#Husk is his best friend and the only person he trusts enough to marry

[fanby-fckry]

Modern AU

Alastor: If you’re not married by the time you turn 40, will you marry me?

Husk: What the fuck? Did you just propose to me?

Alastor: Maybe! :)

Husk: Why? Why would we get married?

Alastor: Tax Evasion! :)

Husk:

Husk: Ok, deal.

[painfullyprickedandticked]

My Hellaverse ship takes!

First off all, these are my opinions and I respect other people's tastes. Please respect that what I'm about to say is all subjective and there isn't any right or wrong pairings at the end of the day (unless it's like. Legit fucked)

Secondly, please don't get mad if your favorite pairing didn't make it into my preferences or what not. Everybody's got different tastes. Again, it's all subjective! If you like (x) pairing and it isn’t in the "like" section, good for you - seriously, have fun as long as it hurts nobody.

That being said, here's my thoughts.

OTP(s) + Pairings I LOVE:

Stolas x Blitzø - The most divisive yet amazing. They’re controversial but damn, I love them so much. I love their slow burn into something that isn’t as toxic as they started. I love their history. I love how their personalities can click well in subtle ways. I love how similar they are in some ways (i.e. self loathing) yet different in other ways. They’re both massive disasters, and that’s what makes them fit - even if it’s taking them forever to realize it. Ultimate otp material.

Charlie x Vaggie - um, how can you NOT love them? They are so adorable. Nice and healthy, and sure they’re super vanilla but what’s wrong with that? The way you could fill in the blanks with how they got together. The way Vaggie being a fallen angel proves Charlie’s ambitions aren’t foolish. The whole grumpy girl/smiley girl she’s soft for dynamic! Ugh, sweethearts. THE girls of all time. Can’t get enough.

Alastor x Rosie - so quick note, I'm aspec myself and prefer seeing radio demon bastard man as a demiromantic/gray asexual. It's a spectrum, guys, and the staff says it's OK to pair him off. So yeah, I love these two... they're such an old married couple type. Kind of see it as slow burn friends to lovers, but without so much drama, and more cannibalism. She keeps him steady yet doesn’t stifle him like I see in some other ships. He also lets her run wild and they are so complementary of each other. If he HAS to be with somebody romantically, let it be his best friend - the one who didn’t turn on him - and the one he cares for the most and actually trusts.

...plus, anybody get Xibalba and La Muerte vibes from them a la The Book of Life? No, just me? OK.

Moxxie x Millie - married couple of crazy kids in love. They’re sweet yet freaky. I can’t not stan them.

Husk x Angel - I don’t care what the detractors say, I love them. Hurt people finding comfort in each other is a trope I ADORE and these two take it to a level I'm just at a point where, if I had to, I'd chew on glass to see more of them on screen. Also... they have some great chemistry. You just have to look at the subtleties.

Fizz x Ozzie - pretty explanatory. Imagine if Chaggie was two guys, one an imp and the other a sin, and they were not only super adorable and healthy and happy but also kinky. I gotta stan, once again.

Lucifer x Lilith - very basic, old married couple. They have a lot of issues to work out, even if I don’t necessarily think Lilith’s gonna be some evil conniving bitch - though it’s fun to explore that in fics I’ll admit - since she did just up and disappear for more than a decade. Still, I like them. He risked everything and lost everything in heaven for her, and she was willing to build hell with him - the dreamers in love. Malewife and girlboss but if more complicated.

Lucifer x Paimon - this sounds cracky, but hear me out! The actual dads of Charlie (and Stolas). In actual lore of demonology, Paimon is the Goetia who’s most loyal to Lucifer. Undying loyalties, I'm talking. Yes, in the Hellaverse, he’s an absolute asshole, but asshole to everybody but the one I love is a trope that’s got me hooked. I think Lucifer could rub off well on Paimon, probably knock him down all those pegs. Redemption, though probably not in the way Charlie was going for - especially not if it means her stepbrother is a total disaster and she has 70+ more stepsiblings... details! Oh, and bonus if it’s poly with Lilith.

Striker x Stella - Stella's not my fave, at all, but I like her and Striker together. I think they'd be total nasty assholes but an absolute evil power couple. Yes, it's hypocritical for them to get together because of their views, but hey - who doesn’t love a contradictory ship every now and then?

Zestial x Carmilla - another pretty basic pairing. It's vanilla and will never happen, but I love them still. Old married couple, once again, and Zestial adopting Carmilla's daughters is just very sweet to me. Plus if she's portrayed as a fallen seraphim, it'd be interesting - the hellborn who allowed a fallen angel into his ranks, gave her a chance when nobody else would. The potential.

Charlie x Emily - super fluffy and fun. Better if it's poly with Vaggie. Charlie has two hands.

Ships I like:

Valentino x Vox - only as mostly a work relationship/on and off fling. I don’t deny they have feelings for each other but personally I don’t take the "they're in love" here as more than they found solace in each other's awfulness. I enjoy them and their banters but I'd be hard pressed to really write up on them. They do make a good villain/villain pair, but it’s just not my favorite due to Valentino being...Valentino. Yet somehow them both being so awful works it out, so how can I object?

Blitzø x Fizz - first love type, and I like it even if I'm biased for stolitz and fizz/ozzie. They’re great in their own way and I love how they’ve been able to patch things up. I see the vision here, it’s good, it’s just not my primary vision.

PAST Adam/Lucifer/Lilith/Eve - fucked up polycule being the actual reason it went to shit in Eden? Sign me up. I like the idea that Charlie’s been fed a half truth and neither her parents wanted to admit that Adam and Lucifer had a thing, and Eve and Lilith did too. I don’t know if I'd pair them as an OT4 in a post canon tense, but in terms of bitter exes? YES. I also think Adamsapple is my overall favorite combination of this, though all are good except maybe Adam x Lilith, which I don’t see as more than just really bitter divorced couple. Still, great poly. Just again, not my primary thing.

Adam x Lute - super popular again, pretty cliché boss/subordinate pairing but they’re both such assholes that they'd work so well. There’s SOME type of thing going on there, I'm sure. If we get Adam back in S2, I'd love to see glimpses of him and Lute again even if that's such wishful thinking.

Rosie x Velvette - for some reason, I like this. Mainly as one-sided on Velvette’s end, but still. I think Velvette’s 36, and Rosie's not more than 49 (I hc she's a sinner) so it wouldn’t be...super awkward. The idea of Velvette being a bitch to Carmilla but flustered around Rosie is funny to me. Too bad I can't find art of just them.

Verosika x Stella - bad bitch and big bitch. I blame that swap au mostly. I could see it as them first bonding over their exes but then actual feelings spring, and Stella has her bi awakening (and redemption arc in my eyes, never underestimate my love for wlw!). It’s just super interesting to me.

Sallie May x Barbie - I haven’t got much to say other than that I just want them to be girlfriends. And for Blitzø to freak out in realizing Moxxie is technically his brother in law, and Millie's actually his sister in law. OK bye-

Paimon x Tilla - I blame some Stolitz fix-it fics for this! AUs where Paimon actually becomes a decent father and doesn’t arrange the marriage between Stella and Stolas, and instead decides after Cash abandons his family to donate to the circus; that shit has me on a tight grip! Not my go to for King Bastard, but goddamn it’s so INTRIGUING. The hypocrisy of it is deeper than Strella. He falls for not just an imp but an obvious imp/succubi mix? Like? Hello?? Only reason I don’t pair this as much as Lucifer and Paimon is because it makes Stolitz harder to become endgame for, well, obvious reasons. It’s a fun what-if, but unfortunately unless I can come up with a scenario where they can meet when Stolitz is established as adults, it’s currently just in the "like" section of my ship list. :/ shame too, because there's no art of it? And no new fics...hmph.

Loona x Beelzebub x Vortex - poly again! This time it would actually work out. They'd have a chill dynamic and just party, hang out and Loona learns to loosen up a bit. Good stuff. Can't really say more than that.

