacitated. That summoning must have taken much out of her. With their combined skill they could have taken back control”, he hummed then looked over the map on the table in front of him. “And are preparing to re-elect themselves Aces. Such freedom they have in that democracy”, he spoke earning laughter from the captains.

Tapping along the map on the table, he gave their positions, ensuring their amulets were ever ready. All the while the image of his new antler head friend faded into his mind, their conversation and its lasting impression replaying. To act.

And so he did. Taking a small force of 20 he rode in darkness, down the road he took to meet Valentina on their arranged days. The cabin they kept at the very edge of the city, hidden under brush and darkness could only be met by two roads, one from his faction, the other from her own. Both saw nothing else but darkness and the wall behind. Down the road he met the house that looked all but abandoned, but didn’t stop, taking his guards around it and up the road towards Diamonds. It was the easiest way in, past the LEA and the border he closed. Up the road their horses were left hidden in the houses sheds, team moving into the house at the corner and under the planks that hid a secret she shared. Even a being as old as she, while claiming to fear none, her mistrust built tunnels to move around the city of her influence. The only error was passing that knowledge to the High Fae.

Now that their romance was over, from her own doing, her demands to possess him like an object rending any affection, he was free to use all her gifts for his benefit. Down the stairs, the stench of sewer filled his nostril rapidly, urging his steps. The team moved quickly, down the path, the solitary flame of a fire elementalist leading the way. At a fork she stopped, looking to the Fae who pointed right; Left led to her home. Right they moved, happily away from the stench of filth and rot, and up flights of narrow stairs. At the landing a painting of the Ace’s current host, seating pleased in pink. Joui stepped forward, pulling the panel from the eyes already cut out that gave sight into the room.

There they were, { @merirobin } Seated around their table, missing one that made the set. The six were gathered, panic on their faces. He could hear their conversation and none of it mentioned the demon, just the attack and him, and what he might do.

What the fuck happened to Valentina?

He closed his eyes with a breath, opening again linking himself behind the barrier and blessing Ayao extended, and lined the casts, projecting the illusions for the the gathered party behind the faux wall. Their senses were disrupted, the last images of the room filled with just their number still present in their minds, barring from the true sight of Joui and his team stepping within, encircling the ex- council members.

The elite Academy mage earned a shifter on his lap. The talent with black painted lids whined how beautiful their now prisoner was but still did their duty. Fangs bared and a kiss to his neck injected the snake venom to the prominent artery, then another two to his wrists for good measure. The other members saw to daggers and blades pointed to their throats.

Once the color of the mage’s skin began to alter and the poison had spread far within his blood, Joui pulled the cast, hand going to the table to steady himself from the effect. He sat atop it and watched the widened eyes focus on him as the illusion faded. “Before you feel admirable, brave, or any other foolishly timed heroics, consider my words quite carefully”, he said pointing a dagger pulled from his side to the dying mage. “Sen’s poison’s has taken this one and they are quite gracious”, he worded smiling at them seated still on the dying man’s lap as he tried gasping for air that would not come. “They will happily have you share this delight but I, I am not quite in the sharing mood”, Joui added, eyes moving to the LEA Chief.

“There is a small army of my Elite Fae guards, and our allies as gifted as beautiful Sen”, Joui continued earning a giggle from them, “outside awaiting my mark. And of course, a dragon in the sky above you”, he said tipping his head back. Night had concealed Syuusen’s movements with its altitude but Joui still felt his presence. “I can either have my comrades here, slit all your throats, and paint this room a wonderful hue of crimson, or my dear dragon can engulf it in flames, and no, Meri, my sweet”, he said looking to the familiar face, recognizing that expression of anger taking her beautiful features just like it did the last time they met. “Your aquatic wonders will not save you from my dragon, but you can try”, he said with a grin. “I would love to see it”, he breathed, leaning in her direction, eyes shifting to gold, his intrusion of her mind teasing the memory of the illusion he once gave her, the cuff burying into her shoulder. “Or”, he began looking to the Academy head, then to the Palace owner, “we can continue being friends.”

