#how do you explain to a teenager who's already lost more than everything that this is better? that this is worth living for? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sequinsmile-x · 4 months

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Domestic older hotchniss always have a special place in my heart, can you write more of them pleasee 🥺

hiiii bestie <3

They have a special place in my heart too and I haven't written them in forever!!

I hope you like this!

-x-

Salut d'Amour

Emily has a long, very bad day. Luckily, her husband never fails to make her feel better.

-x-

Words: 2.2k

Warnings: none

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Emily was having a long day.

It had started well enough. She’d woken up to her alarm to find that her husband was already out of bed. He was still an early riser despite having been retired for a few years, and he was almost always up before her, already working on breakfast for her and the girls before she was even half awake.

Aaron already had coffee ready for her when she walked downstairs, and she’d thanked him with a kiss, something which had pulled groans of disgust from their teenage daughters, both Hazel and Violet protesting just like they always did when Emily and Aaron showed each other affection.

She’d left the house whilst the girls were still eating breakfast, nodding along as Hazel reminded her about her violin recital after school as she promised her daughter she’d be there.

Her day had gone downhill the moment she’d arrived at work.

There was enough paperwork on her desk to make her consider retiring herself and she had more meetings than she even wanted to think about. She liked her job most of the time, but it wasn’t lost on her that her promotion to Section Chief a few years ago had injected more politics into her career than she’d ever wanted. She’d taken the job to allow herself more time with the girls and Jack, something she was grateful for now he’d moved to college and the girls were getting older. Violet barely needed her anymore now she was 17 and Hazel was 15, on the cusp of pulling away entirely, forever claiming her need for independence.

Everything had only got worse once the deputy director had pulled her into his office just before she was due to leave and insisted she and the BAU stayed behind to catch up on paperwork, news she had to deliver to the team herself. Whilst they were her friends, people she considered to be family, she hated being their bosses boss sometimes, that she’d stepped into a role where she controlled their days so heavily. They’d been mad at her, as if it was her choice to keep them all at work late, as if she didn’t want to get home because she had somewhere else to be.

As soon as she knew she was going to be late, that she was going to miss Hazel’s violin recital, she’d tried to call the teenager to let her know. When she didn’t pick up, something she never did that always drove Aaron crazy, Emily had sent her a text apologising, explaining she was stuck at work. Hazel’s reply had been short, her annoyance clear.

Emily had also called Aaron who had assured her he’d film the recital for her, his ability to placate her concerns even over the phone one of the many things she loved about him.

When she got home late any relief she felt as she walked into the house is gone the moment she tries to talk to Hazel who ignores her, storming off up to her room without even looking at her mother.

Emily blows out a shaky breath and heads to the living room. She sits on the couch, sinking into it as she tries and fails to relax.

“What a fucking day,” she says to herself, closing her eyes for a moment to try and centre herself.

“Hi sweetheart,” Aaron says as he walks into the room, his smile soft and gentle as he places a glass of wine on the table in front of her, “I thought you could do with this after the day you’ve had.”

He sits on the couch next to her and she hums gratefully, resting her head on his shoulder, “Thank you. How was the recital?”

He puts his arm around her and pulls her closer, “She was amazing as always,” he says, hating that Emily tenses against him, that he can practically feel the guilt flowing from her, “I recorded it for you and Vi did too,” he says, chuckling slightly, “She said her phone is better and that she ‘actually knows what she’s doing,’” he smiles at Emily when she looks up at him, “Apparently my giant hands mean I always cover the microphone.”

Emily smiles softly as she imagines their eldest daughter saying that to him, how she would have rolled her eyes in a way Aaron always said was all her. “If it helps, I’ve always been fond of your giant hands.”

“Oh I know,” he says, making a point of grasping her thigh. He watches as she smiles at him, how it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, how he can see how the day she’s had has impacted her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

In the end, after a day of being yelled at by various people and having her nerve tested at every turn, her husband’s kindness breaks her. The unwavering love and affection shining in his eyes as he reaches for her hand and links their fingers together, a touch so common to her, so much a part of her life, that she can’t remember what it was like to live without it. The sob breaks free from her chest with such force she’s surprised it doesn’t crack a rib, her lungs heaving as she tries to suck in air as it escapes. Aaron pulls her into a hug immediately, his arms tight around her as she fits against his side like a puzzle piece, as if they’d been made for each other.

“Oh sweetheart,” he says, kissing the side of her head, his heart cracking at the way she cities against him Her sadness had always had a profound impact on him, even years before they got together. It had always made him want to seek out whatever had made her sad and tear it to pieces, to defend her whatever had snuck through her iron-clad barriers. His wife was strong almost to a fault, she was stronger than him most of the time, and it felt like nothing short of a privilege to be the person she felt comfortable enough to do this with, to take off the armour she’d worn since she was a little girl who was too small to carry it all, the weight of it on her shoulders something that had never gone away, “I’ve got you.”

She grasps at his back, her short nails digging into him through the material of his polo shirt, and she presses her face into his neck. She swallows thickly and shakes her head at herself as she pulls back, looking at him through eyes that are shining like glass, her ears still gathering at her lashline.

“I feel so stupid for crying,” she says, leaning into his hand as he cups her cheek to wipe away her tears. “It’s just a bad day,” she smiles shakily at him, “We both know I’ve had worse.”

He leans in and kisses her, the salt of her tears pressed against his lips for a moment before he pulls back, “Em, you’re allowed to be upset. What is it we always say to the kids?”

She rolls her eyes at him and presses her lips together to stop herself from smiling, love for him that came as naturally to her as breathing swelling in her gut, “Feelings are never stupid.”

“Exactly,” he says as he winks at her and kisses her forehead before he pulls her in for another hug, his hand running up and down her back, “And you know what Haze is like, she reacts first and thinks later,” he smiles at her as he pulls back, mischief she would have once thought he wasn’t capable of carved deeply into his dimples, “Not sure where she gets that from.”

She pinches him lightly through his shirt in retribution, his implication clear enough she’s sure Sergio has picked up on it from where he was sleeping in the corner of the room. She loves that he knows her well enough to know that, no matter how bad her day had been, disappointing their daughter had been the worst of it. The look on Hazel’s face when she got home enough to reopen wounds from when she was the teenager's age that had never fully healed.

“I just hate that I let her down,” she says, the force of the emotions she’s trying to keep back making her chin tremble, “She wanted me there and I was at work.”

He can hear what she hasn’t said, the comparison she’s made. It was something she had worried about ever since they’d found out she was pregnant with Violet, a concern that had only increased when they found out she was a girl and when Hazel had come along a couple of years later. She’d spent the girl's entire lives, and every moment of Jack’s since she’d stepped into a parental role for him, proving that she wasn’t Elizabeth. Their children were the centre of Emily’s world and everything she did was for them.

He squeezes her hand, “You’re not your mother, Em.”

She sighs and shakes her head, his ability to dig into what she was upset about without even trying still a surprise after all this time.

“For someone who is not a profiler anymore, Agent Hotchner,” she says playing with the collar of his polo shirt, “You’re damn good at it.”

He hums, “Maybe I just know my wife.”

She smiles softly at him but it fades and she blows out a steady breath, “She was so disappointed.”

“You’ve been at every recital except for this one,” he says, tucking some of her hair behind her ear, the grey locks somehow making her even more beautiful than when they’d met, “You’ve always been there in the front row, even back when she was terrible and it sounded like a dying cat when she played,” he says, and she shakes her head at him, a smile flicking across her face, “Once she’s calmed down she’ll be fine, and knowing her she’ll even apologise.”

She knows he’s right. Hazel was exactly like her in every way, but she hadn’t needed to learn to control her emotions quite as tightly as Emily had. She’d been encouraged to feel them, to deal with them healthily, but she was still a teenage girl at the mercy of her hormones. She knew her daughter well enough to know that she’d feel bad for yelling at her, that she’d be in her room simmering in her guilt until it came to a boil and she’d come to find her, her apology already halfway out by the time she was hugging her mother.

“Yeah,” she says, the assurance not making her feel any better, the fact she’d missed something so important to her daughter still lingering in her belly, a heavy weight she knew she’d carry for days, “I guess.”

He wants nothing more than to cheer her up, than to see her real smile brighten up her face, so he smiles at her, “Failing that, you could always get your own back by embarrassing her in front of her friends this weekend.”

She laughs, a loud and bright thing that surprises her as she shakes her head at him, “There’s always that,” she says, biting her lip as she looks at him, “How do you always do that?”

He frowns, his eyebrows furrowing as he tilts his head at her slightly, “Do what?”

She runs her fingers through his hair, smiling at how the grey flecks in it shimmer in the light of the living room, “Make me laugh just after I’ve cried.”

He smiles and he leans in to kiss her, his hand on her cheek as he holds her in place. He rests his forehead against hers, “We have been married close to 20 years, sweetheart. It would be sad if I didn’t.”

She nods in agreement, but is cut off as they hear a clearing of a throat in the doorway, and she pulls back from Aaron to see Hazel standing there, her arms tight across her chest and a half smile on her face.

“Just once I wish I could walk into a room without the danger of seeing you two all over each other,” she says jokingly, her smile shaking slightly before she clears her throat, “Mom, can I talk to you?”

“I’ll go get started on dinner,” Aaron says as he squeezes Emily’s knee reassuringly before he stands up.

He makes a point of placing his hand on Hazel’s shoulder as he walks past her, smiling encouragingly at her as he leaves the room. He turns back around only a few seconds later to see them hugging and he smiles, the two of them together a sight that had always warmed him from the inside out from the very first time Emily had held Hazel when she was a newborn, a tiny dot of a thing pressed against her mother’s chest.

He leaves them to it and heads towards the kitchen, grateful for the ordinary life he once thought he’d never have.

-x-

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#hotchniss #hotchniss fanfiction #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #hotchniss fanfic #emily prentiss #aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner fanfiction #hotchniss fan fic #aaron x emily #emily prentiss fanfiction

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jalwyn21 · 4 months

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it’s the anon from yesterday who had to endure ts in the store 😭😭

my sister is a huge swiftie and now I have to drive with her to and from our campus every day and wow now that I’m being exposed to ts more than ever like she really is mid. genuinely. I mean this in the least hater way possible. her music has nothing exciting to it nothing of substance nothing that will stand the test of time like while ts was playing I had my earphones in and fleetwood macs silver springs came on like that actually can be listened to at any point in my lifetime and I’ll still fucking jam to it no matter what. and ts gorgeous was playing and then the next song was also ts idk what it’s called but like her voice is…not flat but like ?? Monotone?? Idk what the right word is but she doesn’t push beyond the range she’s comfortable in she doesn’t experiment or try anything other than what she’s already done which when her career started when she was a teenager so this is bad coz there’s been no growth beyond that like we joke she’s perpetually a teenager but in terms of her voice and her career she doesn’t develop her voice as an instrument and this is also bad coz she doesn’t use many instruments (again idk how to explain this) but like in the front of her music?? It’s all secondary to her voice she doesn’t want it to be overshadowed and she has to do this because she hasnt ever tried to make her voice into something that wouldn’t be lost in the background of everything. this is also probably why she never collabs with women in a way that will let them ever take a “front” role in the song because she knows her voice will get lost next to anyone else(such as Lana del rey for example) like it makes sense her most popular song is cruel summer because that’s the only one she actually experiments with interesting sounds and pushes her voice a little bit beyond what we’ve heard before that’s why it remains popular not just for swifties but for the general public because it’s something you can listen to without it sounding like everything else she’s ever put out and getting bored

Damn, you keep taking hits Nonnie! I'm so lucky that none of my friends and family are ts fans.

#free joe alwyn #nonnie #q&a #anti taylor swift #shit swifties say #toxic swifties

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mytalemyworld · 27 days

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Usually when a tv couple is ruined, the butchering keeps going. Like, there's a point you can see where everything goes wrong and is never back on track.

As for Asi & Alaz, they give us a scene that's complete nonsense then give us another scene that's in character and so deep.

This inconsistency is drving me mad. Because they could write but choose not to. And this seriously doesn't make sense. I mean, maybe there's one writer in their team who completely has a different writing style and when it's his/her turn, we get meaningful scenes. This might explain this puzzle. I don't know, I want to understand what's going on.

Like this scene…

I surely think whoever wrote this couldn't have written the rooftop scene or the bar scene. This is so layered, so deep, so aching.

Asi: Alaz, where are you? Where did you hide yourself? Alaz: I am here. Asi: This is not you.

The difference between Neslihan and Asi, while one of them has no idea how to help him out, the other one is already one more step ahead of him. His mother's words never touch his heart because it's lacking, it always comes from a mother's naturally worried heart but it's never fulfilling because aforementioned mother already missed his whole childhood, teenager years and never really sees what he needs. But Asi's words rock his world, his conscience and touch his wounds. Because she knows who he is and what he needs.

Alaz: Don't have any hopes about me. Asi: I don't. I know we're not lovers anymore. You aren't a man whom one could become lovers with. It's over. That's not the point. I can live without you. I lived without a father and mother. Being without you won't kill me. Don't worry. But I won't let you go anywhere until you throw the poison inside of you out. I won't watch you being miserable like this. Do you understand me? Did you hear me? Alaz: You want me to poison you too then. Forget it. You can't handle it. Even I can't handle it. I am in a purgatory. I am fighting but can't get myself out of it no matter what I do. Asi: You don't have to fight alone. Hold my hand and let's get out of this war, this purgatory. Then you can let go of my hand. Alaz: If I hold it, I won't be able ot let go of it. Asi: Okay, I promise that I will. Just get out of that pit.

Neslihan was right about one thing. Asi is the biggest chance/luck for him.

This totally makes sense. This gives us a reason, and better, in a metaphorical way, finally he tells what he fears: Ruining her too.

But seeing him like this already destroys her. Even though she states this is just like a worry for his well being, she still says "let's get out of this war together". Because as long as she loves him, this is what she feels like: Being in the middle of that war with him. Whatever he feels, she feels the same.

She really can live without him but it'd make her feel as if she lost another family member. She is a survivor but at what cost?

He confesses her Çağla was the reason Rüya died.

He is like…now the bomb is in your hands, will you pull the pin and destroy my family, destroy my bond with my brother? Or will you really keep holding my hand, be by my side even though that means you will betray Yaman? Because he warned her about this: If she holds out her hand, he will want more, he will expect more. He is that helpless and he hates himself that much.

He's scared that he will see disappointment and hate in her eyes and she will be burdened. That's why he made sure that she would stay away from him. He didn't want her to make that choice. See, they could give us only these, not the rooftop scene or the bar scene. This itself would make them miserable enough. This is such a deep conflict that's why I don't want to believe that this writer team is the same one that wrote the bar scene. Whoever wrote this knows these characters.

Hating him… He has a sick way of thinking… Showing her himself as someone who betrays Yaman is more harmful than making her believe that he doesn't love her….to him this makes sense. I mean, he clearly said he would never look at Asi's face anymore, it's like he wanted to be that kind of person so she would reject him no matter how he selfishly wanted to go to her door.