Crimson x Alessio - assholes that deserve each other. Crimson is a shithead but I like them, idk. I think Alessio is like, the singular person he respects. That dynamic is something I fuck with.

Verosika x Sallie - I just think they’re neat and yeah, that’s it. I'm shamelessly into any F/F pairing that can grab my attention.

Pentious x Alastor - Cherri and Pentious felt...I don’t know? They are cute, but they never clicked with me. I liked the weird dynamic here more. Pentious is the only male character besides Zestial that he’s ever been close to "somewhat cordial" with. There is an interesting past that could be explored - why's Pentious extra nervous saying sorry to radio bastard... hmm. It's not a FAVORITE, but props for being more interesting than an actual canon pairing that had dynamics I should've been into (enemies to lovers, fast buildup/tension, kinky as fuck; Cherri and Pentious you had it all yet you couldn’t grab me WHY).

Stolas x Vassago - only in fanfics and fanart. I don’t know if I'm totally on board with them becoming a thing even if it'll be temporary. Im too biased, I know, and i think this is a good ship its just not something I'd root for as endgame. I do think Vassago is great though, deserves all the things a good boi does.

Ships I could get into:

Polycule Stolitz x Fizzozzie - sure, why not? I've read some fics of this. See the vision. They'd all actually be fun together.

Lucifer x Vox - totally crack but the stuff for it is so well done, and it'd piss off deer bastard to see the men he hates get together so? Gotta applaud.

Lute x Emily - enemies to friends to lovers, maybe? Very strangely cute. Dig it. Ship name for them however makes me guffaw in the worst ways. Name combinations are a blessing and curse in this fandom lmao

Adam x Mammon - funny, and they're both such massive douchebags it would work. Too bad I'm kind of digging into another ship with Mammon...

Leviathan x Mammon - I BLAME FANART FOR THIS. Ugh... it’s so fun to imagine them being an asshole power couple in the deadly sins. Sea creature that’s overly manipulative and the total clown that’s such a massive sack of shit yet can keel over for his bf, how could I not.

Sallie x Striker - sure, I’ll allow it. Mostly just prefer it platonic tho oops

Alastor x Zestial - again, the only guy Alastor doesn’t actively despise. They’re pretty cordial and I could see maybe a slowburn here. Perhaps poly with Carmilla?

Cherri x Pentious - maybe if I'm feeling generous in the future. Idk. I wish I felt something when they happened. I like them more in the pilot than in actual canon. Sad.

Vassago x Andrealphus - enemies to lovers and a plausible redemption for peacock bitch in my eyes. Can't complain.

The Loopty dude x Lyle Lypton - they were an old married couple you can’t tell me otherwise

Cash x Paimon - ONLY FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES. Cash is such an asshole and deserves nothing but...THIS IS SO FUNNY TO ME I CANT DISLIKE IT. I'm so mad. Legit Stolitz but if they were godawful parents.

Tilla x the Mom of Moxxie - sure why not? Old women yuri. Let's go!

Vaggie x Emily - mostly prefer them with Charlie but it's too sugary to not enjoy tbh

Velvette x Vox - it's got that girlboss and malewife vibe. I just can't really seem to het-ship Velvette.

Polyvees - I love polycules tbh, but I see them all as evil besties so it’s so conflicting to me. Gahhhhh.

Striker x Stella x Verosika - does anybody ship this besides like, 3 other people. No? OK I guess I could be the forth. Don’t rlly pair Verosika with men despite seeing her as pan, but she and Striker dating Stella and hooking up occasionally is a cool idea. Rip Octavia tho jfc

Vox’s Assistant x Valentino’s assistant - I saw this ONCE and it’s alright. Could probably vibe with it if Travis wasn’t such a Val dickrider though probably not to Vox’s extent. Oh well.

There's more that fit here but I'm forgetting LMAO sorry...

Ships I'm very neutral on:

Carmilla x Rosie - I love femslash but I can’t get into this for some reason. It has all the dynamics I should love but it doesn’t click. Very upsetting to me.

Alastor x Angel - ughhhh this is where my gripes with popular ships begin. There's a vision here but I can't see it. It's not ruined for me like some other popular ships, but I can't be hard pressed to care for it? I want to enjoy it as a fun what if but smth about it doesn’t appeal to me. It isn't bad? I just...don't know. I'm sorry.

One-sided Vox x Alastor - strictly as unrequited, I see where people vibe with it. Vox’s obsession with Alastor is not a normal rivalry. Who the fuck puts up THAT many cameras around an area where the guy you hate is present? Why is he so pressed about Alastor turning down the offer to join the Vees? Why the fuck is he so goddamn tense and frustrated during the last half of that song??? Yet I can't get into this one way broadcast too much. A lot of it mischaracterizes Alastor's being aspec as if he'd cower at a man liking him, and assumes the aspec-ness means he can't ever love. I do not vibe with this shallow take.

The reason Alastor dislikes Vox is because he embodies what he HATES in men the most. His arrogance and shittiness. Alastor’s a hypocrite for this because he is also a terrible person in his own way, but Vox’s his own kind of fucked up that even Alastor has to take a step back - and yet it isn’t one-sided in the rivalry sense. Al likes to purposefully take a piss out of Vox. But it IS unrequited in the sense of Vox’s psycho-sexual and parasocial addiction to Alastor. He stalks him relentlessly. For that, I am so on the fence because I see this being portrayed as Alastor’s so mean for rejecting Vox! Wah! Vox really loved him! like excuse me???!

Vaggie x Lute - I understand where it comes from. Bitter exes. Yet I cannot get into it and that also upsets me. I love wlw lovers to enemies and yet!!! Agh. Why am I like this.

Stolas x Andrealphus - if it wasn’t for the fact I see Andrealphus as 13 years older than Stella and Stolas (thus he was already in his early 30s by the time they got forced into marriage at 19), THEN MAYBE. Just one-sided? Little hatefuck? Idfk.

Husk x Alastor - toxic as hell, but the art is good. I understand more if it's an AU where the gamble/contract isn't made, but...blah. I'm hardly into most popular ships with deer bastard, and I think cat-bird dude deserves better than him tbh.

Wally x Verosika - I see this sometimes? It’s hilarious but it’s definitely not something I'd actively search for. She's out of his league and he probably doesn't need that toxicity either.

Moxxie/Millie x Blitzø - only as a one-night threesome and nothing more. They're great buddies but damn, after a while, the running gag of Blitzø wanting to fuck them both just needs to stay a gag and nothing more than that.

Crimson x Stella - my mind tells me no, my body says yes. SEND HELP.

I'm too mean, maybe. Idk. This is where I prep up for "spicy" takes now...

Platonic / Found Family:

Alastor & Mimzy - I don’t care if Mimzy’s not really the greatest friend from her single appearance. There’s some HISTORY and I like to believe they are each other's rides or dies. They're so sibling coded, it hurts!

Rosie & Mimzy - them bonding over their love for Al. I am WEAK for this dynamic. Even if Rosie would probably be skeptical of Mimzy for a long time.

Alastor & Niffty - they are so father/daughter coded. Step aside, Charlie, Niffty is Alastor’s REAL daughter. For real though? I love them so much. The fact he’s so sweet with Niffty despite their weird contract. She adores him so much and gives him dead bug crowns?? King roach and his lil princess forever. <3

Carmilla & Vaggie - it’s a tough love dynamic but I have had a mother like that, so I DIG IT. The idea of Carmilla learning she cares about this fallen angel, and her adopting her into her family... Odette and Clara becoming Vaggie’s siblings? Zestial being the awkward father? Please give me this I'm obsessed!!!

Octavia & Loona - their sister bond has me bound and gagged. Loona being so soft around Octavia but still mean to others, like...yes. we love that. We need more of this. I would again, chew glass just to see their bond more.

Barbie Wire & Loona - I feel they’d probably get along well. Loona could help her adoptive aunt chill the fuck out (ironically or not idk). Plus I'm just a sucker to see broken families slowly mend ♡♡♡

Andrealphus & Stella - chaotic evil sibling duo... what more do you want?

