#legends the older brother who Knows Things and fours the younger sibling whos only just learning what ledge knows

[twink-between-worlds]

THEY'RE SIBLINGS!!!!!

[vivianbernadetteaurora]

Welcome to Carter world where things aren’t normal and this family seems somewhat cursed 3 out of five children have sadly passed and ironically, the two that are the ones that are still alive. The father is also not here. The mother is a stage mother and an alcoholic, who joked about her son’s section abuse from lou pearlman..

this post is more specifically about Leslie who died in 2012 and had her name tarnish after she died by her brother Aaron.

Her brother, Nick didn’t even go to her funeral. I feel like this girl was the most out of all of them if you watch house of Carters, you see how badly she gets treated by the other siblings, so let’s get into it starting with Nick, the eldest and Aquarius sun 🌞 a Gemini moon, Venus, in Pisces Mars and Virgo in retrograde, which makes a lot of sense for his alleged abuse to women over the years going waiver decades . so in this family, the mum pushed the boys to be famous and the girls were kind of pushed to the back. Leslie was the closest to the mama of the girls, and as they got older Aaron and his twin drifted apart and Aaron‘s twin angel became closer to Nick, and they had to separate themselves from the mother, and her toxic ways. Jane Carter, Leslie, legend died of a Xanax overdose, and this is where it comes in with Aaron and how he says his pointless lies. He’s on an interview and the man says to him so I believe your sister died at 25? She is part of the 27 club, by the way she wasn’t she was 25 we have to do the quick Google search. Sorry I know he is dead and can’t defend himself, but he told a lot of lies and there’s many videos on this. Let’s go to the next sibling who died the other day Bobby Jean Carter Capricorn, sun 🌞 an emotional moon, and Pisces of Venus in Aquarius and Mars and libra, which could maybe say, she was on a bit more of the dead emotionally side, which is why she probably took so many drugs because she felt so numb, and wanted to escape and I understand so she’s a closest in age to neck and then you have the younger free. This is why I feel Leslie is kind of left out and miss the one who has picked on so Leslie comes after them About four years later 1986, she is a Gemini son, a Gemini moon her Venus is in cancer, which I say to you on a skin cancer and we’re very emotional people and that’s where she gets it from more me that she’s a Gemini son and moon, but we need to know her send them which we don’t, because she could be a cancer rising also or a Pisces, rising rising is an opposition to her Venus in cancer in being in Capricorn. They all seem to have a lot of retrogrades in the outer planets and retrogrades in Saturn, which represents the father and a bad dynamic of the father of the father ever being absent a drug addict, not there there, but abusive I get this placement a lot. I have this placement too I understand but I generally believe his family has a curse on them so this is why I felt like Leslie was left one out. There was nick and Bobby Jean. And then there was the twins an angel a year laterwho are both Sagittarius, sons, cancer moon and Sagittarius rising so they have their Mars in Scorpio, which I find terrifying. It’s a placement I’m not very comfortable with and I totally see it in Aaron with his pointless. Lies kind of see it with Angel as well, although I’ve only seen a hole on our house of Carters. She does stupid things to the other sister just to look a certain way and they’re both Sagittarius and Sagittarius and Scorpio placements together can be a bit dangerous. They both have mars in Capricorn like Leslie, so here is the astrology of all of them. The mum is a Pisces which goes with BJs moon, Nick may struggle with his mum because he has completely different values to her. He’s a lot more stronger maybe on the outside with dealing with certain addictions and he finds his mum maybe weak it comes across that way he feels like he’s put his all into his career. The boys un like the Kardashians were raised and the girls were just left in the background as friends for themselves two of them becoming alcoholic or maybe even pill addicts or BJ recently who died had fentanyl on her and had shoplifted is becoming so out of control with this situation and that Aaron and the bathtub, and the fact that she died exactly a year late and nearly from her brother and then the two that talk the ones that are still alive I just find this really scary and yet a little creepy too that’s all signing out XX 

[rcsplendent]

❝ i thought i told you, this world is not for you.  ❞

☼☾  (  sebastian  stan  ,  34  ,  he/him  ,  cis  man  ,  markov  3  )  -  have  you  seen  aleksei  markov ?    we’ve  heard  through  the  grapevine  that  they’re  guileful  but  also  aloof.  when  you  think  of  them,  you  think  of  an  unblinking  faraway  gaze,  gripping  a  knife  by  the  blade,  orders  followed  without  question.

parallels : bucky barnes ( the winter soldier ) ; amon ( the legend of korra ) ; bruce wayne ( the batman )

BASIC INFO

FULL NAME: aleksei ilya markov

AGE: thirty-four

GENDER: cis male

PRONOUNS: he/him

ORIENTATION: bisexual, probably

LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: fluently — russian ( primary language ), french; conversationally fluent in almost all other languages

ACCENT: russian

LABEL: the cataclysmic; someone who is prone to disaster.

APPEARANCE & PERSONALITY

FACE CLAIM: sebastian stan

HEIGHT: six feet, one inch

HAIR COLOUR: dark brown

EYE COLOUR: icy blue

USUAL EXPRESSION: unfazed, maybe slightly bemused

POSITIVE TRAITS: self-sufficient, cunning, thoughtful, intelligent, strategic, skillful, self-disciplined, unfazed

NEGATIVE TRAITS: humorless, curt, guarded, jaded, brainwashed, stubborn, conflicted, struggling, traumatized

FAMILY

FATHER: duke ivan markov, deceased

MOTHER: duchess oksana markov

SIBLINGS: nikolai markov, older brother; viktor markov, younger brother

THINGS TO KNOW

aleksei remembers, in flashes, having a joyous childhood, full of gentle moments with his mother and rambunctious play with his brothers, but underneath that lies a disturbing and painful history at the hands of his father.

while his older brother took the brunt of the abuse, and his younger brother was moulded into a fierce fighter, the abuse aleksei suffered was largely psychological. his father saw his remarkable intelligence and knew he could be honed into a skilled advisor, possibly to the romanovs one day, and trained him how he saw fit -- which meant hours upon hours each day reading, writing, playing chess; his meals withheld until he won enough matches in a row. god forbid he lost -- that meant he would be berated and beaten until he understood what he'd done wrong.

aleksei, of course, knew that what was happening was terrible and wrong, but he longed for his father's approval anyways. when he performed well, his father would praise him, even reward him. sometimes he would even do it in front of his brothers and make an example out of aleksei, using him as a tool to berate his siblings. it was cruel, but somehow it was solidified in aleksei's brain that he needed to be perfect, and if that meant being pitted against his siblings, he would surpass them in every category just for a simple pat on the shoulder from his father.

aleksei, then, learned to survive the only way a child could conceive of: winning every time, getting every question right, following orders without question. he became his father's servant, essentially. he would even be cruel to his siblings himself, taunting them and berating them, as that was the only way he knew how to express love for a long, long time.

when his older brother started to shield him and his younger brother from the abuse, aleksei's mind started to change; he started to feel in his gut that the way his family functioned was terribly wrong. he became paralyzed, caught between two states of being; yearning for his father's approval but also feeling deeply guilty for his brothers' suffering, for their collective pain over the years and the part he may have played in it.

when his father passed, it ruptured something within aleksei, and he fell into a deep depression. while joyous moments were already few and far between in the markov household, aleksei went completely numb - he didn't know how to cope with the loss of the man he both idolized and despised with his entire being. he was relieved that his father was gone, and he didn't know what to do with that feeling.

only now is he beginning to make sense of what's happened over the course of his life. he essentially feels like his brain is split in two -- one side that is still deeply brainwashed by the way his father treated him, still mourning his death and convinced he was a great and noble man; and one side that is hateful and full of rage, wishing his father would resurrect so he could wring his neck himself and make him feel all the pain he'd caused aleksei and his siblings at once.

HEADCANONS

he has a long, thin scar running from his ear to just under his left eye, curving across his cheekbone. he "doesn't remember how he got it."

he has terrible, awful nightmares and wakes up screaming fairly often.

he actually doesn't remember much of the abuse he suffered, as it's all compartmentalized in his brain. most of the time all he can remember of his childhood is the good moments. when he starts to remember the truth, he becomes extremely agitated and fearful.

he's a very cold person. completely numb to the world. he doesn't really understand jokes and is deeply antisocial. however, as he starts to become his own person again and unlearn the deep conditioning his father had instilled in him, he will learn the following about himself:

he really enjoys reading, especially mystery novels. he loves a good puzzle. in fact, puzzles in general are quite fun.

he really likes cats, and is very fond of animals in general.

he likes music, and while he's unsure about dancing or singing or parties, he would happily go to the opera or to a musical performance by himself to enjoy the music.

he is deeply afraid of himself and what he's capable of. he treated his own siblings horribly while they were growing up and now that his beliefs about his father have splintered, he's horrified by his own actions and how deeply he believed he was doing the right thing by searching for his father's approval in that way.

despite their troubled past, aleksei is a markov through and through and would die for his siblings without question. that is one thing he knows for sure his father was right about - loyalty to one's family comes before all else.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

unlikely friends: someone who is gentle with him and can help him through this process of unlearning what his father has instilled in him from such a young age. someone who can help him discover himself and find out what he enjoys about the world.

enemies: aleksei is kind of a dick so it only makes sense.

love .... perhaps ??: hmmm hm hm ! who knows ! maybe someone will be able to chip away at that icy exterior and thaw him out ... although they're in for a lot of angst as he discovers more and more about how horrible his father truly was.

[moved-to-void-kissed]

“Legends tell a tale of two brothers and two sisters. The older brother was wise and calm, but the middle two siblings bickered over matters of logic and spirit, while their younger sister was kind and soft-spoken. The second brother set out to rule his own kingdom, while the older sister grew up to become the queen of their homeland, but their feud brought about a curse of eternal slumber, and it afflicted the younger sister.

Only such a tragedy could bring all four siblings together again, but they had left too many remnants of conflict in their wakes for all to be settled so easily. Everyone did everything they could to revive the princess, but to no avail; the only insight into her condition came from the older brother, who foresaw that only the person she was destined to marry could reawaken her.

That was five hundred years ago, and many people assert that all four siblings are no more. But it’s also said that the princess is still sleeping somewhere, in an undisturbed castle, awaiting the touch of her fated love..

..and I think I might’ve just found her.”

(Reblogs of my work are always appreciated, but by no means required!~)

tag list: @dragonsmooch | @childrenofmeyneth | @catake | @kissofthemoonrabbit | @tex-treasures | @kalliopi-ships | @tartaglialovemail | @vilehusband | @lilacslovers | @beeon | @blackbirdcrime | @thatslikesometaldude | @garchompp | @strawberryshipz (to be tagged in what I make, please click here!)

Alright, so, this one has a bit of a process to it. When I saw the “fairytale AU” prompt that was given for today by @sapphicseptemberhub​, my first thought was to make something for my mythical AU, which is a fantasy setting where all my selfships are canon simultaneously and almost all of my F/Os and self-inserts are present as various non-human creatures. (For example, in that AU, Pyra is a dragon stuck in a sort-of human form - with her aforementioned siblings being dragons who can choose to take a more humanoid form if they want to - and Sapphire is a werecat.)

But then I latched onto the “fairytale” aspect of the prompt, and accidentally realised how well a Sleeping Beauty-type tale would work for Pyra given how she canonically sleeps for 500 years, and then I came up with the story written above to flesh things out, and now I’ve possibly got a new AU on my hands, ahaha

To clarify Sapphire’s part in all this, she’s the rebellious daughter of a nobleman living 500 years after Pyra’s curse who likes going off on random chaotic adventures, and managed to stumble across the castle where Pyra was sleeping in the process. Since she knows the story, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to reach out to the princess, and.. well, that turned out to be what she needed to wake up again!

I hope this is alright! ^-^

[ravensbug]

Kuvira x reader au where she gets a cat please. I'm a shameless obsesser. Of both.

Jinx

Fandom: Legend of Korra

Ship: Kuvira x reader

Request: Yes

Prompt: ^^^^

A/N: I absolutely love this idea so much. My heart can’t handle all the adorable thoughts that come to mind. You are a genius Anon. Thank you for giving me this gift of a story to write.

There you two were, in the animal shelter, picking out a pet. After almost three months of convincing, Kuvira finally gave in and said yes. She saw how you missed the cats from your parents since you two had moved in together. Getting one wouldn’t be so bad she thought. It would mostly spend its time with you, you had promised to take care of it, so there was no reason for it to ever really bother her at home.

You were weaving your way around little kids whose parents had brought them to also get a pet. Most of them were looking at dogs anyway. Not that you didn’t like dogs, but you couldn’t exactly have one in an apartment.

When you got to the cats your eyes lit up. There were so many, and if it were up to you then you would take them all. But you promised Kuvira only one cat, for now.

You read each paper of every cat you walked by, looking for one that you knew would be perfect for the two of you. You knew if Kuvira would ever have gotten a pet by herself that it would have been a cat. Graceful and nimble, just like her. Also affectionate.

You probably spent a little too much time looking at each and every cat because a volunteer walked up to you.

“Looking for anything in particular?” he asked. You looked away from the cat that you were reading about.

“Kind of? I guess one that can handle being by itself, but also will be able to handle other cats in the future,” you shrugged. You felt Kuvira glare at you, but not in an angry way. It would be a long time before she thought about getting another cat.

“You should look at some of the younger cats then. Most of those are rescued from kitten mills or found abandoned at the sides of roads. They usually come in groups, but the cats seem to do fine on their own as well.” He talked as he directed you to the section of younger cats. You noticed now that some of them were pens together. The older cats were always by themselves.

The little meows of the younger cats tugged at your heart. The age differences were fairly big, there were old cats and cats who probably should still be with their mother. Your eyes landed on one of the pens in the back. You learned from your years of adopting cats that they put the ones that were less likely to be adopted there.

In one of those pens sat a small black kitten, maybe six months old. You looked at the papers, seeing the kitten didn’t even have a name. At this point your mind was made up. You knew the poor thing would be here for the rest of her life if you didn’t take her. Black cats were almost never adopted.

“This one.” you pointed at the kitten. She walked up to you since you had gotten there and attempted to sniff your hand.

“Are you sure?” Kuvira asked.

“I’m sure.” You looked up at Kuvira. She wasn’t going to second guess you again.

Kuvira had been over your parent's house plenty of times before you moved in with her to know that you liked all kinds of cats. Your parents currently had four cats. Two of them were Calicos, being brother and sister. One was a Maine Coon, who was the ‘mom’ of the group. The last one was a black cat, who was basically yours since he spent most of his time with you. Kuvira should have known that because of which cat you spent the most time with that you would choose one that looks like him.

“I’ll get the papers then. Another volunteer will get a carrier ready for her so you can take her home.” The volunteer walked off. You knew to meet him back at the front desk, as this was the same shelter your parents got the two Calicos at. Kuvira followed along, occasionally looking at some of the cats herself. This made you smile a little knowing she wasn’t completely disinterested in the idea of a cat.

You two waited a few minutes for the volunteer to come with the adoption papers. You smiled as you saw the excited kids leaving with their new companions. It was the best feeling in the world, to get a new friend who would love you just as much as you loved them. Even if they would be gone long before you would be.

“Just sign on the marked lines, pay the fee and you’re good to go!” The volunteer handed you a pen so you could sign the papers. In your opinion, you didn’t like the fact that you had to pay to adopt an animal, but you knew it was how the shelters stayed running. If it were up to you, you would have the government put funding into the shelters so they could afford to not have fees for adoption.

“Perfect,” the man smiled. “I’m glad she’s getting a home. She was the last one from her litter left,” he explained. It hurt your heart that whoever had adopted her siblings decided to leave her there on her own.

Another volunteer came out with the kitten in a carrier. You could see she was scared, but you knew that most cats were scared during and right after adoption. Kuvira was the one who took the carries from the volunteer, careful to keep it as steady as possible. You had never seen Kuvira so attentive to each and every movement she made. It was different from her dancing, even though the basic idea of precise movement was the same.

When you two finally got back to your apartment you were so giddy to let the cat out. Kuvira adored this side of you, so happy and excited, even if she wouldn’t say it out loud. Not that you hadn’t been happy since you moved in together, this was a happiness that was beyond that. It made Kuvira a little jealous.

Kuvira gently placed the carrier down on the floor in the living room. You were already sitting on the floor, having done this situation plenty of times. You motioned for Kuvira to sit next to you, which she thought was ridiculous. She wasn’t going to spend much time with the cat so what was the point of her joining you. The look you gave her made her give in, but only to make you happy.

Kuvira opened the cage with her metal bending and you two waited patiently for the cat to come out. She walked out of the carrier slowly, eyeing her surroundings for anything dangerous. Once she saw nothing except for you and Kuvira she finally came out of the carrier. Apparently, the small time of interaction with her at the shelter made an impact. She walked over to the both of you with caution.

You were the first to reach your hand out. You placed it on the floor, to make yourself seem less threatening. The cat stood still at first before coming up to sniff your hand. She didn’t have any problems with you so now it was Kuvira’s turn.

You grabbed Kuvira’s arm and placed it down on the floor like yours had been. You can tell how tense she is. She never did this with the other cats, them being adults and all. They just looked at her and didn’t really mind whenever she came over to your parent's house.

“Just relax,” you chuckled. You telling her to relax seemed to work a little, but she was still nervous.

The cat moved over to sniff Kuvira’s hand. It took its time, longer than it had with you, and that worried Kuvira. If the cat didn’t like her how would that make you feel? She at least wanted the cat to be fine with her.

When the cat rubbed her head against Kuvira’s hand you both were in shock. You put your hands in front of your face and you couldn’t stop grinning. Kuvira was frozen with the cat still rubbing her head on Kuvira’s hand. You thought this moment was ironic and perfect. The cat meowing at Kuvira just made it even better.

“She wants you to pet her,” you said, still grinning from ear to ear.

Kuvira moved her hand so she could pet the cat. She was still hesitant even though the cat clearly liked her. She had never been known as a fragile or soft person and this cat was exactly that.  When she finally started petting it, that little bit of fear went away.

“Have you thought of a name?” Kuvira asked while petting the cat.

“I was thinking Jinx,” you smiled.

Kuvira raised an eyebrow at you. The name was cliche but you loved it anyway. Kuvira didn’t really care what you named the cat. It was more yours than it was hers anyway.