He let silence fall in the room, his secondary cast pushing into their minds, filling it with the growls of his dragon, the marching of his army, and the sensation of their skin ablaze. There he watched them shift uncomfortably in their seats, inching from the pointed blades ready at their throats. “No?” he asked pulling the cast and willing Syuusen closer. “Friends it is”, he said sheathing his blade back at his side, though his guards did not move their own. He moved to the LEA chief, whispering commands into his ear, then rested his hand to his shoulder while he pulled his amulet free.

“Now, answer me honestly”, he said letting his eyes again shift to gold. “Where is Valentina?”

8pm

He almost fell over from the laughter when told of Valentina’s end. “Sealed in a box, by a fucking actress { @ara-kadeu}”, he said enjoying the end the demon received. “How amusing. Do have them sing this in an opera this year. A wonderful warning to bad children this Yeon Nen”, he mused then sat still. “You will bring this box to me. Perhaps I want to sing sweet songs of loss to it, comfort my old friend”, he said though his expression darkened. “I must thank Ara for this service she has done me.”

He eased off the table and walked around slowly, settling at Meridith’s side. “Your faction is now mine. Worry not, I hate gaudy posters and care not for most of the idiotic things you Diamonds need to feel alive”, he said placing a hand on the desk. “But be not fooled, I have taken it. As she wanted with mine”, he said then sat back on the table. “Your lacking backbone and years of corruption has done this to you. This farce of system that proclaims to be led by the best, has done nothing. Your people are dying and those with the natural ability to help, chose riches over basic decency. And that’s coming from me, the Ace of Hearts, who prides his money more than anything, right?” he asked, eyes narrowing at Meredith. “ And yet I have fed my own.” He spat with disgust, looking across the room. “The cost of rebuilding my faction, healing my injured, burying my dead, comforting their loves, you will pay. Your water elementalists will offer water to your lowranked for a subsidized price that you will pay, and a fair price to all else. You will open your storehouses and feed your fucking faction”, he said shaking his head, irritation raising his voice as he has to direct the basics to this room of pompous fools. “You are all fucking children, unfit to sit in this room, to dare have the same rank as me, to dare think yourselves my fucking equal”, he said then heard Syuusen’s roar outside, echoing the anger he felt.

He stood and walked to the window, the tail end of the creature visible. Below a portion of his guard awaited him, LEA forces dead and covered before them. The chief had given them the order to stand down, before the blades returned to his throat and plunged within. His valiants had saw to anyone loyal still to the old demon. “Making me trek near refuse”, he complained. “Cobwebs and vile insects attempting to disrespect by body. In that damp dark, horribly paved tunnel. I will be scrubbing the smell of that place off my skin and from my hair for fucking weeks.”

Journalists had began showing up on the steps below. A dragon roaring in the sky wasn’t hard to miss. The Heart force before the monument of Diamond leadership was also hard to miss. Yet there was no bloodshed, save the dead and covered LEA, no burning of the city, even after the senseless attack to Hearts the day before.

Joui walked from the chamber with the newly reinstated Aces, down before the press and his guard. There he told how he fought the imp invasion sent by the wicked Diamond Ace Valentina, saw the devastation first hand as he tried to protect his own. He told of the lasting damages, the trauma to the living and sadness of the dead, all who provoked none of this senseless behavior. He reminded of the corruption already plaguing the continent and how he had opened his own storehouses, paid exorbitant prices for fresh water from corrupt water elementalists to keep the sickness at bay and keep his people free to live their daily lives without that worry. He told how the Aces aside him joined him to fight the demon fearlessly, while his guards held back her personal forces. He told how they vanquished the evil and restored order. He told how two of their own had been slain in the struggle but fought for the freedom of their democracy. Now was the time for Hearts and Diamonds to work together to see business prosper and people have the freedom to live free from tyranny.

He shook the hands of the returned Aces, journalists clamoring for further updates, while his dragon coiled behind him along the steps. He let the Aces revel in the cheers of their return, let them be hailed righteous heroes. Such was as he wanted.

Syuusen drew closer, nuzzling at the High Fae’s shoulder. He nodded, knowing the dragon felt what his smile hid. He would return to his estate to rest, to see to the state within him, to nourish himself well. He would knowing he had progressed the wish of his elders. By their blessing his duty upheld, his vow to their goal moved ahead.