Angel & Niffty & Husk - they both care for this little gremlin lady in their own ways and I honestly ate that shit up in that episode.

The Overlords & Vassago - in general, mostly as individual dynamics, but them being a funny squad in memes is something I want so badly. Esp since we don’t know yet if Vassago's overlord status was retconned. Like we don’t have concrete rules - what if he can be an Ars Goetia and an Overlord?

Alastor & Charlie - the only acceptable way to pair them is platonic. He’s her "I didn't actually adopt her but I've grown so attached I will do it mostly out of spite" dad. We love that for her.

Vaggie & Lucifer - give me more of them bonding as future in-laws.

Lucifer & Ozzie & Bee & Mammon - fucked up found family manifest, please... I am begging.

Sera & Lucifer - not as siblings but as ex best friends who fell out after he chose Lilith over heaven. It would be heartbreaking but cathartic (for me).

Vaggie & Angel - wlw/mlm animosity to solidarity arc when?

Squicks Me Out / No Thanks:

Charlie x Alastor - romantically? Nope. This is giving me vibes of some of the worst heroine/bad guy ships. That, and the homophobic fans of this - not saying all are homophobic but Those types - have made it hard for me to be sympathetic here. I personally also think it’s kind of gross that most sideline Vaggie or pair her off just so she's not in the way. That and that specific line in the Dad Vs Dad song doesn’t make me feel any more comfortable around this as a romantic prospect.

Two-sided Alastor x Vox - alarming tbh. A lot of stuff I see of this comes from the idea that, again, it’s wrong for Alastor not to rub shoulders and make out with a guy who disrespects him. Say what you will about Stolas and Blitzø but there’s mutual agreements and consensual understandings, toxic as they might be. There’s none of that in any potential relationship between Vox and Alastor. At most, they take pisses out of each other - but for them to go to loving each other? Nope... big nope. The worst enemies to lovers. They’re similar in the worst ways and too different in the worst ways - they'd probably suffocate one another or violently dismember each other before they'd ever kiss and make up.

For all I see complaining about Alastor and Rosie or Stolitz being too basic of an idea romantically, how is this any better tho? Vox is a voyeurist. Alastor’s a sadist. How could it ever work? I'm sorry to those who like this pairing as requited, but I personally can never get behind this. At all.

Lucifer & Alastor - ugh, it's everywhere and after seeing how rabid the fanbase got with it, like it's the only acceptable ship with either character, I just blacklist all ship tags and try to block it out entirely. I do not like this ship. It's very boring to me and there's no chemistry or anything that could potentially appeal to me here. Again, if you're into it, that's fine - just not for me.

I can never get into popular pairings sometimes, and this was one of them. I'm so sorry.

Stolas x Stella - don't need to explain this one. Ugh.

Verosika x Blitzo - nope... maybe as exes to explore, but the fanbase also ruined this for me. She needs to move on with a girl, and he should be with disaster owl prince. That's all.

Moxxie x Chaz - Chaz sucks and Moxxie deserved better.

Cash x Tilla - Cash sucks, and Tilla deserves better (yet I like her and Paimon...I know I'm a hypocrite, at least I'll admit it!).

Crimson x Cash - something, something... my absolute trauma seeing abusive dads together...something.

Crimson x Striker - hahaha, no.

Striker x Blitzø - another "was good as an idea but some people got so annoying that I can't stand it now" pair. Yes, I'm mean and hypocritical, I'll repeat it and apologize.

Absolutely Not:

Valentino x anybody who’s not a Vee - he is a bastard and belongs with bastards on his level. Keep him far away from Angel, particularly.

Any incest ships or pairings with Octavia and an adult - should I have to explain??? REALLY???? don’t make me explain.

Niffty x anybody - she’s just so... childish. It makes me so uncomfortable seeing her paired with Husk or Pentious. Damn.

Again, if your fave ship didn’t make the cut (unless it’s incest or p3do because then that’s just NOT IT)... I'm sorry! I'm just very picky sometimes. I wanted this post to be short but it ended up long. Super sorry but yeah these are my ship opinions <3

[the-witches-you-couldnt-burn]

When it all falls down

Hi guys! I was meant to post this earlier but life happens :(

I have so many fic ideas but not enough time to write & post them. The completion of this fic will be my priority tho!

(Edit) previously named ‘Life as a pawn within the Devil’s deal’

Ao3

Story Masterlist

—————————————————

CHAPTER THREE: Buried alive

Warnings: injuries, sexism, pre-panic attack symptoms, torture (not explicit) and mentions of child birth (and death caused from it), forced pregnancy & imprisonment.

The haunting voice of the king cut through the foreboding silence that coated the room. It bounced off of the decrepit stone pillars, and the ceiling crumpled under the reverberation.

Lady Talia dragged her towards the throne, her body screaming to get far away from this man. Marinette was pushed forward, forced to kneel before ‘her King’. His throne was made out of a rusted iron and withered thorns peaked through its cracks. The king, although hidden from the world, was adorned in every finery known to man. A deep emerald green tunic and pants were joined by a solid gold belt. Gemstones lined the clasps of his cape, connected by three gold chains of differing lengths. The crown that graced his salt & pepper coloured hair consisted of polished obsidian jewels embedded into the golden spires.

Mari’s eyebrows furrowed. She was taught that each of the royal family were only garbed in opals & obsidian (as they were the family’s signature gems) plus their birth jewel. But his majesty seemed to be wearing more jewels then she could name, none seemed more important than the rest.

“So this is the one you chose as Damian’s promised?” He glared down at her. The girl kneeling before him had nothing special about her in appearance other than expensive clothing. What enraged him was that she kept her head high, but her eyes never met his, they were locked on the wall behind him. His frown deepened, his wrinkled skin pulled and folded; suggesting that a frown was a popular expression he wore. “She doesn’t look like much.” His toxic green eyes shifted to his daughter, “Are you sure you got the correct girl?”

“Yes father I have not failed you. This is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, future head of the Miraculous Order. She is their best warrior and will be an asset to the continuation of our bloodline.”

The Mistress’ nails dug into the girl’s shoulder, the pinpricking pain caused her to grimace. She stifled any thought of correcting the hag. It had been years since she took guardian ship of the Order, or in their terms; that she actually the current head. Some of her friends even had dubbed her as their ‘princess’ and that spread around the camp like a wildfire.

His burning gaze scanned every inch of her face before his eyes traveled down her body. Under his stare she felt violated, his contempt and lechery felt like hands running over her skin. “Her only duty is to produce strong heirs, don’t let her be deluded into becoming a hero.”

He waited for either woman to challenge him, it would be a fruitless venture but some still tried. If only his wife had produced a suitable heir, but Melisande had given him a daughter instead. That wretched woman had died during Talia’s birth, escaping her duty of giving him a son. As he reminisced on her, he was only plagued by the thought of how he could have married someone so weak.

He refused to marry again after her, he didn’t want his legacy to be tainted further. And although his daughter was born from weakness she had redeemed herself by birthing a son. Her spouse, Lord Wayne, wouldn’t have been his first pick, but their affair bore a strong prince. His daughter learnt from her mother’s failures and (under his guidance) had become one of his few trusted associates.

“Well?” He boomed, Marinette flinched away. Another sign of weakness. He raised an eyebrow at her, enticing her to comment. “What do you have to say about all this?”

‘What do I have to say?’ She repeated, this surely was a trap, a test. One wrong word and she would be done for. She wanted to scream that she was a warrior not an incubator, and yell at him for deceiving the world.

But she didn’t. Damian’s words from earlier that morning caused her to metaphorically bleed like an open wound.

Her eyes met his, and she is reminded of Damian’s eyes, a stunning evergreen forest comes to mind. But Ra’s eyes weren’t like Damian’s or even Talia’s, his eyes held so much scorn that made them worse then toxic. His eyes held a nuclear explosion behind them and memories of the suffering that came after.