Still, the bar scene was out of character. Or the way it was written maybe. There is no need to be that extreme.

They're really giving us delicious conflicts but we all know how they are solved in the end. So, I don't expect anything from this.

#yabani #asi x alaz

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emmafallsinlove · 1 year

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Dean “violently kicked a duffel bags” is such an exaggeration. He kicked a duffel bag so what? He has a right to be mad, people act like he hit her. Also he’s a teenage boy who’s still learning how to handle relationships. Calling him an abuser is a leap.

first of all if you’re celebrating Christmas so i wish you an happy holiday!

now, shall we begin why dean is, in fact, an abusive piece of shit?

look, i didn’t made those gifset but even if i was, i would’ve still think that dean is an abusive piece of shit. and “he was a teenager boy” isn’t an excuse when he, an adult, cheat on his wife with his ex… girlfriend in her room while leading her to believe they broke up?

everything he did from the beginning is just wrong. by kissing her in their… what? third interaction ever in a public place, mind you? how is that normal? by building her a car and than dump her because she didn’t said i love you back? that’s not normal behavior.

the amount of times he calls, the amount of letters he sent in s3 while she’s in washington. his reaction to everything, really, is not normal.

there’s a way to react to anything, and the fact that rory had to write him a letter to explain what was going on because she was afraid of his reaction and the fact that he kicking the bag in public and yes, could’ve hurt rory as well him says a lot about him as a person.

now that being said i would also add that he has every right to be angry. hell, i’ll be angry if i’ll ever build a car and than it got destroyed but also, i would put my anger aside because who cares about the car while considering the fact that the person that i loved got into a car accident. it wasn’t rory or jess fault.

it was a car accident. there was something on the road, jess didn’t want to hurt it and so they got into a car accident.

it was a car accident and he could’ve react way better and not by kicking a bag on the floor because he got furious that the car broke down or something.

the way he’s always around in the beginning of jess and rory relationship, always trying to pick up fight with jess… he thinks he owns rory, dude. you broke up with her in a public place for everyone to see! you had no dignity to break up with her behind closed doors.

and that’s the thing, he always twists it around so he is the victim in every situation and not, in fact, rory. that been yelled at her house and paris, paris, had to step in and protect her.

the way rory literally had a whole panic attack about losing this bracelet he made her, as though she was so afraid to tell him she lost it. like how is that normal? a normal person would just say “it’s okay, stuff like that happen. i’ll make you a new one”

one of my favorite compression is jess reaction to rory hanging out with dean at miss patty show thing VS dean reaction to rory hanging around Jess.

jess doesn’t yell about it, or making a scene, or making rory feel like she had to hide things from him. he just asks her to tell him about it next time so he won’t read it on elsewhere and then he… moves on. like a normal boyfriend should. her entire relationship with dean is like walking around eggs being afraid he’ll get mad!

the fact that rory needs reassurance that jess doesn’t mad at her at the festival episode just shows how badly dean treated her. if she was still with dean, he would’ve yelled already, making a whole scene about how rory dares to hangs around people who isn’t him, as he did in 2x13. it wasn’t rory’s fault jess bought the basket, yet dean make it her fault and turns it around her “you’re hurting me now” (making her feel guilty about the whole thing in the first place) instead of just respecting the fact that there are stuff in this town that doesn’t have nothing to do with him.

jess had more money. the whole point of the whole thing was you have more money, you buy the basket, you take the girl who made the basket to lunch. jess didn’t forced rory to go with him, jess didn’t do anything wrong, he did exactly what everyone else did.

like correct me if i’m wrong but lorelai had to drug out luke to buy her basket so he could take her to lunch and yet, it’s rory’s fault that jess bought her basket.

if I remember correctly jackson also didn’t bought sookie’s basket for some reason and had to buy it from the person who bought it in the first place.

but regardless, you know what the first thing dean does when rory goes with jess? he goes to cry to lorelai about it, to spin it on rory, that rory would be the blame here and not, idk, him for not letting this go.

when rory comes back from it, actually happy and having a good time, lorelai takes dean’s side because dean made her to believe that it is all jess / jess and rory fault.

he blames his reaction and his behavior on her.

so it’s not, “he was a teenager boy he kicked a bag”, it’s more complicated and dean is an abusive piece of shit and that’s the hill i would die on.

#anti dean forester #gilmore girls #ask*

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noxexistant · 10 months

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foster child, fostered resentment

you want your mother. she is not there. she never was. you are longing for someone who never existed.

you are a sibling, not a child. you are nothing, you are alone. you have more brothers and sisters than you can count and you’re sure none of them remember you. you remember them.

you still have the shoes you wore that day, and every day henceforth because they were your only pair. they didn’t fit you then, and they certainly don’t fit you now. you have more shoes now. you keep that pair.

a backpack filled with everything that will still be yours tomorrow. the rest will be gone. you can’t keep track of what you’ve lost.

there is no common thread to follow back through your life. there are pieces of you in every bedroom, even the ones you didn’t decorate. especially the ones you didn’t decorate.

you are a guest in every house. you are a guest in the world. you ask permission before you touch things, before you move, before you speak. you want to go home. you are longing for something that has never existed.

a birthday card with your name spelled wrong. you keep it anyway, because your foster carer wrote words kinder than you’ve ever heard before. for now, she is your mother, and you are something less than her child. someday soon, she will never call you again.

you cannot tie your shoelaces. you cannot use a knife and fork. you cannot tie a tie. the internet is your mother, explaining how. you won’t remember, you were not taught young enough, but she is patient and she will explain again.

you taught yourself how to do your makeup and your hair. you went through phases relentlessly with nobody to stop you, nobody to ever tell you that you looked ridiculous. you didn’t care.

teenage peers were jealous of you. your freedom, they said. you can do whatever you want. nobody cares.

when’s your birthday, again?

people tell stories of their families, share old photos, talk to their parents. you want to join them. there are no photos that you have, no stories beyond ones that are already secondhand to you. there are no old photos of you. you have nobody to call.

you are strange. you don’t know how to fit in with these people, with all of these pieces missing from you. you make people uncomfortable.

a stranger tells you you look like your father. you have to believe them.

well-meaning people tell you that your family loves you. they don’t understand, couldn’t possibly, and you want to scream but you smile instead. it’s rude to correct them. you make people uncomfortable.

your photography lecturer shows you a picture of yourself, candid, smiling. “you should print it,” she tells you, “give it to your mum.” you smile. you delete the photo, eventually. you never print it.

you want your mother. you are an adult. you are a child. nobody raised you, and you didn’t do it yourself either. you stayed in that first bedroom. you never left.

nothing can ever make up for everything that you lost. you have to move on.

good-natured people will ask you about your parents. friends will forget. everyone you ever meet will assume.

you are always longing for something that is not coming. you hope you will wake up tomorrow at some age younger than this and somebody will save you this time.

you want a mother. you want a bedroom. you need to rent your first apartment.

#i am fine i am just having a moment #the last time i wrote a poem was as an exercise in a group home ironically #my poetry #vent poetry

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lautakwah · 3 months

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omg jing yuan !! as soon as i met him i knew he was gonna be a fav of mine, and his deal with the finches just sold it. i really love his cn va. he was also really fun to play as for that little stint he was part of your party, i got the awakened dan heng card Right before that final battle which felt perfect and now they have this guy and im like i NEED him his mechanic lags my entire laptop. the xianzhou luofu has been very fun to get to know so far, i do love what dan heng/dan feng and jing yuan have going on, and i guess blade is part of that? i love edgy characters but ironically he's felt like the most boring of the cast so far... but that means i still have two of the quintet yet to meet i think! i cannot guess who theyd be right now. the timelines theyre working with are so funny to me like i guess dan hengs supposed to be 700 years old but also still a teenager? being eternally 17 sounds like some horrific curse. which im still not entirely sure of what he did but that seems undeserved. speaking of which reincarnating (?) and then ending up befriending someone who looks more than passingly like your old life's old friend (the trailblazer and jing yuan's visual similarities are a coincidence im sure but its funny to me) is such a neat concept i hope they touch on. + SEELE AND BRONYA!! they were an amazing part of that storyline i want them on my team so bad. I just got the missions to go back and see whats up with them so i'll have to check it out... when i first continued the story to get to the xianzhou seele was visiting and i thought the game would make her disappear after the warp but she was still there... i was like we've taken this kid 500 million light years away from her home planet we've committed a crime here. ANYWAY this is a mile long i hope u have a good weekend nd get rest o7

yeaaahhh jing yuan's va is so good!! i love playing on cn tbh the other dubs dont hit the same idk... i dont have him tho (f) and both times his banner was on i didnt have enough jade to pull for him 😭 first time bc i spent everything on seele, second time bc of sparkle KHFDKJGFDG literally my roster is almost all the girls (not you topaz. and silver wolf was bc i lost 50/50 💀) and barely any guys (i have dhil and luocha and dr ratio bc he was free... all the others i skipped and im gonna skip aventurine as well LOL) can u tell im a lesbian :'))

and i thought dan heng was like in his early 20s??? but none of it rly gets explained so KFDJKDG we do know viyadhara when they reincarnate become children again and then age up before they go through the whole egg-reincarnating thing again. but like in his prev life he was several decades old and looked the same anyway, yet blade/yingxing at the time was like. an old man (the only "mortal" among them 😭). and then baiheng and jingliu were around the same age as jing yuan? wait actually jingliu is older since she's his master but yeah. it IS interesting to see how their dynamic has shifted tho but you'll see (if you havent gotten to that part yet in any case, i think if you finished the tingyun/emanator of destruction part you should've already known abt most of this due to companion quests!)

also YEAH KDFJHKJFDGD it's so funny that characters from different planets can visit the astral express even when they're not on/near their home planet like oh... i guess we kinda abducted you, lol. although, hey, look at it like this: you can show them entire fields of grass or something which they don't have on their home world...! (and obvi you can just take them back to their home world in a snap 😌)

also my weekend was great!! went to a film festival and talked to friends and had a good time overall fdkjghfkjdg idk if i already said this but saw zhu yilong on screen twice (!!) and also met the director of the movie he was in it was super fun <3 def needed that lol

#answered #hsr anon #<- ur tag hehe

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beatledumpster · 10 months

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Blur interview - 'Nothingness Generation' (1991) translated from French.

Or: how Damon is full of seemingly contradictory theories that sound very interesting but also mostly unintelligible to me for lack of context.

Thanks to the Damon Albarn Unofficial Archive (x)

Nothingness generation

Everything is there in the name, Blur, meaning: hazy, confused. Hazy like this music that feeds on itself, kaleidoscopic view of a thirty-year-old disco. Confused like this talk, chattier when it comes to selling oneself to an English press that is hungry for cardboard sensationalism. Hazy and confused like this lost generation, shouting as loud as it can its total lack of message and beliefs, disoriented and yet rotten with certainties. The children of disorder.

I don’t know anyone in the world who has never dreamed of becoming a pop star. There’s nothing more outrageous in the world than a pop star. I for one would keep changing heroes, one day I wanted to be Albert Camus, Arthur Lee the next... We wanted to look like them. Graham, our guitar player, collects heroes. He’s fascinated by those sixties blokes that went mad, Syd Barrett or Arthur Lee… Bowie too, he was the 1970s champion, but today he’s completely unnecessary. Pop culture is, more than ever, an intrinsic element of our generation. We grew up imitating it whereas back in the day, the people and the culture would grow together. We came when everything was over already. All our ideas, we stole from videos, records, photos from pop culture. We have no other reference point that precedes it, this culture encompasses us totally. In the sixties, people could refer to events that predated pop culture. Well, we have nothing but this crazy religion. We are only nourished by pop culture but at least, we have understood it. This is what makes us more necessary than any other band. We can see this result inside us, therefore we can celebrate our own futility… Every band feeds on this tureen of spiralling debris anyway.

Why, under these conditions, are you still fascinated by pop stars?

My definition of a pop star is very different from what others may mean. I like their childishness, their futility. I find it extremely difficult to explain why I do certain things rather than others, I’m incapable of justifying myself, of making a case. I can’t even claim that I’ve wanted to be a pop star from childhood, because actually, I didn’t want to become anything (silence)… Everything happened without me knowing. I’ve been carried along, as everyone has in my generation.

Still, I have rarely seen a young band as professional and organized as you. You don’t seem like you were carried along, on the contrary you look like you’ve been working hard.

We have the advantage of being more intelligent than the other bands. But we hadn’t planned anything, I’m simply incapable of it. I just waited… At school, the future didn’t look particularly bright. It was the early 1980s, the CND was telling us that we were in mortal danger. Many people have forgotten this, but the CND was a huge influence on a whole generation of teenagers. We all thought that the planet’s days were numbered, that we were going to get blown up any day now. We never thought about our future because we were sure we wouldn’t have one. Twenty years from now, once our generation rules the world, the difference will be enormous. We are very nihilistic, empty-headed… We have no ambition, no motivation. At a time where we should have been terribly excited about life, we were frightened by this ominous cloud hanging over our heads. It was even worse than the last world war because then, at least, people were united by patriotism, you had to stick together, they were dreaming of a better world that was yet to be built. We were born in this better world only to be told that it was going to disappear very fast… So no-one cared about their neighbour or their future. Nothing really interested us, we didn’t see anything clearly or articulately. We merely floated, vaguely moving forward. We are, on a global scale, the vague generation.

Did life in a small provincial town heighten this feeling of oppression and powerlessness?

I never felt trapped in Colchester, because I knew I was going to leave one day. It was just terribly frustrating, London was on our minds, we had to go there to do something. We didn’t know what it would be, but we had to do it together. We made a deal with Graham: the first one that would manage to get in the music business would have to find ways to involve the other. And in the end, we did everything together: forming the band, getting signed, going away… There, I felt totally isolated. But it was more or less by choice. I’d walk down the street and feel like I was playing in a movie… My life has always been very cinematic, another result of pop culture. The boundary between reality and imagination was getting increasingly blurred, and everything got mixed up. Unlike Graham, I’ve always been a loudmouth, and had a lot of self-confidence. I couldn’t stand the apathy of everyone in our town, but I could clearly notice it in myself. But I allowed myself to express the reasons behind it, to explain why we are in this state, hoping that (silence)… This generation passively accepts having to go to the office every morning, whereas our elders were quite happy to go. There was a spirituality in their lives that completely vanished. To them, work was an honourable activity, there was no need for all those accesories that keep us going. However, before I got to this point, I’ve tried plenty of terrible jobs, but I just can’t think with numbers, I’m totally dyslexic. That closed the doors to 99% of jobs on earth for me.