As the weeks went on you spent more time bonding with Jinx. She finally warmed up to you and loved playing with you when you had the time. Working from home really helped the bond. She often curled up next to you or even on you while you were working. Those were the moments you missed from home.

What was even better, in your opinion, was that whenever Kuvira was home Jinx would follow her everywhere. Sometimes it got on Kuvira’s nerves, especially when she would turn around and almost trip over Jinx. You always thought it was the cutest thing in the world. You eventually decided to get Jinx a collar with a small bell, so Kuvira could hear whenever the cat was behind her. She never outright thanked you for that, because that would mean telling you the cat was annoying her.

Weeks turned into months and Kuvira finally took some time off of work. You were grateful that you could spend more time with your girlfriend now. Spending time with Jinx was nice and all, but being with Kuvira was nicer.

Because of her time off Kuvira started to do more things around the apartment. One of your favorites was when she would make dinner for the two of you. She had picked up a few things from the chef back when she lived with Su. You didn’t expect her to be a good cook because you knew all of Su’s kids were horrible at it.

One particular night, when she was cleaning up after you two had finished, Jinx was sitting patiently next to her in the kitchen. Kuvira hadn’t seen her do this before so she was slightly confused. You looked over from your spot on the couch and laughed.

“What?” Kuvira asked.

“She wants a piece of the chicken,” you told her.

“I’m not giving her a piece. She’ll learn to expect it every time we have it.” Kuvira looked over at you. You had a sheepish grin on your face, telling her why Jinx was sitting there so patiently.

“You’ve been giving her some before haven’t you?” She asked.

“Maybe.” You looked away. You had given her a few pieces every once and a while either when you were putting the leftovers away or giving Jinx her own dinner.

“Look at her, sitting so nicely. How can you deny that face?” you pouted. You heard Kuvira sigh and knew she gave in.

“Fine. But stop doing it so often.” Kuvira pointed at you with the knife she was using to cut up the remaining chicken.

“I can make no promises,” you smiled. You would try, but as you said, who could deny that face.

When Kuvira finished in the kitchen she joined you on the couch. You sat there with Kuvira’s arms wrapped around your waist. You loved it when she got time off of work. She loved it more than you did because sometimes work got to be too much. Coming home to you was the best part of her day. With the addition of Jinx in the house, she had become more accustomed to the cat coming up to greet her whenever she got home.

Jinx had hopped up on the couch while you two were snuggling and decided to climb on Kuvira’s lap. You heard her sigh, but she refused to move from her position. You looked down at Jinx, who had now curled up on Kuvira’s lap, and smiled.

“Y’know, she really likes you. Like more than she likes me,” you explained.

“How, she’s your cat. I’m also not home as often as you are,” Kuvira argued.

“I think that’s why. She doesn’t see you as often so she misses you. Plus she warmed up to you way faster than she did with me.” You knew more about cat behavior than she did. You also knew more about how people dealt with cat behavior more than she did.

“Pretty sure you like her more than you’re willing to admit,” you smiled.

“I tolerate her,” Kuvira mumbled.

“Which is why you’re letting her sleep on your lap and why you let her sleep on your side of the bed?” you smirked.

“She’s not as bad as I thought she would have been,” Kuvira admits. That’s what you were looking for.

“Well, I’m glad you like her.” You moved your hand to pet Jinx’s head. She meowed and stretched out across Kuvira’s lap. You heard Kuvira sigh, but that didn’t stop you from petting Jinx.

Kuvira eventually moved from holding you to sit up carefully, so as to keep the cat where she was. When she was done with that she gently picked up Jinx and held her in her arms. Jinx began to purr even though Kuvira wasn’t even petting her.

That image will forever be in your mind. It was perfect in every way. This is what home means to you.

[fictitiousfoodie]

It’s A Family Thing

Summary: A boy falls for a girl

Pairing: Reader x Ian Kildner ( fake person)

Word Count: 3847

Okay so here are something to know before you read. The teams are real but all the people fake it was easier for me with this story.

Juliette stood by a high table, wearing a stunning and elegant black dress A-line gown with a respectable but fun slit up the side, talking to a relatively wealthy seeming older gentleman. His tux was custom, hair grey, and thinking, and the date he had brought with him was barely legal to drink, showing almost all her cleavage, and was sipping her cosmo through a straw. But Juliette didn't care about any of that right now. All she cared about was convincing this man that a donation to the team's charity would be a brilliant investment. 

"Mr. Mason donating to the teams' charity is not only a write-off for you with tax breaks, but it allows lots of people to see just how good you and your company are." Manson Construction was responsible for building half of Boston and rebuilding the other half. They had gone through a string of bad publicity when someone leaked rumors of the company cutting corners regarding safety protocols to the local newspapers. The stories had been proven untrue, but they had still caused doubt in the community. Mason Construction was a good company, and Juliette knew that. "Manson Construction on every banner we use when the team works with charities like Habitat for Humanity or does an event with local children's hospitals something like that could change how the community views your company," she said with a passionate and firm promise to her voice. Just as Juliette finished her speech, a loud, sharp crack of noise erupted from behind her. 

Juliette's brother Jack, the youngest of her four brothers, and his girlfriend Ashley had been fighting all night. Juliette had been keeping an eye on it. Ashley was not a great girlfriend. Juliette was pretty sure Ashley was in it for the idea of dating a pro athlete, and Jack was in it cause Ashley was hot. Juliette had noticed more and more that Jack seemed done with Ashley's crap, and from the Way, Ashley was now storming out and the fact Jack wasn't going after her, he had decided to end things tonight in a public place. 

Juliette turned back to Mr.Mason, who was chuckling to himself. "Your brother seems to be quiet, the unlucky fellow tonight in regards to love. But you are better than luck. You're smart, and you've got gumption, Juliette. I like the image you've given the charity, and I think it will provide great support and publicity for my business. I will send you a check tomorrow with the donation. If the team or the charity needs anything, you let me know," he said, smiling and walking away with his old wrinkled hand on his arm candy's ass. 

Jules shivered in disgust as she watched arm candy giggle and kiss him on the cheek, then took a deep breathe she had done it. She had landed another massive donation for the charity. 

Suddenly a large and heavy arm flopped around her shoulder, and her oldest brother Brandon was there by her side. 

"Way to go, Jules. It looks like Mr.Mason was pleased with the idea of being the teams highest paying donor', he said with pride and admiration for his sister. 

"He said he would send over the check tomorrow. I need a drink, and to get these heels off my feet are killing me." She laughed, walking to the bar. 

Brandon was the oldest of the four brothers at the age of 33. He had retired from the league last year due to a knee injury. The team hired him as the skills coach. Brandon was always responsible. He was the boy next door with a killer smile and genuine charm. The next one down was Henry, who was 31 and was the team's new athletic trainer. He was sporty and the smartest. He wanted to be a doctor when he was younger but found a way to combine his love of medicine and learning with his love of hockey and the team he had grown up around. He immediately change to sports medicine. The third one was Eric. He was the middle one, wild and crazy. He was 28, had been on the team as a defender for four years now, and made sure everyone knew his opinion on any given subject.

Jack, the youngest of the brothers, was a sweet kid, but just that, still a kid in many respects. He had the talent and a good heart, but he needed to grow up. He was 25 and still trying to figure out many things about life but was too stubborn to listen to anyone's advice. Finally, there was Juliette, the youngest out of the five children and the only girl. She grew up tough and headstrong, just like her brothers. Her mother made sure she was balanced, though, so she had put her in dance as a little girl, and she had loved it. She still went to classes and taught little ones occasionally. Her brothers were always there in the front row to cheer her on then give her noogies after. She was 24, but most people thought she was older because of how she held herself.   

All 5 of the siblings looked alike, all athletic, tall, and toned the brothers ranging in muscle definition. All five had dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. There was no denying they were family. The dark hair came from their dad, and the eyes had come from their mom.  The whole family was here tonight, and Jules loved that. Everyone in the family had found a way to be apart of the team or organization in a job they loved. She loved being around her family and the constant support they gave. Her mom had started the Boston Bruins charity when her dad had been a player. She was still running it and was grooming Juliette to take over soon. Being a Bruin was a family thing. They had been born into it and loved every minute of it. 

She and Brandon were standing by the bar ordering drinks when she saw out of the corner of her eye, Henry and Eric walk up. 

"So, we all saw the slap that Ashley gave Jack, right?" Henry said in a cautious and questioning tone. 

"Yes, the whole room heard it. Did you see where he went?" Brandon asked cautiously. 

"No, but my guess would be the locker room, someone should go check on him?" Eric said, turning towards Jules. 

"Yea yea yea, I'll go. Even though one of you are married and ones engaged," she said over her shoulder, walking away toward the locker room. 

She found Jack sitting in his locker with a cold beer pressed to his face. head drooped down and fidgeting with his phone. "You shouldn't call her, "Jules said, pulling the drink away to check out the handprint on his face. It wasn't nearly as bad as it had sounded probably just stung. Ashley wasn't abusive, just dramatic. 

"Why? Cause she slapped me?" 

"No, because she gave the bartender her number about 15 mins before that happened. You made the right call. She didn't love you; she loved the status."

"I know. I just thought she was the one at the beginning. "He sighed as Jules sat next to him. 

They sat there for a few minutes in silence. Jules knew he would be fine just needed someone to lean on for a bit, and sure enough, after about 10 minutes, he handed Jules his beer and stated with new energy, "There are plenty of fish in the sea. I have to find the right one, right?!" Jack jumped up and started walking to the doors. 

"Yes, just please be safe and smart and maybe go home alone tonight," Jules shouted to him as he strutted out the doors. 

Jules took a sip of the beer and sighed, starting to take her shoes off, enjoying the silence. When she heard the doors slam open and Jimmy Peters and his date for the evening tumbled though not breaking the sloppy kiss and handsy embrace, they were tangled in. They never noticed her as she grabbed her high heels and beer and left the room. She was in the hall on the way back, laughing to herself about the thought of giving Jimmy a hard time the next time she saw him when she heard the classic catcall whistle from behind her. 

She turned to find Ian Kildern, one of the team's defensive players. He was 6'4", muscled more than the average hockey player and curly brown hair with deep green eyes. His tux was well altered; it hung perfectly on him, showing his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Ian was an excellent player, intelligent, lightning-fast, and a great leader. He was 26 and had been in the league since he was 19. The Bruins had picked him up four years ago when his contract had been up with the Tampa Bay Lighting. They were friends, but Jules was closer to other players, and usually only had a small talk with easy, polite jokes. 

"Juliette Calloway, you clean up nice." He said in a semi-serious, mostly mocking tone.

"Shut up, Ian. Don't you have a date to dazzle like the rest of the team?" She said in a cheeky and light-hearted tone. 

"No, actually, Kelly and I broke up last weekend."

"Oh, that's right; her name was Kelly, and I'm so sorry to hear that after a week together, you had to call quits. You must be devastated. She said with a wink. Knowing fully, he had never planned on keeping it serious. Ian didn't sleep around a lot, but he also didn't keep girlfriends long. 

He chuckled, "Yeah, she was allergic to my dog." He changed the subject when he noticed the bottle in her hand, "You drinking alone - drowning your sorrows?"

"No, actually," she said in a matter of fact tone, "I was consoling my brother."

Ian's face squished up, and he sucked in a breath, "Yea, I saw - well heard the slap. Is he okay?"

"He's fine. It's his pride that's hurting more than anything, although he won't admit to it", She explained on a sigh. 

"Well, I'm glad he's okay. It's tough trying to figure everything out—the balance between the game and social life. Suddenly having money and not know if women want you the status or the money. It can be a rough and bumpy ride."He said with an understanding tone. 

"You sound like you have some experience, but you seemed to have figured it all out." 

 "I had my mistakes and issues, but the key difference is I didn't have a last name that's attached to 2 legends. Jack has a whole lot more spotlight from the league because of your dad and oldest brother. I could make my mistakes in private." 

"So, you had a girl slap you in front of your entire team and about 45 VIP guests?" Jules questioned, intrigued to hear his answer. 

"Okay, well, no, I never had that, but I did have a date throw up on me at an event one time. Rachel Madison, I'll always remember that name now. She hadn't eaten all day and then started doing shots of tequila. The smell was horrendous. It was like...

"Ew, I don't want to know! Please stop you win. That's disgusting." She fussed, cutting him off and giggling at the idea. 

"Well, then, Miss. Date Judger where is your perfect event plus one this evening." He asked mockingly, looking around the hallway they were slowly walking down. 

"Oh, I don't ever bring a date to an event that mom and I are running. I did once or twice and always felt bad that I left him standing somewhere while doing things for the event, plus dating in my life is hard. They tend to get offended when I know more about the game or jealous when I spend all my time here at the arena with you guys OR my brothers bully them, and they can't take the heat." 

They had almost reached the doorway to the main lobby, where the fundraising event was when Ian's ear perked up as he heard his favorite song come on. It Had To Be You by Harry Conick Jr. He grabbed her hand put the bottle of beer in her hand on the floor, and stated softly, "It's a great song - I wouldn't want it to go to waste since you don't have someone to dance with."

Surprised by the sudden change in tone, Juliette lost her voice a little and had to clear it before asking, "Ian Kildern, are you asking me to dance?"

He slowly started to pull her into his arms, saying in a volume just barely above a whisper, "I guess I am. Are you saying yes?"

"I guess I am." She said, staring into his eyes and falling into the sway of his body. Still stiff at first, she slowly drifted further into the daze the music mixed with his look and tone of voice had caused, eventually allowing her to melt completely into him. Neither spoke to busy enjoying the moment. It had been years since she had slow danced, and she was enjoying being wrapped in someone's arms. Not just any someone, but someone who had made her laugh and had been having a good conversation with, not to mention he smelled incredible. 

Ian couldn't believe he was dancing again. He had stopped bringing dates to events because it always fell short of what he wanted the evening to be. But with Juilette, he couldn't help but notice her laugh at his story or the way she had softened and molded to him as they danced. Hand in hand, his left hand rested at the small of her back, her head resting on his chest her right on his shoulder. She felt good in his arms. He felt something different for her, something he hadn't felt in a very long time. The music drifted away as the song ended, and they both stopped swaying. She pulled her head back but didn't pull away; she just looked at him, waiting for him to speak first, but Ian didn't want to say anything anymore. The smell of her vanilla perfume. The blush that had risen in her cheeks, the way she was waiting for him. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to feel those soft pink lips pressed to his. Before he knew it, she was wetting her lips and starting to lean in because she had wanted it too. Never one to miss the opportunity; he leaned in and pressed his hand into her back more, drawing her closer. They were a whisper away from each other when Jimmy and his date exploded from the locker room with laughter, pulling Ian and Jules apart. Jimmy and his date rush by them and unseen to the car in the parking lot. 

"Well, it's late. I should be going," Ian said, trying to hide the disappointment that the moment was gone from his voice. 

"Uh, yea, it's late. I should be finding mom to see if she needs help with anything. Good night Ian and thank you for the dance.", She said, turning and walking away before he could say or do anything. 

It took a split second for him to decide, but he had made his choice he wanted her. He wanted to hold, kiss, love, and keep Juliette Calloway forever. 

Ian couldn't stop thinking about that night. It had been two weeks, and all he could think about was Juliette Calloway. He had been indifferent to her before that night. Ian had had conversations with her but always just regarded her as almost one of the guys. And now he couldn't get her out of his head. The way her eyes sparkled with what he hoped was lust and something more. The way she didn't back away from him and the chemistry in the air. He needed to do something, but what? 

Friday games were always Juliettes favorites. The offices were always more energetic with Friday games as everyone was excited to watch them. Juliette always ran home at lunch for an hour or so to let out Wayne, her Weimaraner, go potty and play, then she would change into her jersey and jeans. She would come back and finish up work, then relax until the game started. Today was no different. She got home and was greeted by Wayne's barks and excited tail. She let him into the backyard and threw her bag and keys on the counter. She loved her home. It was warm and welcoming with leather couches and natural linens. She left the back door open for Wayne to come back in and walked to her bedroom. She was opted for wearing Jack's jersey tonight, paired it with her black jeans and favorite booties. She was excited and happy about tonight's game. Hence, she decided on a smokey eye - if she was honest with herself, she was thinking about her evening with Ian when she had decided on it but pushed it away and assured herself it had nothing to do with him. Wayne had yet to come back in; she went in search of him to find him bathing in the sun and enjoying the day just as much as she was. She called him in, gave him a treat, and headed back to the arena. The game was at 7. The team usually came in about 5. Everyone in the offices had more than likely left for the day; she had a few more things to do when there was a knock at her office door. 

"Come in," she called to the knocker.

"Wow, nice digs," the knocker said with a low and slow whistle. 

Juliette's head snapped up. She had expected it to be a co-worker that was running behind or family. Her brother or mother would sometimes stop by, but she was not expecting him, "Ian...what are you doing here"? 

"Though I'd finally venture up to the offices. Poke around, see what it was like having an office job", he said, waltzing into the office looking around. His eyes settled on the wall of pictures and headlines. The wall was full of pictures of her brothers and father on the ice. It captured each of their timelines, from training to playing to winning championships at all different ages. A particular photo caught Ian's eye, and Juliette got up from her desk to join him. He looked fantastic in a suit more casual than the other night but still just as perfect. It was a solid black suit with a black button-down. He had the first few buttons undone. Juliette was standing next to him when he laughed to himself, saying, " Is this .. Henry?!" 

"Yea, it is. He was like 8 or 9. Mom loves that photo; he hates it", she said with a snicker. The photo was of Henry in full hockey gear. He was standing on the ice for the first game of the season when he slipped and fell. The camera had caught it just right, and all his limbs were up in the air, and his face read of terror and surprise, not know what had just happened.  

"I have to have the team come see this. Look at his bowl hair cut, "He cackled. 

" Don't you dare! He will kill me if he knows anyone from the team has seen it", she said hastily while grabbing his arm to stress the importance and implore him not to tell. 

He felt the electricity of her touch shoot through him. He was no longer focused on the photo but her. The way she smiled and was almost begging him not to spill her secret. He paused and looked at her hand on his arm. She realized what she had done with the casual touch, she could feel his muscle move, and she was immediately turned on and pulsed for him. When she tried to retract her hand, Ian grabbed it, placing a kiss on the top, and looked at her with seductive eyes while asking, "Are you begging me, Juliette?"