“If the last empire failed,” She paused, taking a breath to conceal her malice. “Why do you think your’s won’t?”

“Because whilst the previous empire thought they were immortal—“ he leaned forward, his face inches away from hers. “I know I am.”

‘Is that how he lived? That is to say if he died in the first place.’ Her body subconsciously moved away but Talia held her in place, his breath was hot and suffocating. She sent a silent prayer to Damian that she was sorry, but the only way she could hold her tongue was if she stitched her lips shut.

-x-

A figure stumbled into the young couple’s room, leaning against the now closed door gasping for breath. Their entry was preceded by rushed footsteps and proceeded by the slam of the dark oak door. Damian watched from the smaller room, the expanse of the appartments was coated by darkness. The shadowed individual walked closer to the lit lantern sat atop the bedside table. The flickering incandescent, cast an orange light upon the person, revealing Damian’s first assumption; his bride, Marinette.

A sob escaped her quivering lips, and the prince noticed her gleaming tears creating trails down her pale cheeks. She collapsed on her bed, crying. He internally debated about whether to invade her space when she was in such a vulnerable state or give her the illusion of privacy.

Looking down at his hands, he remembered the grit of dried blood that once collected underneath his nails. His childhood (if you could call it that) was one of bloodshed and pain. The room looked bigger now and his breathing became infrequent. The bassinet by the window was stripped bare and now became a microcosm of the imprisonment and restriction he faced within the palace walls.

Hands clenched tightly into fists, his nails tempting with the idea of breaking the skin of his palms. He desperately grasped an invisible rope, willing it to ground him. Tremors shook Damian’s body as her cries returned to muffled sobs. ‘Grandfather would be disgusted,’ when had he become so weak?

She had cast a spell over him, projected her despair onto him. What was she crying about anyways? Being sad was being feeble, and being feeble lead to disloyalty.

He stood up, the internal debate was over, all the mental diplomats were slaughtered by the strongest; pride. Rubbing his eyes he broke out of her theurgy. He walked to the bedside, picking up a blanket along the way. When he reached her, body still racking whilst she blubbered, he wrapped the large grey blanket around her shoulders.

Marinette flinched on contact. A cloud could touch her and she still would’ve shied away. Her hair was a mess and stuck to her sweat coated skin. Craning her neck she looked up at her offender, only to find her groom.

Damian’s eyes. They were so similar to... His Highness’s eyes were the last this she saw before the pain penetrated her skull. Her throat was rubbed raw from her screaming which had melted into cries. Is she not even safe in the place she was meant to sleep?

“Take this as a warning—“ pain all she felt was pain, her ears rung from the sound of flesh beating flesh. “Next time you’ll know not to question things above your position.”

CRACK

She screamed.

Damian scanned her face, her eyes were puffy and red. But that wasn’t it. Her left lid looked darker than it should and her bottom lip was busted.

“Who did this to you.” He struggled to keep his tone neutral as she stared into his wide eyes. His mothers statement from several years ago flashed into his mind, “Her position is determined by this marriage Damian, and through you, the Order has a secure future. This union gives us more power and provides them with protection.”

Protection. What use was this marriage if it couldn’t supply the one thing her kin wanted for her; safety.

He looked down upon her beaten face, her skin was tender as blackish-blue bruises waged war. All of a sudden it didn’t matter who committed this atrocity, nor did his thirst for revenge. A pit formed deep within his chest, he had a feeling he knew the answer to his own question.

He turned, rushing over to the closet, Marinette’s arm burned at the removal of his hand. She tilted her head, wiping her eyes as she peered over, watching what he was doing. He had grabbed multiple sets of dark clothes before hastily walking into the bathroom, he returned with the empty linen laundry hamper.

He stuff the items into the hamper before turning back to her, the prince looked almost frantic. He marched back up to her, kneeling, he held her hand between his. Locking eyes with her, her jaggedly cut hair falling similar to that of a curtain as she tilted her head down.

“We have to leave.”

“What?” As if it was a reflex she responded before she could process what he said. ‘Leave?’ This was his home, his kingdom. Why would he want to leave. Her head hung as self-deprecating comments caused her to spiral, ‘I have caused him so much trouble that he feels the need to leave, so that he’s legacy isn’t disgraced further.’

“I cannot ask you to do that.” All of the snark and jest was torn from her leaving her as a husk. “Please,” Her hoarse voice cracked. “I do not wish to cause any more havoc.”

“And I cannot allow for anyone to harm you,” he paused, her eyes shimmered underneath the glow of the lantern light. “You are my wife.”

She softly smiled at the acknowledgment of their status, he had never called her anything other than her name. The ‘my wife’ comment didn’t mean much due to the nature of their arrangement but it still meant something, no matter how minuscule.

“We can’t leave, bad things will happen if we do.”

"There is never going to be a perfect answer." He squeezed her hand, an act of reassurance to give her some form of comfort. “Sometimes the choices we must make have cons alongside their pros."

Taglist:

@thesunniestdays @jayjayspixiepop @toodaloo-kangaroo

[hopevalley]

What did you make of the new synopsis for ep 1 of s1 that is doing the rounds? Gowen and Bill are going head to head to buy the saloon - interesting?! Also who do you believe Abigail was best suited to....I think she and Bill could have gone somewhere if the fallout between them had been written differently. I mean come on, you've got people believing she and Henry are a thing and he is responsible for the death of her husband son! Bill could've been forgiven his drama with Nora too.

First, this is almost 3,000 words long. I’m so sorry..

I assume you meant S6E1—and naturally I have a lot of opinions!

I’m into the general concept of that plotline. It’s so easy to picture. I imagine it’ll happen something like: Gowen makes a comment about buying the place and Bill is instantly like, “Or I could prevent you from doing that” and then it escalates almost instantly into a competitive irritation-fueled bidding war. It’s perfectly in character for both of them.

Bill has proven he can be jealous (see S2) and petty (see S3), sometimes to the point where he can be cruel (see S5). Henry is a very competitive guy who will do what it takes to get what he wants, often at the expense of others (see pretty much every season). We also know there’s absolutely no love lost between them. Despite the short moment where Bill was almost friendly to Henry in S5 (when Henry turned in the woman who offered him a job if he betrayed Lee), it’s clear Bill and Henry are bound to be…well, I don’t want to say “lifelong enemies” so maybe: lifelong personal antagonists?

Their history is complex and interesting, and it goes back at least 20 years. They’ve known each other (or of each other) longer than they haven’t. Think about that. And there’s that whole mess with Nora getting pregnant, Bill marrying her and raising Martin, the comment Bill made about how Nora “always had a weak spot for [Henry]”—and the fact that Bill has investigated the mining company Henry worked for more than once, both ending in prosecutions; but the first time he did this ended with Henry being spat out as a scapegoat for the company: banished to Coal Valley.

So Henry blames Bill for a lot of the things he’s had to deal with. On the opposite side of things, Bill has known Slimy Gowen for so many years that it’s hard for him to really believe the man is capable of change, especially a drastic change. Neither of them…are really wrong, though; to a certain extent, it’s a matter of perspective. Bill thinks Henry is a scumbag, and Henry thinks Bill has always had it out for him.

And, sure, Henry didn’t let Ray Wyatt shoot Bill, but 1) he’d be implicated in that, and 2) all it really says about his character is that he has a moral line he won’t cross. He sicced his goons on Bill in S1, worked to ruin Abigail’s livelihood for literal years, and used Nora. He wasn’t a good man. But he knew who he was and he knew how far he’d go.

I like to think he’s still that guy, just…maybe better—or at least willing to try to be better?

And you know what? I like that even though Gowen has been making an effort to be a better person, the series hasn’t tried to push the two of them into some kind of happy friendship. Their history together isn’t good, and neither is their present. “You testified against me, Bill. Now, I see you taking a stroll down the boardwalk with my co-conspirator” (S5).