This generation seems much more open to the rest of the world than the previous ones: young people travel a lot more, they realize that there’s more than just England. It shows everywhere: clothes, behaviour, even the way they drive…

(Laughs)... People are finally starting to understand that you can’t shut yourself off from the rest of the world any longer. England has lost its spirit, its identity, which is a good thing in itself. The English have too many hang-ups and taboos. They’ve been told that they’re a great nation too much. We think we are living off the inheritance of colonialism and there’s nothing left in the coffers… But don’t expect me to insult my country. The time has come for my compatriots to care a bit more about Europe. Because next year, we won’t have a choice… Do you know where this English fear of Europe comes from? People think they’ll have to learn foreign languages.

Your generation is also the first one to have not received any influence from punk.

At the time this was going on, I was more interested in dolls or Action Joe than in the Sex Pistols. The only possible influence is through bands: we are influenced by bands influenced by punk. But all this punk ‘fuck off’ attitude, this complete rejection, I find old-fashioned, very passé. Bands nowadays are much more scandalous than they were. We are more outrageous than all the bands of 1977, more dangerous and subversive. Because with us, nothing is on display. To me, punks are as ridiculous today as hippies were to them.

EMPTY WORDS FOR EMPTY PEOPLE

I feel responsible for the first time in my life. I have to be careful about every move I make, every word I say, because some people are listening… I’ve always considered Top of The Pops to be something very important. You have dozens of millions of people watching you, and if you’re clever, you can have a lot of fun with it, go right to the edge of censorship. I definitely don’t want to be The Cure or The Smiths, it’s too easy to tell the teens what they’re expecting from you. I don’t want to limit myself like them and become all pompous and preachy. I shit on preachers and piety.

Most of your contemporaries – Ride, Charlatans, Happy Mondays – seem unable to articulate any political opinion, as if society was totally foreign to you.

Wait… The Happy Mondays don’t have anything to do with our generation. They’re at least ten years older than us and that’s a huge gap. Ride is probably the only band whose attitude is similar to ours. Although they are much more romantic than us. I also feel close to World Of Twist. I’ve never spoken to them, but I feel like we have things in common, even though I find them too mannered (silence)… I don’t think bands are allowed to be interested in politics. All that we can offer is empty words for empty people in an empty world. If you're concerned with politics, it's bound to be to the detriment of other topics. I prefer to look at other issues, like my ties to the cosmos. It's much more interesting than right and left. I don't want to talk about the poll-tax, I prefer to be a non-person on that kind of subject. I pay my taxes because they are necessary. Whether the government is Conservative or Labour will make absolutely no difference to my day-to-day life. All the infrastructure will remain the same, so I don't want to be interested in changes that wouldn't affect me in the slightest. I'm not interested in the outside.

No-one, especially a band in your position, can live in total isolation like this.

We do. We live in a cuckoo’s nest, very far away. And it’s not even the drugs that get us there. Our world is coherent, but apart. I know that deep down, I have a talent for public speaking. But I don’t want to use it for politics, I don’t want to mix with society. I refuse to lecture those who are listening to us, no one is asking politicians who their favourite bands are.

A few months ago, you posed shirtless for Melody Maker. How much of that was narcissism, and how much of it was a joke?

It was just to tease the girls, both sexual and ironic. Only Alex, the bass player, was a flirt at school. As for me, being manly was never a major preoccupation. I've always felt equivocal, somewhere in between... None of us are macho.

Yet your posters have often pitted you against feminists.

Graham has always wanted to sleep with feminists, he loves being dominated. We are horrible perverts. As for narcissism, I can’t deny it. Our job is the best job for narcissists.

ALL GOOD-LOOKING

Ever since ‘There's no other way’ became a hit, not a day has gone by without us giving an interview or doing a photo shoot. Thirty days of non-stop interrogation... Everything sped up for us, but for months, I really felt that it was taking forever.

Even ten years ago, this rise you found so slow would have seemed very short. Bands had to wait for years to reach this stage.

It all comes from record companies. They’ve changed, they know how to manufacture hits, they learnt the rules of the game. What they want is quick money, push a band to the top, get as much as they can from it and then murder it when it’s not profitable any more. They have this power over life and death. So you have to be very careful not to let yourself be smothered, to keep enough space to grow. Because it’s so great to be so famous after only two singles, you can be tempted to play the game and close your eyes. But we care too much about our music to let it slip away, we want to stay here for a few more years.

Your music has evolved very rapidly within a year. What caused this accelerated maturation?

The sound became more sophisticated, because I didn’t want to be trapped by any particular style. I didn’t want Blur to be just another noisy band. Everything comes from the way we record: in the studio, we give a lot of importance to details that disappear as soon as we get on stage. Live, all that's left is a bass, drums and guitars... You don't have to worry about embellishments or space. On the record, it's necessary to be more complicated, otherwise our songs would sound hollow. On stage, we don't need to fill the space, the energy makes up for it.

Your reputation comes mainly from this energy. Aren't you afraid of becoming trapped by it, of being nothing more than stage actors?

Fortunately, we are still capable of playing bad concerts. I could never fake the energy… But I do feel completely trapped by what people are starting to expect from us. This energy has become our brand image, it’s alarming.

Aren’t you afraid that show business is going to suck you in and devour you?

For this album, we had to play along with show-business and accept all the offers. But for the next album, we're going to take a step back. It's become necessary for us to go back to our music, to recharge our batteries... The problem with this business is that it ends up ruining my health. I'm constantly drained, I can't sleep and my throat hurts terribly. But we were lucky enough to get drugs and alcohol out of our system before we became successful. We could be high all the time, it would be so easy. Everything's free, everything's at our fingertips, but I'm not interested in that any more. Drugs are already out of fashion, it's no longer cool to get high.

Do you fear a backlash from the press?

It will be inevitable, but I can’t worry about that, I know it won’t depend on us. All we can do is make a good second album. But I know that won't be enough.

Were you prepared for such success?

We hadn't planned for everything. Certain aspects of my life weren't ready. I didn't expect to have to work so hard. It's difficult: we want to stand firm on our positions, but meanwhile we have to devote a lot of time to the people that revolve around us. It's become an art in itself, you have to juggle and modulate all the time. And we never rehearsed for this role, we had to improvise. But the success itself, I was waiting for it, I was sure it would come one day. If you're convinced you're good, if you're sure that you're right, you don't doubt yourself.

How could you have such confidence in your music?

It's to the point, it's full of very simple references... What's more, we're all good-looking, full of energy, we've got good taste... We're everything a band should be. We're very fond of Blur and we've put a lot of ourselves into the band over the last two years. I wanted this band but... One thing you need to know about us is that we don't have a clear idea of what we're about, I can't tell you why I wanted this band so badly. The generation before us had very clear ideas, those people had ideas, they had ambition... And then, one day, all their ideas were tried, all the roads were built. Eventually, after climbing, they ended up stuck at the top. And we are their children.

Success usually comes with pressure. Has it brought you together, do you feel more united, or defensive?

You have to defend yourself every day. Otherwise, all our lives would be splashed across the press and certain aspects of mine would not be very glorious, printed in a newspaper. There are limits to this giving of yourself, people offer themselves all over the place, they end up as caricatures of themselves. We've always tended to withdraw into ourselves, we've always been a gang. A gang that decided one day to make music. When faced with difficult situations, we form a unit and become a hideous monster that devours our opponents.

Are you a gang with a lot of enemies?

A lot of people are jealous of us, we attract that kind of feeling. They think we're too perfect: we play music that's both loud and melodic, we write good songs, we're consistent, we're good-looking and we're successful... In England, people don't like that. Here, we don't like people who get their way. I can't stand that mentality, people are much less jealous on the continent. And yet, I wouldn't want to be anything other than English.

Can the enemy sometimes be within the group?

(Laughs)... We yell at each other a lot, but tensions mostly arise when there are people around us, when our girlfriends are with us. But otherwise, when it's just the four of us, the group is really stable and united. We talk to each other a lot, we can make things right when one of us is causing problems... "OK, now shut the fuck up, asshole" (smiles)... And then, we have a drummer, he absorbs all the tension, he's the one who takes all the blows. One of us has to pay the bill.

After just two singles, you find yourselves on the cover of every British magazine, acclaimed and adored. Don't you feel you've been overrated?

(Laughs)... We've been ridiculously overrated. Anyway, I'd rather be overestimated than underestimated. It's not a problem, we know how to be honest with ourselves. We know what our role on earth is. In fifteen years’ time, people will remember us as a whole. To them, Blur will represent the nineties.

#damon albarn #blur #what does he mean...

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stewardofningishzida · 5 months

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Stephen Strange Meta-Fic Sequel - Chapter 22: A Strange Debacle

Multiverse crossover confirmed! Say hello to Strange Supreme and America Chavez!~

TRIGGER WARNING: Bad language, death mention, suicidal character (they are rescued), scary situations

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 22: A Strange Debacle

*Wong has already contacted Stephen, Prettywitch, and Me. The five of us rush to the front of the complex to see a large, star-shaped glowing portal with interdimensional energy rushing through it. Two figures race outward, leaping onto the steps of Kamar-Taj. They are a Latina teenager wearing a jean jacket and a shadowy figure with a very familiar goatee and gray-streaked brown hair.*

Trix (realization): Oh…oh my god. *She turns to PrettyWitch and Steward.* What the fuck?!

Me (staring): I dunno, but this can’t be good.

Prettywitch: *She tries approaching them slowly.* Oh my God! You’re -

Wong (on the defensive): Hold. Let’s see what they want.

616-Stephen (defensive, but a smartass reply): Somehow, I don’t think they’re here for pleasure.

*This other version of Stephen seems a lot…darker than their version. He has a purple cloak that is lined with gold and seems a lot more…edgy. Maroon and blue robes are completely different from the bright blue and red that 616’s Stephen wears. The absolute noticeable difference is his face. Everything from his cheekbones to his facial hair seems sharper. He seems to be checking on the teenager before he realizes he has company. At first he doesn’t seem surprised by the fact that there is another version of him there, Wong doesn’t surprise him either. Then he spots the three of us.*

Mystery Stephen (snarling): America get back- they’re working together now. *He summons blood red mandalas to shield them and this version of Stephen seems to be more than he seems because his teeth elongate into fangs as he defends the girl with him.*

*I put my hands up to indicate that I’m not hostile*

Me (quickly): Hey! Hey! Relax! We just became masters here. Nothing hostile! Hell, we’re refugees from our own universe in this version!

*Trix immediately raised her hands as well.*

Trix (slightly panicked): We are absolutely not going to get near you or fight you! We're peaceful!

*Prettywitch also raises her hands and motions her head to her friends.*

Prettywitch: What they said.

Mystery Stephen (getting even more defensive): This is a trick. After chasing her on your own for so long, you just decided to finally team up and steal her. You will not harm America.

616-Stephen: America? *He’s confused and looks at Wong, who shrugs. Neither of them know who this girl is.*

Me: No offense intended, but we’ve just been trying to learn how to survive our own universe and we have Sling Rings for multiversal travel…We don’t really need her power. *I look at Strange Supreme, clearly lost.*

Strange Supreme (confused): What do you mean you can use sling rings to travel the multiverse? Even I need the Watcher or America to travel between universes.

Me: Long story short, this version of Stephen had an accident involving a multiversal entity and a Sling Ring, which sent him to our universe, initiating a magical apocalypse. So, he and Wong evacuated us here to his home universe so we can train and learn enough magic to get back home and sort out that mess without being eaten alive by monsters or annihilated by gods.

*616-Stephen looks sheepish. He hadn’t expected us to have to explain all of this.*

*Strange Supreme stares at us intensely for a moment before dropping his shields. As he relaxes his stance, the teenager is finally visible again.*

America (confused): So, you guys aren’t out to kidnap me?

*I shake my head with a bewildered look.*

PrettyWitch: No! If anything, we’d like to be your friends.

Trix (in shock): No, but we know who you are. All of this is just stories in our universe. But you two, *She points at them* aren’t supposed to know each other. *She turns to PrettyWitch and Steward* But we did fuck up Multiverse of Madness and Wandavision and basically everything post Endgame so who the fuck knows anymore. *She’s slightly hysterical knowing exactly what Stephen Strange is standing before them.*

616-Stephen (flatly): I assume that our timeline has passed enough to talk about it now?

Me: Yes, but to be honest, I don’t think you wanna know…*I have a deadpan expression.*

Wong: We should close that portal and get our bearings before someone or something else emerges.

Strange Supreme (sheepish): Oh, right. *He looks back at America.* It’s alright, we’ll be safe here.

*America nods and closes the portal.*

Strange Supreme (to us): I believe we would all like to know what’s going on. *He raises an eyebrow identically to the way 616-Stephen does when he’s not amused at our nonsense.*

Me (meek): To be honest, we’re just as lost as you are. Trix, Prettywitch, and I were just minding our own business and studying our relics with our Stephen, Wong, and Clea.

Strange Supreme (confused): Who’s Clea? Has she been a master here for long? I don’t recall that name.

616-Stephen (blushing): Actually…She’s my girlfriend.

*America’s eyes light up, amused.*

America (grinning): You finally got a new date?

*Strange Supreme is visibly shocked before America’s verbal jab lands. Then he glares at her.*

Strange Supreme (teasingly): Quiet, brat. *He looks over at 616-Stephen* What happened to Christine here?

616-Stephen (matter-of-fact): I had my accident, she tried to help me, and I was a massive asshole who drove her away. *He looks ashamed.* I eventually was able to apologize to her and we both moved on in separate ways.

Trix (gently): She was never in the car that night in this universe.

PrettyWitch: She is married now, though. Happily.

*Strange Supreme inhales sharply before releasing it slowly as he processes the information.*

Strange Supreme (awkwardly): Good. Well… *He’s clearly out of his depth now that there isn’t going to be a fight.* Should we take this inside?

Me: Probably a good idea.

America: Do you guys have anything to eat that DOESN’T stare back at you?

Trix (grinning): Oh. You don’t know about the secret. *She laughs for a moment* We do have some pizza here.

*America brightens up, looking hungry.*

PrettyWitch: *Laughs* Come on! There’s plenty left over.

*We settle down in the kitchen and get some food out for America and Strange Supreme, unsure if he can even eat at this point, but just to be polite. As we sit down, Harir stirs and moves smoothly from around my shoulders to down my arm so he can poke his head out of my sleeve and flick his tongue to smell the new arrivals curiously.*

Strange Supreme: You obviously recognize the two of us. Why is it a surprise that we are traveling together? *He’s unconsciously playing with crust on the pizza on his plate*

Me: Different universes and different continuities. In the story versions we know of in our home universe, your paths never intersect.

Trix (curiously to Strange Supreme): Can you actually consume a black hole though?

Strange Supreme (smirking): Oh, you saw that, huh?

Prettywitch: Yup! *She goes starry-eyed* And it was fucking awesome!

Me: It was definitely something to behold. *I’m mildly amused by the change in atmosphere. Harir sticks his head a little further out to get a better look at America and Strange Supreme.*

Trix (whispering loudly): Don’t tell our Stephen but I’ve always thought you were the most badass.