Indeed the timing was not perfect and the situation would have to be revisited but there were steps made. Best yet, steps made out of sight of the press and the farce of a press conference he held giving the fools recognition, while freeing blame from rightful actors. Their forces would be purged, their economy wholly dependent on him, and a few high households turned to ash. But for now he let them smile, let the continent be none the wiser.

He had acted, without being seen, but the goal well accomplished.

#sp: To Act #Syuusen #dictator barbie arc #mr steal yo faction #merirobin #ara-kadeu #whew #evicts this

12 notes · View notes

saudadeonly · 4 years

Text

let’s start in the middle

Posting this here as well because I am desperate for validation. You can read it on ao3 as well. This work is part 1 of a series in a world three degrees north, the rest of which can technically be read in any order.

Death Eater! Sirius Black AU

On a cool night in June, Minerva McGonnagall receives a visitor. What he has to tell her is less than pleasant.

(or, Sirius doesn't run away in the summer after 5th year, but instead makes a deal with his mother, and this is a consequence of it)

Word count: 2377

___

June 1978

The last person Minerva McGonnagall expects to knock on her door on a cool summer night is perhaps not Sirius Black because he’s made it a habit over the years to come by her office at least once a fortnight, but he is certainly not very high on the list as of right now. Come to think of it, Minerva can’t remember the last time Sirius Black was in her office. He’s been remarkably well-behaved in the past couple of years.

“Mr Black,” she greets, looking him up and down to make sure he is not injured in some way. He looks very put together if a bit fidgety so her worries move on to his troublesome friends. “What’s the matter?”

“May I come in, Professor?” he asks, uncharacteristically soft, and the sheer surprise of it is enough to make her step aside.

He walks into the room, back straight, shoulders drawn up, every inch the Black heir he so despises to be. But when he sits down in the in front of her desk, he seems to become liquid, all long limbs and slumped shoulders.

“Have a biscuit,” she says, pushing forward the tin of biscuits she keeps on hand for her students, usually some very distinctive ones, like the one in front of her.

He shakes his head, looking distinctly pale, and she notices, not for the first time this year, the dark smudges underneath his eyes. “No, thank you, Professor.”

She hides her surprise and smoothly closes up the tin, then turns around to her kettle and boils the water in it. “Tea?” she asks, back still to her student.

“I—” He huffs a breath, then says, “Please.”

Minerva doesn’t ask what kind and how much sugar and if he wants milk, because he’s been in her office enough for her to know how exactly he drinks his tea and that he actually prefers coffee, anyway.

He stays silent and unmoving for the time she pours the tea into two cups, which is strange in and of itself, but he doesn’t even say anything when one of the cups slips from its saucer and she barely manages to flick her wand in time to catch it before it spills its contents onto the floor.

Safe to say, Minerva is quite worried now.

Only when she hands him his cup of tea—black, two spoons of sugar, no milk—does he murmur, “Thank you.” He deposits the saucer on the desk and hugs the cup with both hands, blowing softly into the tea to make it cool down faster, his eyes downcast.

Minerva does put down the saucer as well, but she grips the cup by the handle instead and brings it to her lips. She prefers her tea hot. “What’s the matter, Mr Black?” she asks again, patiently, but she doesn’t miss the way his fingers tighten around his cup at the use of his last name. “Sirius,” she amends gently, and he does look up at that, his grey eyes startling. “I can’t help you if you don’t—”

“I’m getting the Dark Mark tomorrow,” Sirius says before she can finish, eyes like steel in their determination.

Out of all the things—Minerva hadn’t expected this, not one bit. She shrieks, but stifles it with a hand before it can fully escape, and the motion sends her tea flying all around.