It’s just nice to see that “second chances” don’t always have to be these grand gestures of love and friendship and closeness; they can be just…staying in your own lane? I mean, even if Bill absolutely hates Henry, he mostly just ignores him/leaves him alone/lets him do his thing—and vice versa. That’s a form of giving a second chance. It doesn’t have to be on a personal level, and I think with these two characters, any kind of “wholesome, wholly-trusting” resolution would just feel…really bad. They need to retain their integrity as people, which means they’ll probably never actually like one another.

So of course they’d get into a bidding war over the saloon. 

The only real question I have about it is…uh…where’s Henry getting the money? That must be some promotion Lee gave him, huh? I love the plot, but this is a huge oversight.

Look, Bill can theoretically have a lot of money. We don’t actually know how wealthy or un-wealthy he is. He’s been working an unpaid position off and on for the last two years as the sheriff of Hope Valley, but he also owns half of Abigail’s Café.

And this can’t be overlooked, either: he worked at a very high-profile and no doubt high-paying job before this. Does he pay alimony to Nora? We actually don’t know. It’s possible the café ownership keeps him afloat enough that he doesn’t have to touch his savings, but he could have a substantial amount of them, even though it’s obvious he used some of those to buy out Gowen’s half of the café. Still, early-seasons Bill was something of a workaholic, so even when he was making a lot of money, it’s doubtful he had the time or inclination to spend it. He could still have a sizable amount of it left after 30 years in the field!

But Henry? He’s poor. We’ve established this. He more or less came crawling back to town and had to take what was offered to him: a position at the bottom of the lumber mill totem pole. But he worked it and he didn’t complain.

So again, my question: where’s the money coming from? How can Henry competitively bid against Bill at this point?

Are they both intending to take out a loan or is part of Bill’s offer that he can pay in cash? I’m curious to see how they juggle it, but I really hope Henry’s stint as being poor isn’t just…overlooked. If he has to take out a loan for it, I’d be fine with it; I really love the idea of Henry getting that businessman spark back and taking a risk because of it! But I guess we’ll have to see.

As far as Abigail’s best suitor goes: my answer is Frank. I feel pretty sure that he was just about everything she needed in a partner. He wanted to communicate, he worked through things, he was good at talking about his feelings, he brought her flowers, he spent time with her, he had family meals with her and Cody… The list goes on. They were a great match! It’s unfortunate that he was written off the show.

As for Abigail and Bill…I have to agree with you.

But I should disclaim my post.

I don’t see them as romantically inclined toward one another at all—in fact, I can’t watch their dating scenes in early episodes without cringing because it just feels awkward and performative to me. But if the show can will-they won’t-they with Henry and Abigail, it feels kind of yucky to me that we never even got a sincere discussion between Bill and Abigail about what happened between them, let alone a genuine apology and acceptance scene.

Don’t get me wrong; they make amazing friends. I loved the end of S5 when he went to Abigail because he knew she’d get it—she’d get him, even the things he couldn’t make himself say.

But there’s something to be said for attraction and what a person wants in a relationship at different times in their lives, too.

Let me explain.

When Abigail met Bill, she was just starting to move past the grief of losing her husband and son. That’s not an easy thing to do. But it’s like she says in S1: “Life goes on for all of us.” Abigail didn’t want to steep herself in grief forever. She wanted to move on. And Bill, unrelated to the accident but in town to help solve it and give her peace of mind, was the perfect…I don’t know. He wasn’t a “rebound guy” but for lack of a better term, let’s call him that. He wasn’t that well-suited to her but he was available and she needed…some of what he was capable of offering right away—especially assurance and (lawful) action.

She was married from the cusp of womanhood until her husband died, so it’s doubtful she had a line of beaus on a string in her youth. Abigail never played the courting game. But here she is years later, a widow ready to try and move on…and Bill shows up and is nice to her, respectful, kind of charming, and sincerely helpful…and at this point in her life, that’s exactly what she needs! She needs someone who feels dependable and can take care of her in the way she needs taken care of, which at this point was…bringing her peace of mind/bringing justice to the town and the men who died: her immediate needs (that could be fulfilled by a non-suitor Bill, too, by the way).

But Abigail was having a nice time. Again, a good-lookin’ guy comes to see you and talk to you and tells you that your cooking is great and that you look nice…and you’re not wrong and it’s okay to want justice and he’s gonna make sure you get it…

It’s flattering and confidence-boosting. And hey, except for the whole…lying thing, he was the perfect rebound guy. He didn’t want to rush anything; he respected her space; and he actively worked on the things he promised to work on (getting justice for the dead men).

But there were other aspects of Bill that just…didn’t work for her and probably still wouldn’t. He’s an emotional husk most of the time and he’s not a Romantic Man. I don’t know how to explain it, but for an example, let’s go with flowers.

Bill gives her flowers “for the café, to brighten things up.” It’s a romantic overture, but we’re not shown him actually giving them to her so it feels…kind of disconnected. Frank brings Abigail flowers and not only do we see it, everything about it is intended to be romantic. He brings her favorites, demonstrating he knows what she likes; he smiles a lot; he wants to touch her and be touched; he hovers around after and offers to help her with what she’s working on…

Bill does these types of things because it’s expected of him.

But it’s like, you can’t forget the kind of person Bill is, either.

He’s a workaholic at this point in the series. All he does is work. And he was in a marriage for an indeterminate number of years (anywhere from 15 to 25 of them) with someone he didn’t love. “I married her as a favor to her father.” Bill never had to romance his wife; he married her out of obligation—because her father made sure he got his schooling.

Bill is the guy who, at least at this time, did things because “that’s what you do.” It’s almost like he’s following a manual. You give flowers to the woman you’re courting. You offer your arm. You say romantic things. Or in the case of his job, you follow the rules, you fill out the proper paperwork in the right order. You submit cases on time. In the case of Nora and her father, too. He did you a life-changing favor so you need to do one for him, too.

Because he’s just doing what’s expected, the things he does don’t feel romantic when you have time to think about them (and compare them to others). It’s like taking out the trash because it’s expected of you, or doing the dishes. That’s what these kinds of things seem to be to him, at least when he’s low-key courting Abigail: they’re tasks. He’s just doing them to check them off the list; there’s not much feeling in them and personal preference isn’t taken into consideration.

Which brings me back to Bill’s, uh, emotional constipation.

He was definitely lying in S1/S2 when he didn’t admit he was Divorce Pending. But even at moments where Abigail was trying to communicate feelings to him, he was just…completely avoidant. Remember this scene?

Yeah, the way he just…segues away from feelings or attachment is cringey. It’s hard to watch a second (or third, or fourth) time. Bill is Bad At Feelings (dealing with the ones he has AND admitting when he doesn’t have them), and Abigail needs someone who is good at them: at understanding what they’re feeling and why, and a person who is willing to regularly and effectively try to communicate them with her.

(Just quickly here I want to point out that Bill’s emotional constipation may have been why he and Dottie didn’t work out, too, though the writers sort of dropped the ball on that one… And it’s why he was so mean to AJ in S5; this man literally can’t talk about his feelings short of an actual breakdown, and that is NOT the kind of thing most people are equipped to deal with. And to be fair to the Dottie/Bill relationship, him cooking for her was a marked improvement in him trying to court a lady, but there are aspects of it that just feel like he’s just checking off boxes.)

This is mostly why I prefer that Abigail and Bill just…stay friends. Because neither of them need to settle for a romantic relationship they’re not wholly into, but also…they both need very different things in a relationship; they just don’t seem compatible to me that way.

So sure, Abigail thought he was pretty good-lookin’ when he showed up, and he’s nice to spend time with, but everything beyond that isn’t really her cup of tea: he doesn’t forgive easily; he holds grudges; he’s extremely independent; he doesn’t like asking for help; he’s terrible at communicating feelings; etc. So I mean, even if he improves in the feelings department, it’s probably not going to matter enough.

Bill’s needs matter too, of course, and Abigail fulfills some of them, but not all of them: he really needs someone who’s gonna call him out, keep him on his toes/things from getting boring or stagnant; he needs an opinionated complaining partner; he needs someone who knows their own heart well but who will also understand his without him having to spell everything out/their feelings getting hurt when he doesn’t spell it out for them; etc.