Juliette felt the innuendo to her core, and her stomach filled with butterflies. But she was no rose petal. She wanted him and wasn't going to melt for him like all the other women he was used to. She moved just a few inches closer and looked at him with a devilish smile, and asked, "Do you want me to?" Something inside Ian snapped. He couldn't hold himself back any longer. The look in her eyes mixed with her smile and words had him going practically feral. He gave the hand he was holding a tug, and she stumbled into his chest, her other hand landing in between them as she attempted to catch herself. Ian's other hand wrapped around her waist. He dropped her hand and slid his into her hair at the nape of her neck. He paused for a moment, making sure he still saw the same look in her eyes. He was thrilled to see it there but even more intense. He pulled her in and kissed her. 

The kiss was passionate, hard, and needy. Ian pulled ever so slightly on Juliettes hair, causing her to moan softly into his mouth, giving his tongue access to explore. He deepened the kiss, fingers digging into her side, causing more soft moans to escape her. He pulled back ever so slightly to give her air, but Juliette chased him, making him growl and start to grow hard. Juliette's heart was pounding her panties were becoming very wet. She wanted more. They both craved to feel each other skin to skin. When they both broke because they needed air, Juliette saw a softness in Ian's eyes. His thumb stroked her cheek for a split second while he started to ask her out on a date to dinner in a few nights when she cut him off, smirking, "I guess you should be going wouldn't want coach to see you be late to practice." Then with a quick kiss, smirk, and a hoard of giggles, she pushed Ian out of her office and locked the door behind her. Ian was still in shock as he walked from the office to the locker room, both from the kiss and that she had pushed him out without saying anything else. She had a fire and spirit he had certainly never seen before. Juliette slunk down into the couch in her office. She couldn't believe she had just done that. He was incredibly sexy, and she was very turned on. She could feel the blush creep into her cheeks. She knew she wanted him in more than a casual fling way. That's why she was going to play hard to get. Make Ian chase a little bit for once in his life.  

[randomly-a-fan]

How Can “IT” Love a Human? Pt. 1

Pt. 2

Pt. 3

Finale.

Aquarius was sitting with her son, looking into his mom’s photo album while Kandy and Pennywise had a little skin to skin bond. Archie noticed a picture of his mom in the old family photo. “Is that you in the picture mommy?” Archie asked; assuming that the young-looking girl was his mom. “That’s right son, and these are your late twin uncle and aunt, Xavier and Babs; my older brother and sister.” Aquarius explained. 

Aquarius noticed that Archie was looking in confusion. “What are you thinking about son?” Aquarius asked. “What did you mean by late twins?” Archie asked. Aquarius didn’t answer; she got into a flashback from when she was four, her twin sibling sacrificed their lives for her before The Dream Demon: Freddy Krueger harms their little sister. Which stated how Aquarius knew about an exchange in order to save the ones you cared for. 

Archie snapped his mom out, since she didn’t respond to his question. “...It means... They were... gone too soon...” Aquarius answered while facing down.” Archie stared sadly. “What happened to them?” Archie asked as he was concerned. Aquarius didn’t answer, she just faced her son unamused. “Sweetie, mommy’s not in the mood anymore, I’m getting tired.” Aquarius explained. Archie realized that he asked an offensive question, so he decided to leave his mom be. However, he did give her a gentle kiss by the cheek, which was rare of him to do so. After Archie left the room, Aquarius silently cries on the couch as she was thinking about her deceased twin siblings. 

***

Later that night, Pennywise and Aquarius were lying in their beds. Since their children are in their beds sleeping, they have some time for themselves. “You know, Pretty Blue, Archie told me that you’ve been crying in the living room today... Do you wish to talk about it?” Pennywise asked. Aquarius sighed before she responded. “It’s nothing personal... but... Archie asked me about my twin siblings; do you remember back when I told you about how The Dream Demon killed my brother and sister, as they were sacrificing their souls for me?” Aquarius asked. Pennywise nodded and remembered. “Yeah... Look sweetheart, I know you’re upset, but you’ve got to let that dark past go; it took me 529 years for me to get over the trauma back when my home planet was destroyed... I don’t want you to go through what I’ve been through...” Then he placed both his hands on both side of her cheeks. “...Be grateful for your loss of your human soul; if you’ve never became a demon clown, I would never have met ‘my Star from the Sky’...” Pennywise finished with a kiss at the end. Aquarius teared to Pennywise’s words. “I love you, Penny...” Aquarius responded before she kissed him back. 

Pennywise was going to lift up her shirt until she stopped him. “Penny... I love you, but I’m too tired to pop your balloons tonight...” Aquarius honestly said before she tucked herself in. Of course, Pennywise didn’t give up too easily, so he slides his hand into her nightshirt and groped her... balloons. Aquarius knew that Pennywise will be up all night until she does accept his temptation. “Alright Penny, let’s make this quick...” However, it wasn’t quick. But Aquarius didn’t care anymore; she needed this.

After the love making ended, they fell asleep together. Well, except for Aquarius; what Pennywise said about the part how he could never have a love life if it weren’t for the accident she was in. So she woke up her husband. “Penny... Penny?” Pennywise woke up with a snore. “Ready for round six?” Pennywise asked with a sleepy chuckle. Aquarius didn’t answer. “Would you still love me if I was a human being... Like... fully human?” Aquarius asked. Pennywise smiled with a lazy-eye smirk. “Why asking a silly question that’s so hypothetic?” Pennywise asked. “Would you love me if I’m a human-being?” Aquarius asked again. “Aquarius...” “WOULD YOU?” Aquarius toned her voice to make him answer. “OF COURSE NOT.” Everything is all silent for a moment until Pennywise took a breath. “If you really want to know the truth... if you were a full human being, I could easily kill you with the smell of your fresh fears... Demon Clowns and Humans can’t ever love each other. I’m just glad that you’re a demon clown and nothing less.” Pennywise said before he rubbed her back. “Now can we get some sleep before Kandy wakes up?” Pennywise asked before he yawned. Aquarius nodded as she agreed, she is indeed tired and would love to get some shuteye. That is until they both heard Kandy crying. “I got it, Penny.” Aquarius said before she exhaustedly gets out of bed to check on her daughter. 

***

When Aquarius was finally getting some sleep, she was in the dream realm that she remembered very well from when she was younger; the boiler room. “Oh no... Anywhere but here...” Aquarius said to herself with worry. “What’s the matter Scarlet Jones, scared?” Said the voice. “Oh no, I ain’t having it; I’m waking up!” Aquarius yelled as she tries to wake herself up. 

However, there is no avail. Then she heard the sharp scraping on the metal poles. Freddy Krueger was approaching her; she tried to run, but she’s not going anywhere, she is stuck in her spot. “Miss me, bitch?” Freddy asked as he was a few inches close to her face. “What do you want, Deadpool Sr.? I’m not in the mood!” Aquarius said with a sass. Freddy only chuckled to her sass; it really fires him up in a good way... for him anyway. “I like the way you sass me, just like when you were four years old; Babs was a sassy one, and now her baby bitch is the sassy one... How cute...” Freddy replied. Aquarius punched Freddy in the face hard before she tries to escape the dream realm, but she still couldn’t move.

Freddy made an evil chuckle as he was watching Aquarius struggling to wake herself up. “Can’t you see, Clown Bitch? There is no escaping The Nightmare Legend! After what you did to me back in the past; back from when I was trying to kidnap your son, you shredded me to death...” Freddy opened his knives and laid one of his knives on her neck. “...But... I have a much better idea... Instead of me killing you...” He placed her hair behind her ear before he continued. “I’ll let Pennywise do it for me.” Freddy planned. Aquarius was shocked; why would her lover want to kill her, after all the sweet love bond and starting a family? “Penny would never kill me; he loves me to the stars and back!” Aquarius scolded. “That’s not what I’ve heard...” Freddy’s head transformed into Pennywise as he was going to repeat what Pennywise said a few hours ago. 

“If you really want to know the truth... if you were a full human being, I could easily kill you with the smell of your fresh fears... Demon Clowns and Humans can’t ever love each other.” 

After Freddy turns back into himself, Aquarius only stared in confusion. “But I’m not a human being anymore; I was summoned by the devil, and it’s my duty to hunt and kill the sinners in my path.” Aquarius explained. Freddy pounced onto Aquarius and held her by the scruff of her night top. “Are you forgetting who you were witnessing? I’m the satin here now...” Before Aquarius could respond, Freddy flicked his claws and magically turned Aquarius into a full human.

After Aquarius woke up, she went to the bathroom to make a pit stop. But as she entered the bathroom, she saw her reflection in the mirror, she’s no longer her clown-self anymore; she’s now her old human-self again. Even though back then she was upset that she was turned into a demon clown, she was even more upset, now that she has a love of her life and made two beautiful clown children. But Pennywise can’t love a human, he’ll kill her if he tries. Aquarius needed to leave the house, away from her kids and away from her husband.

***

A few hours later, Pennywise woke up and was going to wrap his arm around his wife, only to realize that Aquarius wasn’t in her side of the bed. Pennywise wasn’t too worried; she’s usually the first to wake up for when she needed to go to the bathroom or needed to give Kandy some attention, so he went into the kitchen to see if she’s there.

When Pennywise entered the kitchen, he saw his son having his vegan cereal. “Son?” Pennywise said in confusion. Archie freaked out when he saw his dad; he didn’t know how his dad will react to him eating only vegan food. “I swear dad, it’s not what it looks like...” “Never mind that, son; I’ve found that you’ve been eating vegan foods... Your mom doesn’t keep secrets from me... Which reminds me, have you seen your mother this morning? She wasn’t next to me when I woke up.” Pennywise asked. Archie shrugged, as he doesn’t know where she is. “I was just up to have breakfast, she could be in Kandy’s nursery.” Archie thought. Pennywise had to admit that it may be the case, until they both heard Kandy crying for attention; they both realize that if Aquarius was in the nursery, Kandy would not be crying just now.

Pennywise went over to Kandy’s nursery and picked up his daughter. “You don’t suppose you know where your mommy is, do you?” Kandy didn’t answer her dad’s question, due to the fact that she couldn’t talk yet, so she just makes random bubbles with her mouth. “Am I suppose to understand that, gumdrop?” Pennywise chuckled before he gave his daughter a lingering kiss.

While Pennywise feeds his daughter some milk, with a hint of soul spice, Pennywise started thinking to himself. Why would Aquarius leave him without hearing her consult? She could’ve at least leave a note that she’s going to be gone. Maybe something happened to her and that she didn’t have time to explain. What ever the reason is, he hoped that she’ll come back and explain things to him and the kids.

To Be Continued

[woolishlygrim]

Dark Souls Theory: Unkindled and Lords of Cinder

So, there was a pretty solid theory doing the rounds a while ago that every Unkindled in Dark Souls III corresponds to a Lord of Cinder, having been linked to them in life in some way. Anri obviously corresponds to Aldrich, Hawkwood to the Abyss Watchers, and Siegward to Yhorm.

But a lot of people concluded from this and some tbh kinda flimsy extra evidence that the Ashen One is the Unkindled tied to Lothric and Lorien, and they aren’t. Friede is, and I will prove it.

I’ll tack in some context and backstory too, just in case any non Dark Souls fans want to read the, er, argument for the prosecution of Elfriede ‘Reverse Sulyvahn’ Londor.

Context.

(If you already know the story of DS3, skip this part. Or don’t, I’m not the boss of you.)

So, the basic set up of Dark Souls is that many eons ago, during an age without light or dark, or life and death, just endless grey and immortal dragons, hollow beings within the earth found the First Flame, the first sparks of disparity in the world, and from it, four of them retrieved four Lord Souls: Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight, claimed the Light Soul; the Witch of Izalith (most likely also named Izalith) claimed the Life Soul; Nito, First of the Dead, claimed the Death Soul; and last of all, the Furtive Pygmy claimed the Dark Soul, and shared it out among humanity.

Gwyn, Izalith, and Nito would go on to defeat the dragons and begin the Age of Fire, but in time, the First Flame that sustained it began to fade, heralding the onset of the Age of Dark, where humanity would rule. Unable to let go of the age had fought for, and terrified of what the Age of Dark might involve, Gwyn decided to Link the Fire, burning himself on it as fuel. This, we are told, is the First Sin -- the Age of Fire was never meant to last forever, and it was always meant to fade into the Age of Dark, and Gwyn’s prolonging of it traps the world in a vicious cycle, preventing the Age of Fire from truly ending, forcing person after person to come and link the Fire in turn as their predecessors burn out, while the world decays around them.

Dark Souls III comes crashing in after countless cycles, each one less effective than the last. The Fire is fading once more, and there is nobody to Link it this time. In desperation, the bell at Firelink Shrine is rung, resurrecting five (or four, there’s some contention over whether Lothric ever linked the Fire, but I believe that he did and that the references to him ‘not taking his throne’ refer to him not returning to link it a second time) Lords of Cinder, people who have linked the Fire in the past, to all burn on it again, or else surrender their fires and their kingdoms to someone else.

With the exception of one, Ludleth, all of the Lords of Cinder refuse to return to their thrones and link the Fire a second time, and so five Unkindled, people who attempted to link the Fire and failed, are resurrected to bring the Lords back to their thrones.

Every Unkindled Has A Corresponding Lord of Cinder: Anri, Hawkwood, and Siegward.

So, the theory goes, every Unkindled is matched against a Lord of Cinder. This makes perfect sense, but it’s true in multiple ways: Each Unkindled is someone that Lord knew before they became a Lord, but each Unkindled’s story and history also parallels their Lord.

Aldrich, Saint of the Deep, was a cleric of the Way of White who discovered a taste for human flesh. Devouring countless victims, he bloated, then softened into a black sludge, becoming something inhuman, and it is heavily indicated that he was captured and forced to link the Flame. Upon being resurrected, he received visions of an Age of Deep Seas, and chose to force the fading of the Flame by devouring the gods themselves -- starting with Gwyndolin, Gwyn’s son.

Anri of Astora, meanwhile, was once a captive of Aldrich, held prisoner as a child, one of his future meals. They, and another captive named Horace, escaped, and evidence suggests they were instrumental in capturing Aldrich and forcing him to link the Flame. It’s not clear how Anri ended up trying to link it, but in the aftermath of their resurrection, they became an adherent of the Sable Church, a church wholly opposite to the Way of White, which believes in usurping the Flame.

The Abyss Watchers were a caravan of undead who roamed in search of the Abyss, a kind of malevolent wellspring of Humanity, inspired by the legend of Artorias the Abyss Walker. It is said that when a city showed the first signs of the Abyss, the Watchers would emerge and bury it. And yet, like Artorias, it seems they eventually began to fall to the Abyss themselves -- and rather than allow that, they linked the Flame, burning themselves as fuel. The First Flame did once contain the same Dark Soul that gave rise to the Abyss, after all. Upon resurrection, they have entire lost their minds to the Abyss, endlessly fighting each other in the depths of Farron Keep.

Hawkwood the Deserter, meanwhile, is a deserter from the Abyss Watchers. Choosing to fight with a sword and shield instead of their customary sword and dagger, he was ridiculed and despised as a coward, a judgement that would later be proven true when he abandoned them, perhaps out of fear of the Abyss encroaching on them. Hawkwood is driven by a fear of death and a hatred of his own cowardice, and we can make an educated guess and say he tried to link the Flame in order to survive in some form, to make a mark on history that would finally win him people’s admiration -- but he fails, and becomes ash. Upon being resurrected, Hawkwood is fatalistic, claiming that it’s impossible for Unkindled to defeat the Lords, but he does eventually find a purpose, as he attempts to seek the immortality of the dragons. Where the Watchers were honourable, group-minded, and didn’t fear death, Hawkwood seeks immortality to be free from his fear, and he seeks it for himself and only himself.

Yhorm the Giant was once the king of the Profaned Capital. Once, the people of the Capital were ruled over by a great warlord who had conquered many kingdoms -- but one day, they found themselves without a ruler and protector, and so they turned to Yhorm, the warlord’s descendant. While Yhorm was by all accounts a wise king and a fierce protector, he was derided by his people, who seemed to resent and doubt him. Eventually, however, an ancient curse awoke in a group of oracles within the Capital, and from them was born the Profane Flame, an ever-burning fire that consumed people’s hearts. It’s not clear what the Profane Flame is, but clearly it (like the Chaos Flame before it) was linked to the First Flame, and may have even been an attempt at recreating it. Either way, Yhorm believed he could calm it by linking the first Flame, and did so -- only for the first Flame to run out of control and rain fire over the city, consuming every human within it. Upon being resurrected, Yhorm saw the futility of what he had done, and settled in to his throne, surrounded by the burnt bodies of his people, to await his friend.

Siegward was an honourable knight of Catarina, and a good friend to Yhorm. At some point in their friendship, Yhorm took two Storm Ruler swords, which he was vulnerable to, gifting one to the people of the Capital and the other to Siegward. He made Siegward swear an oath that if Yhorm ever strayed from his duty, Siegward would come for him -- and with them both resurrected, Siegward does exactly that, or at least, he tries to. As with the others, it’s not clear why Siegward tried to link the Flame, but we can speculate that perhaps he did it to preserve his home of Catalina, or perhaps it was to delay the inevitable time when Yhorm would be resurrected to burn again. Yhorm and Siegward are both honourable, dutiful people, but while Yhorm abandons his duty when he sees the futility of what he did, Siegward never does. An oath is an oath, after all, and he swore one to Yhorm.

I’m spending so much time going over this to make it clear that, apart from each Unkindled and Lord being linked, they also form two halves of a wider narrative. Aldrich and Anri make up to sides of a story about how faith can corrupt or inspire; the Abyss Watchers and Hawkwood are two sides of a story about bravery and what bravery really means; and Yhorm and Siegward are two sides of a story about duty and futility, and especially what duty means when fulfilling your duty achieves nothing of value.

So that leaves two Lords, Lothric/Lorien and Ludleth, and two Unkindled, Elfriede of Londor and the Ashen One. 

Elfriede and Lothric.

We’ll split this into two halves: How things likely played out narratively, and how they match up thematically.