*616-Stephen elbows her lightly.*

Trix (laughing): What?! This guy could take on all 6 infinity stones. You’re still my favorite, he’s just more badass.

*Wong’s eyes widen.*

Wong: All six?

*Strange Supreme sobers up and nods.*

Strange Supreme: Yes. I have. I have my own time stone however it was not truly needed until I needed to freeze my opponent in time to disarm him from the stones.

PrettyWitch: He also can turn into a giant Chuthulu monster.

America (rolling her eyes teasingly): Please don’t get him started. You boost his ego and he’ll keep going all day. That’s a constant for every single Stephen I’ve ever met.

*Both versions of Stephen glare at her. Strange Supreme takes the opportunity to steal one of her slices of pizza in retaliation and eats the entire slice in one bite.*

America: Hey!

*I watch.*

Me: …Never seen THAT before aside from while feeding Harir. *I glance at my serpentine friend.*

*Strange Supreme focuses on the small snake and smiles gently. Reaching over slowly, he allows one of his fingers to change into a snake as well. It is just as calm and friendly as Harir.*

*Harir smells it curiously and looks at the snake and then right at Strange Supreme, having clearly worked out that the snake is a part of the sorcerer. He calmly makes his way back from my arm to around my shoulders to indicate that he is a separate entity.*

Strange Supreme (laughing): A pleasure to meet you Harir. Yes, I see you’re separate from Steward. *He transforms his hand back to normal.*

616-Stephen: As interesting as this meeting has been, how significant of a threat are the variants of our girls? Judging by how we met, I assume you’ll either pass on through here or they’ll gatecrash this universe at any time now. *He’s blunt because he’s worried about how bad it could get if a significantly more powerful variant of himself is running from them.*

*Strange Supreme frowns as he glances to America and then back to 616-Stephen.*

Strange Supreme: Significant. Enough for me to take America and run versus staying to fight. They are each from a different universe. Steward had become a lich after her spirit broke, consuming any form of life she came in contact with. Trix had been enamored by the Darkhold and went insane once she killed Agatha Harkness. PrettyWitch rules her universe with an iron fist, a puppet master who has grown bored with her own universe. All of them found out about America’s powers some way or another and began to pursue her. Trix was the first with the Darkhold, then PrettyWitch, and when Steward joined the hunt that is when I became involved. They have alternate means of entering each universe, devising new ways to jump across universes but it is slow and tedious. They wish to have America’s power to easily traverse the multiverse.

*I get serious.*

Me: We will work to stop them. In this universe and ours, we have more tools and resources at our disposal. *I take a deep breath and get up, holding my Staff.* When I was chosen by this Staff, I made a pact with a god of the Underworld to find and free lost souls as well as stop anyone who would abuse the power of the spirits. This god infused my soul with divine ichor to enable me to unlock my full potential and use this relic to the best of our ability. With Ningishzida’s will, I will see this done. *Seeing as we’re facing an even greater threat than before, I’ve gone into duty mode, finally embracing my relic and oath. With my acceptance, the Staff’s energy fluctuates to be more in-tune with my own. The vestiges of energy I’ve collected from over 50 souls resonates within me, as well as the ichor coursing through my chakras.*

*Strange Supreme notices the shift in energy and is rather impressed.*

Trix (in shock): I started using the Darkhold? That- *She goes quiet for a moment before looking back up with determination in her eyes.* I’ll help as well. I don’t have a fancy oath, but I do have my word. I will defeat my corrupted variant and help save America Chavez.

Prettywitch: I don’t have any either, but that’s not gonna stop me from protecting America, here.

616-Stephen: *He looks at each of us.* Obviously, I’m in. If these variants are truly this dangerous, you’ll need all of the help you can get.

Wong: Likewise. *He nods.*

America (uneasy): Hopefully this fight goes better than the last one with Trix’s variant…

Strange Supreme (serious): You cannot hesitate. You cannot be drawn in by them. The only one of them who could possibly be redeemed is Steward but she has transformed so much that her fate is irreversible. *He stares at 616-Stephen and Wong.* They are not your girls and you will lose yours if you show sympathy to them or show weakness.

*616-Stephen pales, but nods.*

Me (serious): Then I suppose the best way to go about it is for us to confront ourselves. That way, our Wong and Stephen don’t have to endure that guilt.

Trix (nervous): We need something that will make it easy to recognize us as us but not be replicated. I don’t think we will be able to completely do this without Stephen and Wong.

PrettyWitch: What about our relics?

Me (thinking): Indeed…Well, WE have our relics. They don’t. Also, our souls and auras are a bit different. In my case, it’s a bit more obvious. For yours…Hmm…*I think for a moment, but opt not to follow through. I was considering finding a way to mark our spirits, but I don’t want to inflict that on my friends.* Ah. Well, Trix’s counterpart will have blackened fingertips and most likely heavy corruption in her soul. That’ll be something. As for Prettywitch…*I think.*

Trix: I’ll send word to Loki that I may have to borrow from him again. I absolutely do not want him getting close to this one.

PrettyWitch: *She starts thinking.* What would mine be…?

616-Stephen: We’ll think of something to make it more obvious for each of you in case those three attempt to conceal it.

Wong: We can cast unique protection spells that have runes indicating your identities. Due to our universe’s unique magical signature, this will help to confirm who you are and cannot be replicated by those from other worlds.

Strange Supreme (determined): I can also add some extra mental protection spells as well. I had underestimated them when America first stumbled into my world, but after seeing how each one of them operates, I won’t be fooled again.

Me: Seeing as mine absorbs the life force of those around her, we should make sure to keep her from getting anywhere near sentient life. As for us…We’ll all need as much protection as we can so that none of them can kill or soul-trap any of us.

PrettyWitch: Agreed.

Trix: Honestly, I’m also incredibly worried about the Darkhold in general. Hell, shouldn’t I start to find warding so she doesn’t attempt to dreamwalk?! *Trix is starting to panic.*

*Wong gently puts a hand on Trix’s shoulder to calm her.*

Wong: We will. Also, seeing as I was the former Sorcerer Supreme, I will travel to the Nexus between worlds to seek the Book of Vishanti. It will contain more knowledge on how to defeat your counterparts.

Trix (realization): We need to go destroy the mountain before she gets here. *She’s grasping at straws. Helpful straws, but straws nonetheless.*

Me: We’ll alert SHIELD since Wanda is in their custody. Maybe they can give her the order…Or to avoid tempting her, I DO like explosives. *Evil grin.*

Supreme Strange: I can help as well so long as I am given the correct place to go. *He looks at America.* We will need to find a place to keep you safe in the meantime.

America (exasperated): Every time someone says that, I go, wait, and everyone gets massacred. Then, what do you know?! THEY show up and almost capture me again. Where do I go this time?!

Trix (concerned): I agree. We shouldn’t hide her somewhere, it just makes you a sitting duck. And we’re absolutely not using that stupid room in the basements. *She shudders*

Wong: Got a better idea?

Trix (pondering): Well… if I were looking for someone or something, I would look for the spot that’s most protected. We can always have a dummy room where the wards are active and we have protections meant to stop people from coming in. If we make her believe America is there, we can use it as a trap and capture her.

Me: As for the real America, perhaps she’s actually shrunk down and on someone’s person. Seeing as Strange Supreme’s been protecting her all this time, he might be a bit too obvious. Still, he might be the safest bet as long as nobody can hit him in the spot he’s keeping her.

*Strange Supreme raises an eyebrow.*

Supreme Strange (confused): Excuse me, shrinking is a thing here?

Me: Yes, actually. Hm. I might actually consider her temporarily going Quantum, but that’s too risky, I think…

PrettyWitch: What if we tried hiding her presence? Would it work?

616-Stephen: We can attempt to conceal her and if that fails, provided that Hank or Scott can provide some discs, we can go with my variant shrinking America down and keeping her on his person.

*Strange Supreme looks over at America with an eyebrow raised.*

America: Sounds crazy enough. We haven’t tried either of those methods yet. *She shrugs.*

Strange Supreme: Then it is fine by me. I have given my word to another variant *he nods at 616-Stephen* of yours before he died that I would not kill them. I intend to keep my word unless it comes to the point where the multiverse is in danger. If we are unable to stop them here, Uatu may ask me to break my oath in order to keep the multiverse safe. *He’s not happy with the circumstances, but he’s hoping he can resolve this without any more deaths.*

Me (suddenly, banging my fist on the table in realization of an idea): ACK! How did this not come to us sooner?!

*616-Stephen and Wong are startled. America jumps.*

America: What?!

Me (remembering and looking at 616-Stephen): How did we not think of this before?! You’ve always said that “there’s always another way”, right?

616-Stephen: Right?

Me: You used memory spells in the past. I remember reading about them.

616-Stephen: The Runes of Kof-Kol are for-

Me: Yes, yes, but the OTHER memory spell you used for individuals, not a mass-memory wipe.

616-Stephen (remembering): AH! Yes, I do.

Me: Why don’t we buy you time to cast it on each of those variants? Wipe their memories completely of their knowledge of magic and their versions of you. Strip them down to their old lives.

Prettywitch: That just might be crazy enough to work.

Trix (getting excited): Like the end of Wandavision with Agatha. *She pauses for a moment.* We just have to hope that we are still the same person when everything is wiped away.

*Strange Supreme hums as he thinks it over. It absolutely seems viable, if a bit unusual.*

Strange Supreme: It could work, provided you can keep your alternate selves busy and stay alive long enough to do so. *He glances at 616-Stephen.* You also should not get close enough to the Darkhold to see any of its secrets. It is the one thing I have refused to even look at. It will ensnare you, even remembering just the smallest portion and we both know our curiosity would cause you to try something.

Wong (firm and determined): I will see to that.

Prettywitch: Stephen, do you by any chance have your third eye?

*616-Stephen shifts awkwardly.*

616-Stephen: I do…

Prettywitch: And how did you acquire it?

Trix (outraged): And why didn’t you show us?! That’s so cool!

*He’s a bit embarrassed.*

616-Stephen: It’s a bit awkward to show. So, I typically keep it concealed. It only physically manifests when I’m casting a particularly difficult spell or using the Eye of Agamotto. I acquired it as the wielder of the Eye, gaining wisdom over the years as a sorcerer, and after obtaining the rank of Sorcerer Supreme.

Trix (pointing at him): We are absolutely talking about this later.

*Strange Supreme is smirking at his counterpart, very amused at how the conversation has turned. It turns to bewilderment when Trix turns to him as well, pointing.*

Trix: And I know you’re more sensitive about it but damn, seeing you in full form is on my bucket list because you are amazing.

Strange Supreme (stammering): O-oh. Well…I-

Prettywitch: Hey, we can have this conversation later. Supreme, how much time do you think we have?

Strange Supreme (serious): If Trickstress starts dreamwalking into Trix? I give it a half hour to an hour. Otherwise, anywhere from three to five hours.

Prettywitch: Do you know of any way we can counteract dreamwalking if she tries it? Some kind of mind barrier or exorcism?

*Wong is listening, but also slowly getting up so he can get to the Nexus in time. When Prettywitch mentioned an exorcism, my ears pricked up.*

Me: Hypothetically, if Trickstress does try it, part of her mind and spirit would be projected into Trix. That might be enough for me to reach in and get enough of a hold to rip her out. Though it could get messy depending on how well she can resist my grip. I DID tear a Khat out of Prettywitch before, but it was within her in its entirety.

Trix (trying to stay calm): How about we go with a version where I don’t get possessed in the first place?

Me: I think all of us would prefer this route as well…*I look at the older sorcerers.*

616-Stephen: I’ll get casting on the protection spells.

*Trix takes off her relic and gets up to hand it to Wong.*

Trix (deadly serious): You know what we were working on and if she gets in my head, she’ll know too.

*Wong takes it, nodding sternly.*

Wong: I will keep it safe. *He heads off to the Nexus while 616-Stephen begins to cast protection spells on Trix. Prettywitch and I are next. I quickly send Harir away somewhere safe, not wanting him to get sapped.*

*Strange Supreme is casting his own protection spells on America and looking over 616-Stephen’s work on us.*

Strange Supreme (smirking): Not bad…

*I turn, noticing the spirit of the Ancient One listening to the meeting.*

Me: The lich is definitely a hazard to you. Perhaps more than the Soul Eater. As much as I cherish and respect our aid towards one another, I offer you a choice again: Go somewhere else that’s safe so you don’t get consumed or opt to enter my conscious space and remain hidden until we need your intervention. Which one do you want to go with?

Ancient One: If you think I would sit out now, you are foolish. *She smirks at the end.* Draw upon my power if need be. I am not afraid to die again to help protect the multiverse.

*I nod with a small smile.*

Me (curling my lip): As I had predicted. Okay…Join me and lay low. If we get through this, I’ll release you the moment the threat has passed. *I hold out my hand to let her enter.*

*The Ancient One gives a slight bow before accepting the hand. She disappears into Steward.*

*616-Stephen finishes the heavy-duty protection spells on all three of us.*

Prettywitch: You sure you’re gonna be okay?

616-Stephen (resigned, but steeling himself): Don’t have much of a choice. Plus, it’s hopefully going to be a memory wipe, not an execution. *He’s taking some degree of cold comfort in this.*

Prettywitch: *Nods* I understand.

Clea: *She comes up behind them.* Stephen! Wong just told me about your variant being here. He said we were preparing for war?

*He nods grimly.*

616-Stephen: Yes, my dear. I am glad that you have joined us. Prepare yourself. I will cast a protection spell over you as well. There are approaching evil variants of the girls who have grown powerful enough to pose a threat to the entire multiverse. We must fend them off long enough for me to wipe their memories.

Clea: *She crosses her arms* Are you sure you’re not draining yourself by doing this?

Prettywitch: That’s what I was asking him.

616-Stephen: I simply wish to protect you, my love…but I trust that you can cast a protection spell over yourself so that I may conserve energy. *He’s still worried about her.*

Clea: *She is touched by his concern for her and smiles. She places her hands on his shoulders and gives him a quick, loving kiss.* Thank you, darling.

*Strange Supreme is watching this all from a distance with a blank look on his face.*

*I look at Strange Supreme and give him a small, reassuring nod to indicate that it’s going to be okay.*

Strange Supreme (curt): Yes, I know.

Me (letting him have some space): I’ll call Dr. Pym and see if we can get some discs for plan B. Just a sec.

*I call Dr. Hank Pym to brief him and ask.*

*I look relieved and open a portal, leaning through.*

Me (grateful): Thank you. If we don’t need it, I’ll give them back. We’ll be careful.

Dr. Pym: Well, if it isn’t Stephen’s little apprentices. I take it you need more discs?

*I turn slightly red at the nickname.*

Me (meek): Erm, yes, unfortunately. Sorry that we keep popping in to ask. I know it must get tedious.