And I mean, it really sucks because they do have a few things that are good for one another. And for what it’s worth, I think they could make a relationship work if they had to/felt inclined to. Bill isn’t very good at compromising, but Abigail’s better at it. Still, would they both be happy, or would it ultimately just rob them of their ability to be and feel independent? Bill doesn’t like being told what to do and he’d HATE having to, say, be home at a certain time. I think when he met Abigail, that wasn’t important to him, but now it is. He likes being able to do what he wants, when he wants to do it.

(Which reminds me of Frank, who spent a lifetime extremely independent but was more than happy to have someone to answer to; the issue between he and Abigail was that he needed that expectation communicated to him; that was it! I feel like Bill would find it stifling and ultimately it could breed resentment.)

Anyway, I don’t disagree with your message. I think if things had been written differently, if Bill’s character had gone in a different direction maybe, they’d be more suited to one another right now.

As far as Abigail and Henry goes… I pretty much loathe the idea of them as a romantic couple, so if you’re ever down for a good rant: feel free to hit me up privately. That said, I want to be fair to the characters in terms of like, feeling attraction…or uhhh the lack thereof if you interpret anybody as asexual!

At the end of the day, it’s not unreasonable to think that Abigail could be attracted to Henry.

Maybe she was attracted to Bill at one point, but no longer is (mainly because she’s realized they’re just not that romantically compatible, even though they get on great as friends). And maybe she finds Henry attractive even despite the things he’s done, because, uh… I don’t know, he looks THAT GOOD in a hat and scarf.

I still think the writing surrounding Henry and Abigail is weak, though. Like you said, he was complicit in the deaths of her husband and son. He’ll need a lot more redemption material before I’ll buy into Abigail being romantically interested in him. An attraction? SURE. She’s not blind! But more than that? I hope it doesn’t happen.

Actually, right now I’m kind of hoping Abigail just stays single for a couple of seasons while they focus on other romantic plots that are in town, like Jesse and Clara, and Rosemary and Lee. Abigail needs a little less focus for S6…and I’d prefer it remain romantic-free.

(Don’t forget, we’re getting a storyline for her that’s a two-parter about someone from her past! I’m still hoping it’s one of her brothers, though. That’d be SO cool.)

But that’s just personal opinion, y’know? I’ve noticed that over on Instagram, the fans are really divided in the different Abigail-relationship camps. It’s kind of cool that everyone gets something different out of each type of relationship presented…and of course, seeing everybody’s different interpretation of the characters is fun, too.

So I’m not saying, “you can’t ship X” because you can enjoy whatever it is you like. This is just my interpretation. ♥

(Sorry if there are any mistakes, I didn’t really proofread this multiple times as usual. Let me know if you see anything glaring!)

[humansunshineao3]

New Eyes - A Mundane Soulmate AU [ii]

[Sequel to this]

“Harder, Magnus.”

“Are you sure?” Magnus panted, arms bulging.

Clary glared at him over her shoulder. “Which one of us actually has to wear the corset?”

“Which one of us has to catch the other if she passes out at the altar?” He asked breathlessly, shaking his head. “You already have a tiny waist. Besides, you’ll have to eat at the reception.”

“Fine,” Clary huffed, straightening up as Magnus tied the strings of her dress. “Where did you learn to lace a corset, anyway?”

Magnus smirked, shrugging one shoulder. “I had a burlesque phase in college.”

“Of course you did,” Clary snorted, shaking her head. Once Magnus was done, she turned around, smoothing down the pristine white shirt of her wedding gown. “How do I look?”

Upon seeing her fully done up and laced into the dress, Magnus had to take a moment, his hand pressed to his chest. “You look beautiful, biscuit,” he told her, a knot in his throat. “Your Mom would have been so proud to see you like this.”

Clary sniffed, nodding. “She’s always with me. With both of us.”

Magnus squeezed her hands, and pulled her into a hug. It had been almost five years since Jocelyn died and left her firm to Magnus. Clary was only eighteen, barely finished high school, and she’d spent hours sitting in her Mom’s old office where Magnus now worked, the two of them grieving side by side even as Magnus struggled to keep the business running. Clary had had Luke, her stepfather, to keep her company, but Magnus had had no-one, so they’d taken him under their wing. Clary had eventually learned enough about the business from watching Magnus that she took up a position as a secretary, and though she didn’t know it yet, Magnus had fixed his will to make sure that Clary would receive the whole business if anything were to happen to him. With a few more sniffles from the both of them, they broke apart, both turning to look in the mirror to check their eyeliner.

“Let’s go and get you married, kid.” Magnus smiled, offering her his arm.

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

“I can’t believe I would have missed out on the colour of this suit if I hadn’t met Magnus before today. You’ve really been dressing me this well all these years and I didn’t even realise…” Alec marvelled, brushing some lint off the breast off his jacket. It was a dark, warm forest green, and he knew it complimented Magnus’ maroon suit perfectly, because Magnus had insisted they compare colour swatches weeks in advance.

“You owe me too much,” Izzy sighed dramatically, standing next to him in the mirror. “I gave you the illusion of fashion sense and a soulmate. I am officially the best little sister in the entire world.”

Alec smiled, putting his arm around her shoulders. “You really are. I’m so lucky to have you, Iz, really.”

Still unused to Alec’s blunt declarations of affection, Izzy blinked at him in the mirror, a slow smile spreading on her face. Meeting Magnus had done Alec a world of good; everyone could see it. Before Magnus came along, the only time Alec ever showed any kind of emotion was when he was dealing with his patients or his dog. Magnus had changed all that. In a matter of weeks, Alec had gone from withdrawn and uninterested in life to enthusiastic and engaged in everything around him. It was beautiful to see.

She and Clary had known when setting them up that Magnus would encourage Alec to loosen up, but when Alec called her the morning after their date and announced that Magnus was his soulmate, her first reaction was that she couldn’t believe it. She had to admit, though, that a part of her wasn’t surprised. They were total opposites, and they balanced each other out. Her and Clary had been very similar.

“What are you thinking about?” Alec asked.

Izzy sighed happily, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him from the side. “The first time I met Clary.”

The first time Izzy laid eyes on Clary, the redhead had been halfway through beating up a mugger. She could still see it vividly; the mugger’s shocked, bloodied face pressed into the pavement as Clary quite literally kicked the shit out of him. Izzy had rushed forward, instinct making her reach for the strange, angry woman to hold her back from actually killing the man who’d attacked her.

When she caught Clary around the wrist, the entire world shifted, literally, and Clary froze mid-kick, her gaze snapping to Izzy’s face. As the mugger crawled away, bruised and beaten, Clary’s wide, green eyes drank in every detail of her soulmate’s face.

“Trust me to get stuck with a hot head,” Izzy had chuckled breathlessly, and Clary had promptly burst into tears.

“I’m sorry, I don’t… I don’t usually do this, I swear.” Clary had insisted, between sobs. “My Mom died, like… two weeks ago. I-I… I can’t. I can’t. You deserve better than this.”

Izzy hummed, putting her fingers under Clary’s chin to tip her head up and gently wiping her tears away with her free hand. “How do you know?”

Clary blinked at her, her light eyelashes catching the warmth of the setting sun. “Because… You’re the kindest person in the whole world. I can feel it.”

And that was how Isabelle Lightwood had fallen in love with Clary Fray.

“If it had been me, meeting my soulmate like that, I’d have run for the hills.” Alec admitted, shaking his head.

Izzy shrugged, grinning from ear to ear. “The first thing I remember thinking was ‘well fuck, my masochist streak is no joke’.”

Alec cackled, throwing his head back. “Excellent.”

“She needed me,” Izzy said softly, stepping away from Alec to get her earrings from the dressing table. “And I didn’t know it at the time, but I needed her too. You meet your soulmate when you need them the most.”

