#and i had to make it about bella and her choosing her own death

[ginwhitlock]

-  Corinthians 15:55

[lonelylonelyghost]

Re-watch of The Spirealm. Episode 30

Ah yeah. The iconic "Theater Gay vs Math Gay" moment

Friendship in the umbrella is the key that we've found along the way or something, idk

Well, she's a proper spoiled brat, but she seems to genuinely love her boyfriend. I don't know how to feel about her... She is a human I guess

I like her

The stairs in the forest - it's my favourite thing!!! I'm obsessed with those images, even managed to find several in real life

yey!

YOO-HOOO!!!

"It said that in a village where it rained incessantly, crops were about to fail. The villagers, in their ignorance, heard of a method: chopping off someone's head and hanging it in the yard would make the torrential rain stop.

The villagers, believing in this superstition, selected a child. The village school teacher tried to dissuade them from this foolish act, explaining that the village, situated between the mountains and the sea, was naturally rainy. the villagers, unwilling to listen, insisted on sacrificing a child.

The school teacher, determined to sacrifice himself in place of that student. The ignorant villagers wrapped the teacher's head in white cloth and hung it high..."

First of all, who even came up with this method? Who told the villagers this? I need to have a few words with them.

Second of all... So, like - the superstition was correct? Because it worked, didn't it? The rain stopped immediately...

And third of all, I can't believe that Gao Dawei canonically based this entire Door World on some random popular internet search. This dude used Bella Swan's research method lmao

:)

oh great...

"Have you ever thought that the world inside the Doors is real? And everything we're experiencing now is an illusion."

"Of course, I have. But I can't figure it out."

"If it were you, would you choose a real but scary world or a virtual but safe world?"

"I'll choose wherever you are."

And he'll be true to his word...

Ah, my heart...

They're so cute together....

"Ruan-ge, I don't have the courage and guts to face everything inside the Door. If I have to experience the world inside the Doors again, I'd rather die. Dead as a door nail."

But as much as it hurts, I understand her decision. The Door world is terrifying, and in order to have a slightly higher chance (and not a guarantee!) of passing her 6th, she'll have to experience the horrors of other Doors time and time again. I don't know what I would've chosen if I were in her place...

But it still hurts, it hurts, it HURTS! Why did I even start this re-watch???...

"I'll help you in the Door, Zaozao."

"Nonsense. You've passed a low-level Door alone so far and Li Dongyuan sacrificed his life to save you. How can you protect Tan Zaozao?"

"Because there is nothing I could do about Li Dongyuan's death. I don't want to lose another friend!"

"You're not saving her, you're just going to die with her!"

"Isn't that what being friends mean?"

"The meaning of friendship is to live for each other, not die for each other."

😔said the person who will not heed his own advice...

And now we feel guilty for the argument...

≧ ﹏ ≦

"Cheng Yixie, you're risking your life! Why won't you ever listen to me?"

"Ruan-ge, I'm sorry."

"You're just drinking poison just to quench your thirst, do you know that?"

"If it works, I'll drink the poison. If Qianli can quench thirst, then it'll be enough."

Yixie and Qianli, these poor babies! 😭😭😭

They are really such different characters, that's why I still had doubts at the time that it was the same actor, even if I already noticed the specific camera movements

🐱and🐶

oh nononononono

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[panlight]

you mentioned the saga has too many side characters for a love story. In your opinion - who could be removed, without having their disappearance effecting the overall story? Personally i feel like Esme and Emmett could be taken out and there wouldn't be so much that'd change. But i never really thought about others. I guess the movies did well with removing Lauren and Ben.

My dilemma is that I LOVE all the side characters. By and large I find them more interesting than the mains. BUT because Twilight is, after all, a romance . . . there's just not a lot of 'room' for the side characters. Which is probably why I find them interesting! Because we get just enough information about them that I want to know more, but also leaves plenty of room for headcanons and personal interpretations.

But since romances are always about the central couple, there's just really no need for so MANY characters in this series. The movies were smart to combine some of the human high school characters to get the numbers down there, but since most of the other characters don't have any arcs or storylines of their own, they could have been cut or combined too. Does the wolfpack 'need' Paul AND Jared? Do Brady and Collin do anything? Do we really 'need' three Volturi leaders and all those guards? Do we 'need' all those visiting vampires in covens of 3-4, or could we have had more solo vamps or just pairs?

And yes, with the Cullens, it's absolutely Esme and Emmett. And I love them! They're some of my favorites! But in terms of the plot you just don't need them. You need Carlisle as the creator of Edward and for all the times the plot calls for a doctor. You need Alice as the facilitator of the romance and the quirky friend you often see in romances. Plus, her power plays a large role in the plot. Jasper has the New Moon attack and the history with newborns which becomes relevant in Eclipse. And Rosalie becomes important in Breaking Dawn, and she had a fun slightly antagonistic vibe. But you could cut out Emmett and Esme and the plot would not meaningfully change. In fact, in some way, it might improve.

For example I never really got why Edward was so hopeless about ever finding love when he has examples in his own family/coven of it taking a long, long time to find a partner. It took Jasper almost 100 years. It took Carlisle about 250. Rosalie and Emmett were outliers! Edward being all "forever alone" after 90 years as a vampire always felt a little off, like, there's still time. He's roughly at the age Jasper was when he met Alice. But if Carlisle and Rosalie were also still single, that makes Edward's hopelessness make a bit more sense. Like "if Carlisle the Amazing has not found a partner in 350 years what hope do I have?" or whatever.

Or you could try to combine characters. A Jasper/Emmett hybrid miiiiiight work. Emmett's backstory never matters, but you would have to sacrifice some elements of each of their personalities. I don't think making Rosalie Carlisle's wife/Edward's mother would work at all though. Feels wrong just to put it into words. Would combining Alice and Esme, making her Carlisle's wife/Edward's mother, and then having Rosalie with the Jasper/Emmett hybrid be better? Ugh, no, still doesn't work.

I think they all gotta be single, with Alice/Jasper the only couple. And then, yeah, the Edward/Bella thing would feel more miraculous. It was always funny to me it was like "oh no! the love between a human and vampire is forbidden and/or never works out well!" when literally in Edward's own family there were two couples who met when one was still human. I mean admittedly Emmett was minutes from death but still, technically, Rosalie and Carlisle both ended up with humans they 'saved.' Then there's Benjamin going back for Tia; Aro choosing human Sulpicia, like, it's not that usual. But you erase the R/Em and C/Es couples and then, sure, Ed/B seems more rare and impossible.

Ultimately, though, rather than cut characters I'd rather expand to the story to be more of an ensemble fantasy adventure WITH a romance rather than a romance that dips in and out of fantasy adventure. You can have a central character, and even a central romance, and still develop side characters and let them have their own arcs. Jasper could have actually had an arc about overcoming his thirst instead of just sulking about how Bella is so good at it. Carlisle could have had something about actually convincing some vampires to become vegetarian. Alice discovering her human origins could have had more of a meaningful effect on her characterization rather than just being something she infodumps on Bella as a fun bit of trivia. Esme and Emmett could have had plot-relevant reasons to exist rather than Rosalie and Carlisle just needing partners. And Ed/B's romance could still have been the centerpiece.

[sequinsmile-x]

The Games We Play - Chapter 3

She’d survived the very worst a person could, lived through things that still kept her up at night, the screams of other innocent people ringing in her head as sleep evaded her.

She’d survived so much, but she didn’t think she’d survive leading him to his death. 

A Hunger Games AU

-x-

Hi friends,

Thanks so so much for the love on this fic so far <3 Like I've said countless times before, AU's are nerve-wracking - especially one as unhinged as this one - so I really appreciate the support.

Please let me know what you think <3

Note: tumblr is tumblring, so tags aren't necessarily working. Please interact with this if you see it <3

-x-

Words: 3k

A full list of warnings can be found on the series master list

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

“You should get some sleep.” 

She scoffs as she turns to look at Dave, tearing her eyes from the screen just for a moment before she looks back at it, her lips pressed together as she shakes her head, “I can’t sleep.” 

Dave sighs and sits down on the couch next to her, he sits so he’s in her line of vision, blocking the television, and he smiles at her with so much sympathy it makes her want to scream. She looks away, the opulence of the apartment they were always put in when in the Capitol makes her feel suffocated, the large expansive space with amenities people at home couldn’t even imagine putting her on edge. 

It had always been something that had irritated her, the cruelty of the fact she was living like this whilst children were fighting to the death never failed to make her skin itch, but this year it felt worse. The knowledge that Aaron could die and she couldn’t do anything to help beyond hope he made it out alive made sleep almost impossible, the thought of waking up to find out he’d been killed whilst she was sleeping was too much to bear.

Especially because her sheets still smelt like him, the lingering scent tricking her into thinking he was right there with her the first few seconds she was awake, a precious moment of joyful ignorance of the reality they lived in. 

“I don’t know him as well as you do, but something tells me if he comes out to find you sleep deprived and barely hanging on he won’t be happy,” Dave says, and Emily smiles wryly and nods. 

“That’s true,” she says her gaze drifting back to the television, anxiety building in her chest as she once again desperately hopes to see him on screen, to have the reassurance that he was still alive. She can feel Dave’s stare burning into her and she turns to look at him, concern bleeding out of him in a way she hadn’t seen since her own games, “What?”

“Have you thought this all the way through, Bella?” He asks, his tone nothing short of loving, the kind of judgement free affection she’s sure she would have had from a father if she’d had one who hadn’t left when she was young. 

“Thought what all the way through?” She asks, purposely acting like she doesn’t know what he is talking about. 

Dave wasn’t stupid,  she knew that, and he would know Aaron had been sleeping in her room the entire time they’d been here. He also would have known that he’d been talking about her to Gideon, not Kate like almost everyone else including her had assumed. He’d been playing this game since before she was born, aware of the ever changing and twisting rules. Rules that had been created to make sure even the winners walked away with no real victory. 

He smiles softly and sighs, “If he survives and you two…do this. There will be expectations of you both,” he clears his throat, choosing his words carefully, both of them well aware that there was no such thing as a private conversation here, “You would have very little choice in what your life would look like.” 

She hadn’t allowed herself to think about it in any great detail beyond the hope that Aaron would survive, that the rushed confessions on the rooftop the day before he went into the arena wouldn’t be all they’d ever have. He’d slept in her bed that night too, and for the first time, they didn’t fall asleep on opposite sides of the bed. She’d curled up in his arms and rested her head on his chest, the same position they always woke up in, and she fell asleep and dreamt of a world where he would come back to her. 