Dr. Pym: Not really. As long as I’m handing my technology to the right people, there’s really no need to worry. Unless you end up on the six o’clock news. *He grins.*

Me: Heh…Not likely. We have to take this fight somewhere away from sentient life for…reasons.

Dr. Pym: Well, I was joking. I’ll have Scott bring over a few in a few minutes.

Me: Seriously, thank you guys again. We appreciate the help.

*After Scott drops off the discs, we thank him too and close the portal.*

Me: Okay, plan B is secured. Go ahead and conceal America. If they somehow find her, we’ll do the other method and Supreme can grab and protect her.

*In the distance, Trix is working on preparing when she stumbles slightly. She catches herself but it throws her off her game. She then goes back to what she was doing.*

*I feel the Staff squirm under my hand.*

Me (confused): What the…Oh. *I feel a sense of dread and jog over to check on Trix.* You okay?

Trix: Yeah, I just tripped a bit but I’m still fine. Just a bit jumpy. *She gives a nervous smile.*

*I scan her just in case.*

Trix (confused): Did something happen?

Me: …I don’t like this. I’m staying close to you. I think “she” might be trying to get in. *I nod at the Staff.*

Trix (paling): I didn’t even feel anything…but…I haven’t tripped over myself like that since before we started training. *She looks scared.*

*I scan Trix again to make sure the protection spells are intact and that her soul is still untouched.*

*Strange Supreme notices what’s going on and strides forward over to us.*

Strange Supreme (serious): What’s going on?

Me: My Staff sensed something off and Trix tripped. I just checked her. So far, she’s still clean and the spells are intact. I’m not leaving her side now.

Prettywitch: Good. *Sigh* It’s times like this I wish I knew how my relic worked.

Me: You may not have that figured out yet, but you still have foresight. *I pat her shoulder.* Try. *I show that I trust her and have faith in her.*

*Trix suddenly smiles, though it seems rather sudden.*

Trix: I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon. We’ll be there to help. *She looks around* Has Wong made it back yet? *She suddenly stops smiling again and looks confused*

*My hair stands on end at this. I felt queasy for a second.*

Me (growling): Again.

*Strange Supreme felt it this time and is looking at Trix cautiously and starts to slowly shift into a defensive position.*

616-Stephen (worried): We need to get away from anyone within range. Trix, stay close to me and Steward.

Trix (shaken): O-okay.

Me (carefully): Trix, I need you to ground yourself and stay that way…If you can maintain a tight tether to your body, I can rip Trickstress out if she manifests. Got it?

*Trix swallows before nodding resolutely.*

*616-Stephen opens a portal to a deserted wasteland. There are no people here for hundreds of miles around. The entire group lands there, minus Wong who is at the Nexus at this point. America, concealed, remains within Strange Supreme’s reach, but continually shifts her position to avoid notice and not be easily grabbed by anyone else.*

Trix (slightly hysterical): Okay, so I just have to ground myself so I don’t get possessed, great. *She’s pacing but finally gives up and flops down onto the ground and sits in lotus position. She looks up at the group.* I have an idea and it should help you tell the difference. If something happens… *She gives a sad smile.* I love you guys. A lot. And hug Wong for me.

Prettywitch (tearing up): Oh, honey!

Me (quietly, voice cracking slightly): We love you too. We’ll do our best to protect you. I promise. *I take a deep breath to steady myself, a familiar pain welling up inside of me. I look tired, but not in a physical way. After a few calming breaths, I’ve steadied myself and look determined once more.*

616-Stephen (gently): I know. We’ll defend you as best we can.

*Trix closes her eyes and begins to meditate. She imagines herself in the astral realm, very familiar with the space and proceeds to lock it down. A barrier begins to form in the space, protecting her from anything that forms there, but also protecting the space as well. Back in the physical world, crystals begin to sprout all across Trix, slowly covering her body. They glow brightly with her familiar orange and violet light as it dances across the thousands of fractals. Soon, she is completely encased. I watch Trix intensely within the crystals, looking for any sign of abnormality.*

Prettywitch (thinking): I’m going to try something. *She pulls out her deck. After performing the ritual, and asking the cards what’s Trix’s best way of beating Trickstress, she pulls three cards; Seven of Pentacles (Past), Ace of Swords (Present), Seven of Swords (Future).* Okay…So if Trix assesses the situation properly, she should be good.

*Strange Supreme is still defensive, but is incredibly intrigued by the various specialty magics occurring.*

Strange Supreme: So we just hope that she chose the right thing? A chrysalis?

Prettywitch: Pretty much.

*I’m silent, concentrating on my surveillance. I may be leaning on the Staff for support, but my body is tense, ready to spring at the slightest provocation.*

*616-Stephen is on-guard, scanning every other minute to detect anything suspicious. Beyond that, he’s conserving his energy.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Clea meanwhile is in the weapons room looking for a weapon or a relic she can bond with.*

*Nearby, two apprentices suddenly relax, their eyes turn Pink. Their bodies stiffen and turn to attack both unsuspecting parties.*

*While this is going on, something similar happens to a few of the apprentices who begin attacking the other, non-possessed students.*

Rintrah: Master Wong!? Master Wong, we need help!

*Wong has finally emerged from the Nexus and senses something going on. He has the Book of Vishanti with him, but conceals it in the depths of his robes as he runs over to follow Rintrah’s calls.*

Wong (quickly): The attack has started?! *He immediately gets into a defensive position and sees what’s going on. He casts the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak to bind the pair of possessed apprentices who were close together.* Sorcerers! Fortify your minds and get into defensive positions!

*Back at Clea, she sees the possessed apprentice and pulls out the nearest spear, using it as a rod to block the apprentice’s assault on her. Then, she kicks the apprentice out from under their feet and uses the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak to bind him.*

Clea (assuming her faltine form): *She kneels down and grabs the apprentice by the cheekbones and pulls him up close and personal.* Alright, cretin, call your assault off now, or I will be forced to destroy your puppet if need be.

Evil PW: Oh, I don’t think so.

Clea: *She turns. Before she can get a good look, she screams as she’s crystalized and shrunk down to fit in the side of one’s palm.*

Evil PW: I think we both know you’ll make an excellent bargaining chip. *Smiles evilly.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Meanwhile, in the wasteland, 616-Stephen has managed to knock out another possessed apprentice who portalled over to us using the Mists of Morpheus and has tied him up successfully with the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak.*

Evil PW: Hey, handsome.

*616-Stephen puts his shields up, glaring coldly at her. He opts to be silent to avoid giving her any fuel.*

Evil PW: Oh, don’t give me that look. I thought you’d be happy to see me.

*616-Stephen maintains his silence, watching her. He detects something else with her.*

*Strange Supreme has his hackles raised and shields up as his cloak flairs, completely hiding America from view.*

Evil PW: *Rolls her eyes.* Oh, honestly, tentacle boy. You’re not making this fun.

Prettywitch: Hey! That’s my nickname for Strange Supreme! You can’t use…*She stops herself, horrified. The black dress with see-through sleeves, the bow in the back, even the yellow eyes and her hair partly up with two pigtails; she looks exactly the way she’d envisioned her OC’s powered form from her Kids Next Door days.*

*I’m aware of what’s happening, but can’t leave Trix alone. So, I shield myself as well and keep watching the crystals.*

*The crystals flicker slightly before they begin to flicker even more as a dark purple presence appears and starts bouncing around the prison.*

*The second I see the flickering, I concentrate and pounce, my astral form briefly lunging out and grabbing the rapidly-darting shape. Then, I yank as hard as I can, pulling it out of the crystals, my spirit maintaining a vice-like grip.*

*The dark purple presence is slowly pulled out, like taffy, and it begins to grow when it’s released.*

*I continue to pull, digging my nails into the presence in an attempt to force it to let go of Trix.*

*Since Trix is basically a living battery at this point, not only is the purple presence trying to stay attached as long as possible, but is leeching as much energy as it can.*

*I begin to twist brutally, making a violent wrenching movement and yanking it in rough, irregular spurts to catch it off-guard and break its connection.*

*The dark shadow is finally ripped from the crystals fully, however it begins to grow bigger and coalesce into a human sized shape. Menacing laughter fills the air as the shadow finally forms into a woman with bushy and wild ginger hair. She is dressed in a decaying dark purple dress, oddly reminiscent of Agatha’s. She is wrapped in a plum colored cloak and a hood partially covers her face but glowing purple eyes stare out from the shadows. Black-stained fingers are clutched around a very familiar book.*

Trickstress (amused): You always are so easy to predict. Who needs a portal quite yet when you do all the work for me? *She glances over at Evil PW and smirks.* I see that almost all of the guests to this party have arrived.

*I’m not particularly surprised either, but know that I had to do it to help Trix. I raise an eyebrow at both of the counterparts, also opting to go silent. I don’t want to give them any extra ideas. Silently, I hope that my friend is okay within the crystals.*

*A loud cracking sound cuts through the tense atmosphere. The crystals are slowly shattering, almost like an egg. It cracks two more times before it finally completely breaks, revealing Trix. She looks calm and determined.*

*I’m relieved, but cautious, watching Trix out of the corner of my eye while also listening to what’s going on and looking at the two evil counterparts…until the temperature in the area drops by several degrees. Everything around us suddenly feels stifled and looks…dull. As though the world around us has begun to die. It appears as though the Lich has arrived. One second, she’s not there and the next, a person-shaped hole has coalesced out of the shadows of the universe. It stands along the sidelines, silently watching. She’s perfectly calm…Waiting. Occasionally, it looks like the Lich flickers into a human form, but despite it being the alternate version of Steward, it appears more as a ghostly unfocused amalgamation of people.*

*Strange Supreme is looking between the three new arrivals cautiously. He has America completely pressed up against his back as he waits for someone to make the first move.*

America (starting to get scared): Great…Everybody’s here…

*After a moment, the Lich musters enough concentration to speak. It sounds like countless legions talking at once, in varying stages of loneliness and agony.*

Lich (eerily serene intonation despite the horror): Death is inevitable…Please join us. We shall inhabit this plane of existence together for eternity. *She holds out an offering hand to whoever might accept it.*

Evil PW: *Waves hand.* Yes! Yes! We know! Death is inevitable. Blah! Blah! Blah! Can we get on with this!?

Trickstress (rolls eyes): It’s a bit repetitive, isn’t it. Though, this collection of us seems to be a bit…quirkier than the others. Might actually make this interesting for once.

Prettywitch: Yeah, maybe it’s cause don’t look like a bunch of Goth Kids straight out of high school.

Trix (not moving from her meditation position): It is a bit cliche, isn’t it?

*I’m on-guard and being quiet, watching everyone. My Staff is tightly clutched in my hand. It’s growing hot and twisting sickeningly, not liking the hive mind of stolen souls at all. My own senses are going haywire from the sheer overload of the billions of souls contained within the Lich.*

*Trickstress crosses her arms, subtly showcasing the Darkhold strapped to her hip.*

Trickstress: We all know why we’re here. I’m not one for mercy anymore but you all seem interesting enough to be reasonable and I can respect intelligence. Hand over the girl and we’ll walk away. Well…I will at least if you hand her to me. *A smile with a bit too many teeth appears from the shadows of the hood.*

Prettywitch: You’re not getting the girl and that’s final!

Evil PW: Oh we have our ways. *She pulls out the crystal of Clea.* Besides, I don’t think Stephen wants anything happening to his pretty little girlfriend, wouldn’t you agree? *She smiles evilly.*

*616-Stephen’s eyes widen, paling in horror. My eyes subtly follow the crystal. I’m silently formulating a plan.*

Trickstress (gleeful): Oooo! This Stephen even has time for a girlfriend? Wow, you girls must have gotten the short end of the stick then, huh? *She directs the comment towards Trix* Lemme play with her! I’ve been wanting a new experiment lately~ I’ll give you those other variants from two universes ago for her.

Evil PW: No way! Get your own!

*While those two are arguing, I quickly cast the Images of Ikonn, scattering clones in all directions. A couple of them open portals right next to and behind Evil PW. One reaches in to grab at the crystal while the other uses telekinesis to try and yank it from the evil variant’s grasp. The real Steward allows her Staff to become a nest of venomous serpents, scattering throughout the area, homed in on the variants. Meanwhile, America opts to chuck a few rocks at the variants to add to the chaotic scene and muddle Evil PW’s foresight further.*

*As Steward casts, Trix’s eyes glow subtly green as she stands up and clones of her also fill the battlefield, they summon crystal daggers and aim for both Evil PW and Trickstress.*

*Prettywitch goes on the assault, too. She clasps her hands together, then throws them to each side. What emerges are several thousand Kunai aimed at The Goth Plastics. She doesn’t even waste time chucking them their way, making sure that none of them will hit Clea.*

*Evil PW simply chucks each one to the side as they come her way and rains down the Flames of the Faltine in response. Prettywitch doesn’t give up though, she keeps chucking the storm of Kunai at evil variant, much to said variant’s amusement.*

Evl PW: You seriously think I don’t know what you’re planning? You were never that good of a strategist and you KNOW it! That’s why we always got our ass kicked when we played Magic! But I became faster, stronger, better!

Me (flatly): Really, Daft Punk? *One of the clones passes Clea’s crystal back to me and I tuck it into the depths of my robes.*

America (taunting, making sure that Evil PW didn’t see my hiding Clea’s crystal): Get better writers!

*Prettywitch sees this but keeps her pokerface on for now.*

Evil PW: Like it or not, I AM YOU! Only I’m the person you never COULD be! The one who takes what she wants who always sacrifices her time for everyone else! Who was too chicken to venture out to Hollywood and follow her dreams!

*Trix subtly creates an identical crystal to Clea’s just in case and tucks it into her robe as well.*

Prettywitch: *She’s keeping up the Kunai storm. She’s also rolling eyes.* Well, she’s definitely me; she has my penchant for monologuing.

*Meanwhile, the protection spells around all of us are beginning to glow, indicating that they’re being assaulted. The Lich’s presence is starting to take effect.*

*As I listen to Evil PW’s ranting, I look bored and annoyed. Distraction time. So, she sees my middle finger slowly rising up as she continues to monologue. I bring up my second one to direct towards Trickstress.*

*Trickstress’s eyes narrow as she watches Steward and flicks away the kunai with ease. As she goes to dispel Trix’s clone however, she’s caught off guard when it’s solid and almost makes a scratch on her. When she attempts to take control of Clone Trix’s mind, the clone then disappears, leaving Trickstress intrigued.*

*As Trickstress is distracted, 616-Stephen homes in on her and casts the memory-wipe spell, erasing all of her memories of magic, Stephen, and everything else that happened after her exposure to said magic. It strips her mind down to her basic human self with just her normal everyday knowledge of the mundane. While she’s woozy, he knocks her out with the Mists of Morpheus. Unfortunately, he’s rather close to the Darkhold…and it knows it. He feels a twisted curiosity begin to tug at his mind.*

*A portal opens in the wasteland and Wong leaps through. He sees 616-Stephen’s close proximity to the Darkhold and telekinetically pushes the younger sorcerer away from the unconscious Trickstress. He binds her in the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak in the meantime. 616-Stephen is dazed for a second from being pushed back so rapidly.*

*While Evil PW is starting to realize she’s being distracted and bolts towards the group, ready to strike. She summons two swords in hand as she aims for America.*

*America yelps and jumps behind her guardian. Strange Supreme snarls and blocks the swords easily.*

Strange Supreme (annoyed): You’re persistent, I’ll give you that. *He transforms his arms into dragon heads and they try to snap at Evil PW.*

Evil PW: *She places a shield up to the dragon heads.* So are you! It’s a shame you Stranges are so stubborn, really; you’d make useful puppets.