Sirius seems to have been prepared. Quick as a flash, he has his wand in hand and flicks it, directing the tea back into the cup and the cup itself safely onto the saucer on the desk. He pockets his wand as soon as the cup rattles, and looks at Minerva with a rather sheepish glint in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Professor,” he says, looking like he doesn’t know what exactly he’s apologising for but meaning it all the same. She thinks it must be the first time since he was sorted into Gryffindor that he’s genuinely apologising to her. “I made a deal with my mother two years ago and if I don’t honour it—” He bites his lip, takes a sip of his tea. He clears his throat and when he continues his voice is stronger. “I’m not doing it because I choose to, but because I have no other choice, not if I want everyone I love to live. I know this won’t absolve me of anything I may do, being of sound mind—or, as much a Black can be—but I wanted somebody to know that in my heart—” He swallows, shaking his head, and doesn’t go on.

“May I ask why?” she asks, but she has an inkling anyway.

His Adam’s apple bobs. “You know why,” he says.

Of course she does. She’s seen Sirius this past two years, talking in hushed tones with Regulus, a boy of slighter build but by no means any less talent than his older brother, the strain in their frighteningly straight postures obvious as they exchanged words. And she’s seen the Marauders, her foolish boys, less troublesome and more tight-knit than ever but with inevitable cracks growing between them, what with Sirius’s more—well, serious demeanour.

“And you’re willing to give up the life you’ve built here, with James, and Remus, and Peter, and the others, for this?”

He smiles, though it’s hardly a smile, and more of a grimace of self-deprecating amusement. “The life I’ve built here, Professor—it’s only an illusion, seven amazing years I got to have before I have to be who I was burdened with the day I was born. Perhaps if I had been brave enough two years ago, we wouldn’t be having this conversation now.” He gives a one-shouldered shrug. “But I wasn’t. So now I will be what my mother expects of me, because that’s the deal we made—I get to finish Hogwarts, doing what I want, then I do as she sees fit and Reggie and my friends remain untouched by her hand.” He blinks, his grimace pulling up into what almost looks like a wry smirk. “I can be a good pureblood when I have my motivations.”

“Don’t be daft, Sirius,” she snaps. He flinches and she softens her voice. “You could choose differently, you could, the Potters would—”

“The Potters,” Sirius says over her with a strength that makes her forget he’s just spoken over her, “are good people, who have been beyond kind to me since the day they met me, but they are old and have enough on their plate as it is, and it would be a piss-poor thanks for their kindness to inflict Walburga Black’s wrath on them.” He puts down his cup and looks at her directly. “I have thought this through, Professor, more than you can imagine. No matter what I do, no matter how I rebel, someone will end up getting hurt. This option predicts only my hurting. This option allows me to protect Reggie and Jamie, Remus, Lily, and Peter. And their hatred, the destruction of my soul, is a small price to pay for it.”

Minerva is left speechless for a second. She has to admit she didn’t expect such an impassioned speech, delivered with such determined force, but then again, Sirius Black always has had a flair for dramatics.

“I—you realise what this entails?” she asks.

“I do.” He clears his throat. “It will hardly be a surprise for the wizarding world, Professor. I am a Black, after all—my soul is as dark as my name.” He pauses, the upturn of his lips almost reminiscent now—he must be enjoying using the joke he’s used so many times already. He sobers only moments later, saying quietly, “But I was hoping it might help you, too.”

Minerva raises a brow. “How will having one of the most gifted students of his age on the side of You-Know-Who help us?” she asks, taking a sip of her tea to calm her nerves.

He doesn’t even react to the hidden compliment, which tells her that the world truly is turning on its axis.

“I know about the Order,” he says calmly. “I won’t join—I have no desire to be a double agent, or a triple agent, as it happens—but I want to…” He licks his lips, placing his elbows on his knees as he leans forward, his hair framing his face—so, so young he is, she realises suddenly. “I would like to pass information to you, whatever I find out that will help you win this war.”

Minerva straightens. “If you want to spy for the Order, Sirius, you should talk to Albus. I am not a part of—it,” she says.

“No.” His answer comes almost too quickly, enough so that she looks at him over the rim of her spectacles. “I don’t trust Professor Dumbledore,” he explains, wringing his hands together. “Not enough to do this with him.” His eyes are almost imperceptibly wide now, grey and earnest, as if willing her, pleading with her, to understand. “But I trust you. And I know you would never—” He doesn’t finish his thought and Minerva thinks that is for the better so when she feels something pricking in her eyes.