She knows that Dave is right, that if Aaron did survive and their relationship was public, something that was unavoidable, there would be expectations from President Barnes. They’d have to get married, which even if they wanted to it wouldn’t be anything like what they’d choose. It would be a spectacle, the celebrity status that came with being a Victor something she hated. They’d be expected to have children. Children she didn’t want because she already knew what their fate would be, destined to follow in their parent's footsteps at some point. Children she once said she’d never have but would love with her entire heart until they were taken from her by the same people who had made her have them. 

It was unbearable to think about, pre-emptive grief for something that might not even happen if Aaron died filling her lungs. 

She blows out a shaky breath and she nods at him. 

“I know,” she says, laughing humourlessly, “But I’ve had very little choice in what my life looks like since I threw that fucking knife,” she says, wiping the one stray tear that had escaped her lashline away, getting rid of it as quickly as it had appeared, “At least with him…” 

“You wouldn’t be alone in it,” Dave finishes for her as she drifts off and she nods again, forcing another sigh from him before he stands up, his hand on her shoulder as he squeezes tightly, “Just make sure he understands it all too,” he says, his smile soft, full of hope that seemed misplaced, “When he makes it out.” 

She chuckles and nods, placing her hand briefly over his before he lets go. She knows it’s his way of saying he approves, that he hopes it works out for her, and she’s sure she’s never been more grateful for him. 

“I will do.” 

___

By day three of the games there are only ten tributes left. They hadn’t made it beyond the initial bloodbath with both of their tributes in years, so it felt like nothing short of a miracle that both Kate and Aaron were still alive. 

Dave insisted that she came with him to a viewing party, and convinced her that they had to keep up appearances and act as if this was just normal games for her, as if the man she was in love with wasn’t part of the show they were all watching whilst getting drunk. 

She groans as she sees Ian Doyle walking towards her, a familiar smirk on his face that makes her skin crawl

“Well, well, Emily Prentiss. You’ve been ignoring me,” he says, and she smiles politely at him, the same smile her mother had taught her when she was young painted across her face. 

“Yes,” she says, taking a sip of her drink, “And until right now it was working.” 

Ian had won when he was 13, one of the youngest ever winners, a decade ago. He was vicious even then, a violence to his victory that had stood out to everyone. He’d pursued her for years, flirting with her the moment she’d turned 16 in a way that had made Dave ultraprotective of her, purposely making sure there was distance between them whenever possible. 

“Now come on, that’s not very nice,” he says, smiling as he steps in closer, the smell of whiskey and smoke washing over her, “How about you let me take you out when this is all over?” He says smiling, “My tributes didn’t last long, yours probably don’t have much longer…we can drown our sorrows.” 

She chuckles, fake interest dripping from her smile as she leans in, “Not even if the president herself demanded it.” 

She thinks he’s going to say something else, his pride clearly hurt, but an explosion tears her attention away from the conversation and she looks at the screen, her breath catching in her chest as she watches Aaron get thrown from his feet. He’s flung through the air like he weighs nothing, like she didn’t know that simply having his arm thrown over her waist was enough to pin her in place. She swallows thickly as she walks closer, shrugging off Dave’s attempt to hold her back, and she does everything in her power to make sure she doesn’t physically react, her shoulders tight as she comes to a stop. 

The relief she feels when Aaron stands up is palpable, his weight against a nearby tree as he stumbles, stunned by the explosion. It takes him a few seconds to steady himself and then he’s up again, running towards where the explosion had happened. 

It’s only then that she sees Kate, and guilt washes over her as she realises she hadn’t even thought about her, all of her focus on Aaron. 

He drops to his knees next to her, his hands immediately covered in blood when he touches her, her injuries clearly too extensive to survive. 

“Kate,” Aaron says, shaking his head as he looks around as if searching for help they both knew wouldn’t come, “You’ve got to hold on. I…” he swallows thickly as he pushes her onto her side to see the damage, his eyes going wide when he sees the mess her back is in, exposed bone and muscle drawing gasps from the crowd around Emily. 

“Is it bad?” Kate asks as he lowers her back down and sits down next to her, looking over his shoulder for more danger, trying to stay alert in case someone comes to finish what they started. 

“Does it hurt?” He asks instead of answering her question and she shakes her head, “Good. It’s good it doesn’t hurt.” 

Kate smiles tightly and nods, “Can I ask you something?” 

“Of course.” 

“When…when you said what you said during your interview, you were talking about Emily weren’t you?” 

It feels like a lifetime passes as Emily watches him weigh up his options. Everything around her comes to a stop, her breath catching in her chest as she stares at him, the way he nods in response makes her close her eyes. She can feel everyone looking at her, can hear the whispers as they all start to gossip.

“Then you need to make sure you go back to her,” Kate says, her voice getting weaker, her words slurring together, “One of us should go back home.” 

Aaron nods and he reaches out for her hand and squeezes it tightly, “I’m sorry.”

She shakes her head, “Don’t be,” she says, her eyes drifting shut, “It’s not…” 

She drifts off, her words dying in her throat as a cannon rings out in the arena, making Emily jump ever so slightly, the sound always taking her right back to the arena herself. She looks back up at the screen and watches sadly as Aaron stands up and takes one last look at Kate before he walks away, a new determination in his step.

“Well,” Ian says, standing so close to her she can feel his breath on her neck. She turns to look at him, making a point of scrunching her nose up in disgust at him, “Now I know why you turned me down.” 

“Don’t flatter yourself, Ian,” she says, taking a step back from him, “I’ve never needed an excuse to turn you down.” 

She walks away, making eye contact with Dave as she does so, and she desperately makes a point of ignoring how everyone is looking at her, how she feels like an animal in a zoo for the first time in years.

___

Emily jumps awake, not aware that she’d even fallen asleep in the first place as she gasps for air, her hand pressed against her chest as she takes in her surroundings.

“Emily, you’re okay,” Dave says, smiling softly at her, his hand on her shoulder as she looks around, realising that she had fallen asleep in the living room. Her eyes go wide as she looks over to the television, and Dave clears his throat, drawing her attention back to him. “He’s okay too. He’s still alive.” 

She nods rubbing her eyes as she sits up, “How long was I out?” 

“Only a few hours,” he says, “The girl from five and the boy from seven died.”

She frowns, “That leaves…”

“Just Aaron and that creep Foyet from four are left,” Dave says and he stands up, “It’s why I woke you up. They’re getting ready for the grand finale.” 

She blows out a shaky breath and she stands up, “I’ll get ready. I assume they’ll want us all out there.” 

“We can sit this one out, Bella,” he says as she starts to walk towards her room and she freezes in place. She turns to look at him, and he smiles sympathetically, as if she’d already lost Aaron, and it makes her ache, “We can make an excuse. Stay up here and give you some privacy.” 

She stares at him for a moment, affection for her friend, for how he’d protected her over the years flooding to the surface. She walks over and hugs him, sinking into the embrace when he hugs her back.

“We should go,” she says, smiling tightly at him when they pull back, “The first rule of being a Victor?” 

He smiles as she repeats what he’d said to her when she made it out of the arena, when she was scared and traumatised and wishing she’d died too. 

“Keep up appearances,” he says squeezing her shoulder before she steps back, “You won’t have long.”

She nods and walks towards her bedroom,  she pauses when she looks at the bed, the bed she hadn’t slept in for days, and she walks over her hand hovering over the pillow that had become Aaron’s. She picks it up and presses her face into it, breathing in the scent of him, letting it wash over her for a moment.

“Don’t die on me,” she says quietly, “Not now.” 

She gets ready in a haze, grateful that she’d turned down her stylist team, not sure she could cope with putting on a brave face until the last possible moment. When they get out to the main square it feels like everyone is looking at her instead of at the giant screen in front of them all, Aaron’s confession about loving her still lingering in everyone's minds all these days later. 

She’d always hated the jubilance that came with this, the excitement that lingered in the air as people were waiting to find out if they’d won their bets, if they had made money from the deaths of children. She had been bewildered her first time here, the year after she’d won. She’d felt out of place, like she was underwater as she watched people act like it was the party of the year whilst she wondered what people had made of her victory. If they thought it counted because she’d, according to some people, cheated by using the forcefield. 

She looks up at the giant screens, watches how the game makers clearly try and draw Aaron and George Foyet together. She stands tall, uses everything her mother had taught her about politics, about how to survive in the world they lived in. She uses everything Dave had taught her about being a survivor, what Penelope had taught her about the Capitol. She was the sum of everyone she’d ever known, of everything she had survived herself. 

She just hoped she’d get the chance to help Aaron do the same, to be part of what made him whole again. 

“I have a good feeling about this,” Dave says as he turns to look at her and she scoffs, shaking her head. 

“You’ve never lied to me before,” she replies, crossing her arms over her chest, “Don’t start now.” 

“He’ll make it back to you,” he says, winking at her in a way that relaxes her and makes her furious in equal measure, “He’d be a fool not to.” 

She smiles at him, his attempt at calming her down having worked, albeit briefly, but she’s drawn back to the spectacle of the games when she hears a yell, a scream she knows is Aaron. Foyet has him pinned down, a knife in his hand that glints in the artificial sun as he draws it out of him, the grunt that leaves Aaron animalistic. 

“Emily-”

“Don’t,” Emily says, cutting off Dave’s platitudes, her hands clenched by her sides as she stares at the screen, “Come on Aaron,” she says under her breath, “You’ve promised me a date.” 

She isn’t sure where Aaron gets his strength from, isn’t sure how he overpowers Foyet, but he does. He rolls them over, knocking the knife out of his hand at the same time, and he punches him. Hard. It’s something he repeats again and again, and she finds it oddly mesmerising. The crunch of Foyet’s bones, the sound as his teeth gave way under fists that had never been anything other than soft with her.  

Foyet collapses, his head falling to the side as he passes out, and Aaron breathes heavily as he pulls back, his knuckles bleeding from where his skin had broken against the other man’s face. He tries to stand up but he stumbles, falling next to Foyet, his hands against the wounds he’d given him, blood seeping through his fingers as his eyes drift shut. 

The transmission cuts out, the screen goes black and the crowd yells in disappointment. Emily turns to Dave, her eyes wide as she looks at him. 

“What’s going on?” 