So, Lothric, younger prince of the kingdom of Lothric, was born to link the Flame. From birth, likely even from conception, that was his purpose: He would grow, take the throne, and at the appropriate time, literally actually set himself on fire to keep the world warm.

His older brother, Lorien, was a great swordsman and knight, who had even defeated the Demon Prince (ostensibly), a battle that had charred the blade of his greatsword black. His sister, Gertrude, was -- well, we’ll get to her. But Lothric, unlike his siblings, was born sickly and frail in both mind and body.

It is said that as he was growing up, Lothric had a tutor, a scholar who instilled in him a deep doubt about the Fire-Linking ritual. At the same time, Gertrude was visited upon by angels, being struck blind and mute, and began to write the texts that would inspire the heretical Angelic Faith.

The Angelic Faith, we know, is actually either the same as or closely related to the faith of the Sable Church of Londor -- the pilgrims of Londor seemingly, if they can make it close enough to the end of the world, become angels. 

Similarly, I would posit that Lothric’s tutor was actually Friede, or Elfriede of the Sable Church. 

(This is a tactic we see her use elsewhere, after all, almost exactly, later on in the story. When encountered in the Painted World of Ariandel, Friede has ingratiated herself with the painter Ariandel, and convinced him to let the Painted World rot. She doesn’t do this out of spite or malice: She’s driven by genuine kindness because, as a Painted World falls to rot, it is set ablaze to clear the way for a new Painted World. For Friede, who came from outside the painting, setting fire to the painting seems like a terribly cruel thing.)

Friede fits almost too perfectly. She is a scholar, after all, seemingly well-educated in matters of history and cosmology, and a swordswoman who might have been hired to be Lothric’s (sadly useless, as he was too weak to wield the sword made for him) swordsmanship tutor. She is a founder of the Sable Church, perfectly positioned to have introduced the Angelic Faith to Gertrude. And she is wracked with guilt over a promise she made to protect someone, only to have to resort to violence to do so -- reason enough, then, for her to suggest a gentler approach to making sure Lothric doesn’t link the Flame.

Most importantly, though, she is an Unkindled, which means she is linked with a Lord of Cinder. It must be either Lothric or Ludleth, and we’ll get to why it makes more sense for it to be Lothric in a bit.

So she becomes his tutor, she places the seeds of doubt in him, she helps Gertrude become a would-be prophet of sorts. But Friede, we’re told, is kind. As Yuria says, her kindness wore upon her principles. Her principles, here, are allowing the Flame to be usurped or snuffed out. So, with that in mind, how would her kindness wear upon that? We can assume the end result of it was her attempting to link the Flame, going against all her principles in the process, but who was she being kind to while doing so?

It’s not Ludleth. Ludleth is a powerful sorcerer, and so eager and fervent in his desire to see the Age of Fire continue that he cuts off his own legs to ensure he won’t flee. What use does he have for kindness?

Lothric, though, poor Lothric, has been raised from birth for the sole purpose of being burned alive for years, or maybe centuries. He is sick and frail, kept isolated from the rest of the world, and this torment waiting for him, a torment so terrible that even Ludleth can be heard begging in his sleep for the pain to stop, isn’t even one he can take on his own. Lorien has already figured this out, figured out that Lothric is too weak to link the Flame on his own, and that someone would have to share in the Fire-linking.

Friede, we are told, is kind. So doesn’t it make the most sense that, seeing Lothric and Lorien doomed to this terrible fate, she steps in and links the Flame for them? If the Flame is linked already, then there’s no need for them to sacrifice themselves.

Except Friede fails. She is burned to ash, the Flame isn’t sustained by her, and eventually Lorien carries Lothric into the Kiln, and they burn together. The experience breaks Lorien’s mind and body completely, and when they are resurrected, Lothric wants nothing to do with the Flame, content to simply watch it fade alongside his brother.

Friede, meanwhile, is resurrected as well, but flees into the Painted World. Making it a new home, she, perhaps not fully understanding the Painted World’s own cycle, seeks to sustain it indefinitely, even as it falls to rot. It’s worth noting that this is the opposite of the Sable Church’s views in the real world: Letting the Painted World rot, sustaining the current painting at any cost, is analogous to linking the Flame and sustaining the Age of Fire; whereas burning the painting and creating a new one is analogous to the transition to a new age that Yuria and Lilliane hope for.

Two halves of the same story. Friede’s kindness sees her betray her sisters and her principles; Lothric and Lorien’s kindness binds them closer together, even as it leads to their ruin.

Of course, they’re the easy pair to justify. There’s another one, though: The Ashen One is also an Unkindled, and there’s only one Lord left for them to be linked to.

The Ashen One and Ludleth.

At first blush, it seems utterly impossible for the Ashen One and Ludleth to be the last pair. Ludleth doesn’t recognise the Ashen One, he introduces himself, it’s fairly clear that the two of them never met before they were both resurrected, probably never even heard the other one’s name. They aren’t friends or enemies or even acquaintances, they’re total strangers.

Or, at least, Ludleth is a stranger to the Ashen One. The Ashen One has never met Ludleth before, but, while he doesn’t realise it, Ludleth does know the Ashen One. In fact, Ludleth linked the Flame because, and only because, of the Ashen One. The Ashen One is the single most important person in Ludleth’s life, even though they have never seen each other.

Because Ludleth hasn’t seen the Ashen One, but someone has.

“ Ahh. Found her, did we? And the black eyes that shimmer within, I see? Tis as if it were but yesterday. We did all we could to spare her from them. Much has happened since. Mayhap I should apprise thee... Of what the thin light of these eyes might reveal to the eyeless Firekeeper. Scenes of betrayal, things never intended for her ken, visions of... this age's end..." 

“The eyes show a world destitute of fire, a barren plane of endless darkness. A place born of betrayal. So I will'd myself Lord, to link the fire, to paint a new vision. What is thine intent?"

In one ending, arguably the true ending, of Dark Souls III, the Ashen One can betray the Firekeeper and choose to usurp the Flame, ushering in a new Age, an age of -- something that isn’t quite the Age of Fire or the Age of Dark.

The previous Firekeeper saw a vision of this, in which the pilgrims of Londor are kneeling for the Usurper, who has betrayed the Firekeeper. We know that she told Ludleth about this vision. But Ludleth has never seen this vision. He doesn’t know who the Usurper is, he doesn’t know what they look like. 

Nevertheless, his terror and outrage at what the Usurper did prompted him to throw the Firekeeper from the top of the belltower, and link the Flame. He’s not, in truth, a worthy candidate for the Flame -- you must be a monarch to link the Flame, and Ludleth is just a humble pygmy. But he has power, and a ring made from a Soulfeeder, and with that power and the power of the Flame, he reshapes the land, raising the High Wall of Lothric to block the passage of the pilgrims of Londor as they try to reach the Kiln of the First Flame. After all, he knows that the pilgrims of Londor are a part of this, so surely the Usurper is among them.

If there’s any doubt that Ludleth created the High Wall of Lothric, I will point you to this:

(Pictured: The beta version of Dark Souls III, where the High Wall of Lothric is the ‘Wall of Lodeleth.’)

Like Gwyn, Ludleth is willing to burn for what he believes. But him alone isn’t enough, so he uses the Flame to make more changes: He uses it to ring the Bell, awakening Aldrich, the Abyss Watchers, Yhorm, and I believe Lothric and Lorien. When they don’t return to their thrones, five Unkindled are raised: Anri, Hawkwood, Siegward, Friede and the Ashen One, a nameless undead who tried and failed to link the Flame long ago and was of no importance to anyone.

Making their way through Lothric, the Ashen One will inevitably encounter the pilgrims, most of them dead, at the edge of the High Wall. One is alive, though, Yoel, and if you let him, Yoel will lead the Ashen One to Yuria, the Sable Church, and ultimately, usurping the Flame.

Despite never having met, the Ashen One and Ludleth are intimately tied together. Ludleth links the Fire because of you, to try and stop you, and in doing so, he creates the conditions necessary for you to succeed. In true tragic fashion, his knowledge of the future comes back around to bite him.

But thematically, the two are parallels as well. Ludleth is unimportant: He’s not a king, he’s probably not even a Pygmy Lord (although if he was, what would it matter, outside the Ringed City as he is), he’s just a small, unimportant pygmy. What sets him apart is his determination: Ludleth believes, truly believes, in the Age of Fire, with a zeal that is probably matched only by Gwyn himself. Ludleth is so determined to see the Age of Fire continue that he doesn’t just burn once, he cuts off his own legs to keep himself from running from burning again. 

Of all the Lords of Cinder in game, he is the only one who went to his fate entirely willingly, without being either literally forced (Aldrich), raised for the sole purpose of burning (Lothric), facing the certain loss of sanity due to the Abyss (the Watchers), or facing the destruction of his home and the derision of his people (Yhorm) -- and then he does it a second time.

And isn’t that kind of exactly the same as the Ashen One?

The Ashen One is nobody, a nameless undead who failed to link the Flame. They have no place in history, nobody remembers them, and as far as we can tell they achieved nothing of value in their life. If you play through the game, though, the Ashen One will, through sheer grit, defeat four Lords of Cinder, topple the reign of Pontiff Sulyvahn, set fire to the Painted World so it can be renewed, and defeat the Soul of Cinder, the deific manifestation of every Lord. They never lose their mind, no matter how much they hollow, and they, of all the Unkindled, are the only one to even come close to bringing the absentee Lords back to their thrones -- they’re one of only three to even try.

Like Ludleth, the Ashen One is a determined nobody. Unlike Ludleth, though, the Ashen One isn’t content with just eking out a few more years for the Age of Fire. They would rather break the cycle.

[beerecordings]

How does young fight ready Jackie react to seeing/hering about JJ doing some dismantling in very clean way

ohh good question well oldest brother JJ is a very peaceable person generally, he has no real interest in fighting and mostly just wants to drink tea, finish his embroidery, and take care of rescued hedgepigs in peace. perfect life, right? he lets his younger siblings be disasters and that’s about all there is to it. there’s very little stress in his life and he’s happy and calm

except when big and terrible threats come looming over him again - Anti, mostly, though it’s not implausible that Jackie could pick a fight with someone far enough out of his league to frighten even Jameson.

Honestly Jameson never thought he would have to be a warrior at all or use his powers for anything but fixing minor mishaps like Chase accidentally cutting his finger while chopping tomatoes and Jamie coming over to time-reversal kiss it better. and then Anti showed up in his life. and everything came crumbling down around him. he’s not Jackie, he was never looking for an archnemesis or a good fight. it wasn’t enthralling or meant to be, it was just scary. and he had Chase, still struggling with his depression and addiction, and Henrik, neither of whom were fighters. and suddenly Jameson had to be the one to protect them.

He did. He did, I mean, that’s the most of that story. He stepped up to the plate, became vicious when he needed to be, mastered a power that he has since realized is so astonishing it is terrifying to wield even for a moment, and now, quietly, he keeps the four of them safe.

Marvin and Jackie haven’t been around for a real Anti attack, and their older brothers don’t much talk about it. Not that they hid anything from them - they informed them of all the best ways to stay safe from Anti, told them what happened, what to do if he shows up again, etc. but he’s not real to them, not in the same way he is to the others. he’s just a legend.

and there is one thing that Jameson does not speak of at all, one thing even Chase and Henrik do not know - that now, because of what he did to protect them, he, more than anyone else, is the one that Anti wants dead or enslaved.

He doesn’t want them to have to know a thing like that. He had to be burdened with the fight that Anti brought to them, but if he can spare the others from responsibility like this in any way, he will. Jackie’s already so over-protective. He doesn’t need to know their horrible demon brother - and he is a brother, because there is no chance Jameson didn’t try to love him before deciding he had to be an enemy - wants Jameson dealt with more than he wants anything else in the world.

this is very round-about but stay with me i’m getting there!!!

So Jackie has never really seen Jameson have to fight anyone like that - violently, I mean, dismantling, vicious, powerful. like he knows theoretically that Jameson is very powerful and he’s proud and impressed by him!! that’s his big brother don’t truck with him! but Jackie still thinks of himself as the real protector of the house. not in a proud way, just - well, Jameson is so gentle and calm. Jackie wants to handle fights so he doesn’t have to!! he sees it as the reason he was made!! you stay home and give baths to hedgehogs, JJ, he will take care of the stressful stuff, don’t worry!!

and if he did see Jameson dismantle someone, a lot of his notions of the world and his place in it would come down around him.

he’d be impressed, first of all. in awe of Jameson, really!!! he’s so fucking cool!! so graceful, he looks like he’s dancing but he’s tearing people apart! his face is set like stone, his eyes are storms, he glows with a silver power, time moves at his command like a loyal dog, and Jameson never seems to stumble, never seems to falter, never seems to fear.

but it would also be terrifying to Jackie because... this much power... and it was barely enough to drive Anti away?

what sort of a monster must Anti be, that even Jameson’s eyes grow tired and drift faraway at the thought of him?

and Jameson would only step in in a real, huge emergency where Jackie got in way over his head. Jackie’s already shaken af at this point, doubting his own power, terrified and maybe getting out of his first encounter with Anti. and nothing is like he thought it was and he’s most likely crying and just wants to be held and he’s guilty that he made Jameson do something like this. guilty that he made his gentle older brother pull the blade out of his cane and dance like that.

it would be worse if Jameson had to exhaust himself in the fight and maybe was injured or collapsed from magic exhaustion afterwards. Jackie just wanted to protect him!! then he fucked up and now this happened! he feels weak and small and frightened and he needs Jameson to wake back up, please!!!!

so if he heard about it - oh, this kid is so excited, JJ did you really do that to Anti?? my big brother is so bad-ass!!! why don’t you ever come fighting with me, Jay? haha just kidding I know you like to just be here big bro <33 isn’t he so cool!!!

but if he ever got in enough trouble that he had to see it in person - that’s a bad time. maybe he’s even afraid of how much perfect violence he just saw take place at the hands of the person who’s been the most steady and peaceful in his life. and Jameson - tired Jameson, Jameson who never feels like enough to really keep them safe, Jameson who can’t help but feel that one day he will be taken away from them and turned like a puppet against them - he’s sorry, Jackie. He’s sorry you had to see him this way. But he promises he will protect you with everything, everything, everything that he has and is and must become.

[bellemorte180]

If I Die Before I Wake: Chapter Two

Vengeance is defined as punishment or retribution for a wrong committed against another. A single curse could derail and weaken the most powerful being in the world. A single massacre could take the entire world in one go; but it could centuries to execute the perfect vengeance.

Chapter Two

Mystic Falls April 2010

The mansion was huge and falling to pieces. Yet, Klaus saw its potential. For the last hundred and forty five years, he had to live without Caroline. In order to feel as though she was still with him, he tried to see the world as she would have; a difficulty because he didn't have the light that she did. She would have looked at that run down home and took it on as a project. She would make it beautiful; commanding the reconstruction as though she was the captain of a ship. Klaus knew that he would make it their home for the short time after she was returned to him.

After he broke his curse in Spain and then murdered his father, Klaus built her an entire city to call their home. Perhaps one day they would return to New Orleans but Mystic Falls would have to due for a small while. Freya had collected massive amounts of information in the last century and he knew that Caroline would be weak at first and it would be best if she rested before taking her place as his queen. In truth, Klaus had not been king since he lost her and it would take him some time before he was able to let Caroline out of his sight before he could take on that responsibility right away.

So a mansion would due for a time. She would put her stamp on it and that brought a smile to Klaus's features. He could already see her now; commanding the compelled construction workers to make everything perfect. Caroline was nothing if not a perfectionist.

Making such plans in his mind, Klas needed to actually see her. He spent decades in New Orleans after he lost her, never really leaving her side; contacting every witch he knew but few were helpful. It wasn't until he massacred an entire coven in the heart of the French Quarter that he handed over the keys to the city to Marcel, along with the remainder of his daggered family and his wife, and fled with Freya in search of something; anything that would help him.

Since then he would only return once a year to have a glimpse of her.

Klaus passed the builders and architects and made his way to the basement of the house and saw the five coffins that lined the back wall. He completely bypassed his mothers' and touched the ones belonging to his siblings lightly. When he reached Caroline's, he opened the lid and gazed down at her perfect face. It wasn't gray or decayed; it was as perfect as it was the day he saw her at the summer festival in the small village over a thousand years ago. She looked as though she was sleeping but it was wrong. Caroline always had a small smile playing at her lips when in the deepest of slumbers. She would moaned and toss in her sleep. This perfect stillness was not the wife he slept beside for eight hundred years. Klaus leaned down and kissed her forehead, saving the scent of her.

“Soon Sweetheart. Soon I will have you back in my arms.” He inhaled her scent again and listened as the stairs creaked behind him. He pulled backed and touched her head one last time before closing the coffin. “Hello Elijah.”

“Niklaus.” The older of the two replied. Klaus turned and saw his brother standing at the base of the stairs. He looked impeccable, in a fresh cut suit and nothing out of place. Klaus wasn't surprised. His brother always had a taste for best of fashion. “I see the rest of the family is in-tacked and I am pleased to see that you have not driven a white oak stake through Kol's heart.”

“Do not mention his name to me.” Klaus hissed.

“Nine decades and you still hold it against him.”

“How would you know, you abandoned me when I put the dagger in his heart.” Elijah just shook his head. “He would have woken her with those objects that coven was collecting. He would have brought her back but it wouldn't have been her Elijah; just some demon wearing her face.” He remembered hearing that there might have been a way for Caroline to wake from her slumber but when Freya explained the consequences to Elijah, Klaus set out to stop his brother from putting out Caroline's light completely.

“You were loosing your touch with humanity Klaus. We wanted nothing more to bring Caroline back in order to fix our family. He was wrong to go about it in such a manner but we were desperate.” Elijah looked at his younger brother and saw the same torment that plagued him since that fateful day in 1864 when Caroline crumbled, blood spewing from her lips as she fell into a never ending sleep. “I never really left you Niklaus. Who do you think helped Freya when she had a lead? Who stood by her side hunting down answers when you couldn't?”

Klaus looked down at the ground and gripped the wood of the coffin. Elijah stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. He knew the torment that Klaus was feeling. He listened to Freya's every word when she told him how erratic Klaus had become. Then in the 1950s, his brother fell off the face of the earth completely, going into seclusion with only Freya and Marcel having access to him.