“I can’t believe you waited so long to get married,” Alec shrugged, helping her put on her veil. “I thought for sure you’d get married within the year.”

Izzy hummed, spinning around slowly in front of the mirror to look at the full effect of herself in her white fishtail wedding dress. “We wanted to have a nice wedding. There’s no way we could have saved up enough in a year. Besides, she had grieving to do, and I was still in college. This is the right time.” Her eyes were bright with joy when she turned to face Alec. “Let’s go.”

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

Clary and Izzy had flipped a coin to determine who’d stand at the altar and who’d walk down the aisle, with the promise of switching positions when they renewed their vows on their 25th wedding anniversary. The winner of the coin toss had been Clary, and she chose to be the one standing at the altar, wanting the full effect of watching her bride walk towards her.

When the doors opened and Izzy appeared, Clary knew that there was no hope that she’d manage to keep her shit together, and Magnus surreptitiously pressed a tissue into her hand. Thanking God for Magnus’ sob-proof make-up, Clary dabbed at her eyes as Izzy floated down the aisle escorted by Alec, though she barely noticed him. Her eyes could only see Izzy, sparkling and radiant, the shape of her joyful smile visible even through the translucent material of the veil. The moment she got close enough, Clary reached for her hand, and with a quick squeeze, they turned to face Simon, Clary’s childhood friend.

“Hey, what’s up, guys?” Simon asked nervously into the mic, and Clary and Izzy peeked at each other, giggling. “Sorry, my bad. This is very serious business. You know, when Clary and Izzy first asked me to do the ceremony, I said no at first, because, well… I ramble. But anyway, uh, I thought about it, and I realised that yes, I had to do this. Because Clary’s my oldest friend in the world, right? When we met in kindergarten, I remember being absolutely inconsolable that she wasn’t my soulmate. She was the kindest, sweetest, fiercest person I’d ever met, and she was always unwaveringly loyal. She is the kind of woman that anybody would thank God for giving them. But, you know, I dealt with it, growing up, and then I met this kickass law student, totally poised, classy and witty. I mean, she could… She’d kill you with a choice sentence. It was beautiful. And her name was Isabelle.”

Izzy grinned mischievously at Simon, who chuckled.

“So we started dating, right, and I was like, oh man, this is it. We waited three dates before we touched, and… Still black and white. I was like, really? I’ve now met two of the best women in the entire world and neither of them were right for me? But, it turns out, they weren’t meant for me. Because they were meant for each other. Now, I’m not gonna lie, when Clary brought her soulmate home for dinner the first time and it was Izzy, I literally screamed.”

“He did,” Clary giggled tearfully, and Simon beamed at her.

“But after all of two minutes of watching them together, I realised that what they have goes beyond a soulmate bond. It goes beyond pheromones and whatever genetic bullshit. Because even in a world where we didn’t have soulmates, in a world of, I don’t know, monsters and demons, these two wonderful women still would have found each other. Their hearts would beat as one in any universe. I truly believe that. And today we’re here to celebrate that miracle, and the fact that from now until always, they’ll have each other to lean on. And now I’m gonna join you all in crying like a baby while they tell us just what they mean to each other.” Simon bowed a little, and everyone laughed, Magnus wordlessly handing him a tissue as Izzy and Clary turned to face each other.

“The first time I met you,” Clary said quietly, grateful that the mic meant she didn’t have to shout, “I was broken, and angry, and I felt like I had nothing left. My Mom meant everything to me, and she was taken from me so suddenly. I thought that I’d be an ugly, violent husk of a person forever. When I was beating that guy up, I didn’t know restraint or compassion. And then,” she took a deep shaky breath, “you touched me. And just as suddenly as I lost everything, I gained everything back. With that simple touch, you not only literally gave my life colour, but you brightened everything around me. You didn’t coddle me, you never shrugged off my pain, you held me and scolded me when I needed it, and I don’t deserve you, Iz. I really don’t. You always know what to say to make me feel whole, and safe. I have no idea what the hell I did in another life to earn your love and affection, but I’m going to spend this life being the best person, the best wife I can be, because I want the gift of your soul in the next life and every other life after that.”

As Simon predicted, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the time Magnus handed Clary the ring to put on Izzy’s finger. Izzy herself was laughing breathlessly, her lower lip trembling as she tried to keep herself together long enough to say her vows.

“Clary, it’s been the greatest joy of my life in watching you heal. When we met, I looked like I had it all together, but the truth is I was lost. I was overworked, hyper focussed, and I felt like I was dead inside. You were brave enough to show your pain to the world, you screamed it and made people listen because you knew that you deserved to be heard. I adored that about you in the moment we met, and if anything, I adore it even more now. I admire you so much, Clary Fray. You are the most authentic, honest, most selfless person I know. I’ve had the honour of standing by your side as you knitted your heart back together, and through some stroke of luck I’ve been the one you handed it to. As we go forward together into the rest of our lives, I promise you that I will continue to support and cherish you, and never, ever let you slip. I know that your greatest fear is falling back into rage and hatred, and I swear to you, I will love you hard enough and deep enough that at the end of the day, when you walk through our front door, the world will melt away. It’s just going to be you and me, babe, until the end of our lives. And I couldn’t be happier.”

Izzy turned to get the ring from Alec, but he was sobbing, his hand over his face, so Magnus fondly plucked the ring out of his hand and gave it to his sister with a wink, patting Alec on the shoulder gently.

“I’m sorry,” Alec gasped, waving Magnus away as Izzy slipped the ring onto Clary’s finger, “I never thought I’d live to see the day where she took something for herself.”

Magnus hummed, and squeezed his waist. “I know, darling. I know.”

“Now, who will give away Isabelle Lightwood?” Simon asked, glancing at Alec, who reached out to squeeze Izzy’s hand.

“I will.” Alec announced, and Izzy looked back to smile at him.

“And who will give away Clary Fray?”

Luke raised his hand wordlessly, his free hand on the back of the empty chair next to him. Clary made eye contact with him for a moment, and his face crumpled in a tearful smile. “I will.”

Simon grinned. “Cool! Oh! If there’s anyone who thinks these two shouldn’t get married, speak now or forever hold your peace, whatever. Anybody? No? Awesome.” He sighed, shoulders slumping in relief. “Go on then, Fray, what are you waiting for? Kiss her, fuck!”

Clary was careful as she lifted the veil over Izzy’s head, letting it float down over her hair. Izzy was a little more forceful, and Clary yelped as it tugged at her hair, making Izzy giggle.

“Sorry,” she whispered, her hands encircling Clary’s waist.

Clary shook her head, swiping at happy tears. “Apology accepted.”

“By the power vested in me by the worldwide web, I now pronounce Clarissa Fray and Isabelle Lightwood married!” Simon exclaimed, joining everyone in clapping as the two newlyweds kissed passionately, Clary throwing her arms around Izzy’s neck as they sunk into it. “Oof! Geez, there are kids here…”

“Simon, the mic’s still on!” Magnus hissed, elbowing him in the ribs.

Alec laughed, burying his face in Magnus’ neck as Izzy and Clary broke apart.

“Ladies and gentlemen and non binary pals, I present to you, Mrs and Mrs Lightwood-Fray!” Simon crowed, throwing his fist in the air. Everyone cheered and stood to clap as Izzy and Clary walked down through the venue hand in hand, so caught up in each other they didn’t give anyone else a second glance.

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

“You know, I didn’t take you for a crier,” Magnus teased as he and Alec swayed together on the dancefloor later that night.

Alec rolled his eyes. “I’m not, not usually. I haven’t cried like that since I was, like, fifteen.”

Magnus hummed, his fingertips rubbing at the soft, short hair on the back of Alec’s neck. “For the record, you’re a very pretty crier. It’s almost annoying, actually.”

“Just wait until you see me when I’m sick. I promise you I’m not pretty then.”

Magnus smiled. “I can’t wait.”

Alec snorted, leaning back a little. “You can’t wait for me to get sick? Sadistic bastard.”