He opens his mouth to respond, some half-hearted attempt to make her feel better, but he’s cut off by the loud booming sound of a single cannon going off in the distance.  

-x-

Tag List:

@ssa-sparks , @ptrckjcne , @lyds102 , @glockleveledatyourcrotch , @hotchnissenthusiast , @danadeservesadrink , @ssamorganhotchner , @emilyprentissisgod, @notagentprentiss , @freesiasandfics , @emilyshotchniss , @thecharmingart , @paulitalblond , @hancydrewfan , @camille093 , @whitecrossgirl , @moonlight-2-6, @rawr-jess, @florenceremingtonthethird, @jareauswife , @ms-black-a , @beebeelank , @aubreyprc , @zipzapboingg , @psychopath-at-heart, @criminalmindsgonewrong , @fionaloover , @kinqslcys , @prentissinred , @ccmattis-22 , @denvivale317 , @thrindis , @hotchsguccitie , @cmfouatslota77 , @alexblakegf , @aliensaurex, @prentissxhotch , @emobabeyy , @victoiregranger , @stormyweatherth , @wanderingdreamer009 @ssablackbird , @luhwithah , @lex13cm , @prentiss-theorem, @dont-emily-me , @mrs-ssa-hotch , @jocyycreation, @itsmytimetoodream , @hotchnissgroupie, @controversialpooh, @capsshinyshield , @canuck-eh

Join my tag list here!

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

what if in new moon Aro gave them a very clear deadline to turn Bella? like "if half a year from now the girl isnt dead or undead, we're taking the matters in our own hands" and sets a google calendar reminder (or something that fits the timeline to the same result) in front of their eyes dramatically. Obviously, it wouldn't make edward any less delusional, but how would the rest of the family react? would Bella feel more secure about her place within the Cullens?

He did.

He didn't mark it on a fucking calendar, but it was strongly implied Bella only got to leave human, at all, because she would essentially be immediately turned.

A few weeks later, Jane shows up, and explicitly asks why Bella isn't turned.

Alice has to send the Volturi a wedding invitation otherwise she had a vision of them coming and asking "why isn't Bella turned?"

The deadline was very fucking clear, and the family reacted as I would expect them to.

Rosalie voted no because she projects so hard that she wasn't considering/was choosing to believe a horrible death at the hands of mobsters is preferable to being a vampire. Edward just... refuses to believe this is an issue. Carlisle pulled a power move and stated he would turn Bella whether anyone liked it or not. The way it's phrased at the vote, Bella can go to Carlisle at any point and start planning her immediate death/biting and she at least expected it to take place in the Fall when she goes off for "school".

As for Bella feeling more secure, no, because the bottom line is Edward makes it explicitly clear that he does not want to turn her. Complete with the smashing of a television within her earshot for the whole family to hear.

This wouldn't change even if Aro had put it on a calendar as ultimately, Bella feels her only real place in the family is through Edward and if she's not Edward's girlfriend or he doesn't want her... then what happens?

It actually might make Bella less certain as there is now a very clear deadline that is very non-negotiable, and Edward is... trying... to negotiate it...

[quillkiller]

bellatrix pls xx

(ask game)

mwah thank u claude <3

favorite thing about them

i always tend to be the most compelled by oldest sibling-characters and that’s one of my favorite things about bellatrix aswell.. like her undying loyalty to family and especially her sisters, even if the loyalty is flawed and unhealthy, is very deeply special to me. i read a post lately about how bellatrix never used violence against her own family even if her family ended up using it against her. even after azkaban, after years of torture and dementors, she never layed a hand on. she always prioritized her family, despite it being in fucked up and harmful ways .. makes me Sick

least favorite thing about them

honestly maybe nothing ?? i think she’s one of the most interesting female characters in the hp series. she marries but never had children and ended up more powerful and demanding more respect than her husband ever did. she was voldys right hand man, despite being a woman .. she wasn’t heir to anything at all but becomes the most feared black family member of all ?? i think thats very interesting. i suppose i could be boring and say that my least favorite thing is that shes a ’death eater’ but that would be a lie :/

favorite line

"You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain - to enjoy it - righteous anger won't hurt me for long - I'll show you how it is done, shall I? I'll give you a lesson—” <- cunty

brotp

bella & sirius but in like a really fucked up way. in a sirius was bellas favorite cousin way and she hates him more than anything and sirius misses bella because he knew her before her name caused fear to whoever spoke it. they would play quidditch together and play fight and bella was his cool older cousin and sirius was the heir who looked up to her.. they absolutely excluded their other siblings during holiday festivites or whatever and teamed up. i Think

otp

quillkiller <3

notp

any ship with a man. bella is a lesbian to me 🤍

random hc

i think she’s kinda.. gross ? i dont think she brushes her teeth regularly and often gets knots in her hair because she doesnt like brushing it. she was the kind of teenage girl who hated her ’evolving’ body and puberty and how men started looking at her differently and how she became a ’girl’ against her own will

unpopular opinion

young bellatrix was just a pretty normal teenage girl. like yeah she was prejudiced and narrow-minded, but i really believe she was just a teenage girl who loved her sisters and laughed a lot. i dont even tend to think she was that against andys relationship with ted at first and the coin really flipped when she understood that andy was going to choose him. to bella their relationship was just a fling, bella had them too, and then when it really came down to it they would fulfill their duties and do whats expected of them. sort of hogwarts being their rumspringa shdhfjsjf if that makes sense ? <- people tend to think bella was just born crazy or evil as if it isnt in the canonical text that azkaban is what deteriorated her mental state. like yeah she wasnt a good person before that, but she was also. a person. who made those choices and had to live with them and committ to them. i dont think she just Chose to submit to voldy without second thoughts. she wanted to and she was going to do it, but she had sisters she loved and has been hurt in her life and theres just NUANCE !!!!!!!!

song i associate with them

[sofoulandfairaday]

honestly, your analysis and headcanons on the Blacks are always very interesting. If you don't mind, can I ask you for your opinion and headcanons about Andromeda?

Hi! I don't mind at all, thank you for the question (and the compliment!) ❤️

Andromeda is one of those characters I mostly have soft headcanons about, meaning that I can comfortably and happily read many different versions of her. Let's say that I dislike the soft little girl ones, the poor, poor Andy abused by her mean parents the most.

My favourite Andromeda is a steely sort. Oh, she's kind, soft, gentle (more than her sisters), but only to her own. Heart-of-gold, would-mother-the-whole-world-if-she-could, à la Molly, is not my cup of tea.

So, I can speak about how I personally write her but unlike many other characters, this is not a very fixed idea in my head.

Beautiful, but not as beautiful as Bellatrix, who she resembles quite a bit. Definitely less charismatic, less striking. This breeds insecurity, especially in a young teenage girl. She's the Regulus to Bellatrix's Sirius.

Also not as brilliant as Bellatrix, in school. Again: this breeds insecurity.

I think Cygnus and Druella loved their daughters, but since all three of them were quite remarkable young ladies, Andromeda still suffers from Middle Child Syndrome - she's the forgotten one: Bella was exceptional (she was after all noticed by LV himself, and was one of the most powerful fighters in the second war) and Cissy was the baby, so unintentionally it was sorta-maybe-true.

Consequently: a bit of a social butterfly. Much warmer than both her sisters, more beloved in school. Had good relationships with the other Prefects (of course she was a Prefect; all the sisters were) from other houses.

That's how she became close with Hufflepuff Prefect Ted Tonks.

Also also also can I just say they don't have curly hair like Bella has in the movies? Dromeda's is a lighter shade, but still somewhere in between straight and wavy.

Out of the three of them, she had the best people skills, the best soft skills, she might have been the best at manipulation. For years after she left, and when she was tasked with making meaningful connections with other Death Eaters' wives, Narcissa would lament not having the same soft skills as Andromeda.

Unlike Sirius and Bella who have, as I've mentioned in the past, a very black-and-white morality, Andromeda sees the world in shades of grey. She's more flexible. A pragmatist, unlike her idealist sister and cousin. For this reason:

I don't think Andromeda ever let go of all of her biases. Not enough fanfictions explore what it means to unlearn all the notions that your blood-supremacist upbringing may have ingrained in you. Sirius is the one in the family who hates Dark Magic, who befriends the broken, the beaten and the damned. He is the one that would fight for social equality.

I don't think Andromeda cared much for Muggleborns at all. I think she cared for Ted. I am convinced that before she left, she and Bella had some kind of showdown and she basically said something along the lines of: look. I don't think that Muggles and Mudbloods are equal to us, and I don't think that they deserve to be equal to us in society, but I am asking you, as my sister, to make an exception for Ted and me.

Ted - smart, funny, future Healer Ted Tonks, who worshipped the ground she walked on - was her exception (like Remus was Sirius', like Lily was Snape's).

Ted who showed her unconditional love and support, who was the only thing her family wouldn't approve of- her only, only act of rebellion after years of being the perfect daughter, the forgotten child. But they gave her an ultimatum and she chose him.

Oh, it broke Bella and Cissy when Andromeda left. But as I say here, Andromeda was convinced that Bella betrayed her first, by choosing her Master instead of her.

Andy & Bella were always the closest. The three sisters were very close in general and both Bellatrix and Narcissa were closest to Andromeda, but Andy & Bella shared a bond which was so exclusive to the two of them that it could never be replicated, not even when Bella & Cissy grew closer after Andromeda left. They both loved their youngest fiercely and would have done anything to protect her from harm.

She loved Transfiguration.

Absolute prodigy with Household charms (and this is canon), but also the best, out of all the sisters, with healing magic and healing charms. (She does cure Hagrid after the Battle of the Seven Potter, after all, and he's tricky because he's half-giant).

I think she might have been a private Healer, more on that here.

She disliked cruelty (Muggle hunting and the sort) but she could be ruthless when she wanted to.

Now. The following are my personal headcanons which have no basis in reality whatsoever, but I love them. Was sorta-involved with Rabastan as a child.

Andromeda & Rabastan (& Regulus), for the way I write them, all suffer from being in the shadow of their older siblings. I think they might have played together as children, and that she had, at different points in time, a bit of a crush on both the Lestranges. Rabastan first, as kids, when he was still in his phase ewwww girls.

Joke's on him because later he became absolutely obsessed with her. To a creepy degree almost. He didn't think it fair that his older brother got to marry a Black and he didn't, he didn't understand why, all of a sudden, Andromeda seemed to hate him when she had been a comfort to him in the past... And he had grown up now, he could see that she was beautiful, hard and perfect but softer than Bella, someone he could handle.