“We are almost there. The last piece of the puzzle is here in Mystic Falls. We will collect her and come the full moon, everything will be as it should be. Caroline will be awake and the two of you will be as you always have been.” Klaus looked at his brother in the eye and Elijah could see tears in them. He remembered the howls of agony Klaus had screamed for weeks and months on end when Caroline first fell.

“All I want is Caroline. What do you want?”

“I want my family reunited Niklaus. I want what we had in New Orleans before this mess landed on our doorstep. I want Rebekah to find love again. Kol to be well, Kol.” Elijah signed. “And I want to see that look in your eyes every time Caroline steps into a room. I want to hear her laughter ring through our home as she scolds you for something you have done.” That made Klaus smile. Caroline was never one to hold back her thoughts and she was the only one who could get away with it. As quickly as the smile came, it vanished.

“Fine.” Klaus stalked away from him and opened Rebekah's coffin. He grabbed the dagger and pulled it out of her chest. “Time to wake up little sister.” He looked at Elijah and handed him the dagger. “Tell her I'm sorry. Tell her that I will make it right.” He looked at the other two coffins. “Wake Kol but tell him I'm still furious with him. Bloody hell, wake Finn too if you must.”

*

Damon was pissed. Furious. He had not felt anger like this in a very long time. What could she have possibly been thinking? Going to see Katherine? When Stefan realized that she was gone and that Bonnie was missing as well, they went into a frenzy. Had Klaus come to town and snatched her under their noses? When they flashed through the town and into the woods, finding Bonnie alone by the tomb, Damon realized that Elena was stupid enough to go down there alone searching for answers.

“She could have killed you and she would have for shits and giggles!” Damon hissed at her as he slammed the door of his chevy camaro. Elena narrowed her eyes and ran her hands through her long brown hair in frustration. She followed him out of the car, not noticing if Stefan and Bonnie got out as well. Damon has been furious since they found Bonnie and herself. Stefan ran to her side, checking to see if she was well but it was Damon's furious blue eyes that she saw. Elena couldn't explain it but Damon's fury, infuriated her with equal measure. While she loved Stefan with her entire heart, there was something about Damon that lit her veins on fire.

“I needed answers Damon. We have found nothing on Klaus other than whispers. There are vampires out there that believe he is nothing more than a legend!” Elena yelled back. “If he is coming after me I want to know why! Katherine is the only person we know who has met him! She knows why he is coming to Mystic Falls and I think she was about to tell me what he wants with me before you rudely pulled me out of the tomb!”

“It doesn't matter why he wants you! The only thing that matters is that he is not going to get to you! At least he won't if you stay under our protection!” Damon practically yelled. “Whatever Katherine did to piss off the oldest vampire in all creation is something she can pay for; you're not paying for her sins Elena!”

“Damon.” Stefan tried to cut in but Elena cut him off completely.

“She said I was the doppelganger! I don't know what that means but he tried to drain her of her blood in order to break some curse! He did it again in 1702! He has a pattern and now he is coming for someone who looks like me!”

“Well if you would listen to me maybe he won't even get near you!”

“Damon.”

“He wants to get his wife back!”

“Damon”

“I don't care what he wants!”

“Damon!”

“What!” Damon snapped and looked at Stefan. The younger Salvator brother just pointed to the boarding house and Damon's eyes widened. Something was off and they could sense that someone was inside. Someone they didn't know. Damon flashed to stand in front of Elena. “Do not leave my side.” Elena nodded but grabbed Stefan's hand.

Slowly, all four of them approached the front door. Both Stefan and Damon where shielding Elena while they left Bonnie completely unguarded. Damon pushed the door open and reviled the living room and the big fireplace on the other end. Once they entered the boarding house, they noticed that there was a man seated in one of he leather chairs in front of the fire place. His legs were stretched out and a glass of bourbon in his hand. Beside him stood a tall blonde woman with short blond hair.

“It is rather reckless to leave a vampire's home open. Word of advice; put the title into a human's name.” The woman spoke gently and they all could tell that, despite the massive power that radiated from her, she wasn't a vampire. The man who took one last sip of bourbon before tossing it into the fire, was; and an extremely old one at that. Damon thought of the feeling he had when he met Rose and realized that she had been an infant compared the man before them.

“And it is rather rude to keep guest waiting.” The man stated and stood. He was tall but not overbearingly so. His blonde hair was kept short and he wore a dark Henley paired with an expensive pair of jeans. Silver chains hung from his neck and a devilish smirk haunted his lips.

“It is when you're expecting them.” Stefan replied and that smirk on the other man's lips grew wide. He seemed amused and that nerved the rest of them. “You, we were not expecting.”

“Rippah!” Both Damon and Stefan froze. It was clear that they had not expected for anyone else to be aware of that part of Stefan's personality. He had been not fallen from the band wagon in decades and most of the people who knew that side of him were dead. “I apologize. I supposed I should introduce myself. The name is Klaus.” While none of them were surprised at this news, their eyes widened slightly. “Ah, you've heard of me. Fantastic.”

“Niklaus.” He turned to the blonde woman whose arms were crossed. She smirked at him and raised her eyebrow in question.

“My apologizes. Let me introduce my sister Freya.” Freya moved towards Klaus, her spiked heeled boots hit the hardwood floor. Standing side by side, the rest could see the familiar resemblance. “Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I believe I will take what I came for. Step aside boys if you please.” Neither Damon nor Stefan were willing to back down and simply let Klaus take Elena. They both flashed towards the intruders but neither made it. Freya didn't even flick her wrist and both vampires went flying towards opposite walls; their bodies being pinned against the wood. Neither could move and Freya made it appear effortless. “Ah, yes. I wouldn't get in her way. My sister is a powerful witch and don't let that flawless skin fool you, she is a millennia old.”

The smirk returned and Klaus stepped forward, making his way towards the remaining girls. His movements were predatory and stalking. Both Damon and Stefan struggled against their invisible bonds; neither succeeded in breaking free. Elena's heartbeat increased, her blood pounding through her veins as Klaus got closer. She couldn't help but take a few steps back, almost stumbling as she went. Klaus got closer and closer, the manic smirk playing at his lips. He was only steps away. Closer and closer....

And he completely bypassed Elena.

Klaus didn't spare her a glance. Instead he stood directly in front of Bonnie and gazed down at her.

“You have no idea how long I've searched for you little witch. I need you to cast a little spell for me.”

*

New Orleans December 1914

Freya's heart beat rapidly in her chest. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes flickered around the abandoned building as she laid on the floor. Her palms were flat against the ground and her back arched to see the three men now glaring down at her. Bodies littered the floor and in the center of the now dead coven was the brother who found her. The brother whose face she first saw when she awoke nearly a year prior.

Kol laid in the center as his skin turned gray and a dagger stuck in his chest. She told him that it wouldn't work; that dark magic was not the way to break the spell. Yet, he didn't trust her and was going to trust the coven he played around with. Kol loved witches and it was for that reason Klaus pulled that dagger from his chest in the first place. He needed a witch and Kol knew the most about them; but now he was going to do something that would ruin everything. Freya wanted one thing, a family and Kol was getting impatient. He was about to do something that would be irreversible. If Freya had not run to Elijah, completely aware that he had no idea of who she really was, everything would have been lost.

Now she looked up to Klaus, whose long black coat was covered in blood, Elijah and Marcel. The two latter ones seemed uneasy but Klaus's extreme violence and complete massacre of the only coven who seemed to be willing to help him. Klaus bent down in order to be eye level with her. He reached out and took Freya's neck into his hand and slammed her into the wall behind her. He pressed himself against her, smearing blood on her white lace dress, and whispered in her ear.

“Now tell me why I just slaughtered the coven who was close to waking my wife on the mere word of a witch I've never met?” His tone was deadly and Freya could see his eyes turning yellow. She had heard stories of the wolf that lived beneath his skin and now she was mere inches from his teeth. “Leave nothing out.”

“Kol wanted to use dark magic to rise Caroline. He needed special objects; dark objects. Objects that were cursed.” Klaus's gripped tightened. “Using those objects may have awoken her but it wouldn't have been her, not really. It would have been something else wearing her face. Your wife would have been completely gone.”

“Kol wouldn't do that. Caroline was like a sister to him.”

“The coven thought they could change the formula for the spell. Similar to how your mother did when she changed Qetsiyah's immortality spell when she turned you into vampires.” A brief look of confusion crossed his face, never having heard the ancient greek name before. “Another spell. Another story. Kol was obsessed with it. He thought he could guide the witches into tampering with the sleeping spell put on Caroline.”

“Would it have worked?”

“No.” Klaus dropped her and Freya gripped her neck; coughing. Klaus flashed towards Elijah and Marcel. The three conversed, as though they were deciding her fate. She couldn't help but look at the dead bodies of the witches who hid her; who saved her even if it was only temporary. Freya moved to stand, bracing herself against the wall as Klaus looked at her again. If Klaus was going to kill her, at least this death would be better than the fate that awaited her elsewhere. “I can help you.”

“And how may that be?”

“I'm an expert in sleeping spells; having been the victim of one.” This peaked, not only Klaus's interest but Elijah's as well. “I was raised by my aunt Dahlia. A very powerful witch. She became obsessed with immortality when.....it doesn't matter. She found a way to grow our power but it requires us to sleep for a hundred year and only one year awake.”

“Can you wake Caroline?” His voice was fragile and she could see the wheels turning in his head. Could he stand to only have one year with her while she slept for a hundred? It would be better than the current misery he had now and better than some fake monster wearing her skin; but it wasn't the eternity he promised her as they ran from Mikael.

“No.” She saw the fury cross his face. It looked as though he was about to strike. “But I know who can. The spell, I've glanced at it in the grimoire of the witch who casted it. The spell was very specific. The only way for it to be broken, truly broken and for Caroline to rise would be for the witch who cast the spell or a daughter of her bloodline to undo the spell.”

“So I need a descendant of Emily Bennett's?”

“Yes. I can help you find her but I'm running out of time.” Klaus looked at her curiously. “The coven was hiding me and studying me. Kol found the coffin I rested in. Stole me away while Dahlia slumbered. He thought he could use me to wake Caroline. However, my year is almost up and Dahlia will find me to curse me back to sleep with her.”

“Not seeing how that is my problem.”

“Niklaus.” Elijah warned. Klaus rolled his eyes and waived for Freya to continue.

“If you want my help. If you want my knowledge on sleeping spells and how to break them, I am going need more than two weeks time. The only way to break my curse is to kill the one who casted it.” Klaus was about to jump in and call her a liar but Elijah stopped him with a warning look. “I know what you're thinking, Emily Bennett is dead but spell upon Caroline still holds. Dahlia uses connective magic. Meaning, any spells she casts break with her death. The Bennetts all draw their magic from their ancestors dead or alive, much like the witches here in New Orleans. Emily may have died but her spell would hold strong unless there was a witch to break it.”

“Perhaps I should track down the entire line of Bennetts and kill them all. No bloodline, no magic. Although, I have tried to find the last of the Bennetts and they are well hidden. Another little trick of Emily's and the doppelgangers is suppose.” Klaus hissed. It was only months after he lost Caroline that he discovered who cast the spell and who was behind it. Yet, it was as though all the Bennetts vanished. The ones in Salem burned and it appeared the rest just...never existed. Someone was hiding them from him and he was furious that he never thought more on it.

“You could but do you want to risk that? Do want to risk killing them all and having none left to wake her?” She had him and she knew it. Marcel stepped forward and placed a white gloved hand on Klaus's shoulder. He whispered something, causing Klaus to nod.

“If I kill this Dahlia, you'll spend the years you were meant to be asleep, helping me find the witch and anything else needed to wake her.” Freya nodded, giving her vow. “Very well then. It appears I have some witch hunting to do and two weeks to do it.” He looked at her again, as though he was really seeing her for the first time. “Who are you?”

“Freya. Freya Mikaelson.”

*

Mystic Falls April 2010

“I'm not doing any spells for you.” Bonnie hissed. Her eyes narrowed and her fist balled; nails digging into the palm of her hand. She tried to cause the vessels in his brain to pop, over and over again just like she had done to Damon at least a hundred times. Yet, it appeared as though it didn't work on him or the pain just didn't faze him. Bonnie supposed it was the other witch blocking her spells. “You have your own witch. Have her do it.”

“Now, now, don't be hasty. Your ancestor, Emily cast a spell and it appears only someone of her bloodline can undo. Which is why I need you.” Klaus stated in a matter of fact tone. To him the choice was obvious. “I need you to wake Caroline from her slumber and all will be right with the world.”

“I refuse to wake a murderous vampire, especially if she was your wife.” Klaus smirked at her. It was unnerving and caused Bonnie to panic. There was mania behind those ancient eyes and she saw the shift of something inside of him. Bonnie wished she asked more about the curse that Elena stated he broke in the 1700s. He wasn't just the average vampire. He was something more. Something more terrifying than she had every seen.

“Looks like someone has done their homework. Yes, Caroline is my wife and my entire reason for existing. And if you think she is murderous, she is, but trust me, my sweet little witch, when I tell you that she is the one who tamed me. Caroline's worst days are my best.” Klaus leaned in and whispered to her. “I am the demon monsters have nightmares of.”

Suddenly he was away from her and both Damon and Stefan screamed. Klaus had Elena in his arms. His eyes changed completely and his fangs bared out. He savagely bit into Elena's neck, ripping and tearing. She screamed, the pain was excruciating. Bonnie tried to lunge forward but an invisible barrier prevented her from reaching them. She glanced at Freya who seemed to have not moved at all yet Bonnie could feel her magic beating against her. Soon, Klaus dropped, a still alive but injured Elena to the ground.

“Doppelganger blood. Taste the same as the rest of them.” Klaus's lips and chin were covered in blood. The blood ran down his chin and to his neck. He smiled and Bonnie could see that his teeth were covered in the same red liquid that was seeping from Elena's neck. “Let me tell you witch how this will go. Refuse to help me, I kill your friend. I will slaughter her and drain her of her blood just like I had with her ancestor. Then I will bite both of those vampires hanging on the wall and have you watch as they die a slow, hallucinating death from my wolf's venom. But you, you have the worst punishment of all.”

“And what would that be?”

“Well once all your friends are dead, I will naturally slaughter what is left of your family. I then will hold you until you break down and undo the spell. If you try to run, I will hunt you down just like I spent the last five hundred years seeking Katerina. Ask her for tips and advice on what a life on the run from me is like. If you continue to be stubborn, I will find someone to take you over and over again until you bare a child. A child that I would raise as my own for the soul purpose of waking my wife.”

“You really are a monster.” Bonnie whispered out, horrified. She had thought that Damon was evil but he was nothing compared to what stood in front of her. He was child's play and she wanted nothing more than to go back to the days when they were scared of the vampires hidden away in that tomb. She would rather have a picnic with Katherine than spend another second with Klaus.

“I'm the original monster. Do we have a deal?” Bonnie nodded. “Perfect! Freya is going to stay behind. She has Emily's old grimoire, I'm sure you will find it fascinating. She will teach you everything you need to know about the spell. When does it need to be preformed?”

“At the full moon.” Freya replied in an almost bored tone. “Five days.”

“Splendid. I do hope you're a fast study.” Klaus turned to his sister. “Freya, please drop Salvator the younger please, I need a sign of good faith.” Freya did just that and Stefan crashed to the floor. Klaus took him by the shoulders and peered deeply into his eyes. “Remember me.” Stefan staggered backwards and slid down the wall; a thousand memories rushing back to him at once. Damon cried out, wondering what Klaus had done. If he didn't believe his eyes, he would say that his brother had been compelled, but that wasn't possible, was it? “Now, leverage.” He bent down to Elena and picked her off the floor; throwing her over his shoulder. “I'll be keeping this one. You know, to keep you in line.”

Klaus was out the door before anyone could say anything at all...and Elena was gone.

[greatwesternwccds]

you ' ve got a second chance , you could go home .

( pick it up , pick it all up

and start again

you ' ve got a second chance

you could go home

escape it all )

he is cold -- he is usually cold , here in wet , dreary london , but this is the sort of cold that comes with falling far enough into his own thoughts that he can no longer remember what the halls of cair paravel looked like when during the summers , or the way he knew every passageway in and out of their home the same way he knew each of his siblings ( he doesn ‘ t think he knows those anymore , either , if he ‘ s being honest -- peter is older now , though nowhere near as old as he once was ; susan ‘ s forgotten what it was like to be the gentle queen she once was , talking less and less of narnia ; and lucy [ lucy , who brought them there in the first place , who trusted aslan with a lot more than just her life ] looks less and less like she ‘ s hoping to get back each day they spend at home -- if he can ever call it home anymore .

he can ‘ t , he knows , but he ‘ s already the strangest of the children as it is ; edmund sees the way his mother looks at him when he flinches away from the gentle snow falling from the sky in the same exact way his father flinches away from loud noises and fireworks -- because he is thirteen and small and scarless but he is thirty and full of pain and bottled - up rage all at the same time . because he is thirteen and still remembers what it was like to watch his older brother bleed out in the middle of a battle - raged field , and he is thirty and still has nightmares about a pale woman in a white coat offering him sweets and everything he could ever want . because he is thirteen and he is thirty and all he wants to do in both lives is go to sleep .

( it ' s just irrelevant

it ' s just medicine

it ' s just medicine )

he gets thrown back into narnia in the middle of a train station and for a moment all he can think about is that he must still be at home , in his bed , asleep -- but then lucy is laughing and peter is splashing him with ocean water and susan finally looks like herself again and he can ' t help but feel like the world has righted on its axis . then , he looks up from the bluest ocean he ' s ever seen to find the overhangs of ruins and says to his brother , " i don ' t remember any ruins in narnia , do you ? "

they get out of the water and get to the ruins and when peter finds a pawn from edmund ‘ s narnian chess set on the ground , when lucy looks around the place like she ' s just opened her eyes for the first time in her entire life , when susan pulls an apple off of one of the trees , edmund looks at the raised platform on the inside of the the ruins and says , “ this isn ‘t just a ruin . “

“ what do you mean ? “ susan asks , while lucy and peter stop looking around to look at their brother .

edmund takes a moment to look at the chess piece in peter ‘ s hand and says , “ that ‘ s from my chess set . “

“ which one ? “

“ well , i didn ‘ t exactly have a solid gold chess set in finchley , did i , peter ? “ he pauses , and then peter says , “ i think we ‘ re in cair paravel . “

“ that doesn ‘ t make any sense . . . “ lucy says , concerned . “ we ‘ ve only been gone a few years , not a hundred . “

no one said anything . then , susan spoke : “ what if it has been a hundred years ? we spent twenty years in narnia the last time we were here and got spit out into our younger bodies like nothing had ever happened . what if it just did the opposite ? time sped up . “

again , none of them speak for a long moment .