“I can’t wait to experience every little detail of you,” Magnus explained, leaning in to rub their noses together. “I can’t wait until the day I can hand on heart say I know you inside out.”

With a bashful smile, Alec tucked his face into Magnus’ neck. “Shut up.”

“Nope, never going to happen, you may as well accept that now,” Magnus teased, kissing Alec on the temple. “Me and my big mouth are here to stay.”

“Forever,” Alec murmured, lifting his head.

“Mmm,” Magnus nodded, eyes tender. “Forever.”

[retphienix]

Usually I spend this final post talking at length about every part of the game, and sure this will be a lengthy post but honestly? This game gave me something to talk about at every turn. I've already said it all, and don't really see a reason in repeating myself here beyond summing things up.

The final boss was... fine.

Honestly that's about how I'd rank her. She was fine. Multiple forms, some deadly attacks. If this was any other RPG I'd say she was "fine", but it's worth mentioning that "fine" in FF8 is nearly god-tier because every encounter is usually utter garbage.

She even managed to kill me once because I got a bad trio and remained cocky, resulting in two dying and Squall (my third) sitting at 1000 HP using his Limit Break instead of healing.

I lost because of my ego on that one, but she gets the credit I suppose.

The story throughout was usually passable. I feel it was stronger at the start, was performed better towards the middle (with things like the garden battle and space scene which still ranks as my favorite moment in the game), and obviously dumb at the end because the weak plot points from the middle become the main emphasis.

It feels like some of the plot was left at first drafts or written by different people without consulting each other, and it's annoying to follow.

Like the GF memory issue brought up in the orphanage scene was, in my opinion, totally fine! It would have been MORE fine if it CONTINUED to be important to the story.

If GFs ended up being the reason Edea turned evil through brain rot, and the final boss ended up being the GF inside of her, I'd be saying the story was pretty decent to good!

Instead they latched onto possession which was unbelievably stupid and only made worse by saying it's not just possession, it's FUTURE possession.

At that it was still "passable, but disappointing" to me, because I much prefer expanding on the GF idea. But it just got worse!

All of a sudden the reason Ultimecia is doing this is revealed and it's just dumb.

Time Compression means nothing! It's a plot device with no form! It has no reasoning, it has no real world equivalent, it MEANS nothing and we're never given the slightest hint as to WHY she wants this or even WHAT this is.

If you would have said she was evil because evil is cool I'd be more forgiving, but this plot point and LITERAL GOAL of the antagonist means NOTHING.

The characters started out as cardboard and slowly became actual characters (with some exceptions who merely became decorated cardboard).

I started this game utterly amazed that such an unlikable character was made the main protagonist, but as it's wrapping up I must admit I like Squall and friends.

Squall explained why he was a little craphead and has begun (and in some cases succeeded in) growing out of it and becoming a better person who's willing to trust.

Rinoa becomes much more serious compared to her reveal in the plot and towards the end she's a key part in major plans necessary to defeat Ultimecia instead of just dipping her toe into making a change.

Irvine mostly just goes from acting like a playboy to fawning over Selphie. There's a little more to it, but not as much as I wanted from him.

Zell mostly just becomes a more emphasized version of himself, and that's fine too, but he's in the same boat as Irvine.

Selphie remains pretty much unchanged, but at least she gets a little backstory with Trabia in which I became curious if she's always been a beacon of optimism or if Trabia made her into one. Saaaame boat.

Quistis only gets any characterization at the very beginning with her getting fired from her position, and a small bit when her infatuation with Squall is explained to be a misinterpretation of forgotten emotions. She's "interesting", but she got the least out of everyone here. She's not only in the same boat as the majority of the main cast, she's captain of the sucker.

The characters are arguably the weakest part if you ignore the god-awful gameplay, but I ended up liking them more than this writeup implies.

I LIKE Squall and Rinoa and hope they enjoy each other's company.

I LIKE Irvine and Selphie for being who they are and wish the same.

I LIKE Zell as a character, and I WANT to know more about Quistis.

That's a pretty big difference from Disc 1 where I generally didn't like anything that was going on.

The gameplay is TRASH~~~~

I've said so many things on it, so I'll leave it at just this.

They innovated in a lot of ways. They added a lot of things. They tried to emphasize a feature that was extremely well received in 7 (summon animations) but they just messed everything up.

Features either ruin balance or ruin another feature. Half the features work against each other. Most of the features appear to have been developed in bubbles without knowing or testing with other features.

Some features exist for very specific reasons like enhancing world exploration, but they just don't work. (That being enemies leveling with you, as it unbalances literally every boss and it makes leveling in itself counter productive to getting stronger.) While others are solutions to non-problems, like replacing loot with draw spots (lowering the excitement value).

It's bad. Like really bad.

And if the best thing I can say about the gameplay is either "On paper it's interesting" or "You can skip most of it by using this broken feature to negate all the rest" or "Just throw Encounter-None on and never fight again", then I don't think I need to explain how bad it is.

As for the ending itself, my interpretation is pretty definite and good enough for me.

Squall gets lost in the compression and, as Ultimecia hinted towards, it begins to delete him from existence.

Earlier in the game they say the safest way to make it through the compression is to believe in each other and keep their bonds and relationships in mind at all times because they don't belong in that time so time will try to erase them if nothing IN that time is bound to them (so stand together or vanish apart).

Since Squall is bad at that kind of thing, he gets lost. When he gets lost he begins to doubt because he has a history of losing everyone around him, and when he doubts he begins to be deleted by time itself.

The memory loops and distortions are that process happening in his brain as it not only began because he failed to hold onto his friends, it makes it harder to rebound because it deletes all those memories in the first place.

Once it finally deletes his memories we get that meme'd up void face and he falls back and sheds a tear, a husk of a man. This is cemented by the feather he caught falling easily to the ground as if it had fallen straight through him.

Squall is gone.

Follow that by Rinoa refusing to give up and proving this is a two way street, just because Squall failed to believe in everyone strongly enough doesn't mean she can't do it for the both of them. She believes so hard he comes back, the end.

I gave it a less than serious tone towards the end there, but in all truth I'm serious in my interpretation.

Continuing beyond just Squall's freakout, I liked the ending. It suited the goals we all had and it showed some MUCH. NEEDED. CHARACTERIZATION- that would have been fantastic to experience in the core game! *cough*

They got to choose when they went back to, so Laguna chose to go back to marry Raine and lived up to this current time again?! THAT'S GOOD STUFF.

Irvine being Irvine in ways I WISH were in the main game because LOOK AT HIM. HE'S BEING A TOTAL DORK AND I LOVE HIM FOR IT.

Zell choking like the dork he is and then immediately starting a fight, just FANTASTIC stuff there that I wish there was more of.

Selphie and Quistis showing that they care about their friends through the traditional "Save you from choking and mock you for it" way.

Selphie even stole Irvine's hat. It wasn't much, but if she did more "silly" things like that we might have had an excuse to understand her more and get more character out of her. The most I recall is singing on trains and hijacking the Ragnarok, that’s not enough.

There are so many little good things in this game overshadowed by miles of poorly thought out mechanics and glossing over details in the story that shouldn't be, or deciding to follow through with unbelievably bad plot points.

I WANT this to be better because some of it IS good.

But I would be lying through my teeth if I said that all made up for the gameplay. The only reason I’m remotely singing these praises is because (ironically) it’s so broken you can ignore 90% of the gameplay and just play through the ridiculous story to find the good bits.

In the end though. I'm happy.

If you would have told me beating FF8 would make me happy as a kid, I'd have believed you because I liked it then.

If you would have told me this when I was wrapping up disc 1 I'd have called you a liar.

But here I am.

I'm happy with the end result, despite the poor turns the story took, despite the lack of sufficient characterization for the main cast, despite the TERRIBLE TERRIBLE gameplay, I'm content and happy with this.

And now I know so much about the inner workings of this piece of garbage that I could probably beat it in no time flat with almost no fighting outside of boss fights. lol.