Trix (smirking) I could say the same for you! *She and her clones snap their crystal daggers forward and they extend into ropes, wrapping around Evil PW’s limbs and neck like strings, attempting to restrain her. They’re coated in a green glow.*

*Evil PW proceeds to wrap her hands around each rope in an attempt to burn them. It doesn’t work.*

Evil PW: Wha…What is this!?

Trix: Chaos, bitch!

*In the meantime, one of the serpents from the Staff slithers up and bites Evil PW on the ankle, injecting a paralytic venom.*

Me (deadpan): Finally. I was wondering when she would finally shut up.

Trix (looking at PrettyWitch while still holding the ropes): We absolutely love you though!

Me: We do. *Sincere smile at Prettywitch.* Our variants suck, though.

America: You’re telling me?

Prettywitch: Yeah, but we were bound to find evil versions of ourselves at some point. So, whatcha gonna do?

*616-Stephen gets to business mind-wiping Evil PW, ensuring that she forgets everything too. No more magic, no more memories of Stephen Strange. Only basic human adult things.*

616-Stephen: Wong, take her and Trix’s variant back. Prettywitch’s counterpart was bitten by a cobra. Treat her with antivenom.

*I pull out and hold Clea’s crystal for 616-Stephen. He goes to get it from me.*

*Suddenly, the crystal breaks and out pops Clea.*

Clea: *She looks around, confused. All she remembers is the brainwashed apprentice and nothing beyond that.* Stephen!? Wh…Where am I? How did I get here?-

*Before anyone can make another move, the protection spells go down. The Lich has been steadily feeding off of their energy. Now, everyone’s exposed and they can feel themselves losing vitality and energy. It feels like their limbs are made of wet cement and their souls gradually being eaten away. Trickstress is already pale and barely breathing from where she’s sprawled on the ground. America stumbles, feeling her life force draining away.*

Lich: You WILL join me. Nobody will ever leave me again.

*Strange Supreme immediately flies up and places himself in front of the group, in between them and the Lich. He casts a protective sphere around them so they can get their bearings while he faces what remains of Steward’s variant.*

Strange Supreme: You are only killing them, you won’t have what you desire, only husks and memories will remain. Stand down.

*It tilts its head. However, it is not conscious enough to fully register his words. Too many thoughts. Too many minds. It takes a step toward him, its hand reaching out, almost pleadingly.*

Strange Supreme (standing firm): I will stay with you, only if you stand down. *He turns back to the group.* Steward! The staff would be great right about now! *He turns back to the Lich to keep an eye on it. He’s barely feeling drained yet but he knows he’s losing some of his creatures slowly.*

*I snap out of it and the nest of snakes reforms into my Staff. I quickly cast a protection spell on myself and leave the protective sphere. Every fiber of my being is screaming not to get closer, but I know I have to overcome this instinct. My spell is already being stripped away, but the energy of The Ancient One is helping to hold it up for as long as possible. The Staff seems to know what to do. As if guided by impulse, I lift up the relic and seemingly impale the Lich with it. When it connects, there is a flash of inky-blue energy as a rift opens up within the Lich. It screeches with billions of voices and I’m knocked violently back as the souls begin to escape her form. My shield breaks from the sheer force of the tide of souls.*

*Strange Supreme is holding his ground but uses a tentacle to grab Steward and pull her behind him as he shields both of them.*

*The Lich desperately attempts to close the tear within itself. As it scrambles, its form blurs. The spirits attempting to flee proceed to fight back while she attempts to repair herself and resist their escape. It’s too much. The portal remains open as the spirits nearly rip her apart in their flight. After several moments, her human form finally coalesces out of the ether, clutching at a ragged hole in her chest with inky-blue borders. Yet, she isn’t destroyed. Her form twists in agony before she curls in on herself.*

Strange Supreme (yelling over the noise of the rift): DO YOU YIELD? WE CAN HELP YOU.

Lich (finally with a normal woman’s voice, faint): End it. Please…Just end it. *She’s not pleading for mercy. It’s a plea for death.*

*Strange Supreme gently pulls Steward out from behind himself and keeps her steady from the power of the rift as he holds her in place.*

*I hold out my hand and make a smoothing gesture in the air, sealing the rift in my counterpart. My face is sober.*

*As the rift quiets down and then disappears, Strange Supreme lets go of Steward and the tentacle disappears once more.*

Lich (pitiful): There is nothing worth staying in this plane for. I am alone. Please…end my existence. *She sounds tired beyond the ages. Feeling the guilt of billions of deaths. She can no longer cry. She can no longer feel anything beyond the all-consuming guilt and pain.*

*Strange Supreme’s eyes soften and he walks forward and just hugs the Lich. America shuffles away, not wanting anything to do with the former monster.*

Strange Supreme (softly): It’s alright. You’ll get through this. It will be hard but I’ve got you.

*With the Lich so drained of energy, it allows Strange Supreme to place a block on the draining power from her so the rest of us will be safe being around her. The fight is officially over.*

Me (croaking a bit in horror): I can’t imagine how badly THAT must have felt. *I privately promise myself to never go that far. I have empathy for her, but this was much too awful to think about.*

*The protective shield around the group falls as we no longer need the protection.*

Wong: Now for the OTHER problem…*He glances at the unconscious Trickstress and goes over to her looking for the Darkhold.*

*The Darkhold isn’t there. Instead, sitting a few feet away is Trix, almost in a trance as she holds it. It’s still closed, thankfully.*

America (alarmed): GUYS! DARKHOLD!

Me (my eyes huge): OH HELL NO. *I telekinetically yank it away as hard as I can.*

*It jerks out of Trix’s hands and she suddenly snaps forward with a gasp of air as she’s finally pulled out of the trance. She collapses backwards but is still conscious.*

*Wong snatches the Darkhold with his hands wrapped in a pair of conjured gloves as it goes flying. He quickly tucks it into a bag and shuts it, casting several wards on the bag so the book can’t attempt to influence anyone else. He looks relieved.*

Wong (slightly flustered after nearly losing his apprentice to the Darkhold): Okay, then. Let’s provide antivenom to the variant and send both of them back to their home universes…provided we can figure out where they originated from.

*Meanwhile, the Lich has dug her grasp into Strange Supreme’s robes, as though afraid he’ll disappear. She’s still in shock and numb, but her instincts from her time as a soul-grasping hive mind are still there, clutching at any signs of life nearby.*

*He keeps her in a tight hold, knowing exactly how much it helps after being alone for so long by your own making.*

Trix (weakly and still laying on her back): Is everyone still alive?

Prettywitch: Yeah…More or less…But man, I think I could use a bubble bath after this.

Me: I know this sounds kinda bad, but I think I need a drink…

Prettywitch: Yeah…A bubble bath and nice glass of Moscato…Or a Stella, too…

Me: …Absinthe this time around. *I have an expression you guys haven’t seen in a few years. The look of a bad day.*

Trix: I need a hug…and help in getting up. Books that leech off your soul and try to possess you fucking suck.

*616-Stephen looks at each of us with concern and goes to help Trix up, hugging her tightly. Trix tries not to show that she’s crying and buries her face into his shoulder.*

*Wong, meanwhile, evacuates the variants for treatment so they can be sent home in one piece. Unfortunately, time is of the essence due to the venom.*

*Clea checks on America and gestures to her and Strange Supreme to follow her to the Sanctum.*

*America meekly walks over to Clea, still shaken from everything.*

*Clea smiles gently and takes the poor girl in her arms.*

Clea: Don’t worry, child. You’re safe now. There’s nothing to fear.

*America hugs Clea back, sniffing back tears of relief.*

*Prettywitch walks over to Clea, looking at her with a face that screams, “Don’t I get a hug, too?”*

Clea: *She laughs whimsically.* Sorry about that. *And takes Prettywitch in her other arm.*

*For now, I’m giving the others space, processing everything. I feel a subconscious nudge and remember something.*

Me: Ah! Right.

*I release the spirit of The Ancient One. Seeing as she was hidden within my spirit’s aura, she experienced everything as well. Like all of us, I have some very mixed feelings about all of this. Probably the only reason I had been able to muster enough energy to shield myself while confronting the Lich was from her contribution.*

Ancient One (surveying the area): Good work. It seems you have reached an understanding with your relic.

Me (shrugging solemnly): I did what I had to. That’s all. *I hug my arms together in an involuntary self-soothing motion.*

*The Ancient One smirks before it melts into a real smile. She wraps an arm around Steward’s shoulders as they stand there silently, watching the rest of the group.*

*I don’t pull away this time, appreciating the gesture and leaning slightly into it. It seems I’m starting to get more comfortable with touch. To be honest, I probably needed it at this point.*

*The entire group heads back to Kamar-Taj. After Evil PW receives antivenom treatment, Wong uses the Orb of Agamotto to trace her and Trickstress’ home universes and sends them back to live completely mundane lives. He also slips away to destroy one of the Darkholds in secret while the other is locked away.*

***To be Continued***

#doctor strange fanfiction #doctor strange #doctor strange meta fic #doctor stephen strange #multi author #dr stephen strange #stephen strange #marvel #wong #the ancient one #strange supreme #america chavez #clea #clea strange

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spicler-man · 2 years

Text

amnesia fics

masterlist here remember me by aileenwood

"Glad you're back," he smiles, and Peter can see the raw relief in it.

My kid.

Oh, of course. That's his dad."

or:

After a particularly bad injury, Peter wakes up in a hospital room with a blank mind.

He's lost and confused until a man steps in, ruffles his hair and smiles gently.

He immediately guesses that's his father, obviously. He's not stupid.

Memory Is All We Are by romeoandjulietyouwish

Tony gets amnesia and forgets his family.

I will remember you. by zimnokurw

“What?” “What’s the last thing you remember?” the soldier added, slightly alerted. “Ugh, I was in my workshop, I was doing a little update to JARVIS’ holo tables. Why?” Tony felt lost and this worried look on Rhodey’s face wasn’t helping. “In the workshop in… Malibu?” “Yes, of course in Malibu, where else would I be? Can you explain to me what the hell is going on?” This whole situation was annoying, Rhodey was acting weird and Tony felt perfectly good, not seeing any reasons to why would he be in this hospital-but-apparently-not-hospital room.

or; Tony loses a few last years of his memory and discovers that: e.g a terrorist blown up his house, he was in a superhero band that broke, and, oh, he kinda has a kid now.

Not Gone But Forgotten by samos7

Peter and Tony are kidnapped and willing to do anything to protect one another. Until one of them isn't.

“I get it, you’re starstruck- not sure how to handle yourself.”

“Excuse me,” Peter begins to defend himself but he's blatantly ignored as Tony talks over him.

“Look, I promise to take a picture with you when all of this is over, I’ll even offer you an autograph- but first I need any information you know that can get us out of here.”

Peter is completely lost, but at the same time he isn’t. He already knows the answer when he asks his next question. “Mister Stark, do you know who I am?”

Tony gives a baffled look in return, “have we met before?”

And that was all the confirmation Peter needed. He feels his heart drop to his stomach as the realization strikes him, and he’s certain that he’s gone pale in the face.

Tony doesn’t remember him.

That's Not How You Act by opal_earrings

"Peter was fine. Other than having no memories, he was fine. He wasn’t really hurt, so it wasn’t like he was going to die or anything, and therefore it wasn’t that big of a deal, right? He could just keep this quiet so as to not worry anyone.

“No. I, uh, I’m fine, thanks.”

All Peter had to do was find out everything about his life before anyone discovered he had amnesia. How hard could that be?"

Or: Peter wakes up with amnesia, but this guy in a suit seems really worried about him, and Peter's too polite to mention it.

The Heart of Heroes by SilverDraconyx for Coffee_and_notebooks

Peter has an internship at Stark Industries. It’s cool, except the most interesting thing he gets to do is be in the building. He figures that the internship is to gain good press by ‘helping poor orphans’.

That all changes, when he is sent to bring coffee to the Tony Stark!

As he spends time with Tony and Steve, they can’t help but come to love the teenage vigilante.

Lost and Found Family by puddlesandparkinglots

There’s an accident and Tony loses his memories. This is Tony trying to deal with it while Peter breaks.

I Wish I Could Live Without You (But You're Apart Of Me) by SpaceCowboysFromMars for Detective_Odin_Ashcroft_52

“I’m sure you know him from somewhere, Tony.” She’s leaning against the kitchen counter, studying the frame intensely, like the answer to Tony’s mild breakdown was hidden within in.

“Clearly not!” He flails for emphasis, frustrated. He’s supposed to be a genius, so why can’t he figure this out? “This is a prank, right?”

She scowls at him, face hardening with her lack of amusement. “Don’t be an idiot.” Pepper straightens, clearly wanting no more than to be done with this whole conversation. “Maybe it was one of those college interns.”

He shakes his head fiercely. “No. This must be- shit, what are those called? Something effect... the effect of something...”

A Mandela Effect, as his research would later reveal.

Figured it out, yet? by nokurde

Could there be something worse than losing every single memory of someone you love and treasure? Yes, Peter Parker could argue. Being the person that was forgotten.

Iron Man gets injured in a fight, which leaves him with a (temporary?) amnesia, erasing the last few years of his life. Now he’s left with an annoying kid for a babysitter. (It is temporary, right?) As Tony Stark struggles with his new reality, Peter tries to keep the company running, look out for his mentor without getting himself kicked out of the Tower, and not break down in the process. (Right?)

Long Story Short (It Was A Bad Time) Or AIs Don't Forget by peacockgirl

Turns out magic doesn't affect AIs. Karen is Peter's only link to his old life, and helps him hold on when he gets low. Meanwhile, in Upstate New York, Tony struggles with the inexplicable certainty that he's lost a kid.Until Peter gets hurt, and Karen tells FRIDAY ...Set in that wonderful AU world where Tony survives Endgame, and our boy (eventually) gets all the hugs he needs and deserves.

Nominated for a 2022 Iron Dad Creator Award in The Fixer-Upper Category

Don't Let it Make You Cry by amine

“'And who are you?'

Peter recoiled, stunned by the harsh unfamiliarity of those words. God, did that hurt. He was so used to being greeted with a warm 'hey, kid!' and an arm around his shoulders that tears nearly sprung to his eyes at seeing and hearing for himself that Tony really did not remember them."