" come on , " edmund says at last , " it ' s getting dark and i ' m hungry . let ' s get some more apples . "

( you could still be

what you want to

what you said you were

when i met you )

there is a prince standing in the midst of trees that should be dancing and laughing and swaying but are instead only still and silent -- he tells himself that it is not the prince ' s fault , that the prince had no control over the actions of the predecessors ; he is not entirely convinced -- and his brother has a sword pointed at his throat and the prince says , " you ' re not entirely what i had expected . "

and he looks from each of them to the other , his eyes lingering on the just ' s longer than they do his siblings , and the just smothers down the urge to grin that sharp - toothed grin he ' d had a thousand life times ago . 

" yeah ? " he says , voice feather light and he feels but does not see the way his little sister grins at his side . he and lucy have always know each other best -- a product of being the youngest , of being the just and the valiant , of being merely king and queen with nothing high about them -- and lucy knows very well the tone of voice he is using right now . the just king tilts his lips up in half a smirk and continues : " well , neither are you . "

the prince blinks at him , eyes earth - tree - dryad skin brown and the just can only smirk once more . 

( you ' ve got a warm heart

you ' ve got a beautiful brain

but it's disintegrating )

he and his siblings are thrown back into england for the second time and he watches the way his older brother ' s hands tremble on the strap of his school bag and his older sister ' s shoulders shake ever - so - slightly with the force of hidden tears as the youngest of the four of them presses herself against their sides and edmund looks to where the cave had been so many days and so few hours ago . he tilts his head back and says , " how long until he get back , you think ? "

" what for ? " peter asks , voice hardly un - even , and he only smiles .

" i left my new torch in narnia . "

there is a beat of silence , and then edmund watches his brother blink , once , and start to laugh . 

( from all the medicine

from all the medicine

from all the medicine

medicine )

the ringing of blades is a welcome sound to his ears -- like the music of the old gatherings or the songs susan used to sing while he did her hair -- and it brings edmund back to a time when he was used to this , to the feeling a blade weighted in his palm and the burn in his muscles as he swung his weapon [ he was always better with two blades , he was always shielded when they had gone to battle -- it was something that peter had yelled at him for many times during their twenty - three year rule of the lands -- but one blade is sufficient enough for this , for friendly sparring ] . caspian ' s blade clashes against his and edmund could laugh with delight and restlessness and pure joy .

he feels as though he has been asleep for his entire life and had only woken up when the man before him -- for he is not a boy anymore , older than the last time they saw each other -- grinning and swinging a sword at him , had put and arm and around his shoulders and said his name , leading him and his sister into the cabin to give them things that were by all rights their ' s to own . 

and then edmumd ' s sword was at caspian ' s throat , and caspian ' s was at his own and all the just king could do was tilt his head forwards and grin . he murmurs something to the seafarer in between ragged breaths than makes the older man grin -- and if only lord drinian is there to see it when edmund gives him that wild , sharp - toothed grin that comes from growing up three times [ the first , as a traitor ; the second , as a king ; and the third , as a legend ] and yet never growing up at all  , and pulls caspian down to kiss him on the mouth , then who is he to say what happens in the king ' s cabin ?

( when lucy grins at him with a sort of mirth later , edmund can only laugh and allow the familiar weight of caspian ' s arm to rest over his shoulder . )

( you could still be

what you want to be

what you said you were

when you met me )

they stand at the edge of the world , at a wall made of water , and his mouth tastes like ashes .

" aslan . ” he says , wind roaring louder than it should be in his ears as he waits for the great lion to turn around and face him once more ; when he does , and says nothing, the king of the old narnian ways continues , head half - way bowed , “ do we have to leave ? do we have to go back to london ? again ? "

" what would you rather , son of adam ? " the lion asks , as though he is not all knowing and omnipotent here , on the borders of his own country . aslan asks him this question as though he does not already know the words that will spill from the just king ' s lips like water from a river into the vast , open sea .

he looks to the side , where his sister ( a queen who was the first to believe and the last to let go , a queen who ' s lost her kingdom once before and to do so again would kill her , a queen who is the only one left to wear the title of high these days ) , and his cousin ( a boy who knew nothing of the magic hiding in the pores of his skin , a boy who turned into a dragon and back again all for the sake of a lesson learned , a boy who will go back to a place that will never be home again and have to survive in a world void of narnian air and narnian sunlight ) , and the seafarer ( a prince turned king who ' s eyes are still the same earth - tree - dryad skin brown that they were the first time he set sight on them , a prince turned king who he has learned tastes like saltwater and ocean air and worries whispered in the dead of night , a prince turned king that he has left once before and does not have it in him to leave once again ) , and he says to the lion , to the great god of this world , to aslan , " i wish for us to stay . "

the lion smiles , teeth sharp and white as the bones of a witch he ' d slain so long ago with his older brother ' s sword , and says to the just king in the same soft voice he ' d used a thousand lifetimes ago , " then be it so , high king edmund the just , of narnia . "

( you could still be

what you want to

what you said you were

when i met you )

his silver crown does not exist anymore , lost to the years and to time and to mother nature herself , but when the seafarer presses his lips to the shell of his ear and he listens to the sound of his sister ' s bubbling laughter that once brought great forest gods to their knees and his cousin ' s low conversion with another member of the king ' s crew , edmund finds himself not caring all that much for the weight of a crown on his head just yet . let them get home first , back to the castle on the edge of the sea and a people who have heard the stories for generations of the traitor king and lion queen of old , and then he will let the dwarven peoples in their mines and their caves craft him a new crown fit for a high king . 

for now , he steps away from his seafarer and grabs his sister by the hands and pulls her into a dance only his feet still know the moves to and says , " we ' re home , lucy . "

lucy smiles and nods and says , " yeah , we ' re home . "

[bluedaviau]

「 cherry. rachel hilson. cis female. she/her. 」 are you ready for the time of your life, BLUE DAVIAU? the TWENTY ONE year old FINE ART graduate from tulane is ready to HOT AIR BALLOON  in DUBAI this semester. close friends would describe them as IDEALISTIC and CREATIVE, but there’s really only one way to find out. get ready for what august has in store for you, BLUE ! 「 pepper. twenty one. est. she/her. 」

ABOUT THE MUN.  the 2000 claymation film chicken run radicalized me

what up, i’m pepper, i’m twenty four, and not to flex but i’ve had writer’s block for two str8 months !! but i’m hoping to change that right here right now with one ms. blue daviau so thank you for coming on this journey with me friends it’s gonna be wild. a bit about me is i’ve gone to the mall literally every day this week and honestly, i am Exhausted from it so i apologize for the mess this intro is about to be. i’m a taurus with a libra moon and libra rising so do with that information what you will. my favourite pokemon is mewtwo. growing up i had a massive crush on danny phanton and ben 10, like i loved those lanky boys that could transform to fight crime for some reason?? i can’t tell you why. also when i was a child i thought god looked like king triton from the little mermaid. alright that is enough about me, moving on to blue. 

BIO.  if you use my coloured pencils you better put them back in rainbow order

this is going to be the short version of her bio but if you want to see the long rambly messy version you can find my google doc/app here ! which i recommend you looking at for no other reason than to see how cute the little cherry doodle i inserted in there is. it took me so long to get that in there and looking cute. it’s baby’s first fancy google doc 😌 anyways sdjhdsjh 

blue was born and raised in hawaii! her mother, stormi, was miss hawaii state at one point and her father, reggie, was a pro surfer! however before blue was born her father had a surfing accident that left him in a wheelchair. he turned to art to try to cope with the trauma of this accident and the reality of never being able to surf again, and he even opened up his own gallery! his gallery became a tourist attraction in hawaii and pretty well known in the art community and after passing down her crown blue’s mother became a news anchor. so the fact was blue was the daughter of two local legends in hawaii and the expectations were high!

not to mention the fact that all of blue’s elder siblings were amazing too. blue has five older siblings and all of them are successful in their own right and in their own niche. they’re also all named after colours funnily enough. the daviau parents had big hippy energy in case you were wondering. 

so growing up blue was always just kind of the ‘other’ sibling. all her older siblings had showed their talents at a young age and grew into them pretty quickly, while blue was just kind of... there. she was an artist, but she wasn’t a groundbreaking artist. she could sing, but her voice was simply pretty, not lifechanging. she could surf, but she was average at best. to put it simply, blue was the daviau sibling who wasn’t at all special. which ironically, made her stand out like a sore thumb. 

blue didn’t mind too much though, at least not when she was younger. she kept to herself anyways. all blue wanted do when she was younger was read, draw, and explore hawaii’s wild life, so she had everything she could possibly need to be happy right at her fingertips. life was good for her despite her inadequacy, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t aware of it (and wouldn’t develop a complex about it later).

when blue was six though her parents decided that they needed to have sweet, sweet, baby number seven to save their marriage. they named that sweet boy gray. he did not save a damn thing, but he sure was cute. blue was eleven when her parents finally divorced and that pretty much marked the end of blue having any kind of parental guidance. 

long story short, both of blue’s parents went kinda buckwild the moment they were single and most of the responsibility to take care of five year old gray fell on blue. blue was the one to make gray’s meals. blue was the one to give gray a bath. blue was the one to tuck gray in at night and get him into his school clothes in the morning. blue was the one to help him with his homework and hold his hand as he crossed the street and honestly pretty much do everything for him until she was about seventeen. both her parents simply checked out on that front, and it the end blue was more of a mother to gray than either of their parents were. 

the pressure of having to not only take care of herself but also gray when she wasn’t even legally an adult yet, was honestly way too much for blue. her anxiety skyrocketed, and the pressure she put on herself only grew. the only way blue could really cope with it and calm herself down was by 1. losing herself in nature, 2. drawing, or 3. reading, or rather most likely, doing all of the above at once. using art of an escape pretty much guaranteed that blue’s love and passion for it grew, and with that her talent for it. by that time blue was seventeen she had a full portfolio ready to send off to any university outside of hawaii that would take her. because you bet your bottom dollar your girl was getting the hell outta there!

as we all know blue got accepted to tulane. it was hard to leave gray and her family behind, but blue set her mother and father straight before she left, ensuring that gray would be well taken care of in her stead and hoping that some distance between herself and her family that was so dependent on her (her mother never new how to cook so blue made all the meals, her father never knew how to handle gray so he was always coming to blue to advice, gray was absolutely lost without her, etc) would lift that pressure off her shoulders. 

it didn’t at first. the first few months were tough with all the calls blue got from home. that plus the schoolwork she had on her plate almost left her more stressed than before. however, slowly the calls began to fade and slowly blue was able to put her full focus in her art program, and later, her animation programs. 

sorry folks my brain is fried, we’re gonna stop here!

HEADCANNONS. on all levels except physical i am sitting on top of the moon with my legs swinging back and forth

Blue’s father is in a wheelchair from the surfing accident that made him take up art. His past as a professional surfer is actually part of the reason why his gallery is so popular though honestly, because the accident was televised and after that tragedy many of his fans and the public wanted to support him. He just also so happened to be really talented. But yeah, Blue’s father was really talented at surfing, he was even invited to the summer olympics in the nineties! But he was also the type to refuse to go because ‘surfing should be freeing, the olympics have so many restrictions, it takes away from what surfing is!!’ dkjsd he was that type yk? I also imagine Blue’s parents were the type to be on the front lines at protests. As it is, Blue is the same, very passionate, definitely has made some bomb ass posters and t-shirts for every women's march she’s attended.

Blue can play the ukulele really well and she honestly has a really pretty singing voice. However she can’t dance even a little bit. Honestly, she could literally break a bone. Really wants to throw it back though 😔

Loves to bake and cook because they’re relaxing activities with built in rewards. Learned to bake and cook because of having to take care of herself and her brother's meals when she was younger, that is if she didn’t want them both to literally get diabetes. As it is though, now that she doesn’t have to worry about her baby brother’s diet as well as her own, she will make a whole chocolate cake just cause she’s a little stressed and proceed to actually eat it. But she will share though. Catch Blue coming to your hotel room with sweets.

All of Blue’s elder siblings are adults now, but Gray is still about sixteen. They exchanged letters from Hawaii to Tulane and Blue always spends hours decorating hers and including little snacks and cute little knick knacks in them, despite the fact that Gray is now an angsty teenager and does not find these things as entertaining as he used to. Despite that, they are definitely the closest out of their siblings for the most part.

Blue’s siblings' names are Sage, Jett, Jade, Ruby, Rose and of course Gray. Jade and Jett, and Ruby and Rose are both twins.

The type to cry easily honestly. Also the type to carry other people’s problems with her. Like if you tell Blue that someone hurt your feelings last week she will remember and she will check on you the next time she sees you. Very empathetic, almost to a fault though because she’s constantly being careful of everyone else’s feelings rather than her own. The type who’s a good listener though. Also the type to give either really good advice or really odd advice.  

Art still tends to be her happy place, something she got from her father. Trying to find her own place outside of her father's shadow. She wants to get into the world of animation and cartoons but the whole task is a bit daunting. Is planning to work her ass off for it though! Spends a lot of time in coffee shops storyboarding and making animations. I think she may have a contract going on with a cartoon network of some sort, like they may have picked up a show of hers? Because I imagine her putting out some of her first shorts on Youtube and that might have gotten a bit of attention and led to her getting a deal for a show, so. She’s probably working her ass off towards that, and is honestly probably 1.doubting if they really picked up her show because of her talent or her father’s name, and 2.wondering if she can really do this.

Loves water in all shapes and forms. Since she can’t go to the beach everyday, the small bath in her tiny ass apartment??? Suddenly heaven. That said, Blue is either terrified of the ocean or loves it and I can’t decide which. Standby on that.

Makes a great coffee cake. Like it’s to die for.

Is VERY passionate about the environment. Is a pescatarian. Goes to the farmers market to pick out fresh produce. Loves to hike.

Always has the urge to sketch or paint after she reads poetry or novels. Highlights her favourite bits and has the tendency to read them over when she’s sad. The parts she loves are usually the parts that leave her wanting something.

Draws when she’s sad too. Claire Saffitz energy when she’s cooking but also just through life. Very friendly, but an introvert when it comes to gathering her energy.

Lives for libraries and bookstores, and has stacks on stacks of books in her old apartment. Loves old children's books honestly, like The Secret Garden, and poetry. Like whimsical and fantastical fiction with flowery words that just brings you to another place? Blue’s freaking jam. Falls in love with someone in fiction every five days, and desperately wants to be in love in real life, hence all the tinder dates and blind dates. I don’t think Blue ever has fallen in love though, like not really.

An absolute baby when it comes to the cold. Literally there could be a slight breeze and Blue will be acting like she’s suddenly in the arctic.  Any cold destinations will be greeted by a bundled up Blue’s Clues.

Made her first painting out of her own feces at six months old. Her parents proudly framed it. It’s probably still up in the attic in their Hawaii home.

Won her first art show at six but was unsure whether it was because her art really was something worth awarding or because of her father’s name. The award got her on the front page of the Honolulu Tribune but with her father proudly at her back and the title ‘Following in her father’s footsteps’ above her head. Blue just wants to find her own footing in the art world, and be her own person.

Keeps a journal and has since she was a teenager.

WANTED CONNECTIONS. i’m the friend that needs help opening water bottles. 

coming to theatres near you soon!

[ofwondersandhares]

Angels. Demons. Succubi. Incubus. Werewolves. Vampires. Ghosts. Witches. Ghouls. They were all real, they all existed and there were two siblings in the middle of it all. Hunting down all the things that went bump in the night, living and breathing urban legends that were no longer just stories that kept you up at night. Each sibling with their own talents, their own abilities, even though they were still human – sought by each side, their destinies truly unknown.

Shay. The younger sister. Skilled with knives, hand to hand combat, a capable hunter in her own right even though her older brother Sean is a better tracker. She has the ability of dream walking, astral projection, summoning and banishing demons, precognition (visions, mostly of people in danger), minor telekinesis in extreme circumstances, and immunity to angelic possession.

Sean. The older brother. Skilled with guns, hand to hand combat, tracking, incantations, abilities of empathy, immunity to demonic possession, animal communication and control, tactical skills, the leader and strategist, high tolerance to pain and the ability to exorcise demons. Both siblings with knowledge of the Occult, different in their own right, believers.

Besides their knowledge and skills they aren't the only hunters, guided by a fellow hunter named Alexander who may not have powers like the siblings but provides guidance and valuable knowledge to help them along their way.

This was their story, the life they were to live, not ready for heaven, not destined for hell, but chosen to save the world one supernatural battle at a time.

“So are you going to tell me why we are still in this hillbilly town again?” It had been three days since they arrived in this town following one of Shay precognition flashes and nothing had happened. Well, they couldn't say nothing had happened, they had managed to kill a couple of vampires who were slowly picking through the town to grow their coven but for the last three nights the town was pretty much normal. Which left Sean to wonder why Shay had insisted on staying here.

“--- waiting for Alexander. He called last night, he might have a found a way to --”

“I told you to stop looking for a way out of the pact. There is NO way Shay. I made a deal. One year so that Asher would bring you back from the dead. The hell hounds are coming for me, Asher is coming for me, you can't stall this and you can't fight this. I told you.”

“But it is tomorrow night, Sean. You can't blame us for trying --- and Alexander said this could work.” Shay couldn't look at her brother, it might have been a year to the almost day that she had been selected as one of the five golden children to be chosen (rather forced) as a warrior of darkness, pitted against four others, it was her fatal mistake of being manipulated into thinking the other had the same honor she had only to be stabbed in the back. Literally. Sean and Alexander had been too late, and Sean had summoned Darius to bring Shay back from the dead in exchange for his soul at the end of one year to a day. And oh, what a year it had been ---

“Alexander doesn't have that kind of power. None of us do. You don't get it do you? Asher told me there was no way out and if I tried he would take you which means all of this was for nothing. Shay, you might be willing to take that risk but I'm not.”