The less she wanted him, the more he desired her.

But she had become more and more disgusted with him as the years went by. At first, he had been a sweet kid, but he had turned out much worse than his older brother, definitely a bit of a sadist, too tightly wound, with a much-too-cruel sense of humour for her liking.

She was also already smitten with Ted at this point.

Both she and Cissy had a teeeeeny tiny crush on Rodolphus at a certain point and were generally very soft and over-indulgent with him, especially in his bickering with Bellatrix (which drove her insane and made Rabastan extremely jealous). But who can blame them, my man is hot.

Rocks short hair (by ‘short’ I mean a cool bob like Shiv Roy) which is something that Ted encouraged her to get after she had Nymphadora. Apart from that, she always had long hair, like her sisters.

Speaking of which. All of you must know by now that I headcanon all the Black women (Walburga, Narcissa, Bellatrix) as having fertility problems: either they couldn't conceive or when they could they never managed to carry to term. Not Andromeda. No. Maybe it was the new blood, Ted's blood, or maybe it was sheer bad luck, but when Andromeda was sleeping with Ted as a 19-year-old, she wasn't that careful. She figured that nothing would happen - it was- oh, it was so unlikely that anything would happen. But it did.

Andromeda ran away because she had fallen pregnant with Nymphadora. She loved her darling girl from the very first minute - more than her sisters, more than anyone in the world. Her family wouldn't accept her, which hastened things.

Yeah, maybe in another universe she could have been Rabastan Lestrange's bored wife (by the way, my boy Rab is bisexual just so ya know), having an affair with Ted on the side, Lady Chatterley-style (someone write that fic!) But not in this one.

In this one, despite the love she has for her parents, her sisters, and the luxuries of her old life (her pureblood friends, the tea parties, the balls, the gowns and vacations...) she is willing to throw everything away for Ted. And most of all, for Dora.

Horrid taste in names. Rabastan is lucky he didn't end up with her, his kids would have been named something obnoxious and self-referential like Alpheratz.

[podracerbarrelroll]

One of the things that gets me about Interview with the Vampire is Anne Rice’s take on the downside of immortality. I’m especially thinking about this after reading Dracula Daily, currently reading Carmilla Weekly, and considering other vampire media. The vampire should both horrify and fascinate you, and so there should be enough of a tradeoff between a normal, human life and vampirism to make you question if you’d really want that immortality if it was offered to you.

I say if you could choose to be any type of vampire, you’d want to be a Twilight vampire. It’s literally impossible for a human to kill one. Sure, you maybe can’t go out in daylight all the time because your skin sparkles, but that doesn’t mean you can never see the sun again. You’re also fast enough to catch and kill any human unlucky enough to see you out in the middle of the woods or wherever you risked going out during the day. And as long as word doesn’t get out, the Volturi won’t come after you. Twilight also goes very easy on the obvious drawback of watching everyone you love get old and die. I don’t remember the backstory of every single Cullen, but Edward was dying, Alice literally has no memory of her previous life, and Rosalie was brutalized and left for dead by her fiance. They had no life to go back to. Bella might lose her parents eventually, but children ideally should be the ones to outlive their parents. She didn’t have any other close relatives or friends. In giving up her human life, she gets to marry someone she loves and a new family. They can also live just fine on animal blood, so you don’t have to deal with the moral implications of killing humans. And you get your own superpower! Twilight vampires don’t even have to sleep.

Compare this to earlier vampire stories. The vampires in Dracula and Carmilla lose their connection to God--which was a much bigger deal to the Irishmen writing these stories in the late 1800s than it is to a modern audience. Dracula vampires also lose their humanity and have the significant weakness of needing to return to their coffin to sleep during the day and being vulnerable while doing so. They also can be warded off by garlic and have their sanctuaries destroyed by Eucharist wafers. Dracula couldn’t even move his own coffins--he had to pay other people to do it for him, and that meant he had to leave very quickly when the poly band started destroying them. Carmilla/Mircalla/Millarca is restricted by only being able to use different spellings of her name. Her eating habits raise suspicion in any area she stays in for too long, with so many people dying of a strange “fever”, and she also has trouble going out in the daylight. 

Buffy vampires lose their souls, burn up dramatically in sunlight, and have a vampire slayer (or, by the end of the series, many vampire slayers) gunning for them. Most of the vampires in From Dusk Till Dawn are stuck in an eternal position of slavery or servitude and also burn up in the sunlight, essentially forced into a new society where they have very little power and any disobedience would be punished by death. Vampires in Supernatural can survive sunlight, even if it hurts, but they have hunters to contend with, many of which won’t hesitate to cut their heads off even if they stick to animal blood and mind their own business. Increased speed and strength and eternal life might be nice, but you either become an evil, blood-hunting animal or you get to spend that eternity living in fear.

The drawbacks of vampirism per Interview with the Vampire differ a little between the book and the 1994 movie, and a lot between both of those and the 2022 television series. In the book, and save one scene in the movie where Claudia gets out of her coffin during the day to join Louis in his, Anne Rice’s vampires literally cannot be awake during the day. As they age, sunlight does lose its power over them as Armand says in the series, but they cannot be awake to experience it. New vampires are burnt to ash by the sun, older vampires are only burned by it, and the oldest and most powerful can sleep in the sun all day and come out with a nice tan. The movie does a good job of showing this with Louis, holding his lantern close to the waters of the Mediterranean at night because he wants to see it as blue as he’s always heard about. But his light isn’t enough, and the water stays black. It’s a significant drawback of vampirism that the show loses: the sun may eventually lose its ability to hurt you, but you will never experience sunlight or what the world looks like in the daytime again.

One thing the Interview with the Vampire series does keep and did do well with in the first season is showing how vampires are incapable of change. Not only that their bodies are the same forever and that Claudia will never grow up, but that they have essentially lost the human ability to grow and change as people. In the book/movie, Louis was in his early twenties and had already lost his brother (book) or wife and buried his newborn child (movie). Alone in the world save for the slaves he owned at his plantation--who rightfully hated him. He wanted to die, and Lestat jumped him and gave him what he wanted, but he also preserved Louis like that forever. He is and always will be suicidally depressed--he is both dead and wanting to die, existing in limbo. In the series, Louis will always be exactly who he was when Louis turned him. Alienated from his family, but feeling an obligation to support them. Hating the life he leads and the way he earns his money while also viciously defending it. Paying someone to sit in a room and listen to him talk, whether that person is a prostitute or reporter. Louis is stuck as who he was in his weakest moment, when he gave into Lestat, which is why he will always give into Lestat, which is why, after more than a century, he is still whining!

It’s also why aging up the reporter is a great move, because over the course of fifty years, Daniel went from a young addict to a world-renowned reporter, from an idealistic idiot to a cynical asshole. This means he’s done the one thing Louis can’t (besides go out in sunlight): he’s grown and changed as a person. That’s why Louis is fascinated by him, and why he called him decades later to complete their interview. It also calls into question if you, the viewer, would want the “dark gift” Louis offers him. Twenty-year-old Daniel, like most people that age, had no idea how much life can change you, and had no idea what he might be losing to ask for Louis to turn him at that age. Seventy-year-old Daniel knows very well what he would have lost and what he still very well might lose by letting Louis turn him, even as Parkinson’s slowly starts to take its toll on his body. Would you want to live as who you are right now, forever? Do you like who you are enough that you would give up your ability to change, to know who you might become? Would you always want to be that person who, when the vampire bared his teeth and made his offer, gave into a moment of weakness and said yes?

[griffynbird101]

On the fandoms hatred for Irina Denali:

So I see A lot of hate in the fandom for Irina Denali. I think this is unjustified lemme tell you why;

First; people blame her for abandoning the Cullens in Eclipse. I would like to point out that this was the entire Denali clans decision not just Irina, she couldn’t make a decision for the entire coven especially since she isn’t the leader. Let me show you how it looks from the Denali’s perspective; Laurent is a vampire, even if the Denali are vegetarians they weren’t for a long time and they probably don’t think badly on non-vegetarian vampires just like the Cullens don’t, it is natural for vampires to prey on humans. 2. The Denali respect the law. The Cullens do not, and their refusal to follow the law is ultimately what started this whole mess in the first place. 3. The Denali agree to help the Cullens if the Cullens help them get revenge. The Cullens do not agree, therefore they basically say “If you don’t help us we won’t help you”.

To summarize: Bella is a human, by the law she should be turned or killed and as long as she’s human the Cullens are breaking the law. And many of the Cullens (ex: Rosalie and Edward) plan on continuing to do this. Laurent would be following the law by killing Bella, and he would be following his natural instincts as a vampire. Laurent wouldn’t have attempted if the Cullens had turned Bella like they were supposed to. So from their perspective, Laurent was unjustifiably killed and the Cullens are to blame. They ask the Cullens to rectify this by stepping aside and allowing them to take revenge on what the Denali see as an inhuman species which hate vampires for being vampires and are therefore their natural enemies to begin with. They even throw a cherry on top and say; “Hey if you let us do this, we will turn a blind eye to your law breaking and help you keep your human alive.” The Cullens refuse and still have the audacity to ask whether they will be helped. The Denali make the decision to let the Cullens deal with their own problems. The Cullens refuse to help the Denali in what they see as justifiable revenge so why should the Denali help the Cullens.

THEN, the Cullens have a hybrid child. This is not against the law, and in fact if they had went to the Volturi with this the Volturi wouldn’t have punished them for it. The Cullens have not broken the law in this, and in fact hybrids are better at keeping the secret than regular vampires because they are closer to human. The Volturi may have wanted to observe Renesmee as they did with the immortal children before outlawing them but would have ultimately failed to claim Renesmee as an immortal child because of her incredible self control and growth rate. So far, the only real gripe the Volturi had with the Cullens is their refusal to turn Bella human which they have now done as promised.

They don’t do this. So when Irina goes to FIX things with the Cullens she see what she believes can only be an immortal child, something that is not only illegal but something she has a personal history with. This is it, to Irina the Cullens have crossed a line with or without Laurent. In this, Irina is the responsible one who goes and informs the Volturi that the law has been broken.

(also I want to reiterate that a rational person would not have gone down to “give the Cullens as chance to explain” the world doesn’t know about hybrids. From Irina’s perspective the Cullens have broken the law in the worst possible way and created an immortal child. Going down to say “Hey I know you broke the law” to group of seven vampires would be signing her death warrant. When Irina discovers the truth she apologizes for the misunderstanding and takes full responsibility for her actions.)