A river to skate away on by frostysunflowers

Peter has survived a spider bite, a building falling on him, turning to dust and being a teenager.

He can handle anything.

Except being forgotten.

who am i to you? by wisterispidey for Spencer_Loves_Cherries

He sighed with relief when he saw the suit’s faceplate lift up, but something didn’t seem right.

“Who are you?”

Peter froze. That was obviously Mr. Stark but it also wasn’t Mr. Stark.

Fuhgeddaboudit by SpideyFics

Hesitant, he approached the man, cautiously touching his shoulder. “Sir? Are you OK?” The man moved his head in response to hearing his voice, wincing. He’d been beaten, his face battered and bloody, and vivid bruises bloomed across his cheekbones and crept up from underneath his beard. “Huh?” he said, his eyes fluttering open. “Who’re you?” And wasn’t that the million-dollar question, because he had no clue. No ideas. No memories. A teenager and a man wake up in a cell with injuries, no personal memories, and no apparent means of escape.

How Could I Forget You? by inkinmyheartandonthepage

Tony knows that this kid is important somehow, knows deep in his heart that the kid is special. He just can’t remember who he is.

I'm Peter Who? by inkinmyheartandonthepage

Where was he?

Who was he?

Peter wakes up in an alley way with a throbbing head and no idea who is.

Remembering You by Kevy_Grayce for opal_earrings

All Tony can do is stare at the pale, unmoving form of Peter as hands force his heart to beat and air is pushed into his lungs. This time it’s different. There's no beeping to prove he's still alive as he lies there, no steady rise and fall of his chest. Nothing. Tony doesn't realize he's on his knees until hands are gripping his shoulders. “No. No no no no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Please, don't go, I'm so sorry, I still need you, kid, I didn't-” He's cut off by his own sobs, vaguely aware of the steady arms that keep him up as he curls in on himself. I didn't mean it, he desperately repeats in his head, begging in a way he had never begged before. Or: Peter gets amnesia after a grueling fight, forgetting who he is to Tony.

Nice work, kid by madasthesea

(no summary)

All I've ever known (is how to hold my own) by notapartytrick

Peter Parker fishes out a five. “Thank you.” MJ stows it, feeling like an interaction like this can’t just end here. But here they are. “No problem.” “I’ll, uh, see you around,” he tells her with a little tilt of his head as he turns away. And before he goes, he fishes something out of his back pocket and shoves it in the tip jar without looking at her. He speed-walks out. MJ stares at his retreating back. Then she stares at the tip jar, no longer empty. She fishes out the bills: a ten and two fives. A ten? And– Peter Parker just tipped her twenty dollars.

---

Michelle Jones, begrudging waitress at Peter Pan Donuts, comes across a customer who feels strangely familiar and decides to do what she does best - solve the case.

Retrograde by madasthesea

Prompt: what about the remember me one? seen a lot of fics with peter getting amnesia but never one of tony forgetting anything? could be a nice switch to see how peter would deal with that + tony trying to figure out how he went from a wild playboy to a supposed superhero with a teenager.

Tony gets amnesia. When Peter comes to visit him in the hospital, Tony takes one look at him and immediately assumes that Peter's his son.

Loved You to Pieces by Gingerquery (PeppermintTegan)

But time is on nobody's side --- Peter Parker keeps coming in to the bake shop, keeps invoking deja vu in Ned and MJ, keeps walking out with a sad smile, a coffee, and a pleasant goodbye. Well, Ned Leeds has some new tricks up his sleeve and wants to know just who this strange stranger is. The answer only leads to more questions.

mongoose dreams by sushicorps (Inclinant)

The formidable Morgan Stark - also princess, miniature terror, little miss, baby mo, precious Morguna - has also once been described by someone (actually one formerly existing Peter Parker) to be as headstrong as a wild mongoose.

So at the grand age of almost six years old, Morgan has now decided (declared) that she wants her entire family at her birthday party.

Yes, including her big brother that no one seems to remember.

gone with the arm by turtle_bean for polaroid15

Tony cracks open his eyes again and turns to face the boy, who looks positively heartbroken. “You, uh, don’t... remember me?”

“Kid, I don’t remember anything,” Tony groans, pushing himself into an upright position with his left arm and holy shit - where the fuck is his right arm? "What – my arm.”

or, after the snap, tony seems to remember everything except peter, plus the reason that he no longer has an arm.

[bad things happen bingo / prompt: amputation]

The more you say, the less I know by for_the_night

Peter imagined what Tony's first words would be when he woke from his coma. He supposed he'd be shocked by the lack of arm, or maybe he'd just be grateful he survived. Maybe he'd come out with a witty one liner about saving the world single-handedly. He never imagined it being 'who are you?'

or Tony wakes up from snapping with amnesia and for the life of him can't remember the kid hanging around, claiming to be 'just an intern'. Feelings get hurt.

Hold On To It All My Son by for_the_night

*NWH SPOILERS* Tony wakes up one day feeling like he’s missing something. He couldn’t understand why he risked his life inventing time travel for Spider-Man when he didn’t even know the face behind the mask, so Tony makes the decision to find out. He gets more than he bargained for.

…

“That’s you isn’t it? Wow look at you go.” The overwhelming feeling of deja vu almost made Peter’s knees buckle. He couldn’t go through this again.

Where Is My Brother? by eliotandq

They were supposed to celebrate Christmas together, but neither Peter nor Aunt May ever showed up. And then Happy came and told them the sad news of Aunt May's death, but no one mentioned Peter. No one has ever mentioned Peter, and when Morgan asked about him, everyone pretended not to know him.

Except they didn't pretend and she was the only one who remembered Peter. Her brother.

If This is What I Get, I Will Take it by mikimouze16

NWH Spoilers

Peter had been putting of visiting Ned and MJ because he wasn’t sure if he could handle them not recognizing him. Thankfully, their bond is stronger than any magic spell that can be cast.

Or where I fix the ending scene because it’s been weeks and I’m still broken, thank you very much.

Missing Pictures by rainbowanatomy

Redacted. That’s the word Pepper keeps coming back to as she waits for Peter Parker to pick up her call.

Marshmallows & Chocolate Shavings by spideybegins

“This is you, isn’t it?” Tony held it out. Peter reached out, his hands shaking as he took it from him.

It was the picture they took at Stark Industries. They needed proof for May that he was working as an intern there, so Tony had a certificate made. It was Peter’s idea to give each other bunny ears, but Tony was the one who held the certificate upside-down. They’d barely known each other then, but they’d both laughed when they realized his mistake.

A couple of tears ran down his cheeks as Peter gripped the frame. “Yeah,” he choked out. “That’s— That’s me.”

Peter knew Tony had the photo. He kept it in his lab. Once the spell was set and done, he figured Tony would’ve thrown it out. Why would he hang onto a picture of someone he didn’t recognize?

Peter never told him, but knowing it was there made him feel so important. He should’ve told him.

“You’ve shivering,” Tony commented, just like Pepper had. His anger had turned into a shade of worry and concern. With a small shake of his head, he moved out of the way. “Get in here.”

—

Or the one where the world has forgotten Peter, and Peter still finds himself at the Starks' cabin anyway. Set after Spider-Man: No Way Home. Spoilers ahead.

The world kept you like a secret, but I kept you like an oath by for_the_night

NWH SPOILERS At 23:37 Doctor Strange casts a spell to make the universe forget Peter Parker.

At 23:36 Tony Stark's heart stops for three minutes. When he comes to, no one remembers his kid, but you best believe he's going to do everything he can figure out why. He isn't going to lose his Spider-ling again.

Missing Memories by Sillysbarka16

Peter lost his memories in a battle and wakes to think Tony is his dad.

Tony doesn't correct him.

Workplace Safety 101 (don’t give a nail gun to the new kid) by inkinmyheartandonthepage

A work place accident leaves May in the hospital where she gets a surprising visit and even more surprising news.

May suffers a head wound and forgets Peter.

Wrong Number by Anarchyduck

Peter sends the text message without even thinking. A stupid meme, something he knows Ned would laugh at.

His phone chimes with a message.

who is this?

I just want you to know who i am by strkhollnd

"Do you ever talk about chemistry with random boys in a coffee shop?" Peter tried to play.

"Only the sad-faced and extremely intelligent ones." the man smiled in amusement.

Or: After the events of no way home Peter is in a coffee shop when a familiar face appears to him

Baby Spider Protection protocol by GNM_dreaming_girl

SPOILERS !!!! Don't read if you haven't watched the movie.

Regardless of what happened at the end of the movie, FRIDAY's protocols are still well in place.

note to self: don't get kidnapped by OnlyForward

Peter gets kidnapped and gets temporary amnesia. When a man he doesn't recognise rescues him in some kind of metal suit and keeps checking to see if he's okay, Peter jumps to the conclusion that he's his dad after a passing comment.

Whumptober Prompt 30: Note to self: Don’t get kidnapped

#iron man #irondad and spiderson #irondad fics #spider-man #spider-man no way home #spider-man fics #fic recs #peter parker #peter parker fics #tony stark #tony stark fics #amnesia fics

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whereismymindnow · 6 months

Text

Twin Hearts Chapter 5

Author's Note: An extra long chapter to make up for the wait. I’ve started a new therapy-type-thing and I explained that I’d lost interest in so many things that I used to enjoy – writing being one of them. So, I now have weekly/monthly goals involving my writing to try and get my mojo back and to heal some parts of me that I’ve neglected.

Anyway, on with the chapter!

Pairing: Niklaus Mikaelson x Twin!Original Female Character

Warnings: 18+ due to mature, darker themes. Twincest. Smut. Strong language. Death. Miscarriage. Murder. Vampire/Hybrid violence. Please read responsibly.

If this work is found anywhere other than Tumblr (@whereismymindnow) or Archive of Our Own (Mikki19) then it has been posted without my permission.

Twin Hearts Masterlist

---

Chapter 5: Just A Little Game

Pia thanked Kol sarcastically as he opened the door to The Grill and motioned for her to step through.

“Of course, my lady.” He snickered behind her.

Pia froze immediately after entering the establishment. Her heightened senses were instantly assaulted on all fronts; cheap lighting made her scrunch her eyes, the smell of onions cooking in the kitchen made her grimace, the noise of the 23 customers grated on her nerves, the feeling of a slightly sticky floor from a spilt drink under her expensive red bottomed shoes caused her to sigh in disgust, the taste of the cheap beer being served turned her stomach… but most of all?

The sound of the little doppelganger made her blood boil.

She quickly had to remind herself that it wasn’t her, but one glance over to the booth that the teenager occupied with her friends made her want to vamp over there and rip out her pretty eyes. Those pretty eyes that had haunted her for centuries. Those pretty eyes that had fooled her brothers on multiple occasions. Those pretty eyes that had caused so much heartbreak.

Kol, who noticed how tense his sister suddenly was, wrapped his arm around her waist and squeezed lightly. He eyed up the table that had caught her attention as he spoke. “We can leave, if you aren’t ready.”

“No.” Pia painted on a smile and sauntered over to the table, inwardly laughing at the dark-haired vampire that stood protectively in front of the brunette girl. She bit her lip and looked him up and down. “Hello.” She said calmly and extended her hand in greeting as he clenched his fists.

“Let me guess, you’re the rejected sister?”

“Oh, ouch. That almost hurt my feelings… let me guess, you’re the weak-willed vampire that decided he’d go for the human since Katerina wasn’t interested any longer?”

“Let’s just g-”

“Ah, Caroline. Of course, you’re here.” The young vampire paused as Pia addressed her. She didn’t want any trouble, she just wanted to get Elena out of here. “You do get around, don’t you?” Pia teased with a wicked grin.

"I'm surprised that your lover-brother has let you out." Pia let out a laugh as Damon's sarcastic tone made bubbles of excitement rise in her stomach. She could already tell that he would be fun to play with. He acted like he was invincible, but he had proven on numerous occasions that his heart was delicate and easily wounded – from what Rebekah had told her. Kol, sensing that his sister’s playful nature had just been triggered, walked over to the nearest humans and began compelling them to leave. They didn’t need an audience for this.

"Why did you come here? Surely you can see that you're outnumbered." Stefan's even tone interrupted her thoughts and she cocked her head to the side and observed him. He was quite attractive, but something told Pia that he was already back under the influence of his group of friends.

"Already back on the bunny hunts, Stefan? That is disappointing. With everything Nik told me, I was expecting someone with a bit more oomph!" She walked closer to him and put her hand on his chest; his heart pounded beneath his skin and revealed his current stress-filled state. He was hanging on to humanity by his fingernails. He just needed a push in the right direction. "You know, I've never really turned it off. There’s just another part of me that starts to scratch inside my skull after a while… I think you’ve heard of her. I cannot imagine what it must have been like as Nik took away all of your control… perhaps you can become my little friend and show me how dastardly cruel you can be?"

It was the clenching of Stefan's fists that made Damon vamp forward, grab Pia by the throat and throw her across the bar. Pia's laughter rang out from the heap of wood that had once been a table until her body had crashed into it. She pulled shards of wood from her hair and sat up with a grin as a deep laceration in her forehead was already knitting itself together.

"That was great!" She applauded the oldest Salvatore making him frown. Why wasn't she attacking him yet? "Oh, Damon, you do not disappoint. Perhaps it would be better if Nik had his best friend back and then you can become my pet? I think we could have a lot of fun together.” With that her smile dropped and she raced forward to stand in front of the two siblings; Kol appeared by her side seconds later with a dark glare.

"You truly are stupid, aren't you? You think that you are important enough to place your hands upon my sister, Damon? Do you wish for me to kill you slowly?" By this point Elena had been ushered out of the grill by Caroline and Bonnie, Pia did not miss this and sent the doppelganger a look over her shoulder.

Pia glanced back up at Damon in wonder and bit her lip whilst swaying from side to side like a cat about to jump on a mouse. We really could have some fun, darling. As though she agreed with her own thought, Pia nodded and pounced on the dark-haired brother. Kol immediately grabbed Stefan's shoulder and threw him into the bar; bottles and glasses rained down on top of him as Kol leisurely strolled over to where he was.

Pia aimed a hard punch to the side of Damon's head which was returned shortly after. The hybrid quickly got to her feet as did Damon; a growl left her lips before she dove at him again. Her legs clenched around his waist and she locked his head under her arm. Damon tried to shake off the small female but found it impossible to get her to let go as she squeezed her knees into his ribcage. Pia tightened her grip and smashed her fist into his back a few times with a smile. This was fun!

"Agh!" Kol and Stefan exchanged punches before Kol picked up some of the broken glass and threw it at his opponent's face. Stefan fell backwards against the bar and struggled to clear his vision. Kol gave him no chance to recover and sent a powerful fist to the side of his head; as Stefan hit the floor, a second hit made him gasp as Kol kicked him so hard that he slid a few feet away from him.