She quickly swallows another mouthful of hot tea and smooths down a wrinkle on the leg of her night robes. When she looks back up at Sirius, he’s biting the inside of his cheek. She gives one nod, curt and quick, and says, “Very well.”

He doesn’t exactly brighten but there’s a new ease to his movements as he sips his tea. “Thank you, Professor.”

They drink their tea in silence for the next few minutes, until Minerva dares to ask, “When will you tell James and the others?”

He shrugs. “I won’t. They’ll find out eventually, but until then—I don’t know, I’ll make them hate me.” He huffs a breath of air that might be able to pass as laughter if it weren’t for the way it breaks. “They’ll probably think she has me under Imperius or something.”

“You’re being braver than any Gryffindor I’ve ever met.”

He offers her a small smile. “Thank you, Professor, but perhaps save that for the time after I manage to pull this off.”

They are silent again.

Sirius leans back suddenly, all vulnerability gone from his face, replaced by sky-high confidence, giving her one of his signature lopsided grins and there he is, this brave, troublemaker of a boy she’s known this past seven years. Her heart aches with the thought of that bright boy dying. “So how hard will it be to pretend to hate me if you see me out there?”

One week, later she watches as he throws up his pointed hat, roaring in joyous laughter along with the rest of his class, the words they’re shouting at each other lost in the applause of the spectators and the students themselves.

She sees him grab Lily around the waist, spinning her round and round as her dark red hair streams behind her, then draw in Marlene and Dorcas with each hand as they stumble into him and embrace him each on one side. She sees him reach Peter next, digging his knuckles into the shorter boy’s scalp with a wide grin and laughingly step away as Peter bats at him. He runs right into Remus and as he grabs him, one hand fisting in the back of Remus’s robes and the other cupping the back of his neck, Minerva feels the need to look away, to give them privacy, even if they’re embracing so emotionally in the middle of a crowd.

When she looks back, he’s already found James, their arms around each other as they jump up and down, the colour of their hair almost identical, the grins on their faces almost duplicates of each other’s, and her insides ache because they could’ve been brothers, they could have been, they could have—

But Sirius’s real brother comes along then, slow and unsure, but with a small smile on his face, and Sirius steps forward to catch his forearm with his hand, briefly pressing their foreheads together. He says something to him, something even she can guess is beyond private, but before Regulus can reply, Hagrid calls for the graduates to go to the boats. Regulus breaks away and goes back up to the castle without another glance, leaving Sirius to pick up his hat along with his classmates.

Minerva, along with all the other Professors, walks the graduates to the lake and stands a few steps away from its bank as they start to climb into the boats, Lily wandering towards Marlene, Dorcas and Mary to let the four boys clamber into one boat together.

It is heart-breaking to think that in just a few days, or perhaps even hours, Sirius will be as alien to them as Severus Snape a few boats away is.

As if sensing her thoughts, Sirius Black looks back at her and grins. “Alright there, Professor?” he shouts. “You won’t miss me too much, will you?”

She doesn’t have it in herself to hold back a small smile. “I think I’ll manage just fine.”

He favours her with another grin and then he’s jostled back as the boats disembark to glide over to the Hogsmeade station. He nearly topples over into Remus, but regains his balance, turning his now much softer smile on the other boy.

They’re nearly in the middle of the Black Lake, when he looks back again, this time no hint of laughter in his face. Their eyes meet, both expressions carefully impassive, but Minerva doesn’t think she imagines the tremble in his body as he lifts his hand—is that the arm that’s been Marked, she wonders, or is it the other one—and tips his hat ever-so-slightly towards her.

Minerva watches toward them until Albus takes her by the elbow and gently leads her inside. “They’ll be just fine, Minerva,” he says, blue eyes gentle as he pats her hand.

She presses her lips together and closes her eyes, thinking back to that night, imagining those grey eyes staring up at their owner’s namesake in the night sky, blank and unseeing.

#harry potter #sirius black #minerva mcgonagall #hogwarts #death eater sirius black #not really #but technically #first war with voldemort #james potter #lily evans #remus lupin #regulus black #peter pettigrew #in a world three degrees north

17 notes · View notes