And what do the Cullens do when they find out the Volturi think they have an immortal child? Not smooth over the misunderstanding, they choose to amass an army. The whole reason the Volturi show up is because the Cullens have not only broken the law, but are actively challenging their rule. THIS COULD ALL HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE CULLENS INFORMED THE VOLTURI.

So then, Irina is executed. But only on false information that was fed to her accidentally by the Cullens. And because the Volturi needed to show that there would be repercussions for amassing an army. Irina couldn’t possibly have known the truth about Renesmee.

Everything that happens to the Denali is the Cullens fault. And if I were the Volturi, I would wipe out the Cullen clan at the first chance because they do not respect the law or understand the full scope of their actions, and in fact they’ve gotten away with a lot simply through Carlisle’s friendship with Aro.

[ashcal99]

Certain Things : Leah Clearwater XIII

Chapter Thirteen

"Something about you, It's like an addiction, Hit me with your best shot honey, I've got no reason to doubt you, 'Cause certain things hurt, And you're my only virtue"

Summary: Conner Swan moves to Forks Washington in hopes to help his sister Bella through her breakup with Edward. In hopes to find happiness again. He finds much more.

Warnings: (18+ only), descriptions of pain and violence, mentions of death, depression, loss, general angst, mentions of pregnancy, mentions of abortion and child loss

Words: 3.2k

A/N: Last Chapter!!! Hope you enjoy! x

Soundtrack

Previous Chapter

Series Masterlist

——————

September 7th, 2006

“Sam is going to kill you.”

Jacob’s words seemed to ring throughout the air, Conner’s eyes trained on the tree line where the wolf had retreated. Seconds ticked by, his gaze unwavering as the inevitable sank in. Shit was about to hit the fan, no doubt about it. They were now all in danger, he suspected, sure that the treaty would mean little to nothing to the pack once the news broke out. 

Warm fingertips brushed against his stiff shoulder, breaking his gaze. His eyes turned to Leah, jaw clenching as he took in the sight of his wife, belly swollen with his unborn child. The last thing he would have ever wanted was to hurt anybody in the pack, but he knew that if anyone were to threaten the people he loved most, his sister, his wife, his child, he would not hesitate to do whatever it was he needed to do to protect. 

Conner’s hand reached upward, gently grasping Leah’s palm in his own, bringing it to his lips, leaving a cool kiss to the blazing skin. “He’s right.” He muttered, looking deep into her eyes. “Things are going to get a lot more complicated here soon.” He said.

A deep frown etched itself onto Leah’s face, “I won’t let them touch you.” She said sternly.

Conner shook his head at her words. “You, Bella, and the babies are the priorities here, not me.” He stated, head whipping around to the direction Jake had ran off to, an earsplitting howl ripping through the air. A horrible feeling sink into his cold chest

Turning on his heal, he lead Leah back inside the glass home to discuss the inevitable fight that would be heading their way soon. The conversation was in full swing by the time they made it back to the living room, all of the pale faces, etched with worry. They were a powerful group, no doubt about it, but the likelihood of being able to make it out of this with everyone alive was very slim and they all knew it. 

Dread began to take over Leah’s mind as the reality of the situation began to sink in. Would she really be able to face her brothers in a fight to the death if that was what it came down to? She knew the answer would be yes, because at the end of the day, protecting her imprint was what she would always choose, but that didn’t mean that she would ever be able to forgive herself for hurting anybody else that she loved in the process. 

Her heart ached as her thoughts continued racing on. Not only her pack brothers, but Seth too. Tears pricked her eyes as she pictured his face, the little brother that despite her teasing she loved with all of her heart. She knew deep down that if he were to get hurt in all of this that she wouldn’t be able to cope. First her father, and now Seth? She couldn’t be responsible for two of her loved one’s deaths.

The conversation hadn’t been going on for longer than ten minutes when footsteps came quickly approaching from the woods, Edward and Conner speeding to the balcony to see who the visitors were. Jacob’s figure appeared from the tree-line, Seth not far behind. 

“Get ready.” Jake said ominously, a cold look covering his face. “They’re coming for Bella and Leah.” He said, the words ringing in Conner’s ears. 

Conner stepped forward, determination clear in his voice. “They’re not going to touch them.” 

“Agreed.” Jake said bluntly.  

——————

Jake sat on the edge of his seat, the many stone faces surrounding him, hanging onto his every word as he spoke. “Sam’s lost the element of surprise, and he doesn’t want to take you on outnumbered, so he’s not going to come at you head on.” He explained. “He’s got the place surrounded and he’ll wait for his opportunity.” He continued. 

Leah looked up to her imprint’s amber eyes, squeezing their intertwined hands as her fingers began to shake slightly. The fear of what was to come beginning to overwhelm her. 

Conner glanced down at her, brow furrowing in concern as he felt her fingers twitch in his hold, bringing her hand to his lips to place a comforting kiss to the warm skin, hoping to help ease her oncoming panic.

Emmet’s voice boomed through the room. “He won’t get through without a fight.” He said determinedly, squaring his shoulders as if to dare someone to try to fight him. 

Carlisle’s head whipped around to look at his adopted son. “No fights.” He stated. “We won’t be the ones to break the treaty.” He said, turning to address the rest of the room. 

“The treaty is void,” Jake interjected. “At least in Sam’s mind.”

“Not in ours.” Esme said simply, her want for peace clear in her eyes as she spoke. 

Emmet stepped forward, “Carlisle, no one’s hunted for weeks.” He said, the words seemingly igniting the flames that crawled up Conner’s throat. The need for blood coming to the forefront of his mind. He shook his head, this would not, could not be is priority right now. He would not let his thirst control him when Leah was in danger. He would not let the monster control him.

“We’ll make do.” Esme said pointedly. Conner gulped the flames down, refusing to give the burn anymore attention in that moment. 

Carlisle looked towards the wolf. “You’ve done us a great service, Jacob. Thank you.” He said sincerely, looking over the family who he loved and wanted more than anything to keep safe. 

Leah stood from the couch, letting Conner’s hand drop as she retreated to the room they had been given for the time being. Conner followed, closing the door softly behind him as he came up to her from behind. She stool at the far edge of the room, palms flat on the dresser that was against the wall, looking into the mirror above, worry and dread written all over her tanned face. 

Conner’s fingertips brushed her waist, encircling his stone like arms around her to the front of her swollen belly, resting his chin on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, seeing the pain in her eyes through her reflection. 

Tears prickled her vision as she looked ahead to the image of herself. Swallowing hard, she turned in his grasp, grasping his shirt as she let her tears begin to flow, burying her face in the fabric. Silent sobs shook her frame, the sadness radiating off of her body like tidal waves. 

Conner’s dead heart broke as he held her shaking body, venom stinging his eyes as the sorrow flooded the room. 

——————

September 9th, 2006

Minutes turned into hours and hours into days as the Cullens continued their effort in researching what these fetuses could mean for the two young women. Edward’s hope spiraled the drain as each answer showed more and more dread, his frustration growing by the second. 

Esme had made sure to make Seth and Jacob as comfortable as possible given the situation, giving them meals whenever they were hungry and even offering them beds to sleep in, despite both rejecting the offer. Having Seth there with her had seemed to lessen Leah’s stress just slightly, happy to at least be on the same side of the inevitable fight as her brother.

Conner was happy to see the comfort Seth was providing for her, relieved that something was going their way in all of this, even it if it was something small given the big picture. Despite things going better with Leah, however, things continued to get worse for Bella as time ticked on. Bruises scattered, her thin lifeless frame, pain covering her hallowed face as Carlisle informed her that the baby had broken another one of her ribs. Conner gave her hand a small comforting squeeze, trying to show her that he was there for her, despite her husband not being. 

“It’s crushing you from the inside out.” Edward snarled, the corners of his lips curling down into a frown. “Carlisle tell her what you told me.” He urged. “Tell her.” 

Silence rang throughout the room as Carlisle looked between the two. “Carlisle, tell me. It’s alright.” Bella reassured, giving him a small nod. 

The doctor stepped forward towards her fidgeting body, eyes scanning her face once more before speaking softly. “The fetus isn’t compatible with your body.” He informed her gravely. “It’s too strong.” He continued. “It won’t allow you to get the nutrition you need. It’s starving you by the hour. I can’t stop it and I can’t slow it down.”

Tears came flooding into Bella’s eyes as she blinked hurriedly trying to fan them away before they broke through. “At this rate, your heart will give out before you can deliver.” He stated, Conner looking to the floor as his heart cracked just a little bit more. 

Bella gulped before speaking, trying to swallow the fear in her voice. “Then I’ll hold on as long as I can and then-“ She tried, Carlisle interrupting her words. 

“Bella.” He spoke softly, laying a comforting half on her shoulder. “There are some conditions that even venom can’t overcome.” He informed her. “You understand?” He asked lightly, as if speaking to a terrified child. “I’m sorry.” He said, looking down to the floor, a grave expression covering his features. 

Conner looked to Edward, giving him a pressing look, begging him internally to not hurt her heart further by the conversation he knew was coming as he left the room quietly. 

Letting out a deep breath that his body didn’t need, he sped quickly through the halls back to his room, finding his wife where he had left her, in a deep sleep the mattress the occupied the middle of the room. Despite the despair he felt about the likelihood of losing his only sister, he would be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t equally letting out a sigh of relief that Leah wasn’t in the same boat. The pregnancy had been progressing smoothly mostly, apart from the occasional symptom that would be considered normal for even a human pregnancy. 

Of course, the relief had stopped there, because there was still a pack of angry wolves determined to ruin things. Although he doubted Sam’s ability to hurt Leah, the same did not go for his own safety as well as the safety of his child. If Sam truly thought of the baby as nothing else other than a bloodthirsty monster, then Conner knew Sam would try to take the child away from them. As much as he knew that to be true, he also knew that Sam would be putting the blame of whatever pain he inflicted on Leah emotionally on him rather than himself. 

Conner knew without having to think for more than a second that if it came down to it, he would give his life in place of the Leah’s or the baby’s and as he looked down at his wife’s sleeping form, he couldn’t help but feel at least a little bit of peace in that fact. The fact that as long as he was alive, or as alive as you would consider his current state, that his little family he had created would be safe. 