“You shouldn't have made that deal, Sean.”

“Yeah well, I'm the eldest, it is my job to look after you. We have lost enough already and it was my choice to make. My eternity in hell is a hell of a better choice than having you as a warrior of darkness starting the bloody Apocalypse.” –

But what they didn't know was being talked about it the very pits of hell as Darius prepared to do his part in collecting Sean's soul the very next night.

[huntertales]

Part Two: Victor’s Home For Wayward Children. (Freaks and Geeks S08E18)

Episode Summary: The reader and the Winchester brothers investigate a recent set of murders that appear to be caused by a vampire, and are surprised to learn that teenage hunter Krissy Chambers is involved. Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader Word Count: 3,125.

Previous Part | Supernatural Rewrite Masterlist

You weren’t exactly sure what a hideout for three teenager hunters and their supposed guardian would be. Somewhere quiet and secluded, away from wandering eyes so they could have target practice and hand to hand combat training. On the drive here you were picturing an abandoned building renovated enough for it to be livable. A house that was falling apart from the previous owner. What you saw through the backseat window was none of those things. Victor’s home for wayward kids was located somewhere…very peaceful, quiet. Normal.

You got out form the Impala when the kids parked in the driveway of the rather cozy house they called their own for the past few months. You observed the empty street to see other houses around you, occupied by others from the lights on in the windows and cars parked in the driveway. Innocent people enjoying their normal day to day lives, having no clue what their neighbors were up to. You headed over to the boys when they got out of the car and took a look around for themselves. It was clear none of you were expecting Suburbia.

“Not what I call a compound.” Dean said.

You and the boys headed inside after the kids to see if the place was as normal looking as it did from the outside. When your only participation with the supernatural involved spending your days searching monsters, you weren’t worried about your home keeping up appearances for guests. You had books piled up around the place, and when you found yourself too busy to tidy up the place it got a little bit hectic. It wasn’t like you had any friends or visitors to impress. You had the occasional welfare check up from John to make sure you were still alive on his watch, every few weeks Dean would pop up announced for a place to crash. And make sure you were all right. Those were your favorite visits.

Victors place looked appeared to be normal. Like you stepped into an interior magazine article of how to cozy up your home. You looked around the place to see the layout of the place; living room to your left that lead into the spacious looking kitchen and dining room. A staircase that lead upstairs to where you presumed where each of them had their own room. You peered into the hallway that lead forward where you saw a few shut doors. A bathroom, maybe a space where they kept all their weapons. This was too comforting for your liking. It felt like Victor was trying to hide something.

Dean observed the house for himself, taking in everything and how much it wasn’t what he was expecting during the ride here. He mumbled a noise underneath his breath, which caught the attention of Krissy. She looked over her shoulder and to the man, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just not what I expected.” Dean admitted.

“And what was that?” She asked.

“A little more ‘Lord of the Flies’,” Dean said, continuing to look around the house as if he was trying to find some sort of flaw. He was still not convinced everything wasn’t as it seemed.  “less Huxtables.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” A voice came up another part of the house, making you turn your direction to the staircase. You saw an older man descending down, a welcoming smile spread across his face at the sight of three stranger in his house. You returned the gesture out of politeness. He wasn’t the hunter you remembered meeting four years ago. The man standing in front of you looked like was trying to be Mr. Rogers himself from his loafers and cardigan. “Victor Rogers.”

“We met—a ruguru hunt. I’m Sam. This is my brother, Dean.” The younger man introduced all of you, pointing at himself and than his older sibling. You smiled once again when Sam directed Victor’s attention to you. “And this is our hunting partner, Y/N.”

“Oh, yes. The Winchesters. And Y/L/N. I heard that name lingering through the hunter's grape vine over the years. You're Ella's daughter, right? She was quite a legend. What a shame she quit hunting." Victor remembered now who all of you were. You nodded your head, wondering why he brought up such a thing. You brushed it off, watching as Josephine walked up to her surrogate father and embraced herself into his awaiting arms. She needed to be comforted by the only parental figure she had in her life now. "Better now?"

“Much.”Josephine said, seeming at peace from the things she accomplished earlier tonight.

“And what do we always say?” Victored asked.

"Move on, but never forget." Josephine repeated the motto.

"Good. Now," Victor moved on to more important topics that needed to be discussed after the hunt was over. "Don't you have a trig test in the morning?"

Josephine let out a sigh, nodding her head and went on her way upstairs to study for the big test she had tomorrow. Aiden came back from the kitchen with an apple in his hand, hoping he might be able to sneak himself past Victor and have a relaxing night. "Oh, I'm good, Vic. No test. I'm just gonna chill, play video games."

“Uh-huh. Yeah, keep dreaming. Because I asked to clean your room, twice. And you still haven’t done it. Go on now.” Victor popped the young man’s hope, pointing a thumb to upstairs so he could get to the chores. Aiden let out a defeated groan and made his way to complete the task. No back talk, no complaints. Krissy made her way over to the man, knowing she had some of her own kind of homework she needed to complete for him. “And you.”

“A full report about the hunt on your desk by morning.” Krissy said. Victor smiled and bowed slightly, letting her know she was free to go. “Okay. I’ll be in my room.”    

Victor let out a content sigh when all the kids were now tucked away for the night completing all sorts of normal tasks. Now it was time for the grown ups to talk in private. “Drink?”

The boys took up on the offer while you were forced to decline on anything alcoholic, Victor made up for it by handing you a cold of ice water. You smiled in appreciation and took a sip, watching as he fixed three glasses of whiskey from the looks of it and handed out two glasses to the boys. There was a lot for you to take in. You weren’t sure how you felt about Victor and his methods of how he was raising these kids. You found yourself on the fence at all of this. Part of you would never let your child want to know anything about the supernatural, let alone be hunting when they weren't even legal age. And another felt sort of envious at how they managed to balance things. You were curious as to how all of this worked.

“So, these kids go to school—like school-school, real school?” Sam asked.

“Yes, and they’re doing incredibly well considering all they’ve been through.” Victor said.

"Okay, so how does all of this work?" Dean couldn’t help himself when jumped straight to the question he was the most curious about. "What, after soccer practice and the bake sale, they chop vampires' heads off?"

“Well, yeah.” Victor said. “I think a balanced approach is best, don’t you?”

"But they're kids. They shouldn't be hunting at all." Dean argued with the man about his ideology about what was right. It was dangerous and risked too many chances of someone end up getting hurt when they still had so much of their lives ahead of them. "You got to break this up right now."

“When I found them, they were lost, confused, angry. I gave them family and purpose. And you want to take that all away?” Victor defended himself against your judgement. “Why?”

“So they don’t get killed.” You told him a reason that sounded good to you.

“They know the risks.” Victor said.

“Yeah,” You agreed to a certain point. “But why take them?”

"Because the next generation of hunters has to be better." Victor said. You furrowed your brow slightly from what you were hearing, wondering who he was thinking that had to be better than. When you heard his reasoning behind all of this, you felt your grip around the cup tighten. "Better than us. Oh, come on, guys. I know your friends. I mean, Martin was insane. And somebody obviously dropped Garth on his head when he was a baby. And I know you three loved that Bobby guy, but he was a barely functioning alcoholic."  

"Watch your mouth." You said to him, trying your hardest to hold back the venomous tone you desperately wanted to use on him. "Bobby was a damn good hunter.”

"No disrespect meant, but Josephine is an all-state athlete and a National Merit scholar. Aiden is so fast he could pick your pocket before you could blink. And Krissy, oh she's just a natural born leader and hunter." Victor said, giving a list of things that made these kids great. Sure, it could be for hunting. But you didn't look it at that. You thought of so many things they could be making use of their talents. "These kids are the cream of the crop. They are the Beatles. They are the dream team. And once they get their revenge...they'll be better hunters than any of us ever dreamed of."

There was something about Victor that was rubbing you in all the wrong ways. You would have loved to somehow balance hunting and a normal life on the side. You were content with the living situation you had at the moment, but you knew in the matter of months your entire life was going to change. You needed to start thinking about the long run. About post-baby life and closing the gates of hell. Demons might be gone for good, but you still had so many monsters out there wanting to kill you. The three kids in that house were proof.

You and the boys made your way outside after taking a look around at the dynamics. While they weren’t what you thought it was going to be, Dean’s opinion of the matter was clear. The kids in that house weren’t legal age to be an adult, so it made sense for them not to be able to go after the vampire that killed their families. So what if hunting came natural to them. They had their entire lives to screw up while in the process of saving a few people before their own ended up being cut short. Because no one got a happy ending with this lifestyle.

“This is crazy.” Dean said.

“Is it?” Sam wondered. “They got a pretty good life.”

“Kids aren’t supposed to hunt, Sam.” His brother said.

“We did.” Sam said.

“Yeah, and look what that did for us.” Dean replied back.

"Maybe they're doing it right." You said. "Maybe they can hunt and have a real life."

“You know that’s not true.” Dean said.

"Why, 'cause it didn't work out for us? I mean, what do you think life is gonna be like once the baby gets here? You think I'm just gonna be out for good?" You asked. Dean's expression fell, knowing this was a conversation he didn't want to have right now. "Whatever. Then what do you want to do? Because Victor’s not gonna stop this.”

“They said they were hunting a nest, right?” Dean asked. You nodded your head. “Well, let’s hunt it for ‘em. That way, until we can figure out what to do with Victor, they stay safe.”

“All right,” Sam agreed to the plan. “So, what’s your move?”

“I want to talk to that girl who was tied up at the motel. Something didn’t smell right about that.” Dean said. “Why don’t you guys stay here and look after the Brady Bunch?”

You agreed to the plan, knowing there wasn't much else you could do at the moment until you figured out where this nest was. And you wanted to keep a better eye on Victor. Dean headed back to the Impala and drove off a minute later, leaving you and Sam to watch over the family. The both of you exchanged a look before heading back inside. As you stepped into the house, you didn't notice the same blue van that Dean had seen earlier tonight slowly pull up to the exact spot where the Impala was just a second ago. He only stayed for a moment, watching as a house full of hunters went on with their peaceful night.

+ + +

The next morning you woke up feeling somewhat rested from the few hours you managed to snag after Victor offered you a place to relax for the night. You would have been fine on the pull out couch, but Sam insisted you take the guest room on the first floor hall. While it was better than staying at a motel, nothing compared to your own bed at the bunker. The place where you called home. You rolled out of bed when you were woken up by the sounds of a dark barking a few houses down, the noise brought you back to the time when you still lived at home.

You made yourself look presentable before venturing out down the hall to follow the sounds of muffled voices and movement. As you made your way to the kitchen, you passed by the living room where you saw a folded up blanket and pillow sitting on the arm rest. You turned into the kitchen to see what a normal morning looked like—and nearly running into Aiden.

“Y/N, just in time.” Victor greeted you from behind the kitchen counter, where he was whipping up breakfast for everyone. You tried your hardest to not be a nuisance to the family, but you found yourself doding teens who were trying to make their way to the dining room to enjoy their breakfast before school. "Grab a seat."

You raised your brow in surprise to see what was on the menu. "Waffles?"

“Yeah,” Victor said. “Krissy's fav."

"My dad used to make 'em for me all the time." She said, grabbing two plates for herself and you before heading to the table where you followed behind. "I think it was the only thing he knew how to cook."

You smiled at the memory she had of her late father before sitting yourself down to enjoy a breakfast that didn't sound too bad. Before you dug into the food, you looked around the table to see Josephine had her nose stuck in her trig book, probably trying to study before her big test. Victor made his way over, reaching out a hand to grab the book from the young woman and told her to interact with everyone. Aiden, being a teenager that he was, smirked and called her a nerd. Victor was quick to make corrections to the kid's manner, pushing his elbows off the table and reminded him of manners he should be using.

“We’re gonna be late.” Josephine said, glancing over at the clock to see what time it was.

You and Sam watched as the trio of kids grabbed another piece of food for the road before grabbing their backpacks for school, Victor ushering them out and reminding them he'd pick them up after school. You would be lying if you said you weren't impressed at how all of them worked together in sync, almost fooling you into thinking they were a normal family. Victor went on with his morning, heading into the dining room to clean up the dishes they left behind.

“Whirlwind, right? It’s always like that with kids.” Victor said. He grabbed a few plates and began heading off to the kitchen to put them into the sink. “You got any, Sam?”

“Me? Uh, no.” Sam answered the man’s question.

“You want any?” Victor asked.

"Uh," Sam found himself unsure how to answer that question. You looked over at him, curious as to what he thought about being a parent. You knew he wanted to have a normal life. And he could have had that, along with a family if he stayed with Amelia. All though he let that chance pass him by, he didn't want to shut out the possibility completely. "I don't know yet."

"Well, from the looks of it, you're going to be an uncle. Which is practically having your own. But trust me, the answer's yes. " Victor said. He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket to show you and Sam a picture he kept close to him at all times. You leaned over to see it was a family of three with their mother, smiling and appearing to be happy. You guessed that it was Victor's family. "Yeah. Well, until we went camping and a wendigo ripped them to shreds."

"Sorry." Sam told the man, giving his condolences at the tragic end of four innocent lives. People always needed a reason to start hunting. Most of the time it was a child who lost their parents or a sibling to a monster, turned out Victor lost his entire family in one night. "Is that why you're doing this, taking all these kids in?"

Victor nodded his head, but it was part of his reasoning. "But you know what I realized,guys, is that these kids, they don't have to live it the way we have. You know, crappy hotel rooms, always moving, no family, no life. It's not the only way."

You found yourself lingering on the way of Victor's thinking. There was always a set way for how a hunter was supposed to work; always on the road, never in one spot for too long without risking the chance of their past catching up to them. You knew of people who had homes and a place to rest their heads. But they didn't have kids to come home to, or a spouse to listen to the things they saw while on a job. It was the bitter emptiness that greeted them, and drove them to drink to silence their demons. Victor wanted to break the rules and do things his way.

He wanted to give these kids a stable life to come home to and a support system they didn't have anymore. He wanted to give them the best of both worlds. It was everything you always wanted. A part of you was envious. Another part of you knew all of this was too good to be true.

[Next Part]

Rewrite Taglist:

@deansquirreljerkwinchester @everything-i-tried-was-taken@starswirlblitz @albot-e @supernaturalismydrug @we-are-band-sexuals@angiewinchestercas@kaylinfayezink @owhatshername1 @kgbrenner  @cleo-is-my-doggy@eeyore1988 @dakota-dream @lilylovelyxo@timetravelingginger@holahellohialoha  @quicksilver123456@natashacamillaus @lexi-anastasia @kaylinfayezink @deanwnchstr @albot-eh@yelloweyedwriter @rashinyx2002 @shellybeans @icantfindacreativeurl@becs-bunker @oreosatmidnight @bands-and-shietz @fabulousmustachesonapolarbear @clarewinchester @releasethekracko@alex-zeppelin @mega-mrs-dean-winchester@theskytraveler @notmoose94 @assassinofmasyaf@caswinchester2000 @savannah-m-99 @sunlight-dean @strayrosesbloom@that-slytherin-over-there @1000roughdrafts @its-medeanwinchester @simplyhemmings

Message me if you would like to be added!

[azoriusfilekeeper]

Dragon, Dragon, Burning Bright: Elder Dragon Nicol Bolas

So, as I have stated numerous times already in these articles; although I started playing Magic when the Legends set was available, I did not start collecting until after that set had finished its run. I had to sit back and watch as the older players in my home group busted out cards like Dakkon Blackblade and Recall, while I had to sit back with my Icatian Javelineers, their point of damage already expended. Yeah, I was able to procure Ice Age cards when the time came, but by then Wizards had learned their lesson and were starting to make less crazy powerful cards(twenty-five years later, Wizards is still making crazy powerful cards, they now just do one or two a set).

Apparently, I was just one of a large number of players who came onto the Magic scene around 4th Edition/Fallen Empires. Magic had taken off in a big way. But now players like me were reading about cards from the first four expansion sets(to be referred from this point in time on as The First Four) and feeling somewhat disappointed that we had missed the Magic bus in the game’s first two years.

But then, as now, Wizards listened. And Chronicles was their answer.

A reprinting of a handful of cards from Arabian Nights, Antiquities and Legends and The Dark sets. You could call this the very first Masters Edition, but only a handful of the powerful cards from these sets were printed. It gave some of the newer players, like myself, a chance to play with, and collect, some of the game's more unique cards.

For me, from a Vorthos level, the newer cards allowed me to delve into the older storylines of the game. The Antiquities War(now known as The Brothers War) came to fascinate me, as well as the curtain of superstition against magic that came to pass after the destruction wrought by the Golgothian Sylex, a period that came to be known as “The Dark.” The cards led me down the rabbit hole to the point of reading The Arabian Nights. And I started memorizing the names of one-of-a-kind characters from the Legends set.

Of the characters from that set I focused my imagination on were these five dragons; elder dragons. And I know you won't believe me and you’ll think I am only saying this because of recent events; but the one that always caught my attention was the elder dragon Nicol Bolas.

Look at him; all old and grizzled, with his book collection, just chilling and reading. The story that Wizards ended up telling was that the five dragons ended up at war with each other and only Bolas ended up alive. This bookish ancient thing, who probably farts dust and called shotgun on Noah’s Ark?!?!

But despite his exterior, he still costs eight mana, requires three of upkeep every turn and is a 7/7 flyer with a discard ability. With stats like those, it is easy to see how he could win a dragon war.

But even without that dragon war, the art always got me! Are those his wings, or the wear on the leather upholstery of his couch? Sitting there with his books, he resembles some younger dragon’s grandfather. All he was missing was reading glasses.

I guess it was Vorthoses like me that fixated on this guy, and not any of his siblings, that made Wizards turn him into the biggest villain this side of Darth Vader. This old man wrecked two worlds and caused the death of one of the Gatewatch.

After reading all those books, I guess he still had enough gas left in the tank.

Thank you for reading my article! I will see all of you again on the first day of the new year! And until then, may Svyelun and her tides favor you.

[madamebaggio]

Notes: Hey there!Thank you so much for the kind kudos and comments.In this chapter we'll have a lot of teasing and some gentle flirting... 

I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 7

Lucy walked through Winterfell with Ghost by her side. The direwolf was the dearest thing ever; his eyes were so expressive that the young Queen just kept waiting for him to answer her questions.