“I expected mor-” Stefan cut off the Original’s taunt and dived forward, spearing Kol into one of the tables. Both men panted and scrambled up off the floor whilst holding their sides as their ribs healed themselves.

"Come on!" Stefan met Kol halfway and blocked the blow that would have knocked him back down. "Is that all you've got?" Stefan taunted as he broke the hand that Kol seemed to favour when fighting; he followed up his attack with a rough uppercut and this time the older vampire was the one that was sent back into the bar and onto the broken glass.

Pia's body crashed into another table, breaking it into pieces as Damon stumbled backwards away from her. She was breathless for a few seconds as pain shot up her spine like a red hot poker. Now, she was annoyed. "You can do better than that." She hissed before quickly standing up and landing a hard kick to the man's abdomen. His body was propelled backwards and he let out a yell of pain as he met the hard ground and skidded back into a wall. Pia gave him no time to recuperate, pulled him back up to his feet and threw him in the opposite direction. Damon groaned in pain as he hit the floor and landed precariously close to a broken table leg that threatened to pierce straight into his side. He heard the click of heels approach him and quickly tucked the makeshift weapon under him for future use. The hybrid appeared in an instant and straddled his waist. "I thought you'd do better." She smiled as her amber eyes broke through the blue and her fangs dropped. Tauntingly she pressed her lips to Damon's throat and laughed to herself as he swallowed hard; his hands came up beside his head as he made no move to touch her and begrudgingly surrendered. This was far too close for comfort.

"Okay, let's talk about this…" Damon's voice had lost its confidence as he mentally relived the last time he had felt werewolf venom run through his veins. He did not want to repeat that experience if he could help it.

"Talk? Okay, then." Pia did not remove herself from his neck and instead licked some blood that dripped down his jawline. She giggled to herself as his stubble tickled her tongue. "Why Elena? Don't you think it's weird after all of the Katerina business?"

"Elena is not like Katherine." Pia hummed and sat up so she could look down into his blue eyes.

"Hmm, let's see about that. She's got in-between two brothers? Check! She's already had them both in her bed? Check! She thinks the world revolves around her and her problems? Check! People have died trying to protect her? Check! She sounds pretty damn similar to me."

"Elena is not like Katherine." Damon repeated, although his voice had lost some of its conviction. He wasn't blind; he could see the similarities just as much as he could see the differences. "There's one thing that is drastically different: Elena doesn't enjoy breaking hearts and causing misery."

"Neither did Kit for a time." Pia couldn't even believe that she was defending the bitch, but somehow she felt like she had to. Other than Elijah and herself, no one else would ever remember the innocence that Katerina had once possessed. "It's my mother's fault, you know? She destroyed our humanity, and because of Nik's need to break his curse; we in turn destroyed Katerina's. It's a vicious cycle and I have no doubt that we will somehow be the cause of your precious Elena's humanity crumbling as well."

"I won't let that happen." Damon took her moment of distraction to plunge the shard of wood into her side. Pia cried out in pain and stumbled away from the younger vampire as her hands grasped at the stake lodged into her ribcage. "I won't let you win." He jolted to his feet as the hybrid let out a vicious laugh, pulling out the stake as blood gushed down her dress.

"Oh, really?" Before Damon could blink Pia kicked his legs out from underneath him and sat on his waist yet again. She grabbed his right hand, the one that had grabbed the table leg, and bent it back until a satisfying crunch echoed around the room and it dangled at an awkward angle completely dislocated. "I was trying to be civil."

“Enough!” Elijah’s voice rang out through the destroyed bar causing Pia to huff petulantly. Nik appeared beside her with a frown; he outstretched his hand and motioned for her to take it. Unfortunately, Pia wasn’t in the mood to obey, and so with the elegance of a feline, Pia rose to stand by herself. She sent a wink to the Salvatore at her feet and walked towards her elder brother. Her innocent smile made Elijah's blood boil so much so that he pinned her to a table by her throat in a blink of an eye. "Leave, Damon." His cool stare bore into Pia who squirmed underneath her brother's tight grip.

Klaus, unable to believe how his sister had snuck out from under his nose, turned his attention to Kol who had let go of Stefan and thrown him in the direction of the exit. "How dare you! You know that she was not allowed out of the house yet!" Klaus shouted at Kol who smirked from where he was perched on the dishevelled bar; the younger sibling took a sip of bourbon from one of the few intact bottles and shrugged his shoulders. "She could have been hurt!"

"Oh, please, Nik! We both know that Pia is more than capable of looking after herself… besides, Damon threw the first punch at our beloved sister."

"He did what?!"

"Now, is not the time, Niklaus." Elijah interrupted the conflict and made his way over to his brothers; his hand was still around Pia's throat as he kept her pressed back against his chest. "You should not have allowed our sister to lose control, Kol."

"She hasn't lost control, she was merely letting off steam. Don't be such a killjoy, Elijah. No was going to die. It was a game. We were making sure that Team Doppelganger knew exactly who they were up against. They need to be kept on their toes. This is the only way we’d make sure they knew we were serious."

"And, you…" Elijah turned Pia to face him, his hands harshly gripping the tops of her arms. "…was this just a game to you also?"

"Well, I may have wanted to nip Damon to see what he was made of, but he looks like far too much fun to kill. I wouldn't have let him suffer for very long."

'I wouldn't have let him suffer for very long.' Elijah swallowed and stared down at his sister in disbelief. Was that supposed to make him feel better? "Do you apologise for causing such a mess?"

“Kol compelled all the humans and we can replace all of this. I need to be allowed to breathe, Elijah. I didn't slaughter an entire village!"

"Don't you see how much danger you put yourself in?"

"Oh, why don't you just dagger me and get it over with? That is what our family does best, right?" Her uncaring tone and look of defiance in her eyes proved to be the last straw. A loud crack echoed around the grill as her neck was broken and Pia's body fell. Elijah caught her in his arms before she could hit the ground.

"Rebekah, help Kol to clean up this mess. Myself and Niklaus will take care of Pia." Elijah gave his youngest brother a disappointed look before disappearing from the grill with Klaus in tow.

"Why on earth did you allow for this to happen? Everything was just getting back to normal." Rebekah frowned and huffed as she began to clear away one of the tables.

"Pia was climbing the walls at that mansion. She needed her freedom."

"Had you only asked then we would have come out together. She needs stability.”

"So, you're taking Elijah's side?"

"Elijah knew that the distraction of getting her relationship back on track with Nik was blocking any thoughts of leaving the mansion and confronting Elena and her merry band. She needs us to help control the outside world so that she can ease herself back into normal life; she may hate being under house arrest but you know that it is for the best. There are far too many dangers out here for Pia to just be let loose."

"You never took such precautions with me."

"We did not let you just run outside though, did we? Kol, we can’t just let this happen. It will be like decades ago when Mikael was tracking us and you were causing havoc. It risks exposing us to him. We all know that he will go after Pia in order to break Nik. We need to be smart.”

Kol looked at his feet for a second before helping Rebekah move a large chunk of wood.

"Shut up." Rebekah smiled slightly. That was as close to Kol saying sorry as she was going to get.

-----

Pia groaned and rubbed the back of her neck as she woke up. She moved her head from side to side and let out a deep breath as the soothing crack evened out the awkward pain that had been shooting through her bones.

"How do you feel?" Elijah's voice echoed from beside her. She was in her room, lying on the bed with Klaus perched next to her and Elijah in a chair to her right. She glanced down, in an effort to avoid Elijah’s stare, and noted that she was now dressed in her silk pyjamas and the blood had been cleaned from her skin.

“I just couldn’t resist. The pull I felt when looking into Damon’s eyes became too much. I just wanted to…”

“You wanted to what?” Klaus asked despite being nervous of the answer.

"I just- I needed- no, I wanted to feel free again. I have been daggered for centuries and then when I wake up, you keep me under lock and key. I'm only allowed to go out to exercise my wolf but as soon as I am back in my body again, my need to be free as a vampire is still there. So, yes, maybe I made a mistake in going out with Kol, but he gave me a chance to not feel detained so I grabbed it! Can you blame me for wanting to go outside again? I wanted to feel the breeze on my cheeks and the sun caressing my hair. It's not enough to just be let out into the gardens no matter how many beautiful flowers you put around the gazebo."

"Yes, but we have so many enemies here; Elena and her friends would do anything to destroy us, Mikael is still out there somewhere and then… then there is the beast that our mother created to kill us. We can see and keep watch on Elena, but how are we supposed to know when Mikael or Alaric will suddenly appear? What if you were out there on your own and none of us knew where you were? We could lose you within seconds and not even know about it."

"Do you want me to lose you so soon after getting you back?" Klaus was so close that his lips touched her ear as he spoke; his arms encircled her so that she could not wriggle away.

"No, I know…" Pia was exhausted as she felt the pure emotion that was pouring out of her brothers' pores and soaking into her skin.

"I'm sorry for breaking your neck." Elijah murmured as silence fell over the room.

"I'm sorry for not thinking." Pia muttered with a shy smile that her brother returned.

"Let's forget about what happened today."

"Agreed." Pia whispered as she felt Klaus cuddle her even tighter. She just wanted to sleep now. A yawn left her lips before she could stop it.

"I will leave you both." Elijah kept his voice quiet as his brother seemed transfixed with how close Pia was letting him be with her. It had been a long while since he had seen such a happy, untainted smile grace his face. As long as Pia remained true to her word, then he would let this one incident go.

-----

“Come on. This is the perfect opportunity! We take out the newest sibling and go from there.” The eldest Salvatore seemed certain that they could take down the Originals once and for all, but as always, his little brother was there to stop his fun.

“Damon, it’s not that simple. We did not see what happened when we left!”

“Elijah burst a blood vessel, that’s what happened.” His sarcastic tone rang out as he argued with his brother.

“Look, we’ve fought before and somehow managed to make it back to being on the same page. Who is to say that they can’t? It’s not the first time that they’ve seemingly broken apart in front of us!”

“This is different. You saw the look on Elijah’s face.”

“Yeah, I recognised that expression for the amount of times I’ve aimed it at you!” Stefan clenched his hands into fists and took a deep breath before releasing them. Damon could be so frustrating when he wanted to be. “Let’s just wait until Bonnie figures something out, alright? Lashing out now because they’ve had an argument will only put everyone in danger. For all we know, they could have reunited as soon as they got home.”

“Or they could have pushed each other further away…” Damon drawled as he left the kitchen with a lazy smile on his face.

“Don’t do anything!” Stefan’s voice rang out full of frustration making his brother laugh.

Siblings… who needs them?

-----

Pia had been fretting all night. She had spent a few hours resting with Klaus, but ever since she had awoken she had been anxious. Her brother sat on her bed watching as she paced around her bedroom; her fingers fiddled with the ends of her hair and she bit at her lip.

“Pia--”

“I know that you are disappointed, but I can’t say that I did not enjoy myself earlier. I-I understand that you think keeping me here is for the best… but I cannot stay within these walls until you deem it safe for me to be let out. My urges shall only get stronger and it will be harder for me to fight them.”

"I understand. I’ve trapped you and I shouldn’t have. You’ve always been a free spirit.” He caught Pia’s hand and pulled her to stand between his legs. “I’ve also met Damon on multiple unfortunate occasions and I understand just how frustrating he can be.” His dimpled grin made Pia let out a soft laugh.

"Why are you so calm?"

"Because you are my mate and I have failed you far too many times. My wolf is beside himself to see you so upset when you need not be. It's not the first time that they have witnessed us fight each other… and we shouldn't have kept you locked away here... I should have known that Kol would do something to set you free." Immediately her gaze locked onto Klaus, pinning him in place as he became enraptured by her amber eyes.

"Don't blame Kol. I was just as much at fault." She hissed at him before willing away her hybrid features.

There were a few moments of silence in which they both just looked at each other. Klaus wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms, but judging by how tense her body was, that was the last thing she needed. So, instead, he kept the conversation flowing and asked a question that had been burning within him for a while. "If you had wanted to go out, why did you not ask me?" His voice was quiet making Pia’s shoulders slump forward. It was one of the rare times that he sounded vulnerable and worried about the reply she would give.

"I- I wanted to be free for a little while. I would not have been free with you because you would have been looking over your shoulder at every moment to see if someone was coming too close to me. Kol was the simpler choice out of all of you.” Nik exhaled as he listened to her words.

“I always thought that I would be your first choice for everything.”

“There was a time when that was true, but much has happened since then.” Klaus nodded solemnly.

“I shall make it up to you. I swear it.” Pia smiled softly and cupped his cheek with her hand.

“One day at a time. Niko. Let us take it one day at a time.”

Pia left her brother in her room, allowing him to have a moment to gather his thoughts, and made the journey to the living room where she had heard whispering. Kol and Rebekah were both sat on the same couch and speaking quietly. All talking stopped as she entered the area.

"Well, if it isn't troublemaker number 2."

"Number 2? You know that I am number 1, Rebekah." Pia dropped onto the sofa opposite them. "What happened today must never be repeated."

"Ugh, don't tell me that the fun police got to you?" Kol, as always, seemed annoyed by his older brothers’ attempts to make them all behave.

"Kol, I shouldn't have done that today. We shouldn't have done that."

"Why not? It's not like you didn't enjoy it."

"I did enjoy it, but that isn't the point. Just because we can do something, doesn't mean that we should."

"Honestly, I am looking at you Elijah, but you look an awful lot like Pia these days." Kol joked as he saw the familiar scowl cross her face; Rebekah hid her laughter behind her hand as Pia raised a brow at her younger brother. They all knew how serious it was, but somehow, Kol always wanted to find the funny side.

"This isn't a laughing matter." Pia smoothed down her skirt and looked at her brother seriously. "We have so many enemies beyond these walls that losing control like that is not an option anymore."

Klaus and Elijah silently approached their siblings. Klaus sat next to Pia and gripped her hand; he gave a single squeeze which she returned just as tightly. Elijah sat on another chair to the left.

"We had made so much progress over the last few weeks. Let us get back to that.” Elijah spoke up as he watched his youngest brother carefully. He was fidgeting which meant he was either ready to get up and run or begrudgingly agree with them all.

“I do not believe it will last.” Kol argued with a frown.

“If it doesn’t, then at least we tried.” Pia sent him a smile that made him groan. “We said ‘always and forever’ so let’s show everyone that we actually mean it.” Rebekah nudged him as he huffed and nodded to them all.

Pia looked to Klaus and saw him staring back at her. He slowly moved forward and pressed a single kiss to her forehead before leaning back. She sat still for a moment as he waited for her reaction. Pia let out a deep breath and moved her head to his shoulder; nuzzling herself against his warm skin.

Let’s try again. No one ever got it right immediately.

I see a bad moon rising I see trouble on the way I see earthquakes and lightning I see bad times today Don't go around tonight Well, it's bound to take your life There's a bad moon on the rise ---Bad Moon Rising by Mourning Ritual---

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