——————

September 10th, 2006

It was just a day later when the inevitable happened. 

Shit hit the fan. 

Bella had just told Jacob the baby names she had chosen, while he tried his best to hide the obvious disdain for her choices. Edward had just filled her cup with the blood that had been giving her nutrients for the past day, Leah muttering something about being glad she didn’t have to resort to such a disgusting diet, no offense to Conner of course. 

Rosalie had picked up the styrofoam cup, reaching her hadn’t out to hand the container to Bella when it all happened in a flash. Conner watched in horrifying slow motion as the cup hurtled to the ground, Bella’s body literally crumpling after it, spine cracking on the way down. 

Conner stood, frozen in his living nightmare as he gave his sister one last look as they rushed her away. Of course this had to happen the one night Carlisle had been gone hunting. Of course the one person that had the best chance of saving her fragile life was nowhere to be found in that moment, miles away. He gulped, snapping himself out of his trance as he scooped Leah into his arms, rushing to their room. 

Howls ripped through night air, echoing throughout the trees. He sat Leah on the edge of the bed, getting down on his knees in front of her. “Please stay here.” He begged, grasping her hands desperately in his own. “They’ll be here soon, and I know you want to help, but please stay here. I’m begging you.” He said, pleading with her with his eyes as tears flooded her own. 

“Conner, n-no.” She stuttered out, panic filling her chest. “Stay here, please.” She begged. 

He shook his head lightly. “I have to go make sure that Seth is okay, make sure that they stay away from you and the baby.” He said, voice filled with despair. He brought his hand to her now damp cheek. “I love you, Leah. More than anything in the world.” He muttered, crashing his lips to her own, needing the feel of her, the taste of her one last time.

The comfort of her kiss engulfed him, wrapping him in her love so tightly it took everything in him to pull away from her touch, and as he did, his heart gave its’ final break, shattering as he gave her tear stained face one more look before speeding outside. Although being turned into a vampire was the most painful thing he had ever been through, he knew that the pain of the venom didn’t do anything in comparison to the pain he felt in every step he took away from her. 

Shaking the image of Leah’s heartbroken face from his mind, it dawned on him that he could no longer hear his sister’s heartbeat. His chest gave a feeble ache, incapable of feeling anymore pain in that moment. She was gone. Bella was dead. 

He shook the though from his mind as he joined the rest of the coven on their front lawn, facing up with the snarling beasts in front of him. The wolves burst from the trees. The large black one coming straight for his neck in an instant. Sam. He wrapped his arms around the beast’s neck. Holding it back from himself as he pushed back against its strength. 

The wolf wriggled itself free from his grasp, knocking Conner swiftly onto his back. It snapped its jaw menacingly, its large paw holding him down before lunging in for his attack. Conner’s hands shot outward, holding the jaws open and away from his face as his eyes darted to the side, seeing Seth frozen, looking at his former pack brothers. “Seth!” He shouted, gaining the boy’s attention. “Go protect Leah.” He pleaded, watching as he shook himself out of his trance and ran into the home. 

Sam bared down on Conner, forcing all of his strength into his bite, as his sharp teeth got closer and closer to ripping his face off. 

“Stop! It’s over!” Jake yelled, voice ringing throughout the trees. “If you kill her, you kill me.” He stated.

Sam lifted his head, looking at Jacob before lunging in his direction, knocking him back ten feet. 

Jake burst into his wolf form, snarling back at the pack before him as Edward spoke. “Jacob imprinted.” He spoke, stopping Conner in his tracks. He stood in shock, starring at the russet wolf before him. “They can’t hurt her. Whoever a wolf imprints on can’t be harmed. It’s their most absolute law.” He explained.

Sam paused, dumbfounded, eyes flickering between them all before huffing. His eyes settled on Conner, the fading red still present in his own eyes as he saw him for what he really was, a monster. Was he really going to sit by while this man continuously put the woman he was once in love with in danger, time and time again? The man that would ultimately cause her death by the atrocities he had committed. Fuck laws and treaties, he couldn’t let this go on any longer. 

He lunged forward once more, catching Conner by surprise as he sunk his teeth into his shoulder, a loud yelp ripping from his stone chest. 

“Sam!” A scream rang out. 

Leah stood there on the balcony her white knuckles gripping the banister so tight it began to crack under the pressure. “Please, Sam, leave him alone.” She begged, tears streaming down her red cheeks. 

Sam looked up, hesitating as he saw the pain in her eyes. He stepped back taking in the full view of her. She looked… healthy, much different than Bella had looked in Jacob’s mind. Maybe this wasn’t a death sentence for her like it was for Bella. 

“Please, can’t I have happiness too?” She asked, voice cracking. Sam’s eyes lingered, seeing the pain in her eyes, no doubt caused by him, and suddenly felt an overwhelming shame come over himself. Conner hadn’t been the one to hurt her over and over; it was him. He was the guilty one. He was the monster. He gave the man before him one last look before turning and retreating into the woods, the pack behind him as he returned to La Push.

——————

September 12th, 2006

It had only been two days since the big fight. Bella had still not awoken from her transformation. Conner’s shoulder still held the scar left from the bite from Sam, and was most likely never going to go away. Though the battle was far gone, there he was again, terrified. This time because he was about to become a father. 

Leah had gone into labor, thankfully much less dramatically than his sister just as the sun had set that Tuesday. Conner stood at her side, letting her squeeze the life out of his hand as she pushed with each contraction. Carlisle coached her through every second, assuring her that she was doing a great job. 

Before they knew it, there she was. His daughter. A perfect copy of him and his wife, lying there in Leah’s arms, blinking slowly as she took in the new world around her. He saw right then that this love would never leave his heart, this astounding, world crumbling love for his child. There was nothing like it he had ever felt before, and as he stood, with his little family wrapped in his arms, he knew that whatever life had to throw at him in the future, whatever it had left to hurt him with that as long as he had them by his side he would be okay. 

Because certain things would hurt, but they would be his virtue. 

THE END

[zeldaelmo]

im on my laptop but pretend i put a star emoji here for the director's cut love u

Haha, thanks Bella!

Ok, so since I can choose myself I'm going with The Promise.

The scene under the cut is from chapter 3. Link has finally met his fiance Zelda, but from then on, everything goes awry. Her cousin Ghirahim isn't willing to let her leave, rightfully fearing he'll lose access to her money if she marries. Link panics and they flee.

I chose this scene because I learned something important from my beta @itcantbe . The scene was much shorter originally and still dramatic but not thrilling. She wrote me a comment that basically said, 'girl, this is the big escape scene. Make it bigger! More drama!' and she was so right about that. It's the finale of the first part!

It seems like something that doesn't need to be pointed out, but I learned to take a step back and look at the structure again and check: where are the big moments? What needs to be big, have a lot of words? A quick pace, strong verbs? What has an emotional impact on the characters? Where is the turning point?

Sure, a first kiss scene is easy to flesh out because it's obvious that it's important. But other scenes may be more difficult to spot. And that's why I love working with beta readers! A good beta reader will tell you what works, what might be problematic, and point at thin spots so that you can rework the scene.

But now a little excerpt:

"Come back, coward! I'm not done with you," Ghirahim yelled from somewhere behind them. But before he could fight his way through the bystanders they’d barely left behind and grab Link's collar, a thundering noise rolled from the walls of the town hall and the stables. A single cry split the winter air and the horde finally began to move again.

Epona burst through the crowd, and all the nosy tattletales scattered to the side, pressing themselves to the wall and against each other or finding cover behind the fountain at the end of the courtyard. Cries mingled with Epona’s agitated neighing, and her nervous hooves drummed a rhythm on the cobblestones that reverberated from the walls and heightened to a deafening staccato. 

She barely skidded to a halt next to him. Link had never been happier to see her — he owed Mipha big time for coaxing the stable boys into bringing her out. 

“Easy there,” he muttered, but it was to no avail. The turbulence of the crowd had made her so agitated that she reared up and he had trouble pushing Zelda out of harm’s way. More people cried which wasn’t helping in the slightest. Swallowing all his own anxiety down, he straightened his shoulders, and relaxing his face as best as he could, he began to hum Epona’s favorite song.

He only just barely was able to grab the reins and jam a foot in the stirrup. It was sheer madness to try and drag Zelda along with him, but he managed to swing her up with him somehow. She immediately threw her arms around his waist, burying her icy hands in his waistcoat. Oh, Goddess, they hadn’t even grabbed their coats! They would freeze to death, Zelda shook already like a leaf behind him. This was a horrible plan!

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

Worth the Price of a Bottle of Pop

So, anybody want a crack-fic with Kayne, Arthur, and too much sugar even for an Outer God?

Sugar calculations now included at the end, because why not?

AO3

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

“What is so special about you? I checked. I watched your life unfold, Arty. I went back to see… well. I watched you grow, you graduate, you fall in love! Or… like. Let’s call it like. I watched your parents kill themselves, I watched your wife die, your child drown… boy, you’ve had a lot of death around you!”

Which could be the reason, though boring as fuck. There was sometimes an aggravatingly stubborn balance the universe pooped out.

Like pinning a paintbrush to the canvas instead of letting it sweep.

Like stuffing a fist (with or without arm, unimportant) into a tuba before it went full Flight of the Bumblebee.

Like—

“And?” says Arthur, getting all tough (it was cute, Kayne could admit it, like a kitten going floof), as if none of that recitation had hurt him.

Oh, it hurt him. Kayne can see the bleeding, the deep and lambent ooze from the wounds in his soul this self-hating moron literally prevented from healing.

“And,” says Kayne, “I still don’t see what the big deal is. I don’t see why you managed to survive. Anyone else, and believe me, I’ve checked the math through trial and tribulation (though not my own)... anyone who would’ve opened that book and taken what you took from Hastur would’ve died. They all die! Popped like a ripe cherry.” And he laughs.

Because… well. They did.

Kayne hits pause and returns to one of his game’s saved states.

#

It isn’t enough to just watch Arthur’s life. Obviously, he’s missed something, so he tries again.

It makes sense to start with the closest connected factor?

But Parker just blows right the fuck up, and while it is pretty funny (the unpredictability of bloodstain patterns when magic was the murder weapon never ceases to delight) (and and and Arthur has a lovely screaming voice), it obviously isn’t the answer.

Whatever. He buys a bottle of pop (never quite tastes as good in later times) and returns to the game in progress.

#

“So?” Arthur challenges, just so very spunky.