She missed the talking animals from Narnia, missed the fauns and the sunny days in Cair Paravel. She wondered how they were fairing in Narnia. Had they noticed that the Queens and Kings were gone? Or had the time not passed at all for them?

She worried because she didn’t know what they were supposed to do here. She had called to Aslan in prayer, in her dreams and even in the Godswood –as they called it here –but, so far, there was no answer.

Maybe they were supposed to help with the Others, as they were called. Maybe they were here to bring Spring. It was still a mystery to her and Lucy felt a bit unsure.

“Hey, little lady.”

Lucy smiled at Arya. “You are aware that I’m taller than you, right?” She teased.

“Still younger, though.” Arya grinned. “Come along. Jon wants to talk to the four of you.”

“Did something happen?” Lucy asked curiously, as she started walking beside Arya.

“Don’t know. Maybe he’s going to execute your brother for being an arse.” Arya teased.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “If that was cause for execution, we’d have done that years ago.”

Arya chuckled. “Well, we’re about to find out.”

When they entered Jon’s solar the other Pevensies were there already. Susan was talking to Sansa quietly, while Peter and Edmund were talking to Ser Davos about the training of the men. Jon wasn’t there, though.

Lucy talked to Arya until Jon showed up, almost five minutes later. He had some men behind him, all carrying something.

“You’re here.” He nodded at them all. “I have something for the four of you. As a thank you for all you’ve done for Winterfell.” Jon declared.

He made a gesture for the men to bring what they were carrying.

“Our things!” Lucy celebrated.

The siblings all but rushed to the collect what belonged to them. Edmund was the first to get there and pick his sword and shield. All his knives –the six of them -were there was well, in their proper cases.

Lucy’s hand went immediately to her belt. The dagger was there and so was her cordial in its vial. “My knives?” She asked Edmund.

“Here.” Her brother passed her said knives.

Arya arched a brow. “Damn, little lady.” She snickered. “Why do you need so many of those?”

“This isn’t even the complete set.” Edmund informed. “Lucy has more knives than a kitchen.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “You’re just jealous because my collection is bigger than yours.”

Edmund shoved her sword at her, rolling his eyes all the time.

Peter picked his sword and shield, and Sansa took a step back involuntarily. There was a red lion on his shield, the pommel of his sword was also a lion. It was like some god somewhere was mocking her: bringing this golden king to her house, making him a lion and the epitome of every stupid childhood dream she’d ever had. It was like some cruel deity was taunting her, wondering how much of an idiot she was.

She wasn’t a child anymore and she was dead tired of fairy tales.

“Susan, your horn.” Lucy passed her sister said horn.

Susan pressed the smooth ivory object against her forehead. Now that it was back on her hands she felt better, like help would come if needed.

“One of squires almost lost his fingers handling your bow.” Jon informed Susan.

“He shouldn’t have touched it then.” She replied placidly.

Jon arched a brow. “How can wood cut someone?” He asked.

“It’s not just wood.” She informed him. “The bow itself is made of a wood that is rare even in Narnia. Good enough for bows, strong enough to withstand attacks and…” She ran her finger to the curved tips of the bow. “Sharp enough to cut fingers off.”

Jon wasn’t amused.

Susan took a deep breath. “But… We are thankful for this, your Grace.” She told him honestly. “For your hospitality and now for your trust.”

He nodded at her.

“Mayhap now Lady Susan can start training the archers for us.” Davos suggested.

“It would be an honor.” She told the older man. “We need to find candidates.”

“I’ll see if I can pick some volunteers for you.” Davos assured her.

“Susan is very particular about her archers.” Peter informed the man. “She is ruthless with them, but they are like family to her.”

“I just want them to be prepared.” She replied dryly to her brother. “Archers have a very important role in battle and having them well trained can make a lot of difference.”

“It’s true. Susan once hit a flying arrow before it could hit Peter.” Lucy informed the others excitedly.

The Starks traded looks, but no one dared to comment, making the Pevensies trade looks as well, but also forgoing the comments.

“I guess is time for dinner.” Sansa declared suddenly.

“You are correct, my Lady.” Susan passed the bow to Peter quickly. “I will check the meal.”

“I will go with you.” The two left the solar.

Sansa and Susan stepped into the corridor and looked at each other. “So…”

Sansa smirked. “Shall we continue?”

“Alys Karstark.” Susan spoke as they started making their way to the kitchen.

Sansa shook her head. “Jon decided to marry her to one of the Free Folk and make the man a lord.”

Susan hummed her understanding. “So why not one of them? Like Val.”

“I’ve heard they had something.” Sansa admitted. “But I think it was brief and it’s over.”

“Well, they can rekindle the flame or something.” Susan made a dismissive gesture.

Sansa didn’t even try to fight her grin. “Jon would not be very happy if he knew what we’re doing.”

“Your cousin needs a wife.” Susan informed the other woman. “It’s is best if it’s someone from the North, so you can strengthen your alliances. And it’s better to choose someone fast, before the Dragon Queen decides to marry him to some Southern rose or marry him herself. You all do love incestuous weddings.”

Sansa let out a giggle, before covering her mouth. Susan’s heart ached every time the redhead felt like she needed to hide even the simplest emotions, but she was going to cure Sansa’s heart, even if it was the last thing she did in her life.

“You are terrible.” Sansa spoke.

“Me? How absurd.” Susan spoke primly, then cracked a smile. “How about your letters?”

“I received some answers already.” Sansa confirmed. “I think it was your wording.”

“Well, I am no called the Gentle Queen for nothing. I have a knack for diplomacy.”

“I was starting to think your title was ironic.”

Susan rolled her eyes. “So amusing, My Lady.” She snorted and they walked along the hallways, arm in arm.

XxX

“Your sister and my cousin are plotting something.” Jon told Edmund as soon as the others cleared the solar.

Edmund snorted. “How observant, Your Grace.”

Jon arched a brow at the younger man.

“Jon…” Edmund gave him a pitying look. “They’re always plotting something.” He informed the other man. “They hardly do anything else.”

“What?” Jon asked confused.

Edmund chuckled. “Let us just say that you are very lucky that your cousin is loyal to you. Otherwise they both would have already taken over the North and would probably be preparing to take over Westeros.”

“You are joking.” Jon spoke flatly.

Edmund snickered. “No, Jon, I’m not. I know my sister. And I’ll give you fair warning: the last time she was this secretive about something, she was trying to marry Peter off.”

Jon arched a brow. “But she wasn’t successful.”

“No.” Edmund admitted. “But only because she didn’t find anyone she liked. She looked all over Narnia but couldn’t find the right woman for him. Peter might be an arrogant fool at times, but he and Sue are close, and she wants him to be happy.”

“So you’re telling me I should be concerned.”

“If I were you… I would be.”

XxX

Susan had asked Ser Davos to round up all of those who wished to be archers. He asked how young the boys could be, and she arched a brow at him. “I leave the ages of the boys and girls to your consideration.”

“Girls?” He asked, a bit dumfounded.

Her brow was still in that elegant arching. “Yes, Ser Davos. The girls.”

He opened his mouth, maybe to argue, but then thought better of it. Smart man.

Susan had always been demanding of the people -or animals -she accepted to train as her archers. She took her position as their leader seriously, because good archers could change the result of a battle.

Peter used to make fun of her, saying that archery wasn’t that essential. Once she hit the arrow meant for him with hers, he stopped talking that. And apologized. Repeatedly.

She made sure of it.

Ser Davos brought her quite a few candidates, from the Free Folk to Northerners. Most of them were curious; they’d seen her practicing and her ability was becoming something of a legend.

There were over 30 people there, only six of them were girls. She dismissed two of them when she realized they were there because of some of the boys. She then dismissed seven other men, a few because she knew they were there to prove their male superiority.

Yes, she could put them in their place, but she had a serious job to do here and no time to waste with idiots.

She was left with 28 potential archers.

She was curious to see how many of them would be there by the end.

XxX

Susan was sitting with Sansa and embroidering. The Queen of Narnia despised embroidery with a passion, but it didn’t take her long to notice that Sansa not only was good at it, but she truly relaxed with the needle in her hand.

Susan imagined it had something to do with the control, the peace and quiet and the logic of embroidery. Lucy was quite good at it, but Susan never learned to like it. Sansa once admitted to the other woman that during her most terrible moments, embroidery was the only scape she could get.

Therefore, if Sansa asked Susan to sit and embroidery with her, she did it.

Sansa was making a red-breasted robin for Lucy –she loved the birds – while Susan was focusing on putting initials on handkerchief. This was simple enough. Brienne was standing by the open door, keeping guard over them.

They had been sitting there in companionable silence when the first pair of giggling maids passed by the door. The three women traded looks, but went back to their work.

Then another three maids passed.

Susan arched a brow at Sansa. “Is your cousin on the training yard?”

Sansa grinned. “Not that I know of. He was supposed to be in a meeting now.” She arched a brow at Susan. “Why do you assume it’s Jon?”

“The maids fancy him a lot.” Susan explained.

Sansa’s grin became bigger. “Maybe it’s one of your brothers.” She indicated.

“Well, it’s possible.” Susan admitted. “It’s just that mostly they are a bit scared of them.”

“It’s because of the rumors.” Sansa offered. “They think you’re magical creatures.”

They heard giggling coming from somewhere on the hallway.

“Brienne?” Sansa called the other woman, a question clear on her voice.

“They are all going downstairs, My Lady. I don’t know why.”  The woman admitted.

“Well, you know what?” Susan got up. “I want to know.”

Sansa bit her lip for a second, before putting her embroidery down. “I do too.”

Brienne sighed, but followed the two ladies out of the solar.

They went down the stairs and into the training yard. Sansa had been right, it wasn’t Jon. It was Peter.

Susan sighed as she took in the scene. Each one of the siblings was good at something: Susan was the best archer in Narnia, Lucy could throw daggers and knives, Edmund was an amazing swordsman and Peter had a deep appreciation for hand-to-hand combat.

He’d learned some in London –mostly boxing –and in Narnia he found some other masters to teach him.

To make a long story short, Peter was very good at it and he could take most opponents down easily.

Now, that was all beautiful and great. Fighting was a useful ability, but not when her brother was rolling around shirtless.

Why her, good lord?

He was facing off some man of the Free Folk whose name Susan couldn’t remember. There were men cheering around them –including Tormund. She found Edmund a bit farther and he was… Yes, he was taking bets, the little prick.

But none of this was a problem. Well, perhaps the fighting and the gambling were a bit of a problem. The biggest problem was that her brother was rolling around the mud shirtless.

No wonder the maids were giggling and fanning themselves.

Susan had to roll her eyes at that.

“Oh my…”

Susan looked at Sansa, who was covering her mouth. She arched a brow. “Something wrong, My Lady?” She asked amused.

“Your brother…” Sansa started, but stopped herself.

“Is an idiot?” Susan offered.

“Yes.” Sansa agreed.

“Arrogant.”

“Absolutely.”

“Completely shameless.”

“Yes, definitely.”

“And so handsome.”

“That too.” Then she turned to the other woman. “Susan! No!”

“You agreed.” Susan indicated as she laughed.

“You tricked me.” Sansa accused.

“Did I really?” Susan asked.

Sansa huffed and refused to answer.

Susan knew that her brothers were good looking –she’d heard many ladies saying so. They were handsome; and she said that in a sisterly way –seriously, what was wrong with the people of this kingdom?

She could only guess the effect that Peter had in other women. She couldn’t say she remembered feeling that much interest in a man, but… Well, that was her.

“Should we stop this?” Susan asked Sansa.

The redhead opened her mouth, but before she could actually make a choice, Peter kicked the man on the middle of his chest, and he went flying back.

“PETER!” Susan called before she could stop herself.

The whole place went quiet as the men around traded looks. Edmund looked absolutely guilty as he tried to hide the coins in his hand.

Peter ran his hand through his hair and arched a brow in her direction. “Yes, sister?”

Cheeky bastard.

“Care to explain?” She asked dryly, an eyebrow raised in the exact same manner as her brother.

Sansa marveled at how alike they were.

“Just showing the lads some moves.” Peter informed them.

“And Edmund?” She turned to her other brother.

“Raising morale among the men.” He informed easily.

“With gambling?” Sansa inquired, her voice as dry as a desert.

“It’s good for building trust, My Lady.” Edmund replied cheekily.

“Your brothers are both shameless.” Sansa informed Susan.

Susan sighed. “I am aware.”

“Go cover yourself, Lord Peter.” Sansa told the man. “Before you freeze.”

“Yes, my Lady.” Peter gave her a bow and a smile before turning back to the man.

Even as Sansa told Peter he would freeze, she couldn’t help looking around. It was sunny; the sky was clear and blue.

It was less cold. Again.

XxX

Jon read the letter on his hand, took a deep breath and then read it again.

Yes, it still had exactly the same message.

Lord Glover was inquiring after Susan. He wanted to marry her to one of his men.

Susan. He wanted to marry Susan to…

This was bloody ridiculous. The mere idea was preposterous.

Susan was not going to leave Winterfell, much less to marry a knight! She was a Queen!

Jon was about to reply exactly that to Lord Glover when he remembered something: Susan. If she knew he was replying that type of letter on her behalf without even consulting her… Well, Jon didn’t want to be used as target on her next practice session.

Sighing he got up and left his solar. He hadn’t planned on working so much after supper, but time ran away with him. He knew that Susan sometimes went to Sansa’s solar before retiring for the night, so he went there.

Brienne was standing by the door. “Your Grace.”

“Brienne. Is Sansa still awake?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Is Susan with her?”

“They are all in there.” She informed him. “The Pevensies and also Lady Arya.” She explained when Jon looked confused.

Jon scratched him chin. “Maybe I shouldn’t bother them.”

Brienne opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. “I’m sure Lady Sansa won’t mind.”

“Right.” Jon cleared his throat. “I will just…” He indicated the door, then knocked on in.

“Come in.” Sansa called from inside the solar.

Jon pushed the door open and entered the room. Sansa was sitting close to the fireplace, embroidering with Ghost by her feet. Lucy was doing the same, while Arya and Edmund were talking about something and Peter and Susan were doing the same.

Jon felt like an intruder, like he didn’t belong there.

“Jon!” Arya smiled at him and he saw himself smiling in return.

“Did something happen?” Sansa asked, putting her embroidery down.

“Well…” He closed the door and came closer to them. “I got a letter from Lord Glover. He is asking about Susan.”

The woman in question arched a brow. “Yes?”

“He would like you to marry one of his men.” Jon informed her.

Lucy and Edmund started laughing as soon as the word “marry” came out. Even Peter seemed to be fighting off a smile. Susan gave them all a look, but it didn’t do any good.

Jon took a seat, watching the siblings with an amused smile.

“Well, look at that.” Arya commented amused. “You’ve barely gotten here and you already have men wanting to marry you.”

“Susan always had men stumbling over themselves, trying to get her attention.” Peter informed Arya.

Susan rolled her eyes. “That is an exaggeration. If I remember it well, Lucy always had more suitors than me.”

“Only because you scared yours away!” Lucy protested.

“There was one you used to like, wasn’t there?” Edmund put in. “The one that wrote you poetry.”

Susan scoffed. “And that was the end of it. I wonder who first discovered the power of poetry in driving away love?”

Sansa let out a surprised giggle. “I thought that poetry was the food of love.” She teased.

Susan shrugged regally. “Of a strong love, perhaps.” She conceded. “But if it’s only a vague inclination I’m convinced one bad sonnet will kill it.” She made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

Arya was snickering and Sansa rolled her eyes, but it was Jon who shocked them all.

“So what do you recommend?” He asked, silencing them all, making himself –although unintentionally –the focus of everyone’s attention. “To encourage affection, I mean.” He cleared his throat.

Susan looked at him, an arched brow. Then her lips turned into a small enigmatic smile, as she replied, “Why, dancing, of course.”

It was his turn to arch a brow at her.

Edmund groaned. “What is with you ladies and dancing?” He asked.

“It is the only ‘appropriate’ way to spend time alone in a man’s company.” Lucy indicated. “At least in Narnia.”

“Here it’s the same.” Sansa confirmed.

“So it’s the only time to talk freely and see if you like someone.” Lucy concluded.

“It’s also a great opportunity to get closer.” Susan spoke cheekily.

“Sue!” Lucy exploded in giggles.

“It is true.” She defended. “Nothing is appropriate for ladies. But dancing is.”

“It has its charms.” Peter conceded, a smirk on his lips.

Susan gave him a look, like she knew exactly what he was talking about. Sansa looked resolutely ahead.

“And you know…” Susan continued, putting her hands together, palm to palm, like they did in some dances. “Palm to palm is a holy palmers’ kiss.”

“That sounds sickly romantic.” Arya offered with a look of distaste.

“Just because I don’t like to have sonnets written in honor of my pretty blue eyes, it doesn’t mean I don’t like good poetry.” Susan indicated.

“So that’s why you all like dancing so much?” Edmund teased. “It’s a chaste way of kissing.”

“O, then, dear saint.” Peter spoke softly, his voice just a bit above a murmur. “Let lips do what hands do.”

They all turned to him in shock –though his siblings looked a bit more amused.

“What? Susan repeated that line so many times I memorized it.” He defended himself.

“What a suave way to ask for a kiss, dear brother.” Lucy commented, very much surprised.

“I’m a gentleman.” Peter indicated. “I would never ask for my dear saint to give me anything she does not wish, but…” He grinned. “I’m always a great devout.”

Susan slapped her brother’s shoulder, even as she saw Sansa turning to look at the fire to hide her blush. She really needed to talk to Peter about this.

Then her eyes turned to Jon, who’d been awfully quiet during this whole conversation.

“So no marriage?” He asked once they locked eyes.

“Not yet, Your Grace.” She inclined her head. “No dancing?”

His lip quirked up a bit. “Not yet, My Lady.”

Notes: I guess most of you recognized the dialogue from "Pride and Prejudice". I changed it a bit because I felt the words weren't exactly matching the tone I was using, so I adpted it. 

Also, Peter and Susan proclaim lines from "Romeo and Juliet", Shakespeare's work. I imagine they could have seen it in London, or maybe it was in Narnia... I didn't think much about it, I just wanted to use the line XD

Let me know your feelings!