“So what’s so special about the little boy from Arkham that made it so? What’s so strong about you that I can’t figure out?”

Ooh, from Arkham. That was an idea.

Pause.

#

Six tests in (and twenty-eight bottles of pop), Kayne’s finally sure it isn’t Arkham.

He tries people who moved there, and people who were born there.

He tries Anna Stanczyk, who’s indirectly tied to old Shubby via blood and family, and that doesn’t work.

He tries Frank Underhill, because at least that guy’s got a more direct connection to the idiot deities running around like bugs with delusions of grandeur.

Popped. Popped. Popped.

It ain’t location, and it ain’t blood. Hm.

Maybe it was Arthur himself?

Kayne goes back again, kills young Arthur, turns his body to ash, and lives his life.

It’s not like he hadn’t watched it a dozen times already. Really fucking easy to make all the same choices, and have all the silly conversations—

(And bathe in that self-torturing self-centered bizarro balance Arthur seems to have, which makes no sense because he hates it about himself but still chooses it and doesn’t even know why and isn’t that delicious?)

—and make the same connections and write the same songs—

(Maybe not all the same, maybe there are some special tricks hidden in the ones he performs himself for recording, but nobody’s gonna really notice until the bloodshed, and he timed it all to come true after the book opens so it won’t interfere with the test.)

—and fuck pretty Bella and make little Faroe—

(And she won’t come out the same, no she won’t, and surely it makes no difference to store her away instead of killing her because when she comes of age that’ll be a laugh and a half… but pretending she’s dead, anyway, which is so easy to do.)

—and making reluctant friends with Parker and becoming a P.I. and finally getting the gods-damned book in the mail and opening it up and—

Popped?

Popped.

Popped!

What the hell! He did everything right! It’s entirely Arthur’s body! Whatever he had in him should’ve worked, but nooo, instead he had to die, and ooze, and splatter Parker with skull bits, and that was a fucking waste of thirty-four years. Ugh!

He calms down by drinking fourteen bottles of pop in a row and melting the glass into madness-inducing runes.

Fine. Still no answers. Fine.

He peeks to make sure Faroe’s alive (because she is gonna be a riot when puberty hits), and finally resumes his game in progress.

#

“I… I don’t know,” says Arthur, which is not the answer Kayne wanted to hear.

“But you do. You have to, ‘cause if I don’t, that only leaves one other person. So we’ve both walked a mile in your shoes, kiddo. Take a wild guess: why are you so different?”

“What do you mean?” says Arthur, who really seems to be some kind of freaky one-off, and for someone so self-centered is really missing the point that this is all about him. “Why am I…”

“So different?” Kayne’s being patient because this has actually gotten interesting. “No wrong answers here. Come on, let me hear it. First thing that comes to mind. Shoot it out!”

And then Arthur makes up some absolutely Hallmark-level bullshit about being human, and Kayne has to pause the world again so he can laugh his ass right off.

Oh. Oh, that’s just… too much.

Human. Sure.

Though maybe it’s not completely off?

Kayne couldn’t replicate Arthur’s human soul, after all.

Could it be something… soul-related?

Huh.

That’d be weird.

Because Kayne sees souls (eats souls, shreds souls, cuts them into shapes and sews them together wrong), and Arthur’s really seems completely normal, utterly banal, which makes no sense unless there’s some kind of—

“What the fuck are you doing?” bellows Sothoth, and the whole, frozen world damn near crumbles down.

#

“What?” says Kayne with all the guilt-free confidence of a cat.

“There have been complaints,” says Sothoth, who looks like an office manager, whose double-breasted plaid suit somehow speaks money and dullness at the same time. “You’ve created at least a dozen unstable timelines, without warning anybody, in the span of an hour! What is going on?”

“Oh, it’s all for this guy.” Kayne waves his hand and points.

Sothoth adjusts his totally unnecessary c-bridge pince-nez (which nevertheless do a great job showing off the third eye he bothers manifesting) and looks.

There is a long, stupid pause.

“What the hell am I supposed to be looking at?”

“Right? You don’t get it, either!” Kayne feels weirdly justified in his confusion.

“It’s… a human, with part of… what the hell is that? Hastur? It looks like Hastur. Except it isn’t.”

“Yeah, that idiot tried to steal a portal and got cut in half. Hilarious, right? But lookit! He’s in a human! And he’s changed!”

“This shouldn’t be possible.” Sothoth’s tone has changed, too, and Kayne does not like it, because now, it is darkly and distinctly interested. “I don’t see why it happened.”

“Or why the human is alive.” Kayne can’t help boasting a little. “I’ve already checked him out. Little Arthur here is a great big weirdo! At least, I think he is.”

“An interesting human.” Sothoth is thoughtful. “How unusual.” His eyes (so many! That show-off) have gone a sick, corpse-yellow, and his red pupils slit with focus.

Nope, not letting that play out. “This one’s my game,” says Kayne. “I already licked it. My mess, my conundrum. I saw it first.”

“You’re just going to kill them,” Sothoth points out, which is completely accurate.

“Well, sure, but not yet. I want answers.”

Sothoth sighs and dabs his forehead with a handkerchief that matches his silk tie. He looks put-upon, wearily managerial, and his rings each carry more power than an entire exploding sun. “There. Have been. Complaints.”

“If somebody’s got a problem, tell them to come to me about it.”

“No, because you’ll just kill them, too,” Sothoth says, being so aggravatingly reasonable.

“So?” Kayne challenges.

Sothoth eyes him. “Are we going to come to blows about this?”

That’d be annoying.

They’ve already done it twice, and then had to go rebuild the universes from scratch or there’d be nothing to play in, and it was a pain in the ass, and all the resident Old Ones (great and otherwise) bitched the whole time, and it wasn’t fun, and Kayne doesn’t like things that aren’t fun.

Hence the killing.

“No,” Kayne mutters. “We’re not.”

“You’ll restrain yourself?”

Kayne snorts. “Sure, that’s what I like to do with my time.” Sothoth gives him a look, and Kayne rolls his eyes. “All right, all right.” He throws his hands in the air. “I’ll just deal with these two, okay? Just fuck with this timeline. For a while, anyway, until the little pea-bruised princesses calm down. I promise.”

He says nothing about the Faroe he left under Daniel’s tender care, because a fucking Freemason priest raising a girl in tight and miserable morality with chaos in her soul is bound to be hilarious.

Also, it’s not him messing with that timeline if she’s the one doing things, right? She lives there! It’s her reality to break!

Sothoth visibly does not believe him, anyway. Looks like he’s about to produce paperwork, or something.

Kayne crosses his arms.

Finally, Kayne’s fellow Outer God shrugs. “If you make a mess, you clean it up.” And he vanishes.

“Way to kill the mood,” Kayne mutters, and tunes back in.

“...that humanity that allowed this fragment of a god to stay within me,” Arthur is droning on, and it is still funny, but less than it was.

Kayne sighs. “Eh… maybe. Probably? Naw. No, I don’t think so. Maybe? Probably not. Got another guess?”

“I… I have no other guesses,” Arthur says, because he put all his pwecious heart and soul into that tooth-rot of an answer. “You know more than me, clearly, by a country mile.”

And Kayne cracks up.

Because even though he’d lived Arthur’s life, he had not expected that phrase, didn’t even know Arthur knew it. Surprise (which is delight) cranks the saturation back up to eleven and peaks his interest all over again.

What else can Arthur do that’s surprising?

“Wait,” says Arthur, doing one such thing right now. “You said you saw my life. My daughter. My wife. You… you lived my life?”

So Arthur caught that.

Even John had not, and John’s shock is just whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

“‘Lived’ is such a primitive word,” says Kayne, because he likes making people feel dumb. “Let’s just say… I understand you very well.”

Except he doesn’t.

He does not. This dorky little human, who would live and die and never make the history books, is surprising him.

“You know, I think I’m starting to like you,” he warns with great cheer.

And that should fucking terrify these two.

It doesn’t yet—but it will. It’s like making a joke they won’t get for a year.

This is all about planting seeds, after all, and seeing how Arthur’s soul makes them mutate.

So it’s worrying at Arthur’s emotional wounds via the music box, because Arthur’s soul bleeding is funny.

And it’s doomsaying to shake them both up and get them crazy to break away from “fate” (which isn’t a thing, but boy are these two afraid it is).

And a dagger, because a little violence never hurt anyone. Except whoever was on the other end, of course.

Then it’s off to the cheap seats, the metaphorical bleachers, where Kayne has settled in with some good old-fashioned popcorn and twelve 5¢ bottles of pop (real sugar, none of that corn garbage, which was funny as hell in terms of damage but tasted like absolute shit), and a show he’s going to remember for years.

And the dagger is used.

And the blood is great.

And everybody is wailing, and Kayne is having a blast.

Lucky them.

When he gets bored, he’ll kill them all—but he isn’t bored yet.

Lucky, lucky them.

(Was it luck? Naw. If it was, though, it’d be bad luck, and that sure was funny.)

So. This game. For a while.

Then off to see what Faroe is doing, and maybe nudge her along and see what she did if he went Vader to her Luke.

This, Kayne thinks, was well worth the price of a bottle of pop, and he cracks open another one and chugs.

---------

NOTES

So, hey! He drank 55 bottles of Coca-Cola.

In 1934, the bottles came in 6.5oz.

Each bottle contained 24.65g of sugar.

So, uh. By the end of this affair, he's had 1355.75g of sugar.

That's how you do it, I guess?

I am aware what I have wrought by creating a Faroe of this nature. We will see where THAT plot-bunny goes in the future.

And I'm quite sure all that sugar can't be good even for a being of chaos and death, but I'm sure as hell not gonna tell him.

[botheringlevi]

I asked my friend for a question and with an admirable determination to punish me she requested:

Team Edward or Team Jacob?

I'll throw in my own- what's something about yourself that you genuinely like? Not something you do, especially for others.

I didn't think I'd run into you today. Not that I'm avoiding you... I've been trying to spend more time outside as the weather has been giving us a break. The holidays were... Well, they were fine. I do keep catch myself daydreaming of spring.

Ah, I was wondering if you'd want to take the time to talk when you're free. About our excursion, and... [pause, a blush creeping up my neck] About what happened. That's all. [an awkward escape]

[Admin, I kept posting these anonymously by mistake. We'll say it's because I was being cool and mysterious. I hope these aren't too frequent, they've been a nice little escape. I'm the lizard owner lol]

[Previous ask]

*Stares* I hate that piece of shit series. All it is, is shitty mormon propaganda and a garbage example of shitty toxic relationships for brats who won't know any better. Mostly girls. If it didn’t exist, the world would be a better place.

If you can't live without your significant other... *Disgusted* ...you don't have a relationship. You're in prison, and you don't even know it.

How the hell do you explain away being kissed without consent as a way to "convince" someone to reconsider dating you. All that scene was, was garbage drama. There are about a million other ways to have done it while making it less of an assault on my eyes. Much less—a group of age-old vampires just happen to go to the local high school as a hobby? Fucking creepy. *Crosses arms* To say nothing of the actual romance. You know who should have gotten their own story? Rosalie. At least she was remotely interesting.

Tch, and I hate the whole melodramatic mopey schtick. I get that the girl is pretty much a blank slate, but that doesn't work even in *Curls lip* fanfiction, and it doesn't work in a blockbuster film. In the books, she had more character, and that still isn't saying much.

Edward is a mopey pathetic idiot. To "protect her", he leaves this girl who clearly has codependency issues, just like him. Here's an idea: as someone who's over a hundred years old, don't fool around with a teenager. It's just as possible that that would've ended in her death somehow, anyway.

*Glares* Besides the dozen glaring plot holes I could name off the top of my head, he was scared of fucking her because it would break her, right? Who cares about that when he’s supposed to be cold? No blood flow, either... *Scoffs* Nevermind…

Compared to that guy, at least Bella and Jacob's relationship had an organic start and progression. *Firmly* The sexual assault scene did him no favors, and neither did staking claim on her unborn brat, but even he had more redeeming qualities than the other guy.

So which one would I choose? *Presses lips* Alice.

*Huffs…*

...

*Furrows brow* ...

…My fighting ability.

…Yeah. Suddenly the weather's turned a lot nicer lately. It snowed the other day, but I didn't freeze my ass off outside. We're still on leave, but the weather held so that most of my squad could go out riding. Jean still has his mom.

*Grunts* You're waiting for spring. I'm the same way.

*Jaw works, looks away* Don't be stupid. I'm free to talk to you no matter what. But if that's what you want, we'll have that conversation later.

[chanstopher]

The 2nd episode!!! 😭😭😭 Bella Ramsey is the PERFECT Ellie. The snarky dialogue, the cursing, her playing around and being so curious of her environment but then being scared shitless and immediately following Joel and Tess without question. I felt her fear in the museum in my bones. Also LOVED the change of the horde overrunning the capitol building instead of the soldiers. It was so much more poignant because we got to experience Tess' dying moment from her perspective and it was her literally coming face to face with her own fate and that of humanity as a whole while still desperately clutching onto that little spark of hope for a better future. She chose to sacrifice herself and put her faith in Ellie as well as Joel but for a moment she actually had to reckon with the possibility that her lighter wouldn't work and she'd end up turning into the monster that was about to consume her. But the spark came to life at the last moment. The whole scene was so smybolic and exceptionally executed as well as acted. I bow down to Anna Torv. Also "I never ask you for anything, not to feel the way I felt" THE PAIN 🥲 And "That's not my fucking home" was so powerful. Tess and Joel lived in the world before the outbreak and remember it. She was saying that not just the QZ but the world as it is now is not her home and never can be again because it's just death and hopelessness. So even if she wasn't infected she could never go back because there's nothing to live for there, just empty survival. The only way lies ahead and choosing to believe in the hope of Ellie's immunity. That's what I took from it at least. I feel that Tess' character fully got her moment and the significance she deserved. Also love the flashbacks in the beginning from pre-outbreak giving context to how it all went down. It adds so much to the story. Ok I'm done with my ramblings now. This show is unreal. Oh one last thing: the infected all look INCREDIBLE??? Holy shit makeup/prosthetics/CGI team 👏👏👏

bella is SO perfect, and so true to game ellie im loving show ellie more and more every episode. and having ellie and tess bond just for another person she starts to care about to get ripped away just to REALLY plant how much joel is going to mean to her the more they're together is SO good im glad they added more tess. anna torv was absolutely amazing. crazy how we keep having perfect casting and then get the characters killed just so the emotional impact of everything constantly feels SO raw. i think anna brought a lot of real emotion to tess that wasn't necessarily there in the games, it made her death so much more impactful.

the flashback openings are so good, really nailing the fact that this is hopeless, that there is no way out of it. and just how much of a miracle ellie really is. and the prof was so amazing she really nailed her role and absolutely upped just how crazy and terrifying the whole situation really is.

The infected is SO game accurate. terrifying and absolutely gorgeous. the whole desgin team is literally doing SUCH an insane job of making everything look so exact to the game and so lived in and realistic. i really hope they win so many awards they deserve so much for the effort that is so clear.

i also love the tiny game nods, like joel moving the bookcase and boosting tess up. im constantly sitting there like

[themultifandomgal]

Temptation Pt18

Temptation Masterlist

"Trying to walk and chew gum at the same time again, Bella?" Emmett and I walk into the room hand in hand. Bella is having her hand wrapped by Carlisle

"Punched a werewolf in the face"

"Badass. Your going to be one tough little newborn"

"Tough enough to take you on" Bella smiles at Emmett. Rose throws a news paper down and walks out on to the balcony

"Don't worry about it" Thomas smiles. There's a pause of awkwardness until Edward asks if there are any leads. Bella follows Rose out. I decide to follow her out

"Go blather to someone else about the joys of becoming a newborn"

"Rose" I scold

"Ok. Rosalie. I don't understand what I did to make you hate me so much"

"Hate?" Rose shakes her head "I don't hate you. I don't particularly like you, but.." there's a pause "Bella I envy you"

"What? that's ridiculous" Bella asks confused. I walk over to Rosalie and take her hand in mine knowing that's she's talking about how she won't ever be able to have kids

"No it's not. You have a choice. I didn't. None of us did" Rosalie looks at me then at Bella "you do, and your choosing wrong. I don't care how miserable your human life is"

"My life is not miserable. It's not perfect, nobodies life is perfect"

"Mine was. Absolutely perfect. There were things I still wanted. To be married with a nice house and a husband to kiss me when he came home. A family of my own"

"Royce King was the most eligible bachelor in town and of course our Rose had him" I smile sympathetically at Rosalie

"I barley knew him, but I was young. I was in love with the idea of love. On the last night of my life I left a friends house late. I wasn't far from home" Rose tells Bella the story of how she was rapped and beat to death and how Carlisle found her. I wipe a tear from my face, the both of us going through the same thing has brought us super close "I got my revenge on them. One at a time, saved Royce for last so he'd know I was coming"

"You were very theatrical back then weren't you" I chuckle

"Things got better after I found Thomas, but we will always be this, frozen. Never moving forward. That's what I miss the most. The possibilities. Sitting on a front porch somewhere Thomas, grey haired by my side. Surrounded by our grand children. Their laugher"

"I wish Emmett and I could have children as well" I look down at my hands "like I've said before Bella if your 100% sure about all of this then fine but if your not don't become one of us just because of a boy. As much as I care for Edward and your his mate, don't regret anything"

"I understand that's what you both want, but there's nothing I'm ever gonna want more, than Edward"

"Your wrong again" Rose looks at Bella "after you've been changed there's one thing you'll want more. One thing you'll kill for. Blood" Rose turns around and walks back into the house

"She's right Bella. If this is what you want, be prepared for no sleep, no food and craving blood all the time. That being said, there are some positives"

"Like?"

"Being with the one you love for all eternity, oh and heads up the sex is great" I wink at her before leaving the balcony to go back into the living room. Everyone is looking at me. It takes me a while to realise they heard me "what? Just speaking the truth and none of you can deny it" I shrug "now I'm tired so I'm going to bed"

I walk up the stairs and enter mine and Emmett's bedroom. I know Emmett has followed me up, he's not really the quietest. The bedroom door closes

"So your theory, wanna test it out?" he asks wrapping his arms around my waist

"You know" I turn around to face my husband "I would, but I actually am tired" I smirk at him

"Are you sure Mrs Cullen? we can be quick" Emmett smirks

"And what's the point in that?" I lean up and kiss his lips. The door flies open and Thomas is stood there

"Look have sex, don't have sex just hurry and decide we want to know if we need to leave the house or not" Thomas shuts our door

"We really need our own home" I sigh "everyone out the house. Come back in a few hours"

"A few hours!" Jasper yells

"Brother get out" Emmett says raising his voice "we really do need our own home"

[flowersosa]

Fanfic: Eyes on Fire

AO3 Link

Prologue

Stop me now no longer, when I am eager to be gone, and whatever gift your heart orders you give me, give it when I come back, to bear to my home, choosing a right beautiful one; it shall bring you its worth in return. -Athena

If Bella Swan had given any thought to how she might die in this life, statistically, murder seemed to be the most plausible answer, either that or a car accident or suicide. Since she does not have a car and does not feel like taking her own life, murder is the most plausible answer.

It could be a home invasion, and some guy would break in while her mother and Phil were out. Perhaps she would be walking home, and some guy would be following her, and he would decide to drag her into a back alleyway. Maybe she would be in her boring geology class, and as her teacher drones on and on about the materials that make up the earth’s crust, some kid would decide to take his anger, frustration, and poor mental health out of school.

In a way, Bella Swan thinks and almost knows that her life is constantly inadvertently affected and manipulated by the role of men and the reactionary role of women. It. Makes. Her. Sick. Either way, she had never given much thought to how she would die; she had had enough reason in the last few months to know that the end of her life may not be pleasant, but nothing could have prepared it for this.

She stares, her breath caught in her lungs achingly, across the long room and into the hunter's darkened eyes. His eyes glint mirthfully, his lips drawn up into a painstakingly beautiful smile.

The state in which she lays, unmoving, not breathing, poised to take the place of another in this glorious sacrifice. Some may say that dying in place of another, especially the one you love, is noble. She begs to differ. If she had known that in the end, her life must be on the line and her friends and family being constantly threatened, she would have never gone to Forks, and she indeed would not be facing death right now. Through her mulling, she couldn’t find that she regrets this decision. She was offered a dream of warmth, love, and safety, a profound vision that far exceeded her expectations.

So yes, at this moment, as the hunter stalks towards her, his handsome features glinting in the light and his intention to make this her last night, she grieves the promise that remains unfulfilled.